Today's most successful organizations are able to consistently demonstrate their ability to identify and respond to the ever-changing wants and needs of their customers. Long-term relationships with fans are the key to stability in today's increasingly dynamic markets and top executives are pushing to make their organizations more customer-focused. Many professional sports teams are discovering that customer relationship management software can be a great tool for attracting and retaining new customers, and for better understanding their existing fan base. Customer relationship technologies can be a great way to manage customer loyalty programs, merchandise, and promotions. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of some of the CRM strategies and loyalty programs used today in the world of professional sports. In the multi-billion dollar professional sports industry, the ability to connect with and retain customers has become increasingly difficult. The cost of being a fan is almost always rising. According to Team Marketing Report, the average cost for a family of four attending a professional sporting event has increased to; $326.60 for an NBA game, $212.46 for an MLB game, $359.71 for an NHL game and $459.65 for an NFL game. Customer relationship management can help reduce costs and increase profitability by helping to organize and automate business processes that drive customer satisfaction and loyalty in sales, marketing, and customer service. (Microsoft)Practical ApplicationsIn only its fifth season, the Oklahoma City Thunder have done a great job of making their fans feel special through the use of CRM. Instead of just tracking their fans' names and purchase history, they use Microso...... middle of paper ... something we've been working on for a long time, and we're excited to finally be able to roll it out for 2013,” Padres president Tom Garfinkel said. “It all started with a few central themes. Firstly, the idea that we needed to tap more into fan psychology and create a sense of belonging. Being a fan is emotional, not rational, but somehow we keep going to the market trying to rationalize with people. Second, we needed to create benefits that cannot be transferred to a secondary market and create more reasons than ever to be a season ticket holder. Finally, we needed to have a more direct relationship throughout the year with our fans and have more information about what is important to them in order to be able to achieve this. “According to statistics, the new program has been a huge success and the evidence suggests that the benefits of membership have attracted customers to upgrade their membership.