In today’s digitally native world, sports fandom has extended beyond only watching your favorite teams during the season and evolved into getting year-round mobile alerts on player transactions, schedule releases and merchandise sales. Fans crave ongoing communication during the offseason, and sports teams want to stay top of mind even when the ball’s not in play. To regularly engage with fans year-round, sports teams globally are leveraging hyper-personalized, AI-enabled messaging that meets fans where they are most comfortable – on their mobile phones.
Beyond team updates and sales opportunities, research shows that 70% of fans want their teams to engage with them in between big matches and events, and AI is enabling two-way dialogues that boost fan loyalty and can be deployed year-round across mobile channels like text messaging (SMS and RCS messaging), WhatsApp and iMessage. These aren’t simple AI-powered chatbots or optimally timed mobile alerts, but Augmented Reality (AR) enabled games, interactive quizzes and behind-the-scenes experiences that make fans feel like they are part of the team. And there’s business value for the sports team that engages with fans year round.
From a standard news announcement to revenue-driving engagement opportunity
The annual NFL schedule release provides teams with a timely opportunity to engage with fans in mid-May – a busy time of year during the sports calendar. Playoffs in both professional basketball and hockey are underway, while Major League Baseball is ramping up for its summer stretch. To compete for eyeballs, NFL teams are developing social media campaigns that garner millions of views while partner TV networks develop day-long coverage breaking down matchups.
As part of its schedule release strategy, and as a way to drive ticket sales, the Los Angeles Rams used modern RCS text messaging with a conversational AI layer to announce their 2025/2026 season to a specific set of fans, offering them an exclusive opportunity to purchase game day tickets. The team saw an immediate return on investment, experiencing an overall boost in engagement (70%) and ticket sales (60%) as compared to previous messaging launches.
Enhancing the game day experience
The offseason is not the only time that sports teams are tapping AI-enabled mobile messaging to interact with fans in unique ways that boost loyalty. Conversational AI gamification is empowering sports organizations to create experiences that lets fans ask questions to instantly learn about their favorite player, access exclusive content like behind-the-scenes videos and even win merchandise through quizzes and games.
As a way to enhance the race day experience for fans, the TGR Haas F1 team leveraged conversational AI to provide fans with an always-on agent. Drawing on a knowledge base covering driver biographies, team history and circuit data, the agent communicates with fans and provides race intelligence, grid positioning, qualifying outcomes, sprint results and full session schedule, while tracking championship standings and performance data for TGR Haas F1 team drivers.
Building on the success of its race day companion, the TGR Haas F1 team introduced the RaceMate Quiz, a fast-paced mobile challenge that pitted fans against each other during the 2026 Monaco Grand Prix. Made available on popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp and iMessage, this gave fans the opportunity to answer six questions, rewarding both speed and accuracy, with a live leaderboard updated in real time and top performers winning signed merch from the TGR Haas F1 Team.
Conversational agents and gameday quizzes are only a few examples of the ways sports organizations are leveraging AI to communicate directly with fans on their mobile phones. As AI and Augmented Reality (AR) capabilities continue to advance and evolve, expect interactive activities that can boost the game day experience. For example, baseball teams can encourage fans to hunt for “AR baseball bats” hidden throughout the stadium. A real time leaderboard can be kept to show off who’s collected the most and prizes can be awarded to winners. And teams can “hide” these AR prizes in areas they’re looking to drive foot traffic, like official team stores and certain food stands located throughout the stadium.
How to implement
To be successful, sports teams must create interactive, personalized experiences that leverage AI and provide fans with what they really want. Eight out of every 10 fans want to feel more connected to their teams, but it’s imperative teams do so in a personal, effective way that’s authentic and provides a better fan experience. Sports organizations must build out their ability to create fan profiles, and successfully track engagement from all channels and touchpoints. Having a great data platform is key.
By combining high quality insights with the proper automation capabilities, sports teams are provided with completely new opportunities to engage. Organizations should start with specific goal-oriented campaigns, like schedule releases, ticket sales or merch drops before advancing to more complex campaigns, like quizzes and scavenger hunts. As a result, sports teams can expect greater emotional loyalty from fans, added revenue streams, improved event day experience, 24/7 engagement opportunities and data insights that drive business success, while also providing fans with a better experience.
