SABR Vision

SABR Vision

SABR Board of DirectorsAugust 2010

Why do we need a New Vision for SABR?

• There is RISK of no change, coupled with OPPORTUNITY for change

• There is risk in maintaining the status quo, particularly in membership and revenues– Membership is aging at an alarming rate• Median age is now 59 yrs old and increasing rapidly• 75% of members are 50+ yrs old• 46% of members are 60+ yrs old• Ability to attract young members is questionable

– Age composition presents significant attrition and revenue risks over the next 10 yrs

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Over the last decade, membership peaked in 1998 and again in 2006

7,155 7,181

Total Members

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Our membership continues to age…

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Age mix presents a risk to future revenues…

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New member renewals have declined…

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Key Takeaways from Membership Profile• Membership has aged rapidly

– +8 yrs over the last 9 yrs– +2.3 yrs over the last 2 yrs

• Retention rates are declining

• Questionable ability to retain young members– Members <35 yrs old drop-out at 2x rate of 50+ yr olds

RETENTION 2004 2008New Members—1st Yr 60% 53%New Members—thru 4 Yrs 43% 35%Long-term Members (4+ Yrs) 94% 89%

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• Beyond our risks, the Board has a strong conviction there is great OPPORTUNITY for change– To have a far greater impact on the game of baseball– To connect with more people, fans and baseball lovers

• One pathway to membership growth is to develop strong affiliations with the baseball community– Hall of Fame– Teams –MLB and MiLB– Leagues –MLB, MiLB, NCAA– Media

• Our prospective members “live” in the baseball community…connecting with the community is a way to reach them

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The Baseball Community Perceptual Map

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Contemporary—Young Demo

Older Demographic

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Fantasy MLB “The Show”

Sabermetrics


Older Demographic

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Baseball Blogs

SABR

Baseball Cards


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Sabermetrics

Older Demographic

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Baseball Blogs

Baseball Cards

SABR

Baseball Records

19th Century

Deadball



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Sabermetrics

Older Demographic

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Baseball Blogs

Baseball Cards

SABR

Baseball Records

Science & Baseball

19th Century

Women in Bball

Latino & Asian Bball

Statistical Analysis

Business of Bball

Deadball


Can we have a far greater impact on baseball and connect with more people?

• 29.3 million Americans claim they are VERY interested in MLB*

18 to 34 yrs old 35+ yrs old

Men 5.5 13.8

Women 2.5 7.5

* Scarborough Research, March 2009…adults 18+

Very Interested in MLB*(millions)

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• We have very low penetration of the 29.3 million who are VERY interested in MLB*

18—34 yrs old 35+ yrs old

Men .009% .040%

Women .004% .004%

* Scarborough Research, March 2009…adults 18+

SABR members as % of Very Interested in MLB*

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• In our “sweet spot”—men 50+ yrs old—we have only .05% of the “very interested” as members

MEN—50+ yrs old

VERY interested in MLB 8,100,000

SABR Members 4,000* Scarborough Research, March 2009

MEN Very Interested in MLB vs. SABR members

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Only the NFL and the Olympics Top Baseball among VERY Interested Fans

Millions of Fans*

NFL 46.6Winter Olympics 34.8Summer Olympics 34.6MLB + MiLB 31.9College Football 29.3College Basketball 18.7NASCAR 17.7NBA 15.6PGA Tour 13.5* Scarborough Research, September 2007 16

• We have a duty and an obligation to… – Advance SABR’s mission– Contemporize the organization to flourish in the

21st century– Position SABR to attract younger members who can

bring their interests into the organization– Build our revenue base so we can have a greater

impact…do more of the great things we do– Reduce our risk of being marginalized through

membership attrition


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What do we want to be in 5 to 10 Years?SABR – Vision

Today• 6,500 members

• Homogeneous—male dominated, 60+ yrs old

• Isolated from the baseball community

SABR – 2015/2020• 15,000+ members

• Diverse—appealing to all baseball lovers regardless of demographic

• Integrated as part of the baseball community– Hall of Fame– MLB, MLB Network– BBWAA and other media– MiLB

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Is this Fantasy…or is there Precedent?

Hall of Fame• 30,000 members, despite

being tied to Cooperstown• Strong, established brand• Supported by and connected

to baseball infrastructure• Affiliations with many

“marquee” stars • Stronger member benefits

package

SABR Today• 6,500 members

• “Best kept secret”• Isolated and Independent

• Few high profile affiliations

• Modest member benefit package…most available to non-members

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Hall of Fame May be a Reasonable Benchmark

• HOF has a global brand and many advantages…– Intertwined with MLB and baseball community– Has a physical structure as an emblem of the brand– Has a global event as its annual focal point

• But, SABR has one advantage over HOF—the nature of SABR’s mission fits today’s culture– Active participation in preservation and restoration of

history vs. passive recognition of the past• Younger generation is “pro-active and involved”• Growing # of retirees have time (and expertise) to devote to

producing and consuming research for their favorite pastime

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SABR Vision—How do we get there?

• Key Planks of SABR Vision– Expand our research agenda to connect with baseball

community– Build the SABR brand to attract new members and

offset attrition– Build and maintain productive partnerships with

other baseball entities– Offer compelling “value” that converts baseball

researchers and avid fans into members

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SABR – Vision• Expand our research agenda into areas that bring us

closer to today’s baseball industry– Continue to focus on preservation of history—leading

researchers documenting, validating baseball’s legacy• 19th Century, Deadball, BioProject, Records, Black Sox, Bibliography,

Proprietary historical databases

– “Higher profile” research agendas in areas that skew to younger demographics• Latino Beisbol, Asian, Science, Business, Collegiate, Arts, Minor League

– Expand role to engage in analysis to support innovation and change within today’s game• Be viewed as “thought leaders” in sabermetrics and science of baseball,

etc.22

SABR – Vision• Build the SABR brand to attract members and

offset attrition– Become a “go-to” source of baseball information

• Establish ourselves as the #1 authority on baseball bios …our flagship product/service, along with other “products”

• Market our expertise thru media—podcasts, internet “events”, etc.• Promote one of our core equities—“social interaction”—that SABR

uniquely provides by aggregating like minded baseball researchers for social gatherings

– Create events that generate funds, promote SABR, and connect with baseball community

– Build relationships with media partners to further expose SABR

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SABR – Vision• Maintain productive partnerships with other

Baseball entities– Research collaborations with the HOF– “SABR Moments” on MLB Network and exposure of

our national convention– Establish relationships that add mutual value:

• MLB and MLB teams, e.g., annual SABR night ballpark promotion• Joint projects with the Hall of Fame• Minor league affiliations, particularly in chapter cities• MLBPA and MLB Alumni relationships• Media affiliations—BBWAA, ESPN, MLB Network, etc.

– Form Advisory Council to help connect SABR to baseball community 24

SABR – Vision• Offer Compelling Membership Value– A menu of “benefits” tailored to different segments of

members…consumers and producers of research– Consumers—Justification for higher annual dues

• 1st rate publications• Discounts on other baseball books• Ticket discounts at MLB games (much like AAA or AARP)• Offer joint memberships with HOF

– An aggressive marketing campaign to grow and retain membership

– Producers—Build a stronger support infrastructure for researchers

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SABR – Vision• Improve our support system to attract

researchers…make SABR a “must join”– Today…the “hero” model—self-motivated

individuals/groups engage in research – Tomorrow…researchers are attracted to SABR due to

infrastructure to support and aid research efforts• Ensure that our information/data is easily (and digitally)

retrievable and integrated to add value• Develop and promote formalized systems, tools and other

research aids• Promote opportunities for researchers to publish

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What Stays the Same?…

• All of the things we love about SABR today– SABR’s communities• Research Committees• Regional Groups• SABR-L• The annual convention

– SABR’s focus on research, analysis, and publication– Maintaining high levels of service/responsiveness

to our membership

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What Will Change?…

• SABR will be more externally focused– To grow membership we will need to broaden our umbrella of

interests and make our benefits more clear to prospective members

• SABR will value and actively cultivate partnerships with other baseball entities– Our growth will come from fans and researchers that reside in

the baseball community (e.g., HOF members, fans of MLB teams, fantasy players, etc.)

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What Will Change?…

• Additional research opportunities may arise via partnerships within the baseball community

• We will develop ways to assimilate new members into SABR – Improve our retention rate of new members– Lower the age mix of our membership

• Find ways to create more communities under SABR’s banner, including virtual communities via the internet

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Summary of SABR VisionSABR Today

• The aging membership base likely translates into a significant decline in the next decade

• We show difficulty in retaining new members

• The “status quo” potentially leads to a significant decline in revenues

SABR Tomorrow• Expand our research agenda to

connect with baseball community

• Build the SABR brand to attract new members and offset attrition

• Build and maintain productive partnerships with other baseball entities

• Offer compelling “value” that converts baseball researchers and avid fans into members

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Documents

SABR Vision