My Take on Major League Lacrosse Potentially Moving the Rochester Rattlers
If you’re passionate about Major League Lacrosse or lacrosse in general, there’s a really good chance that you’ve seen my work…without knowing who I am.
For the past two seasons, I was employed by the Rochester Rattlers, operating in-season as their Social Media Coordinator and tasked with conceptualizing, developing and implementing the social media initiatives of the organization.
When news of the team potentially moving to Dallas broke on Friday, I’ll admit it hit me harder than I anticipated.
Sure, there were rumors that this would be coming. Lacrosse twitter talked about it. People within the organization and league talked about it. Commissioner Gross even said himself this move has been “Openly discussed for a couple years”. But, when news of the “Dallas Rattlers” trademarks became public everything became very real.
When I joined the Rattlers’ organization in 2016, I had very little background with the sport. The team was looking to hire a Social Media Coordinator and Kyle Denhoff, now with the Boston Cannons, sent me the information. I worked with Kyle in the past and still consider him a great friend and business mentor. With his recommendation, I was hired on a contract basis, working from March until the end of the season.
With little background in the sport, I relied on people like Doug McSorely, Nick Fiorentino, Chuck Ragusa, Max Gerling, Denhoff and the rest of the team to help me become a part of the lacrosse community. While I fully understood how to leverage social media from a business standpoint, these guys were critical in making sure I had the messaging right. And, to be completely honest, it wasn’t always right at first…and lacrosse twitter made sure I knew that!
Thank You
To Coach Soudan and the players I met over the past two seasons, I can’t thank you enough for making my job fun and easy.
Interviews after a loss are never easy, but Coach Soudan was always available and ready to answer our questions.
To the guys that let me interview them, take videos during warmups or put my iPhone in the huddle to take pictures, you didn’t have to let me into the blue-collar family, but you did…and for that I’m grateful.
What Could Have Been Done Differently?
There’s an area of “What could I have done differently?” when I look at the alleged move to Dallas. After all, I was in charge of the social media efforts for the Rattlers. What could I have done to better engage fans, get more people excited about the team, and ultimately come out and fill the stands?
Looking at the team’s Twitter feed over the past few days there are plenty of comments saying we should have advertised more. Evoked the community more. Built up the fanbase and brand. Get more fans to show up to games.
I agree with a lot of the comments. Sure, more should have been done. But a lot was done within the budget we were given. And, amid reports of the team potentially moving, that growth and success might be hard to see.
The Growth of the Fanbase
Regarding the growth of the Rattlers’ brand, I obsess over data and tracked follower growth on a weekly basis over the past two seasons.
During the 2016 and 2017 Seasons, the following page growth was reported:
Twitter Followers: Increased by 36.12%
Facebook Likes: Increased by 20.14%
Instagram Followers: Increased by 177.48%
Increased Ticket Sales
With 2017 total attendance surpassing Charlotte (11,105) and Atlanta (14,259) and falling just short of Florida (16,086) it’s hard to read (on Twitter) the city didn’t care about the team.
Looking at PointStreak, it’s clear that the organization’s decision to move the team from Brockport back to the city of Rochester paired with a winning team and social media and content marketing strategies put more fans in the stands.
Attendance Growth 2016 Compared to 2015: 22.6%
Attendance Growth 2017 Compared to 2016: 50.5%
Too Little. Too Late.
With Gross himself saying this has been a move that has been in the works for a few seasons, recent growth and fan support may not have mattered to the overall decision to move the team. But from me personally, I appreciate every fan that showed up to Capelli Sport Stadium, watched on Lax Sports Network, tweeted along during the season or watched live on Twitter.
What I’ve Learned
If the move happens this upcoming season, Dallas will be getting a great group of hardworking, blue-collar guys that can compete against any team in the league.
If we get another year in Rochester, I can’t wait to get back to the Pit and get back to work.
