Anyone with even a remote interest in the business of sport would have been swayed by three very different international developments this week.

The most significant deal occurred in America where UFC, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, was bought for a staggering US $4-bn. Even if you threw together all the major properties of South African sport, their net worth wouldn’t come close to matching that figure (R57-bn).

What is impressive is that 15 short years ago the UFC business was picked up for a piddly $2-m. Back then, Mixed Martial Arts operated on the margins where low blows and head butts were di rigueur. Blood was its currency.

The organisation’s first event in Colorado drew just 2800 spectators.

Senator John McCain was unimpressed, labelling it “human cock-fighting”.

The early pioneers then got to work. They addressed safety concerns and they refined the rules. Stars were created and the “cage fighting” name was ditched. MMA cleaned itself up. No-one could have forecast how the UFC would explode.

I don’t buy the hype that the sport is now mainstream, but it is rapidly growing and stars like Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor are more familiar to everyday people.

The new deal is more than just an investment for a group of cash-heavy backers; it’s an endorsement of a sport that has captured the imagination of millennials and others. This move will be a game-changer, taking the sport to new territories and breaking into the public consciousness.

It wasn’t the only major move in the sports world in recent days. The news that seven Australian Big Bash cricket matches would be broadcast live in the US next season barely made a ripple, but it’s a big, bold step for a game desperate to crack the US market.

The NBC Sports Network is available in 85 million US homes, so you get some idea of the potential footprint of the high-octane, high-energy cricket tournament.

If any cricket is made for the discerning US market, Twenty20 is it. It’s fast, explosive and crammed into a short amount of time.

Across India way, meanwhile, cricket titan Sachin Tendulkar joined sports consultancy firm Spartan International as investor and a member of their advisory board, which includes Chris Gayle.

It might not seem a big deal, but scooping the greatest batsman of his age for a senior corporate position is big stakes.

The narrative that runs through each of these deals is that no sport, and no-one, can afford to stand still. UFC is always pushing the boundaries and even breaking the rules. For years, New York banned them, but they lobbied tirelessly. A few months ago, that wall came tumbling down.

Live crowds of 20 000 are now common with gate takings alone in the US $10-m range.

The move that perhaps resonates most closely with South Africa is the Australian cricket deal. Australians are so relentlessly successful as a cricket nation because complacency doesn’t exist in their environment. The success of the Indian Premier League spawned the Big Bash League, which was an instant hit.

Last year, one match drew a staggering 81 000 fans.

Organisers are even toying with the idea of playing a fixture on Christmas day. That’s not tweaking the template so much as tearing it up.

Cricket, like all sport, is under the cosh, whether it be from competing interests or the squeeze of a tight economy. Fair dinkum, no half measures from the Aussies.

Tendulkar’s shift is also indicative of a man chasing ambition. The little master has moved into a new realm and must carve out a new existence. He’s getting a move on.

Where do we fit into all this?

Sadly, nowhere. Increasingly, the focus on excellence and performance is diverted elsewhere. South African sport is shot through with nasty sub-plots and scheming. No-one can think beyond next week because too often there are battles to be fought here and now. It’s exhausting.

Where are the SA administrators and coaches making it in the world, where are the local sports properties that possess the potential to export? Where is the vigour and the energy?

If anyone hadn’t realised, we’re being left behind.

Has anyone noticed? – © Sunday Tribune