001. Owning The Fan Experience

Written By Nathaniel Thompson Jr.

Power Plays from Disney, MLB & the NFL's Data Strategies

In today’s crowded sports landscape, the competitive advantage goes to those who treat fan engagement as a system-level business strategy.

That means seeing every interaction, digital or in-person, as a touchpoint that can be learned from, responded to, and designed for. When it all comes together you're getting attention, building loyalty, driving revenue, and creating a loop of connection and insight.

I first saw this in motion working with the Cleveland Guardians and Major League Baseball (MLB) on the early rollout of the MLB Ballpark app. We were digitizing the fan experience and designing a mobile-first experience that shifted how fans moved, purchased, and interacted inside the stadium. The app became the box office, guest service desk, and game-day guide.

That experience and later work with the Houston Astros shaped how I continue to think about fan engagement systems as tools to generate insight and reveal value, when they're connected.

Quick Context

Disney had been quietly building the ultimate fan experience platforms. They recently revealed a fully connected fan layer for the NFL and WWE - integrating live content, real-time stats (RedZone), and interactive play (NFL Fantasy) into one seamless experience.

The tech behind it? BAMTech.

What began as MLB Advanced Media, a digital arm built by Major League Baseball, became the engine now powering ESPN, WWE, and NFL streaming.

Disney slowly acquired it piece by piece between 2016 and 2022. Starting with a 33% stake (2016), then 42% for $1.58 billion (2017), picking up the NHL’s 10% for $350M (2021), and closing the deal buying out MLB’s remaining 15% for $900M (2022).

Disney was setting the stage. Behind the scenes building the foundation for something big - a "frictionless", integrated fan experience - all in one place, all connected. (i.e Hulu also rolling into Disney+).

Now, as leagues and teams (with universities on deck) create more content, capture more data, and build bigger communities, the game-changing play is integration. A strategy that turns attention and participation into shared value between fans and the teams they engage.

A triple play: connection, insight, and growth.

The Shift

Whether you're building platforms, investing in them, or leading strategy from the inside of a team or league - what you do next shapes the value created. We're seeing a clear move:

  • Platforms are moving from mass outreach to real-time, personalized fan journeys that help fans feel seen, heard, and understood.

  • Teams are leveraging tech to build smarter data stacks and layering in AI to tailor engagement, create shareable moments, and dynamically price their offerings. ESPN's evolving model is an example: Blending live NFL coverage, crucial scoring moments with RedZone, and fantasy play into one across cable, streaming, and mobile

Engagement is even more of a core currency of growth - measured in time spent, data shared, and actions taken. It now sits alongside ticket sales and media rights as a driver of enterprise value across sports.

The Gap

Still, most teams, leagues, and emerging startup ventures are playing catch-up:

  • Cool tech doesn’t always equal clear strategy. Many rush to build flashy features that look good but don't solve for flow, friction, or feedback. Missing what fans actually want and how they want to participate (content creation, voting, or exclusive access).

  • Insights sit on the bench. Data gets collected and without organizational alignment and buy-in, valuable insights never realize their full potential and engagement stays transactional.

Integration is the game changer for success. The wins will come from syncing systems so that every touchpoint across channels feeds into a single view of the fan in real time.

The Move

Here's how to shift from fragmented touchpoint to a connected, fan-first system - whatever your role:

For Sports Execs & Operators

  • Build agile, cross-functional teams: Unite marketing, ops, sales, and tech around shared KPIs and a single view of the fan.

  • Connect the fan journey end to end: Connect digital, in-venue, and broadcast to deliver seamless, measurable experiences.

  • Start with key fan moments: Design fan experiences around what fans are doing to make it feel timely, relevant, and personal.

  • Run fast, learn faster: Pilot small. Build, test, and double down on what works, and document the why behind what doesn’t.

For Investors

  • Bet on platforms with utility: Look for products that create value across the full fan journey, and invest in the people that think in systems.

  • Follow retention over hype: Find companies that drive consistent usage, repeat behavior, long-term value over empty one-off metrics.

For Founders & Ecosystem Builders

  • Design for insight and access: Turn raw data into simple decisions, and build integrations that plug into legacy and next-gen tech.

  • Build like BAMTech: Lay foundations that scale across leagues (in their case MLB, NHL, WWE), develop IP, and watch & guide fan behaviors.

Key Takeaway

Skate to where the fan is going - not where they've been.

Use data to anticipate what's next. We need to understand what already happened, but curating every touchpoint as a chance to drive connection, conversion, and long-term growth for the future puts you in position to make the next big play.

What’s Next?

Coming August 14th, The Next Move dives into Sports & Civic Engagement

Taking a look at how strategic partnerships between teams, cities, universities, and communities can shape the next generation of impact, equity, and growth in sports.

Nathaniel Thompson Jr.
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