“From the day a child is born in Kentucky, they are a fan.”
“Kentucky basketball is so much of how I identify myself as an American.”
“It can’t put in words what Kentucky fans are, they are the best fans in college basketball and in basketball history”
“I love Kentucky basketball better than I do women. But I do like women now don’t get me wrong.”
Is there any fan base in the country that cares more about one team than Kentucky fans do about Wildcat basketball? In a state with no professional sports teams, and only two major universities (Kentucky and Louisville), Kentucky basketball is just as meaningful as family, friendship, and hell, even religion.
Here are some statistics to back up the Wildcats’ rich history:
- All Time Wins: 2115 (NCAA rank #1)
- All Time Winning Percentage: .762 (NCAA rank #1)
- NCAA Championships: 8 (NCAA rank #2)
- NCAA Championship Game Appearances: 11 (NCAA rank #2)
- NCAA Final Four Appearances: 15 (NCAA rank #3)
- NCAA Final Four Games Played: 26 (NCAA rank #4)
- NCAA Final Four Wins: 19 (NCAA rank #2)
Kentucky basketball fans have been blessed with winning season after winning season since the inception of the Wildcat basketball team in 1903. In the late 2000s, the team struggled and hit a low point in 2009 when they fired coach Billy Gillespie who failed to make the NCAA tournament and going just 8-8 in SEC play. However, since signing coach John Calipari, the Wildcats have gone 127-27 (.825) while winning a NCAA championship in 2012 and signing some of the most highly sought after recruits year after year. In the last 4 years, Kentucky has sent 17 players to the NBA including two first overall picks in John Wall and Anthony Davis.
This year, with the confidence of Goliath and the top recruiting class in the country, Kentucky basketball has taken a new approach of hyping up their loyal fan base. “Sixth Man: Rise of the Big Blue Nation” is one of the more unique sporting documentaries ever filmed. Instead of analyzing an on-court issue, Sixth Man, rather, examines the crowd that watches each Kentucky basketball game. The documentary is focused on this fan base, that will likely never play a minute for the Wildcat basketball team.
Since the film is for the fans and about the fans, what better way to finance the documentary than giving those fans the opportunity to fund the film themselves. On Kickstarter for just 20 days, Sixth Man achieved their goal of $10,000. Of course one of the best fan bases in the world wouldn’t let this project fail, but what is more surprising is that the $10,785 raised for the documentary was from only 80 backers. That’s means on average donors were pledging $134. While that amount seems like a lot, Kentucky smartly provided incentives for those who gave money to the project.
According to the Sixth Man’s Kickstarter web page, donating $50 will earn a Wildcat fan a copy of the documentary plus a free t-shirt. The biggest prize, for those fanatics who donate $5,000 or more, receive a private screen of the movie with a UK legend in attendance, a free DVD and t-shirt, a movie poster, and 2 Limited Edition John Calipari autographed DVDs.
Kentucky’s strategy is very wise, in receiving outside funding, the school is at low financial risk and gets the UK community involved. By launching this Kickstarter campaign, Kentucky also has advertised the movie for free, as Wildcat fans share the links through social media sites. Basically, Kentucky is leaving the fate of the documentary up to the fans. The more fans that donate and advertise the film, the more successful and popular it will be.
This financing and marketing strategy coincides with Kentucky’s ideals for their culture at Rupp Arena. As funding for the movie relies on the fan base, Rupp Arena is only a difficult place to play because of the fans. The excitement and audacity of the crowd is the main reason Kentucky basketball regularly goes undefeated at home. Opponents are nervous to play there and the Wildcats have earned the reputation of having strong home court advantage.
The way Kentucky is approaching the Sixth Man is innovative and could revolutionize how colleges market their teams. Essentially, Kentucky shifted the responsibility of financing and marketing from the university to the fan base. This not only lowers Kentucky’s financial risks, but also gives the fans ownership and pride in the documentary.