Tackling The Challenge: The NFL’s Winning Strategy To Engage Gen-Z Fans

The most popular sport to watch and follow, according to Gallup.com, is American football. Controversies that have plagued the sport include life-threatening injuries from concussions, negative images from some of the game's stars, cheating (such as "Deflategate" during the Super Bowl) and Colin Kapernick's public protest during the National Anthem. But, that hasn't stopped higher viewership and increased attendance at the live games.

The big question is whether American football will continue to reign as the most popular sport to watch. International football—also known as soccer—could give the NFL a run for its money in the U.S., but the NFL faces a shorter-term problem: the lack of interest from Gen-Z (people born between 1997 and 2012, or ages 12-27), a demographic that makes up almost 20% of the U.S. population.

Just over halfway through the season (not including playoffs), the NFL is posting attendance and viewing numbers higher than last year. However, if not handled well, Gen-Z may pose a future problem for the sport. According to an in RetailWire that compiled data and comments from several credible sources, the younger generation is not so gung-ho for football as older generations are.

In 2021, Emory Marketing and Analytics Center found that only 23% of Gen-Z described themselves as passionate sports fans, compared to 42% of Millennials. Furthermore, 27% of Gen-Z described themselves as "anti-sports."

In 2023, YouGov reported that 31% of global sports fans ages 18-24 watched live matches, compared with 75% of those 55 and older.

Theories surrounding Gen-Z's lack of enthusiasm and interest in watching sports vary. Emory's study claims "poor interest in sports due to the first digital-native generation suffering from isolation and historically low civic engagement due to hours spent online."

The Financial Times stated, "Explanations for these changing habits vary, from rising ticket and TV subscription costs, which have priced younger people out, to a preference for short-form content or a simple overload of other forms of entertainment that did not exist when older fans got their first taste of live sport."

These findings and opinions are valid, especially regarding the expense of enjoying a sport. According to SportsCasting , the average cost of walking through the turnstile of an NFL game is $131.82. (It's $254 in Detroit compared to $71 in Tampa Bay.) That's before a hot dog, a drink and a souvenir to remember the day. The price tag of going to a game may be outside of the reach of the typical 18+ Gen-Z.

I'm not convinced that Emory's claim of a "digital native generation" is as persuasive an argument as the cost of the game. Kids are exposed to high school sports. Their parents are a generation that embraces sports, and the college sports market is strong. Furthermore, according to a Talk Shoppe study , 70% of Gen-Z sports fans follow social media updates and posts from the teams they are interested in, significantly higher than older generations. So, there is interest, but in a different way.

Growing up in a world where smartphones, social media and streaming platforms reign supreme, Gen-Z is redefining what it means to be a fan. Their approach to college sports differs from anything we've seen before—more digital, interactive and player-focused.

So, what's the NFL's answer? Meet the customers where they are. Surveys regularly rank football as Gen-Z's favorite sport, so their perceived lack of interest in professional football is actually more about understanding how they enjoy the game.

Here are several solutions the NFL is trying to retain and grow the interest of Gen-Z fans:

· The NFL has been aggressively building its social media presence, with 26 of the 32 teams each having over 1 million TikTok followers. Videos of players sharing "off-the-field moments" get hundreds of thousands of views and go viral.

· According to Ad Age, the NFL recruited more than 50 influencers to "film social content" from the sidelines of the NFL's first week to better connect with Gen-Z, female and multicultural audiences.

· To attract even younger fans—Gen Alpha—the NFL aired last year's Super Bowl on Nickelodeon and used cartoon characters SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star as commentators.

This is a wonderful CX lesson in understanding your customer—or, in this case, a fan. We can all learn from how the NFL is ensuring it retains fans. They understand the demographic, meticulously studying the numbers, listening to the fan commentary, observing habits and taking aggressive action on this information to ensure that what is today's most popular sport in the U.S. remains so. Tackling this challenge is more than just getting a fan to come to a game or watch TV. It's about understanding and winning the hearts and screens of a new group of fans, the digital-first generation known as Gen-Z.