Winning Streaks that Matter
How DuoLingo, Peloton, and my Carlton membership have got me streakin'
If you are new around here, here’s why I started writing.
Last week, as I hit 500 straight days of *attempting* to learn French on DuoLingo, I saw an article from Fast Company about the power of the streak - fitting timing for it to show up in my recommended reading.
This multi year journey has become more about maintaining the streak than actually learning French (although I’ve learned a bit of that, too). I remember the day I started - we were in a call where everyone was talking about DuoLingo, and I had not even started. On that day (August 25, 2022), I started my journey. Through late nights, dinners, Uber and Lyft rides, I’ve kept it going for 508, soon to be 509 days now.
I have a Peloton streak, too. This kind of strategy has worked well for me mentally to maintain my interest and desire to learn French (and stay fit). So, I thought about how sports has used streaks on the player statistics side and how streaks can be a powerful way to engage fans.
Streaks can serve to gamify the underlying activity by creating rules and quantifying the outcome, and many people enjoy the challenge of a game. - Fast Company
One game I’ll always remember is ESPN’s Streak (for the Cash) (August 2008 - September 2022). With Streak, fans were asked to pick a team, individual competitor, or combination of those from a list of matchups or prop picks. As it evolved, certain monthly streaks had cash prizes, but no investment needed. The choices could contained anything from a stage win in Le Tour de France to a soccer game in Australia. Sports were widely represented worldwide, allowing fans to find interests in other competitions - all to have the opportunity to win cash. This 2017 quote from Rodger Sherman in The Ringer is a great nod:
I will likely never win this game, but Streak draws me back every month nonetheless. Sports are always happening somewhere, and this game scratches my eternal itch to care deeply about all of them. - Still Going Streaking
It’s gone now, but not forgotten.
Sports betting has hit the mainstream, with partnerships across sports happening almost weekly, if not daily. People have streaks in gambling, too - some good, some bad. Unlike ESPN’s Streak, there’s negative money on the line. There are even articles about getting out of a betting losing streaks, offering advice on not trying to get it back all at once, or at a deeper level, seeking help. When someone’s winning several bets in a row, they’re actively trying to increase their positive streak. How can we reward beyond monetary prizes?
DuoLingo and Peloton (and many others) reward us for participating by giving us shareable assets and activity within the apps. People love to get positive attention and feedback by sharing their accomplishments and also being able to track a friend’s or colleague’s streaks themselves. Imagine being able to share that you have consistently watched and attended your team’s games five events in a row showcasing how committed you are as a fan - like a Spotify Wrapped for your fanship/hood/engagement.
Let’s use Benjamin Capp, who is in his 66th year as a Detroit Lions season-ticket holder as an example. Despite the Lions increasing season ticket prices for next year, Benjamin will likely be back next year, especially after their playoff win this weekend. He has memories of wins, losses, experiences, and time commuting to the games. Is there a special gift package or item he could wear to celebrate his years with the team? Could NFL clubs mark 5, 10, 15, etc. year membership through some sort of surprise and delight?
For four years, I have been a member of Carlton Football Club (AFL) in Melbourne, Australia. I studied in that part of town and instantly became a fan of the club, watching nearly every footy match since then on WatchAFL. Every year, they send me a package from Australia, making me feel part of the club. I still have never been to a match, but this engagement always makes me feel great about the money I invest to be part of the team. Four years is not that long in sports years, but it shows that they care that I am part of this club. This is another example of a streak that I’ll likely keep.
I don’t know how long my DuoLingo streak will last, but I do know this - streaks can be a powerful tool to keep people engaged and excited about their accomplishments. The gamification of language learning through leveling up, competing with friends, and focusing on completing a journey has worked for me. How can we apply this to better improve our sports experiences?
Merci beaucoup pour votre temps et engagement! Now, let me try to keep a streak of consistent writing.
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