Why NFL Teams Are Struggling with Fan Engagement, And How to Fix It

From hidden fan bases to agentic AI campaigns, Amperity’s Derek Slager reveals how Amperity is rewiring how sports teams, and every bran, act on customer data in real time. Introduction: In this discussion, host and Associate Editor Rhys Fisher sits down with Derek Slager, Co-Founder and CTO of Amperity, to unpack the uncomfortable truth about fan engagement in professional sports: most teams are sitting on fragmented, incomplete data — and it's costing them. With the NFL draft on the horizon and agentic AI reshaping what's possible in marketing, this conversation is essential viewing for anyone serious about closing the gap between data collection and real-time customer action. Main Description: The Seattle Seahawks discovered 5,000 fans they didn't know existed. Sound far-fetched? Derek Slager says it's more common than you'd think, and the reason is simpler than you'd expect. The fragmented data problem: NFL teams often have single-digit data teams juggling 20+ disconnected systems — ticketing, POS, merchandise, social — with no unified fan view. What "holistic" actually means: Amperity defines it as stitching together every touchpoint across the full fan lifecycle, from pre-game engagement to post-event merchandise follow-ups. CDPs as systems of intelligence: Slager breaks down how Amperity's new Customer Data Agent moves beyond data storage to real-time campaign generation — strategy, analysis, and execution in one motion. The universal lesson: Whether you're an NFL franchise or a retail brand, the advice is the same — stop theorising, start doing. The teams getting AI value today are the ones willing to go first. Next Steps: 🔗 Explore Amperity's Customer Data Agent at amperity.com 📖 Read more CX + AI coverage at cxtoday.com 💬 Share this with your data or marketing team and ask: "Do we actually have a unified customer view?" 👍 Like and subscribe to CX Today for weekly expert conversations