CRM a spark for Sparks

There’s a piece over on DestinationCRM.com that may or may not come recommended by the Chump. Colin Beasty’s “CRM for Bleacher Creatures” covers an interesting topic for CRM junkies, i.e. the relationship between CRM and sports clubs, but undermines a few arguments with holes in sports knowledge.

Beasty discusses the uses of CRM in the sports world, citing as prime example the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA basketball league. Smart Button implemented a plan in May (a bit before the season tips off) for the Sparks that was reminiscent of systems employed by baseball’s San Diego Padres and football’s Oakland Raiders. Smart Button offers a program that’s based on reward programs and guest seat programs, helping sports teams exploit their base. Sparks President Johnny Buss, president of the Los Angeles Lakers and father of Phil Jackson squeeze Jeanie Buss.

For the record, however, Beasty is in error when he refers to the WNBA and the Arena Football League as having had “recent startup.” The WNBA, as Beasty later corrects himself, is ten years old this season. The AFL is going into season number 21. Says Beasty, “Ensuring that a team’s marketability isn’t lost among its larger brethren is important if smaller leagues are to grow. This last point is especially true when considering venues like New York and Los Angeles, two cities with multiple franchises and huge fan bases.” Wellll…except that Los Angeles can’t seem to support a football team in the NFL due to disinterest.

The entire article, worth a read for the Sparks Case Study, is here.