First Ever Fantasy Sports Bar...One Year Later.

May 6, 2010 - Last year in March, NBC Bay Area released an article on "The World's First Fantasy Sports Bar."  Let me say that again, "The World's First Fantasy Sports Bar."  Here I am in 2010.  I've been playing Fantasy Sports since 1991 and the first Fantasy Sports Bar just opened up a year ago?  That's right, Adrian Glass, co-owner of The Post Sports Bar & Grill in St. Louis, MO, finally opened up what so many of us fantasy sports enthusiasts think should be the norm all across the country in the year 2010.  Way to go Adrian and thank you!

So how's The Post doing after a year of business? In short, quite well, but not for all the reasons you might think.  When I initially spoke to Adrian, he made it clear "in the sports bar business, it's not Fantasy Sports that will keep the customers coming back; it's the service and food."  Adrian's clear understanding of what really counts in a sports bar is evident by winning the 2010 Best of Metromix St. Louis New Bar Award. - Nicely done!

So what exactly is the impact of Fantasy Sports in a sports bar?  According to Adrian, "Fantasy Sports has definitely allowed us to cater to a niche market.  While I hoped that we'd see more repeat business from everyone aside from the just the draft season, we have seen a substantial spike in revenues generated from draft parties themselves.  The patrons who take it seriously however, definitely get involved in the weekly fantasy newsletter and we see them in here more often than most patrons.  As expected, Fantasy Football compiles roughly 75% of our fantasy customers, Fantasy Baseball about 22%, Fantasy Hockey 2%, and Fantasy Basketball 1%.  We hope to be able to increase the amount of Fantasy Basketball and Hockey participants by about 50% each of the next three season."

Yeah, but can you really make money from the Fantasy Sports crowd?  Here are some quick hitter stats published by the Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA):

• Total consumer spending is estimated at $800M

• Total market impact of roughly $4.8B

I know these numbers are too big to make any real sense out of them.  How about $467.60?  That's how much the average Fantasy Sports player spends per year according to FSTA.  Adrian estimates "the percentage of total restaurant sales coming from Fantasy participants is roughly 7%. While this number isn't quite large as I'd initially hoped, it is going to be a growing process.  Moreover, many of these patrons are now regular customers and consider this to be 'their' bar."  Seven percent is not bad for a first year.  As with any business, it takes time to grow so why should your Fantasy Sports crowd be any different?  It really shouldn't.  Although, the sooner you start building your Fantasy Sports Community, the sooner you'll prosper in the future.  Fantasy Ballers are a loyal bunch, make no mistake about it!

Here at SuperCommissioners we do not claim Fantasy Sports to be the end all be all promotional tool for your establishment.  We do believe that Fantasy Sports is a viable option for engaging your customers and promoting your brand.  We strongly feel that those two features are vital for any business to thrive and succeed, especially in the social media world we live in today. Now some good food and service certainly doesn't hurt either. 

What's next for the Post? "As far as 2010 goes, we're not going to offer anything extra.  Instead we are working on getting the website fully interactive so that people will be able to sign up for our leagues as well as schedule draft times online.  This process should be complete in the next couple of months."  Just in time for Fantasy Football!  Adrian's definitely got the right idea for 2010, do you?

If you would like to give Fantasy Sports a try and run a Fantasy Football Tournament for your establishment, feel free to contact us here at SuperCommissioners or simple give me a call.  The number is listed in the upper left of your screen.

If you would like more information about The Post Sports Bar & Grill, you can visit their site at www.thepostsportsbar.com

A special thanks goes out to Adrian Glass at The Post Sports Bar & Grill for answering my questions.  We wish you and the rest of your team at The Post an exciting and prosperous Fantasy Sports Season!

-Jimmy