Fan Loyalty

Loyal fans of the US snowboarding team endure all of the teams success and hardships. Some fans are loyal to the team, no matter what the outcome of the events are and whether there was success of not. Individual athletes on the team are also competing against each other in certain events and fans continue to prefer an athlete to another if they are loyal enough. Many players such as Shaun White and Gretchen Blieler are particularly preferred by fans and the popularity and buzz that such celebrity fans cause brings many provided benefits to the team over time.

Fan loyalty to the Snowboarding team comes about through the entertainment value of the sport. Snowboarding is fast paced and exciting. Whether Olympic events or not the sport is an action sport and thought of as a way of pushing the limits. The brand image of the sport is retro and cool and the atmosphere of events increases fan motivation.

Most fans of the team are snowboarders themselves or fans interested in extreme sports. Fans can relate and identify with the team, especially the athletes more seen in the media. For example Shaun White, 19 year old with a quirky personality and creative moves is an idol that fans love.

“He’s the one action sport athlete that we can point to in our coverage where ratings go up when he’s competing.” Says ESPN X Games creator and founder Ron Semiao. The success and power of one athlete can in turn affect the popularity of the how snowboarding team and the sport itself. White is a global phenomenon who appeals to all types of fans. White has relationships with HP, target and others and it is said that he has marketing instincts on what will sell. People love his charismatic attitude and to earth personality, which keeps, fans rooting for him and his team.

The value of the sport in the snowboarding community is very high. Such events such as the Sprint Big Air in Denver was a huge success in increasing fan loyalty in the winter sports community of Denver.

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http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://news.about-knowledge.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/shaun-white-olympics-2010-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.about-knowledge.com/shaun-white-olympics-2010-video/&usg=__pl5OAEBaNAX_VW_RacH6m50AKk4=&h=418&w=450&sz=46&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=jxds-x5BPanBBM:&tbnh=175&tbnw=188&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dshaun%2Bwhite%2Bolympics%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DX%26rls%3Den%26biw%3D1065%26bih%3D513%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=270&vpy=123&dur=251&hovh=259&hovw=279&tx=140&ty=123&ei=5Rn0TJ_7DsWTnQf1l72fCg&oei=5Rn0TJ_7DsWTnQf1l72fCg&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=9&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0 shaun white

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/vancouver/snowboarding/2010-01-26-white-mogul_N.htm