Most marketers are seriously crap and sports marketers in particular either spend far too much time on fluffy unmeasurable stuff, "the brand" or waste money on expensive promotion.
They can get away with this in sport because of the unique brand loyalty in their business (saints fans won't start watching wigan even if you paid them to watch) and also because on field performance can always excuse their activity positively and negatively.
"marketing" budget and efforts is skewed towards the corporate side and not the fan base bacause that brings in the immediate big sales and praise.
If i was sports marketer thats what gets me my next role almost certainly in this country in football because they will be the best payers and access to bigger budgets.
This also leads to a distinct lack of fan marketing effort and spend in RL on long term and building of fanbase.
One of the best fan campaigns recently is the Wigan Big one - why all the SL clubs dont plug a one off game in the season is beyond me. And has anyone really innovated as well as in the Bullmania days and the late great Peter Deakin.
Instead too many clubs trade on the their hardcore fanbase to paper over the cracks in their finances by continually screw more money out of their loyalty.
That the well is running dry in the current climate aint a massive surprise.