Reddit and Sensor Tower: The Business of Fandom

Keeping One Eye Open

We’re bearing witness to a sports economy that never sleeps. Gone are the days when fans engage in sports between the opening kickoff and the final whistle. Today, fans are engaging with their favorite sports 24/7, year-round. This fundamental shift in how fans experience sports is measurable, with 88% of sports fans on Reddit more likely to show up in communities weekly, engaging in perpetual sports conversation that doesn’t seem to have an off-season.

On Reddit alone, sports engagement has seen rapid growth, jumping 22% in 2025, with more than 16 billion monthly views on sports posts in the past year along with 99M+ interactions like upvotes and comments.

Tis The Season

With sentiment and conversations prevalent on Reddit, Sensor Tower mobile app insights offers a glimpse into how fans continue that engagement through sports apps, presenting a tangible way for fans to engage with their favorite leagues year-round. The NFL season remains the leading driver for sports betting, streaming, and news, with downloads peaking between the start of the season and the Super Bowl, while events like March Madness, and The Kentucky Derby show additional spikes for apps. 

But Sensor Tower data also shows that, particularly in sports betting, including new predictions apps like Kalshi and Polymarket, fans stay engaged in these apps year-round with off-season events like drafts, player trades, and major sporting news reinforcing sports-betting behavior.

Brands and Fans

Heightened engagement and constant camaraderie between fans on Reddit, means brands have a golden opportunity to reach, already primed, potential customers before, during, and after big gaming events. In fact, 45% of Reddit sports fans are planning to purchase a vacation in the next 3-6 months, while 22% are actively shopping for a car - not to mention the 33% in search of car insurance. Similarly, 83% are currently active and playing a sport themselves, presenting a perfect buying opportunity for athletic brands to advertise on the platform.

Want to read more insights into where sports fans are interacting across their communities, how their passion is translating into action, how advertisers can tap into this sporting culture to drive growth, and uncover other app categories are reaping the benefits of this big game energy?

Download The Business of Fandom report. It will be the best win you’ll have all year.