Long Island sports teams and local businesses: a symbiotic relationship

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Long Island provides one of the largest populations among regions in the U.S., which makes it a great market for sports as a business. In turn, Long Islanders can count on those sports to further position the region as an attractive place to live.

And that has become a foundation of success for organizations such as the Long Island Ducks, the Long Island Rough Riders and the Long Island Nets–a relationship with fans and partners that has a track record of providing value in both directions.

“Our ownership has described ownership of the Ducks as kind of a public trust,” says Michael Pfaff, president of the Ducks. This is Long Island’s team.” The numbers bear out that approach: sometime this summer, the Ducks will see their 9 millionth fan cross through the turnstiles at Fairfield Properties Ballpark—a record for the Atlantic League, where the team competes.

The Ducks, whose home games are in Central Islip, have attracted large numbers of fans and established Major League ballplayers—such as former Red Sox star Jackie Bradley, Jr., who is on the roster this season. The Atlantic League is an independent league and the teams operate independent of Major League Baseball clubs. As an organization, the Ducks employ 20 year-round employees and another 250 seasonal workers.

And its agreement with the major leagues means the Ducks’ on-field employees—the players—can be signed directly to big league organizations.

But another important aspect of the Ducks’ success is its willingness to sign and play local ballplayers who played for and against Long Island high schools and colleges.

“You also have players (on the Ducks) who have come up and played on Long Island high school teams—they’re products of the community,” Pfaff said. “So you’re actually bridging the community to the greater sport of baseball.”

The theme plays out across different sports on Long Island.

The sports market on Long Island has traditionally been one of the strongest in the U.S.—from youth sports to secondary schools and college to the highest professional levels.

In pro golf, Shinnecock Hills in Southampton hosted the U.S. Open in 2018 and is scheduled again as the event location in 2026. The Bethpage Black course has hosted the U.S. Open and, in 2019, the PGA championship.

In addition to the Ducks, the Long Island Rough Riders in soccer and the Long Island Nets in basketball have found a way to bridge athletics from communities in Nassau and Suffolk counties to the big leagues. These organizations also add a community-building approach and ongoing relationships with sponsors, suppliers, and local fans that drive a deeper and broader presence than they might have in other regions.

That is also a key driver for the Long Island Rough Riders and the Long Island Nets.

“We want to be an organization that has a clear pathway (of advancement) for Long Island soccer players,” said Tanner Sands, general manager of the Rough Riders. “Our goal is to be an accessible place to bring Long Island soccer athletes, kids, and families together and create a community around soccer.”

The Rough Riders as an organization field a men’s team and a women’s team as “pre-professionals”–and like other organizations maintain a home playing venue, sponsorships, partnerships and other touch points with Long Island and local businesses.

But community is key to everything.

“Our revenue mostly comes from community programs…we have about 1,000 to 1,200 kids in our summer camps every summer,” Sands says.

Overall, with an estimated 70,000 soccer players on Long Island, the Rough Riders provide opportunities for development through their clinics, camps and academies, engaging around 3,500 to 4,000 kids annually.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be hosted in Canada, Mexico and the U.S–including games in the New York metro area–the interest in the sport on Long Island should figure to intensify.

Long Island also has a rich basketball history from community courts to the pros– dating back to the 1970s when Julius “Dr. J” Erving led the New York Nets to two ABA championships. Now, the Long Island Nets, an NBA G League affiliate of the Brooklyn NBA franchise, play their home games at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale—attracting fresh new crowds to the venue.

But that’s only part of the story: The organization operates year-round with a business team handling operations, ticket sales, marketing and partnerships.

Long Island Nets President Morgan Taylor said the team employs 25 full-time staff members on Long Island across departments including ticket sales, partnerships, community relations and basketball operations. They also hire over 100 part-time staff for game days and events.

Their mission is to “unlock the potential of future stars to inspire, educate and improve our local community,” Taylor says. This includes over 60 school supply donations, 150 free basketball clinics, and work with more than 200 community organizations since 2017. In the 2023-2024 season, the Nets donated 21,000 tickets to local schools and nonprofits.

At the heart of success strategies for the Ducks, Rough Riders and Nets is to make their on-field products and related efforts affordable for families—and competitive in an entertainment space that includes movie theaters, home streaming services, as well as various venues that are a train ride away in Manhattan.

The Ducks, for example, regularly offer fireworks for fans following 15 different night games during the summer, sponsored giveaway nights, as well as regular weekend on-field activities like giving fans the chance to run the bases themselves after every Sunday game.

The Nets have Black History and Women’s Impact games, offer Veteran of the Game and Teacher of the Month awards–at the same time deepening partnerships with other Long Island businesses that provide mutual brand recognition opportunities.

And the Rough Riders continue to “strive to be a very hyperlocal club,” Sands said. This has led to 20 percent to 25 percent growth coming out of the pandemic– with families and young athletes engaging with soccer. That, in turn, keeps its local business relationships stronger.

“We have phenomenal sponsors like Addidas and Soccer.com, but we always try to work with local sponsors,” Sands said. “We have a community that’s really loyal.”