SBD Global's year in review takes a look at some hits and misses from the past year.
HIT: The Int'l Olympic Committee voted in favor of “revolutionary changes” to the Olympic Games in December. Included in the reform package was a new bidding process that is aimed at attracting candidates by making the process cheaper and allowing events to be held outside the host city or country. The IOC also announced the creation of an Olympic TV channel and the abolishment of the 28 sports cap for the Summer Games, allowing “new and exciting” sports to be included in the future. They represent the biggest changes in the IOC in decades.
MISS: In May, ManU failed to qualify for the ‘14-15 Champions League. It marks the first time since the mid-‘90s that the club has not participated in the tournament. It is estimated that not qualifying for this competition will cost the club $78M. From July 1 to Sept. 30 alone, the club reported a 10% decline in TV broadcasting and ticketing revenue and a 5% decline in commercial revenue in comparison to the previous year.
HIT: The NFL played three regular-season games in London this year for the first time. The Miami Dolphins faced the Oakland Raiders on Sept. 28, the Atlanta Falcons played the Detroit Lions on Oct. 26, and the Dallas Cowboys went up against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 9. All three games were sell-outs and “boosted hopes” of a future NFL franchise in London.
MISS: While the Sochi Games were considered a sporting success, the run-up to the Games was anything but positive. Russia was under fire for its “anti-gay law,” which bans the promotion of homosexuality to minors, and sparked significant outrage with a plan to exterminate stray dogs around Sochi in an attempt to “maintain appearances.” In addition, journalists and athletes took to social media just days before the Games to share their experiences with unclean drinking water, toilet problems and other hotel issues, which left the Russia organizers looking extremely unprepared for the global event.
HIT: Goal-line technology was used for the first time in World Cup history this year during the Group E match between France and Honduras. It confirmed a “very tough” call when France’s Karim Benzema took a shot that rebounded across the goal line and was immediately fumbled across the line by Honduras goalkeeper Noel Valladares. The technology’s ability to offer goal confirmation without disrupting the flow of the game was hailed as a success. Later in the year, several professional football leagues including Serie A, Bundesliga, the Australian Football League confirmed they would install goal-line technology for use in ’15 matches.
MISS: The Hong Kong FA lost $1.4M in an October friendly between Argentina and Hong Kong after only 20,230 spectators showed up to watch the match at the 40,000-capacity Hong Kong Stadium. Hong Kong FA Vice-Chair Pui Kwan-kay admitted the FA was “too confident” about filling the stadium and would be “more careful” when inviting teams in the future. It was reported that the Hong Kong FA paid $3M to Argentina for the match, which was “one of the biggest” appearance fees on record. Less-than-expected income generated from commercial sponsors and a 20% government venue tax on tickets also contributed to the governing body’s losses.
