Younger Sports Fans Are Still Tuning In, and Will Be First to Return to Stadiums

And they'll be willing to embrace new technologies to get back in the game

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Stadium seats still sit empty, but professional sports leagues are looking forward to eventual recovery. And younger audiences will lead that return, according to a new survey from sports marketing agency Octagon.

Despite the global pandemic, younger fans—between ages 18 and 29—never stopped paying attention to their favorite teams and athletes. That’s thanks in large part to the fact that younger fans are more digitally inclined, which should come as no surprise. More than 82% of sports fans between the ages of 18 and 29 have continued to engage in “sports-related activities” during the pandemic, which include everything from watching classic games on ESPN (which 29% of younger fans tuned into, compared to 19% of older fans) to following athletes like Tom Brady on social media.

Meanwhile,

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