Fan Engagement Strategy, SBUS 450 Sports Marketing
Athletes Unlimited
As part of a consulting project for Athletes Unlimited in SBUS 450, our team built a fan engagement strategy to close the gap between AU’s innovative weekly-redraft format and the way fans follow, root, and connect with it. AU’s model creates excitement, but it also creates a real challenge: without fixed teams, fans lack a natural rooting identity. I led the Fan Home Court Advantage concept, a live arena experience where arriving fans vote for which team receives home-court advantage and the court changes colors in real time based on the vote.
01. The challenge
AU’s weekly redraft creates excitement, but it also means fans do not have fixed teams to root for, which weakens emotional continuity.
02. Two core fan types
We identified devoted basketball fans and fluid fans, then built recommendations tailored to both in-venue and broadcast audiences.
03. Home Court Advantage
Fans arriving at the arena vote for which team earns home-court advantage, making them part of the game before it starts.
04. Visible impact
The court shifts color in real time based on the vote percentage, turning fan preference into a live, shareable moment.
05. Why it works
This concept gives fans a reason to arrive early, creates ownership and belonging, and makes AU’s tech-forward identity feel emotional and memorable.