Xavier Gutierrez on winning the future in sports by engaging fans-in-waiting

Ad Age is marking Hispanic Heritage Month 2024 with our Honoring Creative Excellence package, in which members of the Hispanic community revisit pivotal projects or turning points in their careers. (Read the introduction and all the essays here.) Today, guest editor Rita Ferro turns the spotlight to Xavier Gutierrez, former president and CEO of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, who writes about the team’s efforts to build an always-on relationship with the Latino community. Ad Age Creativity Bookmark our section covering the best in brand creativity every day Read more here When I accepted the role of president and CEO of the Arizona Coyotes NHL franchise, I knew a myriad of challenges lay ahead. I was the first Latino to helm a team in NHL history, and the only one at the time leading a franchise in any of the five major American men’s sports leagues. Although this was a source of pride, it was also indicative of a dearth of Latino representation in the seats of decision-making in sports (and beyond). Growing a hockey team in the desert had never been easy, and the demographic makeup of the Phoenix area created further complexity. Maricopa County is 43% Latino, yet fewer than 3% of Hispanics had ever been to a hockey game. A similar delta existed with the sizeable indigenous tribal community. We could have run away from these challenges, but chose to lean into the opportunity and close the gap. Historically, sports enterprises have focused on current fan bases that already love the game, mostly from homogenous demographic cohorts. For example, NHL fans were historically more non-Hispanic white than other leagues, while soccer in this country was disproportionately followed by Latinos. In this new era, it’s critical that organizations broaden their focus beyond existing fans, to identify and engage their “fans-in-waiting.” Exponential growth will come only from unlocking new customer segments that are representative of the country at large, including diverse communities such as Latinos (20% of the American population), females (the fastest-growing fan base in the NFL), LGBTQ (60% of gay men report being “very” to “somewhat” passionate about sports) and more. Externally, sports entities need to do their homework and develop campaigns that lead with insights, not stereotypes. At the Coyotes, our work included shining a spotlight on successful Latino-owned businesses during both Hispanic Heritage Month and year-round; striking a historic, multiyear branding partnership with tribal-owned Gila River Resorts & Casinos; and partnering with Equality Health on a street hockey league to recruit diverse youth, while helping make our entire community healthier in the process. Internally, leagues and teams should strive to recruit, retain and elevate diverse employees, and not just because it’s the right thing to do. Diversity takes many shapes, and having a wide range of races, ages, genders and sexual orientations in one room leads to fresh ideation, better business decision-making and a competitive advantage. It’s wonderful for leagues, teams, brands and media companies to shine a spotlight during Hispanic Heritage Month. But in order to engage fans-in-waiting and future-proof your organization, it’s also critical we shift the collective mindset to an enduring, always-on relationship with the Latino community.

Xavier Gutierrez on winning the future in sports by engaging fans-in-waiting

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