Analysis, Events, Sports Data, Sports Fan Data, watch party

Coronavirus (COVID-19) & Live Sports to Watch on TV that are not Cancelled

Last updated: July 20, 2020

FanWide is compiling a list of live sports which have not been cancelled due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.  FanWide is America’s largest sports viewing and if you are a sports fan or bar, this list will guide you on what to watch and where.

Please contact FanWide to add a televised or streamed sporting event which we missed.

Analysis, Events

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Best Practices for Bars, Restaurants and Food Service

Last updated: March 16, 2020.

FanWide is America’s largest sports bar network, providing a technology platform for restaurants and entertainment venues.  The world’s leading sports organizations and brands use FanWide’s services and technology to enhance their bar programs and grow their fan communities.  FanWide also consults with hundreds of bars around the country every week and we have heard some concerns about Coronavirus (COVID-19).  Since the company is based in the American epicenter of the spread, Seattle, we’re seeing a few of the affects ahead of the rest of the country.  We wanted to share our best practices to make your customers and staff feel and be safe!

Ask FanWide for a coronavirus flyer!
Ask FanWide for a coronavirus flyer!

Do you have any other suggestions?  Send an email to info@fanwide.com and we’ll add the helpful ones to this blog to share with the rest of the community.

FanWide’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) Best Practices for Bars, Restaurants and Food Service

  1. Be Informed Daily: Check any official guidelines each morning for your building, district, city, county and state.  Here are the CDC Guidelines and you can Google search links to the areas relevant to you such as the DOH in Washington.
  2. Enforce Cleanliness at the Door, Bar & Tables: You want your bar to look clean and be clean. Have sanitizer and proper signage displaying where sanitizer is accessible when people enter. Also have sanitizer at every bar, and table.
  3. Post a Sign on your Door: Tell everyone that you are open and that you are coronavirus-aware.  Contact FanWide and request a custom poster like the one above.
  4. Constant Table Cleaning: Shared items like menus are one of the dirtiest things in the restaurant. Make sure to clean these items after each customer or group. Also consider bottles of ketchup and other condiments, salt and pepper, straw dispensers, etc. Give everything an extra wipe after every customer.
  5. Attract New Customers: If you’re seeing any drop in attendance, then become a FanWide Elite member.  FanWide will support your business development and marketing team to bring in new events and customer 20-person alumni happy hours to featured events with 1000+ fans through official partnerships with major sport organizations.  Please visit FanWide’s blog to view a list of televised sports which are not cancelled: https://fanwi.de/coronavirussports
  6. Never Reuse Glasses: If a customer at the bar asks for a refill, pour their drink in a new glass, exchange it for their dirty glass, then wash your hands. Never put a customer’s glass near the tap or beverage dispenser.
  7. Never Use One Bar Towel on Multiple Tables: Your team should be aware that the towels need to be bleached after each and every table to prevent accidental cross contamination.  This is not the time to be lazy about table maintenance.  Consider printing up signs to place on the table that let guests know that the table has been disinfected with bleach.  This also helps your hostess identify tables that are ready for new guests.  Providing this level of reassurance will promote repeat customers as they will want to go to the business that has their best interests at heart.
  8. Washing Hands After Collecting Anything from Guests: Wash hands after removing plates, returning credit cards, grabbing the bill, etc. After touching anything a customer already has, you want to make sure to wash your hands to not introduce new germs.
  9. Show your Customers you are Clean: Post a flyer or sign saying that you are taking extra precautions to keep the bar clean and everyone safe. Encourage them to make additional suggestions for cleanliness.
  10. Paper Towels & Garbage by Doors: Encourage everyone to open your front and bathroom doors using paper towels and make it easy to throw away. Place trash cans near the entrances and exits of the bathroom doors.
  11. Space Your Tables: If your bar is experiencing a reduction in guest attendance, consider removing a few tables from the service area and spreading out the remaining tables to provide a more space between patrons.  Especially if you have a bank of two tops that are close together.
  12. Order Additional Supplies: Make sure to accommodate for shortages of cleaning, packaging, straws, etc. from interrupted supply lines. This is especially true for anything shipped from Asia.
  13. More Sanitizer: Check with your supplier and pick up extra hand sanitizer. Make sure that the hand sanitizer is available at the bar. You can even have your servers walk by a new table and offer it to your guests upon arrival. Coronavirus is scary, but use it as an opportunity to prove your level of service.
  14. Keep it Friendly in the Front:  Staff in the front of the house should not wear masks. Although actual rules can vary by state, according to FanWide’s COO and practicing attorney Jeff Sarvas, “Restaurant managers generally have the right to enforce a consistent standard of uniform for their staff, which can include requiring staff to not wear masks if they are not at risk.” If an employee has health concerns and will not work without a mask, they should be allowed to go home without reprimand.
  15. Keep it Safe in the Back: Encourage kitchen and back of the house staff to wear masks. They are handling many raw materials that can easily spread Coronavirus to all customers.
  16. Staff Check In: When your staff comes into work, check in with each of them about how they are feeling. Require them to scrub their hands and use a disinfectant wipe for their cell phones, keys and anything else they brought from home that they may touch.
  17. Use Delivery Services: While some customers may not want to come into the restaurant due to other guests, many are still supporting the restaurant industry by ordering through services like Uber Eats, Grubhub, DoorDash and Postmates.  Make sure you can maximize your food sales, even if the guests are not coming inside.  This will also support the delivery drivers.
  18. Curbside Pickup: Let your customers know through your social media and mailing lists that your kitchen is still open and customers can pick up their food from outside the restaurant.  Post signs or banners outside saying “Curbside Pickup Available | Support Local Businesses” and allow your guests to call in their orders and have someone standing by the door to meet guests in their cars.
  19. Pay Staff to Stay Home if they are Sick: This is tough for some businesses to afford, but if you can compensate your employees to not work if they are feeling sick, this will significantly reduce any risks. Washington State is compensating contractors who wish to work from home to reduce the risk of spreading, so your state may too.
  20. Consider Communicating in All Languages: Make sure you share this information with your staff through their native language if it is not English so that all your employees follow these best practices.
  21. Defer your Payments: If you owe money to your credit card company, bank or other group, give them a call.  Most now have coronavirus policies in place which allow you to defer your minimum payments and not get charged interest.

We know that times are tough, but we’re here to help!  Please make sure you send us any tips that we should add to this list.

Good luck!

Analysis, Boxing, Combat Sports, UFC

How ONE Championship Engages and Gains More Fans Through Digital Platforms

Over the years, Asia-based mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion ONE Championship has taken the sporting world by storm. Their recently concluded 100th live event, aptly titled ONE: CENTURY, drew a record-breaking 85 million viewers across 145 countries, across all platforms. The event, which featured former world champions Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Eddie Alvarez, also marked the promotion’s first foray into the United States’ primetime TV slot.

Another fascinating tidbit on the ONE Championship’s historic card were the number of viewers watching through the company’s live terrestrial TV and other online partners. Joe Streeter of Insider Sport shared that in China alone, more than 10 million fans watched the highly anticipated occasion live on various streaming devices. Current Chairman and CEO, Chatri Sityodtong, even claimed how these numbers have just barely scratched the surface of its full viewership potential in the region.

This, in more ways, is a testament to how ONE Championship engages and gains more fans through their digital platforms.

Analysis, Sports Data

How Legalization Of Sports Betting Affects Game Viewership​ ​And Fan Engagement In The US

Throughout history the popularity of sports betting has frequently been associated with wider interest in a given sport itself, so it is no surprise that in the age of online bookmakers this correlation continues to exist.

Of course the sticky issue of the legality of sports betting on a region-by-region basis does make this matter a little more complex, so here is a rundown of how things are shaping up in terms of viewership and fan engagement across the US and North America as a whole.

Courtesy of Pixabay

Analysis, Baseball, Sports Data, Sports Fan Data, watch party

Pittsburgh Pirates MLB Watch Parties & Fan Club Events for PIT

Other than being known as the Steel City, Pittsburgh is a city where everyone bleeds black and yellow. In fact, only black and yellow. The unique part of Pittsburgh sports, is that all professional teams wear black and yellow: The Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pittsburgh Pirates, along with the other Pittsburgh professional teams, have a lot of history. The Pirates are tied in seventh place for the most World Series wins. They won 5 World Series. They won in 1909,1925,1960,1971, and 1979. The Pirates were one of the first teams to ever be established, in fact they played in the first World Series (1903). Even though the Pirates are coming off of a not-so-good season, Pirates fans have a lot of hope in the Pirates’ future although there has been a four year playoff drought. The Pirates have a very good chance of surprising many people next season. The Pirates were going through cycles of mediocrity, so owner Robert Nutting fire the general manager, manager, pitching coach, and team president. Nutting wanted a change and understands that with a new culture, and a winning atmosphere, the Pirates can be rejuvenated into the Pittsburgh’s winning culture.

Analysis, Fan Clubs, Golf, Sports Data, watch party

Golf Fan Clubs and Watch Parties around the United States

When people think about sports, the first couple of adjectives that come to mind are rigorous and collaborative. What people usually do not mention is the effect of sports from the mental standpoint. Golf, a sport many look at as a relaxing hobby, is truly among the most mentally rigorous sports out there. It  can be very frustrating because there are no teammates, so the results are solely based off of one person’s skill. The player must battle between the individual and their alter-ego. Unlike most sports which are typically reliant on physical ability, according to Jack Nicklaus, one of the most famous golfers of all time, “golf is 80 percent mental, 10 percent ability, and 10 percent luck.” What separates the professionals is truly their mental game. Everyone has a bad hole, but the best professionals move on and stay positive. In golf, you must have a short-term memory. Perhaps the best mental-game golfer of all-time is Tiger Woods.

Visit FanWide.com to find a golf watch party near you!

All, Analysis, Baseball, Football

Was Kyler Murray Right In Choosing Football?

Last September, FanWide asked if there would ever be another multi-sport star? The gold standards in this regard have long been the inimitable Bo Jackson and the flashy Deion Sanders. Russell Wilson and Tim Tebow have tried to join the club, with mixed results. Usain Bolt looked decent on the pitch when he gave soccer a shot, but a contract dispute prevented him from fully pursuing what might have become an interesting career. And then, of course, there was Michael Jordan, whose brief foray into baseball didn’t exactly pan out.

The reason we’re revisiting this idea now is Kyler Murray, who was mentioned in the previous article mentioned above and was just drafted first overall in the NFL Draft. The Oklahoma quarterback made his mark on sports history when he was selected, becoming the first athlete to be drafted in the first round of both the NFL and MLB drafts. He was picked ninth overall in the MLB Draft just 10 months ago, by the Oakland Athletics. Following that selection, Murray received permission from Oakland management to play out his senior year in college football and certainly made the most out of the opportunity. In his final season, he totaled 5,362 yards and 54 touchdowns and was awarded the Heisman Trophy.

Analysis, Basketball, Fan Clubs, Fan Data, NCAA, News, Sports Data, Sports Fan Data, Uncategorized, watch party

Top 10 College Basketball Teams: #9 Arizona Wildcats

Coming in at number 9 in FanWide’s Top 10 College Basketball Rankings is the Arizona Wildcats. While the Wildcats have not won a national championship since 1997, they have had a lot recent success. Ever since Arizona hired Sean Miller as the head coach in 2009, the Wildcats have seen an uptick in tournament appearances and regular season wins. Not only has Miller been able to drastically improve Arizona’s winning percentage, he has also had a lot of success recruiting the top high school basketball players. Former top recruits and current NBA stars such as Deandre Ayton, Stanley Johnson, Lauri Markkanen, and Aaron Gordon have helped stabilize and improve an Arizona Basketball program on the rise. With a top-3 overall recruiting class (which includes top point guard Nico Mannion) for 2019, the Arizona Wildcats future looks very bright. Because of Arizona’s recent success and their massive fanbase, the Wildcats place 9th in FanWide’s Top 10 College Basketball Team Rankings.

Visit FanWide.com to find a Arizona Wildcats game watch party or fan club near you.

Analysis, Events, Fan Data, watch party

FanWide Promotes 1 Million Fan Club Events!

Three years ago, FanWide was born to unite fans and fan clubs across the nation and form unique, sports-focused digital communities. We went from only promoting events for only the largest US sports leagues to now 23 different sports and esports leagues around the world. Today, we have united millions of fan club members from 12,500 fan club chapters at over 10,000 sports bars, and now promoted over 1 million events. We wanted to showcase some of the top states, cities, sports, and teams who have hosted the most events from our first million. 

 

Analysis, Fan Data, Football, Rugby, Sports Data, Sports Fan Data

FanWide Football Fan Survey Results – Your New Favorite Sport is Probably Rugby

 

Photo Courtesy of Olga Guryanova

FanWide, the world’s largest fan club network, has compiled and analyzed the data for our football survey and the results are in! The topics we chose to research were centered around the similarities and differences of football and rugby. Rugby is similar to football in many ways – such as some of the strategy, the physicality, but also different where it counts like stoppage times. Below are some of the highlights that were produced from your responses to show why rugby may be your new favorite sport.  You can also find local rugby watch parties with FanWide.