Maintaining a Community in a Socially Distant Fan Base

Frisco RoughRiders’ 2020 virtual Home Run 5k raises thousands for a local charity while providing a community experience for fans

By: Chris Reik & Cody Van Vliet


Dear Faithful Readers,

First and foremost, I hope that you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy. The world has been turned upside these past few months, and I truly hope that you are staying strong and keeping hope through all of the change that our nation has been recently striving to make.

On this edition of the Selling It feature, we take a look at how the Frisco RoughRiders raised thousands of dollars for the North Texas Food Bank through their virtual Home Run 5k event.

Best,

Carlie Dawson

Marketing and Communications Manager

carlie@sports-forum.com

P.S. – Don’t forget to stay engaged with us on social media! Follow @NatlSportsForum on TwitterInstagramLinkedin and like us on Facebook!


PROGRAM TITLE

Maintaining a Community in a Socially Distant Fan Base


Objectives: 

The RoughRiders hosted a virtual 2020 Home Run 5k run on May 25th to support the North Texas Food Bank. To comply with the current state of the world – fans completed the 5k virtually, participating from home and then joining the conversation on social media. In order to support their community through this unprecedented time, the Roughriders were excited to raise money for the North Texas Food Bank and to create a family friendly event that their fans and community would enjoy. Andy Milovich, President and General Manager of the RoughRiders, discussed the event and stated, “The COVID-19 pandemic has created incredible hardships for families throughout the world and the virtual 5k gives us an opportunity to get out, get moving and support our friends and neighbors throughout North Texas.” 

Program Description: 

While practicing the appropriate precautions, the participants were to go out, get active, and show their support for the community while embarking on this 5k run. With over 200 fans participating in the virtual 5k and the RoughRiders’ food donation, the event exceeded all expectations for the North Texas Food Bank. The participants were instructed to complete the 5k however they see fit whether it be around the neighborhood with your favorite furry companion or even from the comfort of a treadmill. The runners were then asked to post their results online and not to get to share on social media in order to spread their efforts to enhance the lives of all affected by Covid-19. 

Partnership: 

The RoughRiders were lucky enough to partner with some like-minded companies for this initiative to make sure the results were optimum. In efforts to make the virtual event run as smoothly as possible the partners of Cor Goods Consulting and HomeBody Racing put forward an amazing effort. Cor Good Consulting is a sports marketing agency that focuses on giving brands a heartbeat through management, social media, partnership development and community engagement. HomeBody Racing was a perfect fit for the event with their specialization in virtual fitness and promoting community wellness. The RoughRiders also received partnering efforts from their friends at CoServ, Hop & Sting and Whataburger in order to make this a flawless event. 

Results: 

Alongside the Frisco RoughRiders’ generous food donation, the total donation to the North Texas Food Bank totaled to $3,750.00. With over 200 participants ranging from minors to adults, the RoughRiders successfully harnessed their community to help those truly struggling. “The team at the North Texas Food Bank is so grateful for the RoughRiders and their partners Corgoods and Home Body for their innovation and creativity, their HomeRun 5K was a huge hit,” said Anna Kurian, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications for the North Texas Food Bank. “With the need for food assistance increasing across our region, it is amazing to see innovative ideas like this one being implemented to bring people together for a common cause. We look forward to putting these funds raised towards purchasing more food to help feed our hungry neighbors.” Definitely a job well done to the RoughRider Nation for setting the bar for the sports world as we all look to fight through these difficult times and plan for the road back to sports! 

Contact: 

For more information regarding the Frisco RoughRiders’ 2020 virtual Home Run 5k, please contact Jennifer Johnson, Director of Marketing, at jjohnson@ridersbaseball.com.

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