Fandom Blog Draft

 Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey

Watching the Pittsburgh Penguins is one of my favorite past times. I do not mean the black flightless birds but the hockey team. The Pittsburgh Penguins are one of the national hockey league's (NHL) most popular teams. They rank on top of the list of NHL teams by fans (Dyce, M. 2017). Fans refer to the Penguins as 'The Pen's'. The Penguins fans have quite a fandom of their own with many options to follow along with the action. The fanbase varies in age from young children to elderly seniors. The average age of ice hockey fans is 50 years old. When considering five major sports, professional hockey has the largest distribution of millennials; this is one in three fans between 18 and 34 years old. (Stone, S., and Jung, L. 2021). According to Forbes Magazine, Penguins fans are the most passionate in the NHL. 

Game Tickets 

Fans are willing to pay outrageous ticket prices that range from $35 to $380 in order to participate in the experiences of Penguins hockey (Calgary flames tickets. 2021). "Hockey fans have the highest average household income at $104,000 per year" (Stone, S., and Jung, L. 2021). The sport gives fans a piece of identity and a sense of belonging (Stone, S., and Jung, L. 2021). Hockey crowds are deemed tribal and communal during games (Stone, S., and Jung, L. 2021). Total attendance for the 2020-2021 season, was 70,976 for its 28 home games at the PPG Paints arena in Pittsburgh (ESPN internet ventures, n.d.). That's an average of 2,534 fans packing the stadium at each game. Forbes studies social media, television, and game attendance across all professional sports teams. The Pens landed 9th on the list of professional sports and were the only NHL team to be in the top ten (Kingerski, D. 2021).

Game Behavior

Ice hockey in general harnesses a lot of personal emotion. The behavior of its superstars can seem predatory and even criminal at times, yet fans cheer. On any game night, you can hear the proud fans loudly chanting from their stadium seats "let's go Pens". The fans feed on opposing player fights, penalties, injuries, and player disgrace. Their cheers are thunderous and their boos are vulgar and brash. When referee calls are felt to be biased or erroneous, the fans will chant "refs you suck". Ice hockey games contain high amounts of adrenaline. Blood on the ice is deemed exciting and a really good night of hockey.

Social Media 

Penguins fans have many online options at their fingertips for following their team and its players. NHL.com has a fan central where they can sign up for alerts like game scores, search for restaurants near the PPG Paints arena (their home ice), and even get wallpapers for their phones which display their favorite team members and Penguins logos. The team also has an app so fans can remain up-to-date with team news, rosters, scores, stats, and trades, as well as purchase tickets and fan gear. The Penguins are tech-savvy and have sites on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. They also have a youtube channel. 
Their Facebook page has about 1,886,968 followers where they post game day reminders, pictures of the players practicing, and the starting line-ups for those not at the game. For example, on November 29th they posted an update on a player during practice with the caption "look who just took the ice for morning skate in a non-contact sweater". With this, they were informing the fans that Evgeni Malkin, a forward, was in fact back on the ice after battling an injury.
Their Instagram page has about 2 million followers. They use this platform for game day reminders, pictures of the players practicing, the three stars of the games, and so much more. For example, on August 15th they posted a video of small clips all put together to wish one of their players; Teddy Blueger, a happy birthday. 
Their Twitter page has about 1.8 million followers and posts interviews with the players, game day reflections, and updates regarding the players and games. For example, on November 29th they posted a video of an interview they did with their player Kris Letang involving his feelings about the most recent game they played. 
Their Youtube channel has nearly 37,000 subscribers and continues to grow. They use this platform in order to interact with the fans in a fun way. They upload videos of documentaries, player challenges, locker room talks, and game recaps. Player challenges are fun videos that take two or more Penguins players and give them little challenges to complete while off the ice. This allows fans to interact with the players in a way and get to know them not only on the ice but off the ice as well. 

Fan Gear and Merchandise

The Penguins have online and in-person access to their team store (online store). Here fans can buy fan gear including long-sleeve shirts and t-shirts, sweatshirts, jerseys, hats, pucks, and more. This gear allows fans to show off their love for the team and/or have something of their favorite player. The fans proudly wear Pen's gear and jerseys with the name and number of their favorite player. In 2020, the Pen's brand brought in a whopping 93 million dollars in revenue (Forbes Magazine, n.d). 

My Experience 

I love watching professional ice hockey but Penguins games are the best. As a fan of the Penguins myself, I thrive on the palpable energy at the games. I feel a sense of belonging when I put on my Pen's jersey and experience a rush of excitement when the entire stadium chants and cheers for their favorite team. It's a vibe that is unique to hockey. 



Sources:
Calgary Flames tickets | 2021 NHL tickets & schedule ... (n.d.). https://www.ticketmaster.ca/Calgary-Flames-tickets/artist/805907

Dyce, M. (2017, December 12). Fandom 250: Pittsburgh Penguins fans named best in NHL. Fansided, https://fansided.com/2017/12/12/pittsburgh-penguins-best-fans-nhl-fandom-250/.

ESPN Internet Ventures. (n.d.). NHL  Attendance Report - 2020-2021. ESPN. https://www.nhl.com/penguins/fans/fan-central.

Fan central. Pittsburgh Penguins. (n.d.). https://www.nhl.com/penguins/fans/fan-central

Forbes Magazine. (n.d.). Pittsburgh Penguins on the Forbes the business of hockey list. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/teams/pittsburgh-penguins/?sh=7568149f4cca.

Kingerski, D. (2021, June 5). Penguins fans #1, most passionate fanbase according to forbes. Pittsburgh Hockey Now. https://pittsburghhockeynow.com/pittsburgh-penguins-fans-1-according-to-forbes-magazine/.

NHL.com. (n.d.). Official Pittsburgh Penguins website. NHL.com. https://www.nhl.com/penguins.

Stone, S. & Jung, L. (2021, July 14). Marketing to sports fans: Viewership & demographics; The shelf full-service influencer marketing. The Shelf full-service influencer marketing. https://www.theshelf.com/the-blog/sports-viewership/.

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