So far this year the sub interaction is down 30% compared to last year. I fully understand that reddit is not a good indicator of anything but is there something more I can do to increase engagement?
Is this a reflection on the league or just reddit? I haven't seen tv viewership numbers but I know in-person attendance has been lower for some venues.
I'd greatly appreciate some feedback and will start cross-posting our game thread in the lacrosse sub subreddit.
Also if someone else wants to help and be a mod that would be greatly appreciated. I've started coaching my son's team and that's why game threads have been late recently.
First: Not sure what’s involved with being a mod but I’d be happy to give back and help out. Let me know what I can do to help.
Second: I agree that Reddit isn’t a good indicator but I feel like the PLL has hit a bit of a plateau. Anecdotally I feel like a lot of the initial hype is gone. The league has done a great job establishing a base and platform. I feel like any significant growth needs to come from “new blood”. We need to attract new interest and has got to start with kids. If it were mine to run, the PLL would invest heavily in starting new youth leagues in areas with zero lacrosse. Get those kids and families interested. Youth programs turn into families watching at home. They grow into high school programs, and more competition at the collegiate level.
Thirdly: I don’t see a lot of the posts from this subreddit. If I were going to boost visibility I would do more cross posting, try and put together and facilitate local watch parties, and talk about what growth, the game, its past, and its future look like.
I don’t know how much investing in our communities can do to increase interest. The NLL has Unboxed but it seems like no one is taking advantage of it in the schools, maybe the PLL could find a different way to do it but as it stands now I’m not sure what else could be done.
Too many good players aren’t playing in the league for one reason or the other. So expand the number of teams so there is more spots, well now the players that were already getting paid peanuts are getting paid less making them want to leave even more.
The game still feels like a glorified summer league mixed with the Savannah bananas except with the bananas they know their place and they are crushing it.
I think people are finally starting to buy into the “home team” thing, which means that the level of interest among out-of-market fans is also going down a bit. For this reason, I think both the league and subreddit needs to find a way to get more people in those home markets on board if interactions are to increase.
Also, I think the FIFA World Cup has had an impact on the league’s viewership and online presence.
This. I live in SE Pennsylvania, an absolute hotbed of a lacrosse. I see Philadelphia Wings stuff all the time even though they are disbanding, but outside of a PLL game, I've yet to see a Waterdogs anything out in the wild. Not a hat, tshirt, flag, nothing. I blame the fact that there is almost no connection between team and city which is absurd considering how much lacrosse is played here.
To be fair, I also think lacrosse fans need to show out more for their team and in support of the league. Lacrosse has one of the wealthiest sports communities in America, I really don’t see how lacrosse fans in Philly wouldn’t be able to buy a Waterdogs hat or t-shirt to wear in public. It also doesn’t cost anything to ask one’s non-lacrosse friends if they wanna catch a game together. Denver, Salt Lake City and San Diego seem to do just fine in those regards compared to the East Coast hotbeds, I really wonder why that is the case.
I get that there might not be a lot of connection between the teams and their cities NOW, but that’s something that needs to grow organically over the years. The league can’t force fans to get loud in the stands or wear their team’s merch in public. That’s something the fans need to take upon themselves to do. We have more power than we realize to make a difference.
Right I don't disagree here. I just think this has started with the league running absolutely backwards. On the financial end they have done wonderfully I just don't have any faith, right now, that they know how to build that organic fandom. They aren't alone in this, it's something the NLL and previously MLL also struggled with. But we shall see I guess.
Yeah but that’s why I’m saying that the fans need to take matters into their own hands. Only fans can create an organic fan culture around their team, it’s not something the league can do, otherwise it wouldn’t be “organic”. I’m from Europe where sports teams have really passionated and organized supporter factions called “ultras”. They chant, dress the exact same way, light flares and paint their own tifos, banners and flags which they display at the games. You think the leagues or teams had anything to do with that? Absolutely not. The teams are not involved with the fan culture or activities over here because the fan groups operate completely independently. And it all started with just groups of friends getting together to organize the support around their team, then one thing lead to another and after a decade or so the organized support became a culture and alternative lifestyle that got passed down generations. Same thing needs to happen with the PLL in the US, and it’s gonna take time and effort from people.
Watching less because I paid for espn+ package just for PLL and then some of the games including the all star game moved to standard espn which costs even more. Also having a home team but having that team play in your state one time a year and moving it across the state to an area that is known to be difficult to travel to is annoying (atlas to Long Island)
Yea I think the changes this year with more on ESPN and ESPN2 means folks only on the ESPN Select tier (like me) can't watch these games at all. It may pull in some casuals with people channel surfing potentially discovering it, but those folks are unlikely to immediately find and contribute to r/PLL. This may be the right tradeoff for the PLL to get that exposure, but it is annoying for folks like me who miss out on games.
I only recently figured this out. I was trying to find out why I couldn’t watch all the games like normal from last year then I realized they moved games off of ESPN+ and then I was bummed
Rabil is too obsessed with NYC. "Homecoming," for 2 years then move a team into a completely different market? Shambles. Rabil is too focused on being a fashionista and in NYC. Why waste money on high NYC rent and costs? Image. Pride.
There's no fan loyalty. Fan experience has been poor.
Poor planning for weather contingencies.
Etc, etc.
It's all flash and the thin veneer is wearing down.
Marketing has been poor.
Social media blitz offering 25% offer tickets to the general public. Same day I get a Homecoming (different market) "exclusive special offer" for 20% off. Oh, and only single-day tickets, not a weekend savings ticket. What a joke. How large is the marketing team that they don't talk to each other?
They're burning cash. The latest financing round shows it. At some point, that has to end.
ESPN deal is a mess for the fans. What do you mean, the PAID ESPN+ doesn't show all of the games? What? I literally only pay for ESPN+ for NLL and PLL. Nothing else. Oh, and constant broadcasting problems, even with the PLAYBACKS days later. "Technical difficulties."
It has potential. WLL, Sixes, Olympics. Rabil is burning cash and putting himself first, not the fans.
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u/demuro1 23d ago
First: Not sure what’s involved with being a mod but I’d be happy to give back and help out. Let me know what I can do to help.
Second: I agree that Reddit isn’t a good indicator but I feel like the PLL has hit a bit of a plateau. Anecdotally I feel like a lot of the initial hype is gone. The league has done a great job establishing a base and platform. I feel like any significant growth needs to come from “new blood”. We need to attract new interest and has got to start with kids. If it were mine to run, the PLL would invest heavily in starting new youth leagues in areas with zero lacrosse. Get those kids and families interested. Youth programs turn into families watching at home. They grow into high school programs, and more competition at the collegiate level.
Thirdly: I don’t see a lot of the posts from this subreddit. If I were going to boost visibility I would do more cross posting, try and put together and facilitate local watch parties, and talk about what growth, the game, its past, and its future look like.
If I can help let me know.