WEBVTT - A Lotta Finstas with RaShauna Hamilton 0:00:00.800 --> 0:00:03.079 Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're still 0:00:03.120 --> 0:00:06.600 picking confetti out of our undies from Sunday's national title game. 0:00:06.960 --> 0:00:09.400 It's Wednesday, April ninth, and on today's show will be 0:00:09.400 --> 0:00:12.720 taking a break from college hoops madness Olivia Miles to 0:00:12.760 --> 0:00:16.600 TCU to Naya Lats into South Carolina. Oh, we got 0:00:16.640 --> 0:00:19.200 a lot to get to tomorrow, but today we're going 0:00:19.280 --> 0:00:22.279 to pivot back to the NWSL and get right into 0:00:22.280 --> 0:00:25.120 my conversation with the Washington Spirits vice President of Fan 0:00:25.200 --> 0:00:27.880 Growth in Community Rashauna Hamilton. We caught up with their 0:00:27.880 --> 0:00:30.160 a couple weeks ago to discuss a brand new season. 0:00:30.480 --> 0:00:34.040 What made her pivot from coaching aspirations to community engagement work, 0:00:34.280 --> 0:00:37.280 Why it's so crucial for teams and franchises to listen 0:00:37.320 --> 0:00:41.240 to their fans and being intentional about uplifting cultures across 0:00:41.280 --> 0:00:44.600 the DMV area with the Spirits events and theme nights. 0:00:44.920 --> 0:00:46.839 That interview's coming up right after this. 0:00:56.640 --> 0:00:58.960 Joining us now, she's the vice president of Fan Growth 0:00:58.960 --> 0:01:01.160 and Community for the washer Rington's Spirit of the National 0:01:01.200 --> 0:01:03.960 Women's Soccer League, with previous stops at the Miami Dolphins 0:01:04.000 --> 0:01:06.760 and Atlanta Hawks. She's a George Mason University alum and 0:01:06.800 --> 0:01:08.120 got her master's at VCU. 0:01:08.280 --> 0:01:09.840 She could be a food photographer. 0:01:09.880 --> 0:01:12.160 Based on the snapshots of a recent trip to Austin, 0:01:12.240 --> 0:01:14.000 she was eating good and snapping good picks. 0:01:14.200 --> 0:01:18.839 It's Rashaanna Hamilton. Hirashaana, Hi, how are you good? 0:01:18.880 --> 0:01:21.240 Except I was also recently in Austin and I didn't 0:01:21.240 --> 0:01:22.840 have nearly as much time as you did to go 0:01:22.880 --> 0:01:24.560 to some good restaurants. 0:01:24.560 --> 0:01:26.440 Based on those photos, well, I. 0:01:26.440 --> 0:01:28.200 Do love to eat. I feel like the only way 0:01:28.200 --> 0:01:30.119 to know a city is to eat your way through it, 0:01:30.200 --> 0:01:33.080 and I definitely put on a few calories that should 0:01:33.160 --> 0:01:36.319 require a couple of jogs once I got home. 0:01:37.000 --> 0:01:39.319 That is my strategy too, But it's also walk, so 0:01:39.440 --> 0:01:41.640 I have to walk everywhere so I could see everything 0:01:41.920 --> 0:01:43.800 and then break up the walk in with the eaton. 0:01:44.080 --> 0:01:47.360 So I'm jealous of your trip. It looked awesome. I 0:01:47.360 --> 0:01:49.320 want to go back to the beginning and talk about 0:01:49.360 --> 0:01:52.200 your relationship with sports, whether playing or watching growing up, 0:01:52.240 --> 0:01:54.440 and how you ended up on this path to working 0:01:54.520 --> 0:01:54.800 in them. 0:01:55.280 --> 0:01:55.520 Yeah. 0:01:55.560 --> 0:02:00.040 Absolutely. My dad was a college basketball coach, and so 0:02:00.280 --> 0:02:03.360 I played sports growing up. I watched him. He was 0:02:03.400 --> 0:02:07.360 at Yukon and won a national championship at Yukon, actually 0:02:07.440 --> 0:02:11.000 won two national championships at Yukon, and so I just 0:02:11.040 --> 0:02:14.480 sat on the sidelines watching such great sports happen. That's 0:02:14.520 --> 0:02:17.120 why I started playing. I was like, if the boys 0:02:17.120 --> 0:02:19.880 can do it, I can do it too. And from 0:02:19.919 --> 0:02:21.640 there it just I fell in love with it and 0:02:21.680 --> 0:02:24.960 I figured it's time to explore it from a business side. 0:02:25.280 --> 0:02:27.920 And it's very different, but I knew that I wanted 0:02:27.919 --> 0:02:29.960 to find a way to contribute when my playing days 0:02:29.960 --> 0:02:30.360 were over. 0:02:31.240 --> 0:02:33.480 Yeah, you actually spent some time when you were at 0:02:33.560 --> 0:02:36.160 VCU as a women's basketball grad assistant. 0:02:36.360 --> 0:02:38.239 Was that the path originally was to get into the 0:02:38.280 --> 0:02:39.000 coaching side. 0:02:39.280 --> 0:02:42.480 Of course, I was like, Okay, my career is over. 0:02:42.639 --> 0:02:45.240 I don't want to go play overseas. I said, I'll 0:02:45.280 --> 0:02:47.320 just teach other women how to do this game at 0:02:47.320 --> 0:02:50.480 a high level. And what I realized is, hats off 0:02:50.520 --> 0:02:54.880 to every college basketball coach on the world, because it 0:02:55.000 --> 0:02:58.520 is a tough, tough gig and I feel like nowadays 0:02:58.560 --> 0:03:01.320 it's gotten even tougher with the poor and nil It's 0:03:01.480 --> 0:03:04.880 just you're really seeing the landscape change in college sports. 0:03:05.120 --> 0:03:06.359 And so I thought I was going to be a 0:03:06.400 --> 0:03:09.040 college basketball coach, and I took a very hard left 0:03:09.240 --> 0:03:10.280 once I got into it. 0:03:10.880 --> 0:03:12.600 What did you like about it coaching? 0:03:13.160 --> 0:03:16.280 Well, I think what's cool about coaching is that you 0:03:16.360 --> 0:03:20.320 really get to connect with players. I think that part 0:03:20.360 --> 0:03:22.400 is cool, and honestly, they keep you young. I like 0:03:22.480 --> 0:03:24.600 to consider myself like fresh and hip. And I was like, 0:03:24.639 --> 0:03:26.799 all right, I know all the slang, like I know 0:03:26.960 --> 0:03:29.640 what outfits to wear. Right, So I was like, all right, 0:03:29.680 --> 0:03:31.520 this will keep me young and keep me cool. Like 0:03:31.960 --> 0:03:34.720 to this day, my dad is still probably the coolest man. 0:03:34.760 --> 0:03:37.040 I know. I'm like, he's the coolest grandpa in the 0:03:37.080 --> 0:03:41.160 world because he's in college, so you know, he always 0:03:41.280 --> 0:03:43.880 is telling me what's going on, and I'm like, man, 0:03:43.960 --> 0:03:45.320 I need this to rub off on me. 0:03:46.240 --> 0:03:46.480 Yeah. 0:03:46.480 --> 0:03:48.560 It's like a job that will both aid you quickly 0:03:48.600 --> 0:03:50.480 and keep you young somehow at the same time. 0:03:50.680 --> 0:03:51.040 Yeah. 0:03:51.120 --> 0:03:53.120 Yeah, And we thought wine was the only thing that 0:03:53.200 --> 0:03:54.960 could do that. No college coaching. 0:03:55.560 --> 0:03:58.680 That's right, that's right. Let's talk about the Washington spirit. 0:03:58.720 --> 0:04:00.920 You're a DMV Natives, So what did it mean to 0:04:00.960 --> 0:04:02.520 come back to work for a hometown team. 0:04:03.200 --> 0:04:07.280 The spirit is crazy, crazy, crazy big. Right now we 0:04:07.320 --> 0:04:11.280 are growing and to come back home and be able 0:04:11.320 --> 0:04:13.920 to be part of a club with an owner that 0:04:14.040 --> 0:04:18.200 is really growing the game for women is absolutely phenomenal. 0:04:18.760 --> 0:04:22.120 I will tell you when I got the call and 0:04:22.200 --> 0:04:25.039 I was in Miami, and I said to myself, is 0:04:25.120 --> 0:04:27.360 this the time to really take a big jump and 0:04:27.400 --> 0:04:29.320 take a leap a little bit of faith because the 0:04:29.480 --> 0:04:35.000 NWSL is an emerging league And I looked around at 0:04:35.000 --> 0:04:38.680 the ownership, I looked around at what the NWSL was doing, 0:04:39.279 --> 0:04:41.680 and it was a no brainer. It also helps that 0:04:41.760 --> 0:04:45.159 my mom is still here and I've got two little ones, 0:04:45.240 --> 0:04:48.800 so whenever you can live close to a grandma, that's 0:04:48.839 --> 0:04:52.039 an easy yes. So I think it was a combination 0:04:52.160 --> 0:04:55.080 of right place, right time, but also being a part 0:04:55.120 --> 0:04:57.599 of this magnificent growth. 0:04:58.480 --> 0:04:59.080 Yeah. 0:04:59.160 --> 0:05:01.000 I want to get into some the differences from your 0:05:01.000 --> 0:05:03.560 previous positions, but first, like just set the stage a 0:05:03.560 --> 0:05:05.839 little by telling us what your main responsibilities are. Some 0:05:05.880 --> 0:05:08.679 people might not really know what someone with your job does. 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:11.599 That is totally fair. I get that question all the time. 0:05:12.000 --> 0:05:14.279 What I say is I really kind of work in 0:05:14.400 --> 0:05:18.320 three spaces and so fan growth. For us, the first 0:05:18.360 --> 0:05:23.280 piece is our operations and running any match at Audifield. 0:05:23.400 --> 0:05:26.200 So for us, we have one of the best fan 0:05:26.320 --> 0:05:29.760 experiences in the city. Our fans truly love coming to 0:05:29.800 --> 0:05:31.920 see us, and my team helps to put on that 0:05:32.000 --> 0:05:34.640 experience and helps to really make sure fans are falling 0:05:34.640 --> 0:05:37.480 in love with us one game at a time. And 0:05:37.600 --> 0:05:40.720 the second space really is our community impact space, and 0:05:40.760 --> 0:05:44.560 that's what we do philanthropically to show DC how we 0:05:44.640 --> 0:05:48.400 support them. And then the third space that's super important 0:05:48.440 --> 0:05:51.320 and this little sliver I think unique right now to 0:05:51.400 --> 0:05:55.120 women's sports, is that fan engagement in growth, and that's 0:05:55.200 --> 0:05:59.680 where we bring the brand externally to the market and 0:05:59.720 --> 0:06:02.919 we meet people where they are to introduce them to us, 0:06:03.120 --> 0:06:05.880 but also to get them to get a little taste 0:06:05.920 --> 0:06:08.039 of who we are. That is what I like to 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:11.479 call our personality, and so I get a chance to 0:06:11.480 --> 0:06:13.839 bring the personality out and about to streets. 0:06:14.320 --> 0:06:16.040 I was a minority owner of the Red Stars for 0:06:16.040 --> 0:06:17.680 a couple of years and one of the things that 0:06:17.760 --> 0:06:19.880 we talked about is how do we make the game 0:06:19.960 --> 0:06:24.440 day experience a little bit more exciting or informative for fans. 0:06:24.520 --> 0:06:28.320 How do you use the JumboTron or screens around the 0:06:28.360 --> 0:06:31.640 field to be informing them about something that's happening or 0:06:31.880 --> 0:06:34.920 a player that's playing because it's really difficult compared to 0:06:34.960 --> 0:06:38.680 something like basketball, where you have built in breaks, timeouts, quarters, 0:06:38.680 --> 0:06:41.600 et cetera. A lot more opportunities in basketball to have 0:06:41.839 --> 0:06:44.680 someone go out and juggle plates or you know, throw 0:06:44.680 --> 0:06:46.320 it fris me to a dog or do whatever else 0:06:46.320 --> 0:06:49.320 you do to add some entertainment, and some of it 0:06:49.400 --> 0:06:52.960 has to feel organic to to the team, even if 0:06:52.960 --> 0:06:54.800 it's a new team or only as a couple of 0:06:54.839 --> 0:06:56.760 years under its spelled. You also don't want to feel 0:06:56.800 --> 0:06:59.520 like you're forcing these activations or moments during the game 0:06:59.560 --> 0:07:01.640 onto face and they need to sort of create them themselves. 0:07:01.839 --> 0:07:04.640 How do you respond to those restrictions? How do you 0:07:04.680 --> 0:07:06.880 make sure that the game day isn't just about pre 0:07:06.960 --> 0:07:10.000 and post but also during the game. What's a value 0:07:10.080 --> 0:07:12.840 add for fans, especially maybe some who don't know soccer 0:07:12.840 --> 0:07:16.200 as well need something to jar them back awake or interested, 0:07:16.240 --> 0:07:18.240 you know the newbies that are like, I'm not sure 0:07:18.240 --> 0:07:19.480 what's even happening out there. 0:07:19.800 --> 0:07:22.320 Well, I think one thing that we've done that has 0:07:22.320 --> 0:07:27.400 been super interesting is in your traditional American sports that 0:07:27.760 --> 0:07:30.560 we're used to seeing on TV on prime time, they 0:07:30.560 --> 0:07:34.320 have all this entertainment that's kind of roaming through the stadium. 0:07:34.760 --> 0:07:38.400 We do that as well. So we've created our Spirit Crew, 0:07:38.640 --> 0:07:42.000 which is our hype crew, and so they're roaming the concourse, 0:07:42.360 --> 0:07:45.520 they're going up into the stands and engaging fans. We're 0:07:45.560 --> 0:07:48.840 really taking every opportunity that a person is at the 0:07:48.880 --> 0:07:51.840 building to connect with them. So we do your typical 0:07:52.000 --> 0:07:55.680 things pre and post because that's important. It's really important time. 0:07:56.160 --> 0:07:59.040 But when we have milestone moments within a match, we 0:07:59.120 --> 0:08:02.280 make sure to put that on the video board. We're 0:08:02.400 --> 0:08:06.720 sending our entertainment crews out so they can be capturing 0:08:06.760 --> 0:08:09.320 moments with fans so we can share those as well, 0:08:09.840 --> 0:08:12.680 and we try to make a really strong atmosphere. We 0:08:12.720 --> 0:08:15.320 try to get the fans prepared to chant and cheer. 0:08:15.800 --> 0:08:18.560 We have our supporters teaching all of the chants and 0:08:18.680 --> 0:08:21.559 cheers pregame so that by the time the ball goes 0:08:21.600 --> 0:08:25.720 in and we start kicking off, everybody's ready. Everybody's knowledgeable 0:08:26.120 --> 0:08:29.080 and excited to join us on this journey. 0:08:29.160 --> 0:08:32.480 Nice you're a year into the job. You started and 0:08:32.600 --> 0:08:35.199 join the team in March of last season. How was 0:08:35.240 --> 0:08:37.920 the learning curve after years in the NFL and the NBA. 0:08:38.720 --> 0:08:39.439 I will be. 0:08:39.520 --> 0:08:41.960 Honest, it was a little rough. I was like, what 0:08:42.520 --> 0:08:46.280 when do we take a break? Like it just keeps going. 0:08:46.400 --> 0:08:48.960 I think that was probably the biggest thing to get 0:08:49.040 --> 0:08:51.520 used to, which also made me realize I could never 0:08:51.600 --> 0:08:54.640 have been a high level athlete in soccer, right. I 0:08:54.679 --> 0:08:57.120 played when I was younger, But I was like, oh no, 0:08:57.200 --> 0:09:00.720 they just they keep running. That's like their condition for this. 0:09:00.679 --> 0:09:01.320 That's the sport. 0:09:01.520 --> 0:09:07.360 Yeah yeah, So I think for me adjusting to that 0:09:07.559 --> 0:09:11.040 was great. But what was the same, I think is 0:09:11.080 --> 0:09:13.880 the passion. So I think when you are sitting in 0:09:13.920 --> 0:09:19.400 a match, watching soccer match amongst nineteen thousand people, it 0:09:19.520 --> 0:09:24.320 is a truly electric atmosphere. And I thought because we 0:09:24.400 --> 0:09:28.320 didn't have these manufactured moments, that that atmosphere would take 0:09:28.360 --> 0:09:31.760 a dip. So I kept assuming to myself. I was like, oh, 0:09:32.040 --> 0:09:33.880 you know, we don't have a time out, we don't 0:09:33.920 --> 0:09:35.840 have this, we don't have that. Like people are going 0:09:35.920 --> 0:09:38.080 to fall asleep, people are going to be uninterested. And 0:09:38.160 --> 0:09:42.160 I found that to be untrue in the best of ways. 0:09:42.200 --> 0:09:45.880 I think because soccer is such a nail biting sport, 0:09:46.280 --> 0:09:49.720 right you just you're waiting and waiting for that magic moment. 0:09:49.800 --> 0:09:52.920 I think it keeps fans so interested because they feel 0:09:53.000 --> 0:09:55.120 like they cannot leave their seat, because if you leave 0:09:55.160 --> 0:09:57.920 your seat and there's that one goal, it's like you 0:09:58.000 --> 0:10:01.000 waited all this time to miss the moment. And so 0:10:01.240 --> 0:10:05.960 I think that is shocking, but also with shocking to 0:10:06.080 --> 0:10:08.880 me coming from these more traditional sports that have so 0:10:09.000 --> 0:10:11.920 much stoppage time, But it's also kind of nice. I'm 0:10:11.960 --> 0:10:15.440 not sitting in the stands for four or five hours, right, like, 0:10:15.640 --> 0:10:18.280 it feels very achievable for our fans. 0:10:19.480 --> 0:10:21.520 What do you think's the biggest difference when you're looking 0:10:21.559 --> 0:10:24.199 to serve fans of women's sports in the women's sports 0:10:24.240 --> 0:10:26.920 space versus serving fans in men's sports. 0:10:28.040 --> 0:10:31.360 We have done a lot of learning about our fans, 0:10:31.840 --> 0:10:35.600 and the biggest difference I see is that our fans 0:10:35.679 --> 0:10:39.320 are truly immune to the wins and losses. So I 0:10:39.320 --> 0:10:43.439 think in these bigger sports, you see a team has 0:10:43.480 --> 0:10:46.960 a bad year, their stadium starts to empty out right, 0:10:47.000 --> 0:10:51.000 There's very few of these legacy teams that are fighting, 0:10:51.240 --> 0:10:54.320 fighting and fighting for fans. And what we have found 0:10:54.400 --> 0:10:57.160 in our segmentation studies is that our fans are really 0:10:57.200 --> 0:11:00.240 with us because of what we represent, because of who 0:11:00.240 --> 0:11:03.280 we are, because of what we believe in because of 0:11:03.320 --> 0:11:07.439 the message that we provide. We are talking about strong 0:11:07.600 --> 0:11:11.320 role models with our athletes, we are talking about all 0:11:11.360 --> 0:11:15.319 of the community and philanthropic giving that we're doing, and 0:11:15.440 --> 0:11:18.800 that message resonates with fans. And what we find as 0:11:18.840 --> 0:11:22.720 well is that the soccer community is very tribal, and 0:11:22.760 --> 0:11:25.280 so people want to come and they want to be 0:11:25.480 --> 0:11:28.920 with their fellow people. That's really what we found, and 0:11:29.000 --> 0:11:32.000 so they are there for the experience. But it is 0:11:32.040 --> 0:11:37.200 a social gathering as much as it is an entertainment opportunity. 0:11:38.160 --> 0:11:40.719 Yeah, I mean, I think, of course it helps a 0:11:40.760 --> 0:11:45.480 little with newer, younger leagues because the suffering has only 0:11:45.520 --> 0:11:47.640 gone on for so long for the teams that do 0:11:47.679 --> 0:11:51.680 struggle in you know, established men's sports. I'm literally wearing 0:11:51.679 --> 0:11:54.080 a cubsat right now. You can go one hundred and 0:11:54.160 --> 0:11:56.600 eight years without winning it all, and then it does 0:11:56.640 --> 0:11:58.720 start to feel like, listen, I love you, I'm going 0:11:58.760 --> 0:12:00.360 to keep coming, but figure it out. 0:12:00.480 --> 0:12:01.240 Yeah. Yeah. 0:12:01.400 --> 0:12:04.360 What's interesting is it's a positive, of course that fans 0:12:04.400 --> 0:12:07.200 are so aligned with their teams and they stand for 0:12:07.240 --> 0:12:09.840 so much more than just soccer. At the same time, 0:12:09.880 --> 0:12:12.760 that's a lot of pressure on teams and leagues in 0:12:12.800 --> 0:12:16.079 the women's space, to not screw up, to not offend, 0:12:16.520 --> 0:12:19.400 to not drop the ball. When it comes to important 0:12:19.440 --> 0:12:24.680 social engagement, community engagement, intersectional issues. How intentional do you 0:12:24.760 --> 0:12:26.880 have to be because you know that you will hear 0:12:26.920 --> 0:12:29.960 it from your fans if you step in it. 0:12:30.280 --> 0:12:32.760 Yeah, I think soccer fans are very vocal, but listen, 0:12:33.120 --> 0:12:35.760 they are representing a generation where that is the norm. 0:12:36.200 --> 0:12:38.560 I think the reality is is as we look at 0:12:38.640 --> 0:12:43.559 Generation Z becoming a bigger population of not just the 0:12:43.600 --> 0:12:50.960 workforce but consumers, they are an informed generation. They purchase intentionally, 0:12:51.520 --> 0:12:55.200 and so what it requires is accountability. And I think 0:12:55.240 --> 0:12:58.679 what the brands that are doing it really well, ourselves included, 0:12:59.200 --> 0:13:01.680 is that even when we make a misstep, it's about 0:13:01.679 --> 0:13:06.359 being accountable within that misstep, right, And so we desperately 0:13:06.400 --> 0:13:09.560 try not to and we will always try to be 0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:11.959 on the right side of history because that's what our 0:13:12.000 --> 0:13:15.360 brands stand for. But it's not to say that these 0:13:15.400 --> 0:13:18.640 that behind these brands aren't human beings that make mistakes. 0:13:18.720 --> 0:13:21.400 And I think what's really really nice is that gen 0:13:21.520 --> 0:13:25.360 Z sees effort, and gen Z ces progress, and gen 0:13:25.480 --> 0:13:28.240 Z is empathetic. And so when brands do make a 0:13:28.280 --> 0:13:30.680 misstep as long as they're willing to own that. I 0:13:30.720 --> 0:13:33.480 think that these consumers and these fans they get it. 0:13:33.640 --> 0:13:36.839 They understand. They're like, we are with you, and we 0:13:36.920 --> 0:13:40.240 get that. And I think really the NWSL is doing 0:13:40.280 --> 0:13:43.640 a great job of being player centric now and so 0:13:44.200 --> 0:13:46.800 it's really hard to misstep when you let your players 0:13:46.840 --> 0:13:50.480 have a voice. And the NWSL and especially the Spirit 0:13:50.720 --> 0:13:54.360 does a really good job of giving the players their voice. 0:13:54.400 --> 0:13:57.480 I think we've seen that in the CBA, in this 0:13:57.640 --> 0:14:00.640 new CBA, and I think that is what's promising, is 0:14:00.640 --> 0:14:05.320 that we are really testing and piloting something different and 0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:08.760 saying we think different is better, and let's give it 0:14:08.800 --> 0:14:10.880 a chance and see if that is the case. 0:14:11.840 --> 0:14:12.720 Yeah, I would agree with you. 0:14:12.760 --> 0:14:16.000 I think the player centric league and then also listening 0:14:16.000 --> 0:14:18.400 to fans. And we've seen an example of that of 0:14:18.520 --> 0:14:21.200 late with the Boston and WSL team. Right, they rolled 0:14:21.200 --> 0:14:23.680 out a name and a brand that was poorly received, 0:14:23.680 --> 0:14:26.840 and they said, all right, bet let's go back, let's 0:14:26.920 --> 0:14:28.920 listen to y'all, let's try to think about how we 0:14:28.960 --> 0:14:31.120 did this and come back and try again. How much 0:14:31.160 --> 0:14:34.880 engagement does the Spirit have with supporters groups, fans, message boards, 0:14:34.920 --> 0:14:37.560 social media, chats. How much are you trying to keep 0:14:37.640 --> 0:14:40.200 up with that, either directly to them or just hovering 0:14:40.320 --> 0:14:42.720 behind the scenes and watching to make sure you know 0:14:42.720 --> 0:14:44.560 what your fans are saying and thinking about the team 0:14:44.600 --> 0:14:47.040 and the choices you're making constantly. 0:14:48.280 --> 0:14:50.960 The easy answer in the one word is constant. 0:14:51.000 --> 0:14:52.160 You got a lot of fence? Does? 0:14:52.240 --> 0:14:54.880 We got a lot of fence does? There's a lot 0:14:54.920 --> 0:14:57.040 of us And the best part about being a lean 0:14:57.200 --> 0:14:59.280 staff too, is that you have a lot of people 0:14:59.400 --> 0:15:01.240 here that are p passionate about the brand, and so 0:15:01.320 --> 0:15:05.200 when we are kind of circulating and watching what's happening, 0:15:05.240 --> 0:15:08.239 we're doing it because we genuinely care about this organization. 0:15:08.960 --> 0:15:12.520 But what's important is that our fans they do They 0:15:12.560 --> 0:15:15.320 tell us exactly what they think, They tell us exactly 0:15:15.360 --> 0:15:19.000 what they want. And we're also super intentional about not 0:15:19.240 --> 0:15:23.640 talking about fans as these groupings of people where they're 0:15:23.680 --> 0:15:26.280 not human. Right. Sometimes you hear a lot of marketers 0:15:26.320 --> 0:15:29.920 start saying our demographic or this group right, like we 0:15:30.000 --> 0:15:33.000 when we talk about them, we truly say our fans. 0:15:33.680 --> 0:15:36.920 We do a survey after every match and we go 0:15:37.040 --> 0:15:40.440 through and we read the verbatims because we want to 0:15:40.480 --> 0:15:44.120 know that a dad brought his daughter, his eight year 0:15:44.120 --> 0:15:46.960 old daughter to the match for her birthday with her 0:15:47.000 --> 0:15:50.640 eight friends, and he was so overwhelmed and exhausted by 0:15:50.640 --> 0:15:53.200 the time that night was over, but it is something 0:15:53.320 --> 0:15:56.240 she's going to remember. We get pictures of you know, 0:15:56.440 --> 0:16:00.640 ladybugs soccer that came to visit us, and there are 0:16:01.160 --> 0:16:03.840 so many of those stories, and that's what we hold 0:16:03.880 --> 0:16:07.960 on to, is those individual stories, because every fan matters 0:16:07.960 --> 0:16:10.280 to us and we care about every single one of 0:16:10.320 --> 0:16:12.560 their journeys and touch points with us. 0:16:13.040 --> 0:16:16.440 I remember talking to former Bull's employee at the time 0:16:16.480 --> 0:16:19.000 he was still employed. They're just talking about how important 0:16:19.000 --> 0:16:21.480 it is not to look at demographics but instead to 0:16:21.480 --> 0:16:24.800 look at behaviors. Because i might be a certain demographic, 0:16:24.840 --> 0:16:26.960 but when I'm taking my niece and nephew to a game, 0:16:27.520 --> 0:16:30.520 I might be buying more food and candy, you know 0:16:30.600 --> 0:16:32.760 that kind of stuff maybe merch for them, and if 0:16:32.800 --> 0:16:35.360 I'm going with my friends, I'm buying more beer and 0:16:35.440 --> 0:16:38.560 I'm engaging with the product differently. So needing to look 0:16:38.560 --> 0:16:41.040 at how someone's behavior impacts how you want to serve 0:16:41.080 --> 0:16:43.560 them instead of how they're demographic, might tell you what 0:16:43.600 --> 0:16:46.280 you think that they're going to behave as is super important. 0:16:46.560 --> 0:16:47.960 I was reading an interview and you talked. 0:16:47.840 --> 0:16:52.000 About being willing to fail in order to see progress right, 0:16:52.360 --> 0:16:53.640 and that you have to sort of take some big 0:16:53.640 --> 0:16:55.880 swings and see how they work out. Is there an activation, 0:16:56.480 --> 0:16:59.120 an event, a promotion that you remember taking a big 0:16:59.120 --> 0:17:01.280 swing on that didn't work and what did you learn 0:17:01.280 --> 0:17:01.560 from that? 0:17:01.920 --> 0:17:04.800 Oh, my gosh, I mean so many. You have to 0:17:04.840 --> 0:17:09.000 be willing to do it. I think this year we 0:17:09.480 --> 0:17:12.879 last year we had a giant American flag that we 0:17:12.960 --> 0:17:16.520 had out on the field, and operationally it was tough 0:17:16.560 --> 0:17:19.439 for us to do. I think it was you know, 0:17:19.760 --> 0:17:25.400 soccer fans, especially Spirit fans, are patriotic and definitely care 0:17:25.480 --> 0:17:29.159 about our country, but they're also very informed, and so 0:17:29.400 --> 0:17:32.680 I think for them, because that was the only representation 0:17:32.840 --> 0:17:34.679 on the field, they were like, well, what about what 0:17:34.720 --> 0:17:37.520 about the Spirit? What about? And so to say that 0:17:37.600 --> 0:17:39.800 we failed would be accurate because I think they were 0:17:39.880 --> 0:17:43.000 expecting so much more of us, And so what we 0:17:43.200 --> 0:17:46.240 said is what else can we provide that makes them 0:17:46.320 --> 0:17:48.840 feel like they are truly here for a Spirit match? 0:17:48.920 --> 0:17:52.160 And we've embraced their sense of identity in that, and 0:17:52.280 --> 0:17:56.240 so this year we've we've failed last year at just 0:17:56.359 --> 0:17:58.760 the Flag, we figured out how to kind of make 0:17:58.760 --> 0:18:00.880 it better operationally, and then and this year we did 0:18:00.960 --> 0:18:03.360 a center circle with the Spirit branding, and that's been 0:18:03.480 --> 0:18:07.920 why we accepted and loved. We've got people asking us 0:18:07.920 --> 0:18:09.560 to be part of that group to do it right, 0:18:09.720 --> 0:18:11.520 and we just realized that, hey, there was just a 0:18:11.600 --> 0:18:15.159 part of our fans identity that just resonated more and 0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:16.000 for us, we were. 0:18:15.880 --> 0:18:17.040 Like, we love it. 0:18:17.119 --> 0:18:21.360 We absolutely love having the opportunity to bring you more 0:18:21.400 --> 0:18:25.240 Spirit branding. We would love to do that with more merch, 0:18:25.440 --> 0:18:28.920 all all of that. So that was probably the one 0:18:28.920 --> 0:18:30.959 for us that we thought, Okay, this is a flop. 0:18:31.119 --> 0:18:33.800 How do we kind of take this flop and turn 0:18:33.840 --> 0:18:34.800 it into something better. 0:18:35.240 --> 0:18:37.560 Well, on editorial aside just from me that is not 0:18:37.600 --> 0:18:39.280 attached to you in any way, I could see why 0:18:39.320 --> 0:18:42.040 people maybe don't want the focus to be on American 0:18:42.080 --> 0:18:46.240 patriotism right now. So yeah, we're going to take a 0:18:46.280 --> 0:18:48.639 quick break. When we come back, I'm talking food and 0:18:48.680 --> 0:18:50.520 fan engagement with Rashaanna Hamilton. 0:18:50.840 --> 0:19:01.560 Keep it here. We do look at data for Washington's 0:19:01.560 --> 0:19:02.200 Spirit fans. 0:19:02.240 --> 0:19:05.400 Are there any surprises when it comes to different demographics 0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:07.840 or fan groups? Like, were there numbers that shifted your 0:19:07.880 --> 0:19:09.919 approach to outreach weather because you wanted to serve a 0:19:09.920 --> 0:19:11.959 fan base that you didn't realize was as big as 0:19:11.960 --> 0:19:13.760 it was, or maybe because you wanted to potentially catch 0:19:13.760 --> 0:19:15.480 the eye of a fan base that you think you 0:19:15.480 --> 0:19:15.920 could grow. 0:19:16.520 --> 0:19:19.600 Well. I think what is important right in marketing is 0:19:19.640 --> 0:19:22.639 that when you get to know who your core fan is, 0:19:23.280 --> 0:19:25.199 that as much as you want to kind of stray 0:19:25.320 --> 0:19:29.440 and try to go out and source these new fans, 0:19:29.680 --> 0:19:33.240 you do have to think about what is my potential there? 0:19:33.560 --> 0:19:35.680 And can I fish in a pond that I already 0:19:35.720 --> 0:19:40.680 know is biting? And so we have decided, because of 0:19:41.400 --> 0:19:45.200 really what's available to us and our market, We've decided 0:19:45.200 --> 0:19:47.479 to fish where we know the fish are biting. And 0:19:47.560 --> 0:19:49.520 so what that means for us is we are just 0:19:49.560 --> 0:19:53.000 trying to learn more about the fans that have been 0:19:53.040 --> 0:19:56.399 loyal to us. So we know about where they're consuming 0:19:56.440 --> 0:20:00.360 women's sports, but where they're consuming other information, we try 0:20:00.359 --> 0:20:03.280 to show up in those places. I mean, I will 0:20:03.280 --> 0:20:07.600 tell you DC is a brunch city, and so last 0:20:07.680 --> 0:20:10.200 year we had a game where we did a brunch promotion. 0:20:10.640 --> 0:20:12.480