New research identifies a “joy gap” in sports: what leagues miss about fan engagement

Are fans getting enough joy from the sports they watch? New research from global market research firm The Harris Poll reveals a “joy gap” – the difference between how much fans currently enjoy sports and how much they want to.

The research, conducted in October 2025 among more than 2,000 US adults, challenges conventional wisdom about what makes sport compelling. Fans don’t want more spectacle, longer games or manufactured drama. They want authentic, time-bound experiences with light interactivity and transparent access to the action.

Time: The 90-minute threshold

Fans overwhelmingly prefer sporting events that finish in roughly 90 minutes, with a hard cap around two hours and clear, published end times. For leagues that control the clock, this means designing weeknight products around the 90-minute threshold. For those that don’t, it means building 90-minute viewing “journeys” with clipped feeds and defined windows of must-see action.

If this sentiment grows, American leagues – such as MLB, NFL, and the NBA – will face a strategic challenge: bridging the joy gap as fan appetite for three-hour commitments wanes. European football already meets the 90-minute threshold modern fans demand.

Spectacle: Light, not loud

Fans consistently choose balanced flow (54 percent) over pure scoring sprees (36 percent) or long, slow builds (11 percent), according to the Harris Poll research. They value access features – instant rules explainers (78 percent), tactics overlays (74 percent), athlete mic-ups (72 percent) and bodycam footage (67 percent) – but only if the outcome stays authentic.

The research found that 90 percent say the game must remain fair even as spectacle increases, and 84 percent will disengage if it feels scripted. The research calls this principle “light, not loud.” Rules and formats can nudge toward unscripted drama, but production must strip out anything that looks written in advance. Comebacks and close finishes are nearly seven times more likely to bring joy than any level of spectacle.

Agency: Micro-choices, not outcome control

Low-stakes choices – like fan voting on camera angles – make 43 percent of viewers more likely to stay engaged longer, and 37 percent more likely to watch another game. Crucially, 46 percent are willing to share viewing data if it unlocks personalization for the game they’re watching.

But fans draw a hard line at outcome control. Micro-agency works when it affects presentation – which angle to see next, which stats to display—not results. The research suggests new properties can experiment with light fan influence, whilst established leagues should keep outcome control squarely with players and officials.

Economics: The $100–$199 comfort zone

Despite a strong preference for shared viewing – 57 percent prefer watching big moments with friends or family – the largest barriers to live attendance remain economic. Ticket prices (71 percent), parking and transit costs (44 percent), and venue accessibility (37 percent) top the list.

Fan willingness to pay for a four-ticket bundle clusters around $100–$199 (27 percent), with a mean of $292. The solution isn’t just cheaper tickets – it’s a transparent, all-in offer that removes decision-making friction and makes the outing itself the draw.

Our SGIE take: Given recent debate over FIFA World Cup 2026 pricing in the United States, the tournament risks being perceived as an elite-only event, potentially dampening the local “joy” the report seeks to measure.

Heritage vs fearless: how fans want sports communicated

Overall, viewers lean slightly towards sports messaging focused on “heritage and heart” (58 per cent) over “fun and fearless” (42 per cent). But Gen Z prefers the modern approach (63 per cent “fun and fearless”), as do non-fans (52 per cent). Creator co-streams appeal to a third of viewers: 32 per cent say they’ll choose a creator feed or toggle between that and standard broadcasts during the regular season.

A playbook for leagues old and new

The Harris Poll research suggests a compact playbook for leagues and properties: design or package events to finish in roughly 90 minutes with published end times; keep spectacle light and strip anything that reads scripted; offer instant rules explainers, tactics overlays, mic-ups and bodycams as default or alternate feeds; add micro-agency features that affect presentation, not outcomes; pilot creator co-streams with one-tap toggles; tailor messaging by channel (fun and fearless for youth audiences, heritage and heart for legacy channels); and price four-ticket bundles in the $100–$199 range.

For new leagues, this should be the starting template. For established properties, it’s a framework for alternate feeds, shoulder programming and how the game is framed – changing the viewing experience without changing the game itself. The full report includes detailed breakdowns by generation (including Gen Z’s distinct preferences) and viewing segments including non-sports fans.