Why Data Strategy Matters in Collegiate Athletics

In college sports there has been a shift to digital engagement—via social media, email, apps, and online ticketing—has made data indispensable. Traditional marketing methods like billboards and newspaper ads have given way to targeted digital campaigns. Every fan interaction now generates data, and LSU uses Affinaquest to centralize and analyze this information. This allows them to segment fans into categories like casual attendees or potential donors, enabling personalized outreach and maximizing engagement.

LSU’s Starting Point and Evolution

LSU’s data journey began modestly. Gabe Merville, LSU's Director of Analytics, Strategy, and Revenue Generation was hired to help the athletics department explore data-backed strategies. When Gabe was first hired, LSU had tools like Tableau that could help, but lacked a centralized data focus. Gabe’s role evolved into building a comprehensive data strategy, starting with understanding existing data sources and aligning them with business goals—primarily increasing revenue and improving fan communication.

A pivotal moment came when LSU added a dedicated sales team. This allowed Gabe to provide actionable data to sales reps, helping them retain season ticket holders and drive new sales. The collaboration between data and sales became a cornerstone of LSU’s success.

Six months into Gabe’s analytics role, Affinaquest was brought in to assess LSU’s needs. They consulted with various departments—ticketing, marketing, business office, and foundations—to design a tailored integration plan. LSU began by integrating their email and ticketing systems, later expanding to include CRM and fundraising platforms. They also used Affinaquest’s data uploader to incorporate app usage and Fanatics data.

Key Benefits and ROI, from LSU Athletics Working with Affinaquest

LSU’s data strategy delivers value in two main areas:

1. Day-to-Day Operations: Sales and foundation teams use Salesforce CRM to access segmented leads, track interactions, and manage donor relationships. Clean, centralized data ensures reps focus on high-potential accounts.

2. Strategic Projects: LSU uses data to analyze ticket inventory, pricing, and secondary market trends. This has led to smarter pricing strategies across sports like football, baseball, basketball, and gymnastics. For example, LSU identified underpriced seating areas and adjusted prices based on demand and renewal rates.

The result? LSU has achieved a $13 million annual ROI across seven ticketed sports, driven largely by data-informed pricing and inventory management.

Clean Data and Reporting

Clean data is critical for both financial reporting and operational efficiency. LSU uses Affinaquest to provide the business office with accurate breakdowns of ticket revenue by category (season, individual, student). On the operations side, clean CRM data helps reps avoid duplicate accounts and focus on meaningful interactions.

LSU also built a seat-by-seat map of Tiger Stadium in Tableau, integrated with Affinaquest. This allows staff to identify held inventory, optimize seating, and analyze gate scan data for staffing decisions. Post-game reports help facilities and event management teams adjust operations based on attendance patterns.

Gabe credits LSU’s leadership for being open to innovation. From the athletic director to department heads, there was strong support for data initiatives. Gabe made it a point to collaborate across departments—ticketing, fundraising, multimedia rights, and marketing—to ensure data served shared goals.

For example, demographic data from Affinaquest helps the multimedia rights team pitch to sponsors. Similarly, digital marketing campaigns are tailored using segmented data to drive ticket sales and donor engagement.

LSU Fan Engagement and the Future

Despite industry claims that season tickets are declining, LSU has seen growth across all sports. Gabe attributes this to strong on-field performance and effective data-driven outreach. LSU is now exploring dynamic pricing for single-game tickets and evaluating whether certain seating areas should be season-ticket exclusive or open to single-game buyers.

Fan engagement strategies are also evolving. For non-football sports like women’s basketball, gymnastics, and baseball, LSU focuses on hyper-local marketing. These fans are typically within an hour’s drive, so campaigns are geographically targeted. However, marquee matchups (e.g., LSU vs. South Carolina in women’s basketball) draw national attention and secondary market spikes, showing the potential for broader engagement.

Here are three critical data points for fan engagement that Gabe Merville mentions:

1. Season Ticket Status – Are they a buyer or not?
2. Alumni Status – Did they graduate from LSU, and when?
3. Location – Are they local or out-of-state?

These insights shape how LSU communicates with fans—whether to promote ticket sales, solicit donations, or share content.

For departments with limited resources, Gabe recommends identifying passionate staff willing to learn data skills. He’s had great success with interns who lacked technical backgrounds but were eager to grow. Affinaquest also offers services like AQ Advantage to help departments without internal analytics teams get started.

Final Recommendations from LSU Athletics

Gabe’s closing advice includes:

• Take Calculated Risks: Trust the data, even if it challenges traditional thinking.
• Be Collaborative: Work across departments to understand their needs and show how data can help.
• Stay Curious: Always look for new ways to use data to improve operations, fan experience, and revenue.

Ultimately Gabe Merville, in his data and analytics role at LSU, believes data is the backbone of modern collegiate athletics. While it may not be the flashiest part of the business, it powers everything from NIL fundraising to ticket sales and fan engagement. As the industry continues to evolve, those who embrace data will be best positioned to thrive.

The above article is just an exec summary. Want to watch the full webinar? Feel free to watch below!

LSU's Journey to Maximizing ROI: Valuing an Evolving Data Strategy