If Adrenaline were a drug, there would be a mass addiction crisis going on in our country today. From bungee jumping to sky diving to boxing to kayaking, today’s sports are evolving into the deep-end of the pool.
   Where once, Johnny played fully-padded football while Suzie watched as a cheerleader on the sidelines, now Suzie is a professional downhill skier and Johnny is base jumping on a Tuesday afternoon.
   America’s traditional sports, such as football and baseball, are confined to the bigger body styles and faster runners, but with the onset of a more individual society than was known 50 years ago, sports have come to show extremes of personality, as well.
   Bars are a perfect avenue to attract extreme sports enthusiasts. But merely turning on the television and offering some free wings during this year’s X Games is not going cut it. If your audience is athletic, they are going to want to be engaged and invigorated. Think outside the box. Think outside the bar. Virtually every season of the year is open game and rife with endless possibilities for involving your establishment in the realm of extreme sports.

All-Season Pass
    At Automatic Slim’s, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.,  patrons serve up tricks on the 6-foot half-pipe skateboarding ramp that dominates the front half of the inside of the club. But realistically, not many bar owners can (or want to) throw up a custom skateboarding ramp next to the ladies bathrooms. The simpler solution to sucking up the extreme sport spoils is to move it outside. Sponsorship is key.
    “We have sponsored four lacrosse teams this year,” says Dave Root, general manager of The Tap Room in Vail, Colo. “The July 4 tournament is the largest one in North America. We throw parties all through the tournament. We are kind of the unofficial spot,” he says. “Last year, Coors came in and threw a party, and Pete Coors’ son was on one of the teams — and Pete Coors himself was in here.”
    The Tap Room does an outstanding job of celebrating a diversity of the more exhilarating sports, such as the Snowboard Outreach Society’s party the bar hosted last winter. “They use us as a venue,” Root says, and the group comes in with Burton Snowboards advertisements at the ready. And while Vail is known for the skiing, bars must stay afloat in the warmer months as well. The same rules apply, however. It is all about the rush.
    “In the summer, you get the knuckleheads on the mountain bikes,” Root says. “They look like they wear complete body armor, and we will get them in the afternoon in all the gear.” Using their mountain location as an advantage, The Tap Room sees a lively amount of revenue from those in need of a beer after a few near death experiences on the hill.

The Stamina Sponsors
    Energy Drinks are a great avenue to link your establishment with virtually any extreme sport. Almost all of the energy drinks already have promotions and advertising in place directly geared toward the fast moving and hard partying lifestyle. Going one step farther, many have branched off to contain whole, independent marketing towards extreme sports.
          For example, Vice President of Communications and Athlete Relations for Go Fast Sports and Beverage Co. Heather Hill says that with the rapid increase of the celebrity status of many of the “pro” athletes of extreme sports, Go Fast has generated profits from aligning the company with sports fueled media programming. “Go Fast was created,” she says, “with valuable input from riders, flyers, skiers, runners, cyclists and athletes of all kinds. On-premise,” she says, “is an opportunity that bar owners/operators should not ignore, as the action sports demographic is becoming more broad.”

Getting Outside the Box
    For many owners in the older generation, appealing to the alternative demographic may take a little extra mental flexing that is not necessary when it is merely the Giants playing The Chargers with all-night dollar draft. Here are a few tips to get the creative juices flowing and keep them there.
    1. Read up on sports you are not educated in, and then give your staff some background, as well. Motocross, Formula One Racing and freestyle skiing, for example, have rules you are going to need to understand to successfully build a solid promotion around. Use the Internet  to look for upcoming extreme sports. Web sites  such as extreme.com are informative and helpful for advance planning or sponsorship options.
    2. Seek out your distributor. Let them know that you are interested in branching out from the standard sports as well. Liquor, beer  and energy drinks all make great sponsors for extreme sports promotions.
    3. Make your bar the official place to be before and/or after the event. Whether it is inviting the local skydiving club after their jump or organizing a white water rafting trip for your staff and your regulars, the post and pre-game parties are a profits guarantee.
    4. Giveaways are golden. From smaller items like snowboard accessories to a free tandem bungee jump for one lucky couple, giveaways are a great addition every time. NCB

For sales-increasing, idea-gathering, sports bar-related topics such as this and more, be sure not to miss the National Sports Bar Conference at “The Show” Wednesday,March 8. For more information, visit  nightclub.com.