Sports teams and leagues are no stranger to the quest of capturing fans’ attention. It’s an ever-evolving process, from a traditional in-game promotion like bobblehead night to more sophisticated, digital methods – all built around keeping fans loyal, buying tickets, and engaging more and more with a team or league.

The push for innovation to reach fans today centers around developing a complete picture of them to curate hyper-personalized experiences, maximize engagement, and build a lasting relationship.

Take, for example, someone new to a city. On a whim, they buy a ticket to check out the local baseball team. How do you turn that casual fan into a devoted superfan with a connection to the team that lasts a lifetime?

Creating a superfan – someone who follows a team or league very closely and talks about it at least daily, which is only about 7% of U.S. adults – is about passion and loyalty. A superfan is someone who, for example, attends games throughout the season, frequently engages with content concerning their favorite team or player, purchases team merchandise, and almost never misses watching a game when not there in person.

Building loyalty hinges on personalizing fan experiences, creating better connections, and adding more value. Here are five ways to turn a casual fan into a superfan and why data and artificial intelligence (AI) are crucial to creating personalized experiences at scale to help spark that connection with as many people as possible and add value to the experience of engaging with a team or league that sends casual fans on the path to superfandom.