Menu
Leagues and Governing Bodies

McLaren F1 Exec Dir Sees Esports As Potential 'Racing Property'

McLaren Formula 1 team Exec Dir Zak Brown said that all F1 teams "could eventually have their own virtual counterpart, while gaming can become the new grassroots of the sport," according to Alan Baldwin of REUTERS. Speaking at an event to promote McLaren's "World's Fastest Gamer" initiative to recruit an F1 simulator driver from virtual racing, Brown said that the world of esports "was to be embraced." He said, "I don’t see how any F1 team can ignore the power of esports, the audience, the people it produces. So I’d like to think most F1 teams will do something in some way, shape or form. This is building the grassroots of motorsports. If the grassroots has historically been karting, which is still a narrow audience because it’s still expensive, I see this (gaming) as being the ultimate grassroots of motorsports, being wide and deep and everyone can afford it." Darren Cox, "Chief Maverick Officer" of the Ideas+Cars agency working with McLaren, said that gaming was "bigger than Hollywood" and pointed to the "Real Racing 3" mobile app that had 300 million downloads. Cox said, "Kids are finding sports through their virtual equivalent first before they actually find the real sport." Brown said that motor racing, as a sport that could not be practiced at school and required a substantial outlay, "needed to consider other ways of engaging younger audiences." He said, "I see esports as another racing property for us in the McLaren ecosystem" (REUTERS, 5/22).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2017/05/24/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/McLaren-CEO-Virtual-F1.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2017/05/24/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/McLaren-CEO-Virtual-F1.aspx

CLOSE