eSport . . . yes, it’s real.
Technology. Betting. Women. Esports.
If you’re a gambler, the smart money says you can’t go wrong putting cash on these four.
This isn’t what futurists predict. It’s already happening and I know because international research company Repucom says so.
Last week, the smart guys there presented their top 10 global commercial trends in sport. Many of SA sport’s biggest movers and shakers were in the room. The narrative that ran through the morning was simple – adapt or die.
Sport, like everything, evolves, and those that don’t, won’t make it. Some will be dragged kicking and screaming into the light. And then they’ll wonder why it took them so long.
[pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Some will be dragged kicking and screaming into the light. And then they’ll wonder why it took them so long.[/pullquote]
It was a wake-up call for local sport; for rights holders, sponsors, media and federations.
As sponsorship shoots up internationally – projections are that it will hit $62-billion next year – global betting will also hit stratospheric levels ($64-billion in 2016). This offers an interesting conundrum for sport: betting is a massive revenue earner, but it’s also the realm of match-fixers, enabling them to thrive. Soccer, cricket and tennis know all about this. Sport ought to tread carefully in the rush for the cash.
Media rights will continue to grow, which isn’t good news if you deal in Rands. With the cash squeeze on in a big way, major sports sponsors are pulling out all the time.
The research also highlighted how intense competition to capture new audiences is. In the age of the Internet, audience attention is constantly being diluted. People are intensely interested, but in fewer things.
To quote The Guardian: “English cricket is in danger of becoming a sporting version of the Church of England, with an ageing demographic who attend because they always attend, and believe because they have always believed. Meanwhile, younger generations will barely notice its slow and graceful slide into irrelevance.”
It’s a brutal summation of how the world is fast changing.
Much of this change is driven by social media. No-one does it better than the NBA. While some organisations jealously guard their content, the NBA doesn’t care how it is distributed. It has taken the view that as long as their content gets eyeballs, it’s all good.
The NBA taps into 100 million daily Snapchat users and content hijacking (fan-generated memes and GIFs) is encouraged rather than policed.
NBA was also the first sport to get over one billion Vine loops. Little wonder it’s one of the most powerful leagues on earth.
And to think that in this town some major clubs and teams barely have a functioning website.
The market also ignores women at its peril. In the past four years there has been a 30 percent increase in the number of women interested in soccer – that’s 100 million people.
Common sense, and various studies, indicate that there is significant interest in commercial opportunities in women’s sport and engagement.
eSports have also shot into focus. I know, I know, it’s an absurd notion that anything electronic can constitute a sport, but the reality is much different. In the US and Middle East, elite-level gaming events sell out arenas and there is mainstream broadcast and sponsor interest. It’s on our doorstep, too, with Telkom having launched a digital gaming league with R1-million prizemoney.
eSports constitutes one of the four types of fast-growth sports and events that have hit the scene. New formats and leagues, like T20 cricket, are catching on. Fitness and participation events (parkrun being a personal favourite) are all the rage and combat sport is capturing hearts and minds. Social media is at the core of each of these.
Warrior racing: wicked, filthy fun.
Repucom’s research also reflects a steady shift away from traditional sports clubs to more informal gatherings, like Warrior races, parkrun and Absa Cape Epic , which are organised primarily on digital and social media platforms.
The warning signs are thus writ large for staid clubs that are tired and complacent.
It’s an exciting new world that ought to both terrify and excite us. The smartest, rather than the toughest, will doubtless thrive.