Fandom Unpacked
Come inside the minds of the world's greatest leaders of live experience brands with the Fandom Unpacked podcast series. Featuring conversations with the leaders on the front lines of brands who shape our culture, join us as we dive into the powers and forces that drive audience connection, loyalty, and lasting fandom.
Hosted by Damian Bazadona (Situation), Peter Yagecic (A Mind at Work Consulting), and Maureen Andersen (INTIX).
Fandom Unpacked is powered by Situation – the world’s leading marketing agency for live experience brands.
Fandom Unpacked
ICYMI: How a Video Game Brought FIFA to America
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As soccer supporters from around the world transform cities across North America with songs, traditions, and unforgettable displays of fandom, we're revisiting a conversation that helps explain how many of those lifelong passions begin.
In this ICYMI episode, Mike Lorenc (Clinical Assistant Professor of Sport Management at the University of Michigan and co-owner of AFC Ann Arbor) shares why the next generation of sports fans often discovers the game in unexpected places—from video games to entertainment partnerships and digital experiences that build fandom long before a first match. As global supporters bring their cultures to life far from home, it's a timely reminder that the path to fandom is changing and that technology can turn a screen into a lifelong connection.
Hear the full conversation with Mike: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2449648/episodes/17985477-fandom-on-the-field-how-sports-move-the-masses
[Heather Gault]
If you've been online this week, you've probably seen it: soccer fans taking over North America.
Viking chants from Norway on the subway. The Dutch turning the streets of Dallas into a singalong parade. Thousands of fans bringing their traditions with them long before they reach the stadium.
Watching all of it reminded me of a conversation we had with Mike Lorenc, Co-Owner of AFC Ann Arbor last fall.
He was talking about how the next generation of fans (at least those in America) doesn't necessarily find sports through the traditional front door.
[Mike Lorenc]
"For the longest time, FIFA, the video game, was one of the top three reasons that kids became fans of soccer... there's this opportunity to attract younger audiences and leverage technology to go after those people in a very different, non-traditional way, and start developing those fandoms very early on."
[Heather Gault]
A video game becomes a lifelong passion. A screen becomes a plane ticket. And suddenly an entire city gets to experience someone else's traditions.
If you want to hear more from Mike, check out the full conversation linked in the description.
I'm Heather, and this has been Fandom Unpacked: In Case You Missed It.