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From our Founder Angela Ruggiero
"Kudos to the NFL and NBA for taking steps to narrow the gender gap for women working in sports."
We have seen some major opportunities for women working in sport recently. As the matchup was set for the Super Bowl, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be the first team to play in the Super at their home stadium, we also learned the news of NFL referee Sarah Thomas will be the first female referee to work the Super Bowl when she will be a down judge as part of the seven-person crew at Raymond James Stadium. Thomas has already made history in the NFL on multiple occasions back when she was the first female referee in a playoff game, the first full-time female referee in the NFL, and the first woman to work a major college football game. We also saw the announcement of NBA referees Natalie Sago and Jenna Schroeder, who were part of the officiating crew for a recent game between the Hornets and Magic in Orlando, FL. This was the first time that two female referees officiated the same NBA game. Kudos to the NFL and NBA for taking steps to narrow the gender gap for women working in sports. There are more steps for the industry to take, however. For four years our team at Sports Innovation Lab has worked to collect and analyze data in order to tell the industry “who their fan is.” This week we’ll have a big announcement around a new way to measure who the fan is and a pent-up demand that will help change the industry. Stay tuned.
Weekly Brand Breakthrough
The British government is discussing a ban on betting companies as jersey sponsors for sports teams, a decision that would disproportionately affect the English Premier League and Championship Clubs, who bring in an estimated $110 million annually from these deals. At the moment, 8 of the top 20 clubs have betting kit sponsors, with these deals ranging from $7-10 million apiece. This decision would also affect sports like rugby, boxing, and darts. The government has sited heightened concerns over the prevalence of gambling addictions as the motivation for their decision. High profile athletes have begun to serve as billboards for these companies. Although both the teams and the companies profit from these deals, the government has started to doubt how these companies' prevalence supports average citizens.
Weekly Live Entertainment Breakthrough
ImagineAR and BOOK YOUR STADIUM have joined with LaLiga to bring a one of a kind fan experience to numerous clubs within the top Spanish league. BOOK YOUR STADIUM, a revolutionary e-commerce fan engagement platform that now combines best in class digital engagement tools from ImagineAR to provide fans with unique immersive experiences. For example, the platform offers access to “virtual match experiences with exclusive content and games, e-sports matches with football players, Immersive AR experiences, virtual autographs, original match day events,” and many more. Due to the pandemic, partnerships like these have grown fast as teams and leagues try to enhance the non-traditional fan experience.
Weekly Media Breakthrough
Athletes Unlimited, a groundbreaking network of athlete-focused sports leagues, has made the news again as we near the start of their one of a kind volleyball season this month. The league consists of 40 of the world's best volleyball players, competing in 30 nationally broadcast games. Eight of these games will be distributed across numerous social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Twitch, and Dailymotion, allowing for fans' unprecedented access. Historically, Volleyball has not had an enormous platform or audience in the United States. Still, Athletes Unlimited is poised to bring the action-packed sport to millions of excited American fans, at no cost to them. Athletes Unlimiteds untraditional model provides fans with something new and exciting to watch every week and can bring large numbers of new fans to Volleyball.
Weekly Athlete Breakthrough
In a big move for women's sports, tennis star Naomi Osaka became a co-owner of the championship-winning North Carolina Courage this past week. Last year the twenty-three-year-old was named the highest-paid female athlete by Forbes magazine, bringing in 37.4 million from prize money and endorsements. In an interview with People, she stated that she has wanted to invest in the NWSL for years to promote women's sports and as an investment opportunity, as women's soccer in the US is growing rapidly. Osaka also appreciated the Courage's efforts to better their community and to use their position to stand up for social justice issues. Although a wise investment in its own right, this story welcomes a new age in women's sports where female athletes can financially promote and support other female athletes.
For more information on the changing trends in sports and all of our latest research visit sportsilab.com