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In today’s relevance economy, sport is the asset that consistently outperforms. But showing up in the right kit isn’t enough to stand out. Brands need to really know how to play with timing, identity, and context to truly connect. Here’s the new hat trick for success.

In a world that’s only getting noisier and busier and more fragmented, sport is one of the few modern experiences that makes audiences just…stop. Focus. Feel. And come together.

The numbers speak for themselves: three-quarters of the top US telecasts were live sporting events last year. Meanwhile, three out of the five most-watched global events are sporting spectacles.

These audiences don’t just watch: they connect, share, comment, and buy. They follow players, causes, and creators, rather than channels or schedules. That emotional connection makes sport the ultimate stage for relevance: a space where brand messages can join the conversation rather than interrupt it.

But today’s fans expect brands to be personalized, timely and culturally relevant within those experiences.

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New tech means everyone can play

New sports adtech and martech is helping all brands show up with intelligence, speed and precision at scale. For instance, Sportradar’s Marketing Services offers digital ads that dynamically adapt to sports moments and audiences, thanks to proprietary sports marketing technology, more than 20 years of sports data, and real-time alignment with fan emotion.

Little wonder that the global sports tech market is projected to grow by 21% annually, reaching over $40b by 2026.

Brands are increasingly getting in the game because they know they can boost their performance by up to three times, if they get their play right. That’s if they move beyond simply grabbing fleeting attention to delivering personalized, authentic, and contextually relevant fan experiences.

And this success increasingly comes down to mastering the modern sports marketer’s three-move play for success: getting the Clock, the Crowd and the Context to work together, as the ultimate team.

The relevance hat trick: Clock. Crowd. Context.

The Clock – when matters

Timing is everything. A brand that activates weeks after a dramatic sports moment – think a last-minute goal, record-breaking play, viral celebration or championship win – has already missed the window. Purchase intent can jump as much as 23% when brands act within a week of that key moment.

Real-time tech tools can connect with fans in planned and unplanned moments, when attention and emotion is at its peak. There are three key windows of activation,and each one tells its own emotional story.

  • First is anticipation – the pre-match build-up where tension and talkability peak. Canny marketers spark excitement by becoming part of the conversation here.
  • Then there’s adrenaline, the in-match moment when emotion surges and attention is undivided. That’s the perfect time for context-driven storytelling and dynamic offers that turn passion into participation.
  • Finally, there’s the afterglow, when fans relive and replay the action, keeping the narrative alive through highlights, hero moments and shared reflection. This is where brands can extend engagement through nostalgia, loyalty rewards, or celebratory offers.

The savviest brands don’t choose one window, says Ralf Ollig, vice-president of product, Sportradar ads: “They weave all three together, carrying fans from buildup to beyond the final whistle.”

The Crowd – who matters

Fans may be united by passion, but they don’t all experience sport the same way. From die-hard superfans, to casual observers, to local communities rallying around hometown pride, each group speaks a different emotional language.

But segmentation alone isn’t enough anymore. The new competitive edge lies in real-time adaptation – coming up with creative that evolves with the crowd’s mood, the game narrative, and the cultural moment.

Ollig explains: “By combining live sports data with real-time insights into fan behavior, location, and emotion, brands can now serve ads that are more human and relevant to how fans actually feel in the moment. Imagine a player scoring in the final minute of a FIFA Club World Cup match. The technology can instantly trigger tailored creative that captures the thrill of that exact moment, turning emotion into engagement, and attention into action.”

Chick-fil-A’s ‘Fowl Shot’ campaign is a great example – rewarding basketball fans with free nuggets whenever an opposing player missed consecutive free throws, resulting in over 600,000+ redemptions and viral social buzz.

The Context – where matters

Today’s fans experience sport across multiple screens, devices and locations. Around 70% prefer to watch via connected TV, while over 30% engage simultaneously on mobile or social platforms. So, to stay relevant, a brand’s message has to move fluidly across formats and adapt to each environment in real time, natively. A CTV ad should mirror the emotion of the live broadcast; a DOOH activation should respond to local moments;; and social needs to be fast, visual and shareable.

For example, Uber Eats’ ‘Football is for food’ campaign did just that across CTV, DOOH, social media, mobile and within actual game broadcast itself. Its playful message that ‘football was invented to make fans hungry’ synced perfectly with match-day behavior, driving a 20% increase in orders.

Ultimately, says Ollig, sports moments move fast, “but the brands that understand time, people and place move faster. The Clock, the Crowd and the Context aren’t just a framework; they’re how modern marketers turn emotion into equity in the Relevance Economy.”

For more insights into how to turn sporting moments into brand engagement, visit Sportradar.