“Since Doug’s been out, there’s always that question of when will he be ready to come back? It was always when will he be ready, not if,” Becher said. “Doug has definitely improved over the last couple of months. But he took the decision that he needs to concentrate on his health full time. So it’s really only in the last couple of days. This is late-breaking more than anything else.”

Read the full article here.

Responding to updated health guidelines from the state, Sharks Sports & Entertainment announced Monday that starting this weekend, fans attending hockey games at SAP Center will no longer be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for entry.

Read the full article here.

Brodie Brazil and Jonathan Becher talk about how the pandemic has impacted attendance at Sharks games.

Watch the video here.

Sharks president Jonathan Becher addressed a number of topics during a midseason meeting with the media Wednesday, including the recent drop in attendance, plans for next season and owner Hasso Plattner’s thoughts on the state of the franchise.

Becher’s message about the short-term future of the Sharks from a business perspective was mostly positive, with the usual COVID-19 related caveats, and he announced some intriguing new plans to try to improve the fan experience. He also touched on some of the long-term concerns for the Sharks at SAP Center.

Read the full article here.

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo wants to drop the city’s COVID-19 booster requirement to get into city-owned facilities.

Doing so would impact venues like the SAP Center- home of the Sharks. Team President Jonathan Becher told reporters on Wednesday, mandates and the on-going pandemic are the reason for low-attendance at the SAP Center.

“The drive to get actual people in becomes much more difficult when you have to vax, boost, test, mask, etc.,” he said.

At city-owned facilities across San Jose, visitors have gotten used to following signs for vaccine verification. Earlier this month, COVID-19 boosters were added to the list of requirements at city-owned venues.

Read the full article here.

Jonathan Becher, president of Sharks Sports & Entertainment, listed the pandemic as the biggest reason why attendance for NHL games at the downtown arena has cratered this season, even though it appears the Sharks will miss the playoffs for a third straight year.

Becher attributed some of that to the surge of the Omicron variant, adding with cases receding, over 15,000 tickets have been sold for Saturday’s home game with the Boston Bruins. Santa Clara County, as of Wednesday, had a seven-day rolling average of 555 new cases of COVID, down from around 5,000 in early January.

“So that’s evidence that people will come back as restrictions ease and as they feel safer,” Becher said. “There’s no guarantee in life but it does seem that way.”

Becher said the team has sold about 9,500 season tickets for next season, which is down from around 11,000 two years ago, with a renewal rate of about 85 percent.

Read the full article here.

Doug Henschen talks to Jonathan Becher about why brands are so heavily involved in sports and whether it’s better to sponsor a league or a team.

Watch the ConstellationTV interview here.

Before he became the President of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, Jonathan Becher was one of the premiere marketing executives in the technology industry.  And it’s safe to say he brought the visionary approach he developed at companies like SAP with him to the Sharks – which has paid off during the past 18 months as the pandemic disrupted the traditional fan experience.

Becher and the Sharks have been one of the more innovative teams in all of sports, which is why my CRM Playaz co-host Paul Greenberg and I were excited to catch up with Becher via LinkedIn Live to see what he and the Sharks have been up to, how they’ve been exploring ways to create more aligned fan experiences to the current situation with the pandemic, how lessons learned during the pandemic are being implemented in preparation for life after Covid, and to get his perspective on where he sees the puck going – so to speak – with how fans will experience content in the coming years, including how they become collaborators and creators with their favorite sports franchises.

Read the full article here.

San José Mayor Sam Liccardo was joined by Josh Fryday, California Volunteers Chief Service Officer, Office of Governor Newsom, Jessica Morse, Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources Agency, Andrea Mackenzie, General Manager, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, Dorsey Moore, Executive Director, San José Conservation Corps, city staff and volunteers from San José Resilience Corps to perform wildfire fuel reduction work in honor of California’s Climate Action Week and to declare San José’s Climate Action Day.

Jonathan Becher, President of the San José Sharks
“For more than 25 years, the Sharks Foundation has provided assistance and aid to those in our community who need it most and at times when it’s imperative that they receive it. We are proud to, once again, partner with SAP as well as the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council County FireSafe Council to fund the production of 200 “Go Bags” which will provide immediate help and support to those who may require and could possibly save lives during a fire emergency.”

Read the full article here.

Most brands would kill to have a fanbase dedicated enough to tattoo the company logo on them.

But what if I told you that superfans like these can hurt your brand?

Even in sports.

This counterintuitive discovery is one of many lessons today’s guest, Jonathan Becher, has learned during his tenure as President of the San Jose Sharks. He joins the show to share how he increased the team’s fanbase through inclusivity and shifting to a more community-driven CX.

Listen to the podcast here.