9:00AM // MAR 11, 2026
Buckley: Building Fandom Is The Key To SailGP’s Success
U.S. SailGP Team Principal and CEO speaks on Business of Speed Podcast
U.S. SailGP Team Principal and CEO Mike Buckley says SailGP’s next phase of growth lies in building deeper fandom.
Speaking on the Business of Speed Podcast with Vincenzo Landino and Lali Michelsen, Mike talked about a variety of topics including his own journey into professional sailing, the transition to the Front Office and how SailGP can catapult itself into the mainstream.
Recent television figures have demonstrated an impressive appetite for SailGP in the United States, with 3.5 million viewers tuning in on CBS last season. The same day, Formula 1 Las Vegas had 1.5 million viewers in the U.S. by comparison.
“Our job now is to really educate the brands and the fans,” said Mike. “We need to bring those 3.5 million people closer to our people. That is fandom. We’re kind of a step away from true fandom right now. We have people engaged in our TV product because it’s awesome. We have people engaged in our game-day product because it’s awesome.
“The next step to really see the growth, in my opinion, is how we make people love or hate the people in SailGP. That is a fan. Those are the people who buy the shirts and write positive or negative comments on your Instagram. That’s fandom.
“You need the heroes and the villains, right? Because that really tells the story and gets people with skin in the game. They want to know what makes you tick. They want to know who your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or wife is, what your favorite clothes are, your favorite hat, your favorite sports team. That’s fandom.
“That’s what we need - to build that trust with our fans so that sort of thing happens.”
An example of that relationship came in Kobe Bryant’s untimely passing in 2020 – something that resonated with Mike as it did much of the sporting world.
“It really hit me when Kobe Bryant died,” said Mike. “I had just come off the water in Miami and was on my way to the airport. The news showed up on the headrest screen in the Uber I was in. I remember just being overcome with emotion.
“I’m a Celtics fan, but Kobe Bryant was always an inspiration. The guy was a winner. The guy worked his ass off. He’s somebody I’ve never spoken to, and I had tears streaming down my face. That’s because he inspired me, right? He touched me.
“I think that’s true fandom - when you’re laughing or crying with these athletes you’ve never met and probably never will meet. If we want to take our sport to the next level, we have to let people in.
“We took a step toward that with a series called Uncharted. It’s on Paramount Plus. It’s a three-part series that serves as an introduction to SailGP. There’s a little drama - they start to seed some of that - but I think that’s where the future is.
“It’s not about copying Drive to Survive. It’s about coming up with the next thing.”
Enter to Win
Fill out the form to submit your entry...
Enter Now
LATEST
Support
Contact
Powered By
© FanCapital LLC