Has a sports team ever made you cry? Dance wildly around the room? Curse in front of small children? If you've answered yes to any of these three questions, trust me, you're not alone. Sports have become deeply woven within the fabric of our society, and we view athletes with both reverence and abhorrence based solely on the colors they wear for a few hours a night. Behind all of the athletic achievement and blockbuster contracts, however, professional sports teams are just like any other business: They are in the game to increase the bottom line. Like any other business today, sports teams earn their revenue through two factors: a quality product and excellent customer service that creates and maintains a loyal customer base.
However, teams cannot rely on a quality product and excellent customer service alone to drive the masses to their events. They must identify and target people who are the most likely to purchase tickets. Sports teams face a unique paradox with their...
