Fan Affinity and Engagement
As we look ahead to the upcoming Games, building excitement and awareness among our fans in a non-Games year is crucial. We marked the year with key milestones on the road to the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, including our One Year Out celebration and Team USA House unveiling, as well as weaving Team USA into ongoing cultural moments now and as we look further down the road to the LA 2028 Games.
Growing Fan Engagement #
In April, the USOPC, in partnership with On Location, announced the unveiling of our Team USA House for the Paris 2024 Games – returning after a hiatus since 2018. The house, located in the historic Palais Brongniart, will be open through the Paralympic Games for the first time. It will also be open to the public through hospitality and travel packages for both Games. The Team USA House will include athlete appearances, Games viewing opportunities, American and Parisian-inspired food and beverage selections, celebrations, a Team USA shop and more.
In June, the USOPC kicked off our One Year Out countdown to the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 by inviting fans across the country to make their mark in honor of Team USA. As many Olympians and Paralympians commemorate their Games experiences with a tattoo, Team USA gave hundreds of fans across the country the opportunity to join the ritual with custom, made-to-fade, Team USA-inspired tattoos.
“We’re thrilled to provide Team USA supporters with the opportunity to experience the Paris 2024 Games at our most exciting and inclusive Team USA House ever. The Team USA community – including family members, alumni athletes, donors, sponsors and fans – has waited more than six years to celebrate together with Team USA athletes at an Olympic and Paralympic Games. These unique options for joining us in Paris offer the best way to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime hospitality experience.”
– Sarah Hirshland, Chief Executive Officer
Throughout our efforts to grow fandom, we also tapped into key cultural moments where we could showcase Team USA athletes in collaboration with NBC, including football broadcasts, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, BravoCon and ComicCon. We also migrated USOPC.org to serve as a central destination for stakeholders and unveiled a new TeamUSA.com to forge connections with fans via innovative features and athletes’ stories in partnership with Next League.
Universal Shoot
The USOPC partnered with NBC and our National Governing Bodies (NGBs) to bring 63 Olympians, Paralympians and hopefuls to Los Angeles for the Universal Shoot – a five-day, energetic content capture opportunity and marquee media and athlete storytelling moment on the Road to Paris. Showcasing a peek behind-the-scenes of the event, Team USA saw over 817K engagements across our social platforms, reaching new audiences to build excitement for the summer Games. In addition to content captures, the shoot also featured expanded experiences for athletes, who spent time with the USOPC's athlete marketing team for resources and tools to build their brands.
Paralympic Awareness#
In 2023, we embarked on our Paralympic Educational Roadshow, designed to educate on and raise awareness of the Paralympics, ultimately galvanizing fans, partners and media and garnering more than 203 million impressions. Over the course of an action-packed five days, Paralympic legends Brad Snyder, Tatyana McFadden, Jorge Sanchez and Nicky Nieves met with more than 75 top-tier national publications and influential stakeholders including the Second Gentleman, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and People, among others.
“We’re not Olympians, we’re Paralympians and we have the utmost respect for what Olympians do. In many cases, we can’t do what they can do, but they can’t do what we can do either.”
– Brad Snyder, Paratriathlon and Para Swimming, in a conversation with the Second Gentleman, Douglas Emhoff
Across Team USA digital content:
103%
increase in engagement with Paralympic content (compared to 2022)
84%
increase in sentiment on Paralympic content
31%
of coverage included Paralympic content
9%
increase in the volume of Paralympic content in the summer of 2023 (compared to 2022)
