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Sports have the power to unite communities, both locally and, increasingly, globally. But competition for media attention and increasing Incidents of fan-betraying controversies could overwhelm the joy of competition on the field of play, A sports-communications scholar examines the 10 key trends shaping the future of the sports industry.
Sports leagues and fans bow in reverence to tradition and history, but the fact is that much in the world of sports has radically changed. The Manchester United football (soccer) team can claim not only the expected 7.5 million fans in the United Kingdom, but 14 million fans in Thailand as well.
In creating a university's sportscommunication program, I have had to wrestle with the many changes in sports and its role in culture and the economy. I see the future of the sports industry being shaped by the following 10 controversial issues. The way that these controversies are managed will make a major impact on the prosperity of the games we so enjoy.
1. The Turbulent Brand
Sports leagues and events have learned that unifying as a singular brand in the marketplace can increase wealth. A singular brand such as the National Football League (NFL) can put media rights out to bid from major networks, attract lucrative sponsorships, and sell licensed fashions and merchandise. Everything moves in lockstep-under a tight political organization and unified identity-to reach out for national and, increasingly, international revenues. Sports organizations have learned to cooperate and organize, just as McDonald's learned that there is a lot of money to be made by organizing hamburgers and fries together. Unlike with McDonald's, however, the "hamburgers" and "fries" in sports are rivals who'd like to humiliate and defeat each other.
Prosperity will be won by those who can brand themselves not only with a recognizable logo, but also with a genuine attitude of cooperation. The NFL currently does it best and the results are obvious. The League leads in television ratings and gets $3 billion a year in media rights, another $3 billion in licensing, average attendance of nearly 70,000 a game, and leading sponsors like Motorola paying over $20 million a year to associate with the League.
The simple question is, Who will do it better in the years ahead? Who will...