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Opinion

Second-tier events, health initiatives will gain foothold in 2015

With 2014 now well behind us, we spent some time thinking about “skating to where the puck is going.” That is, to play the role of futurists and, in taking a page out of Wayne Gretzky’s book, telling our friends and industry associates what we think are a couple of exciting prospects for 2015.

So, what should a sports entrepreneur look for in 2015 and beyond?

For starters, we think you’ll be reading a lot more about the growth of second-tier international games and championships, those events that once were relegated to small cities or locations where the specific sport was played. We’re thinking specifically of Canada, where the June-July FIFA Women’s World Cup (held in seven cities) will be followed by the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games in Toronto. And the evidence doesn’t stop there. For instance, the NHL recently announced the return of the World Cup of Hockey (slated for Toronto as well in 2016). And a new flagship national team baseball event, the Premier 12 world championship, will launch in Taiwan and Japan in November under the direction of the World Baseball Softball Confederation.

The enhanced value of live sports television in today’s digital environment is going to drive interest in these less-than-mega events as more sports networks have more slots for content and remain desperate for the live content that continues to attract viewers and streamers.
Unlike years past, these “other” games will garner greater attention, including:

The interest of top conferences. The Canadian Sponsorship Forum is linking up with the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Edmonton, and the Toronto Pan American Economic Summit will be held on the eve of the Pan Am Games.

Bigger sponsors. The 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games include a sponsor roster of CIBC, Atos, Chevrolet, Cisco, Live Nation and Cirque du Soleil.

Greater media coverage. NBC covered a record 52 hours of the Paralympic Games in 2014.

There is still interest in the biggest global mega-events. Witness the level of competition Boston faces to potentially host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. We say potentially because, despite receiving the U.S. Olympic Committee’s approval, Boston will still have to beat global cities like Paris, Rome, Berlin (or Hamburg), Melbourne (or Brisbane), Istanbul and either Durban or Johannesburg in South Africa. No easy feat, as many bid cities — including the aforementioned Toronto and Paris — can attest.

Our second forecast for the near future is related to the other side of sports — participation sports and the benefits that our passion can provide to society. Largely neglected relative to health outcomes, the role and commitment of big sports in a healthier society is gaining traction, and interest will increase considerably in the coming years. Specifically, we sense that a new era of sports is coming.

But hear this clearly: It is not about spectatorship or entertainment. It involves the true coronation of health.

In most developed countries, only a scant few do enough physical activity to curb the tide of inactivity-based diseases. In North America, a mere fraction of youth and adults do enough activity to keep their bodies strong and healthy. The marketing potential and opportunities to engage foreign governments, charitable foundations, health-focused national governing bodies, sports federations and the not-for-profit sector are high.

Despite the power of sports as entertainment, we believe that sports leaders will begin stepping up and identifying beneficial margins from our increasingly inactive and obese world. Sports has a role to play, one that can both help the society in which we plan and increase the credibility of our field broadly.

Physical activity and regular exercise work for some, but the social, team-building and competitive power of sports have a major role to play to get more of us active — not just North Americans, and not just kids. Adults are increasingly sedentary, with studies showing fewer than 20 percent of us do enough and 40 percent of us are overweight. These declining rates also have long-term implications for the sports business, as fewer participants could lead to fewer fans, fewer spectators, fewer viewers and lower revenue.

We’d be remiss without noting that many of the sports leagues, federations and clubs have a similar view to ours on this double benefit of helping society while simultaneously helping influence their own futures. Think about the NFL’s Play 60, MLB’s Urban Youth Academy (with its Pitch, Hit and Run program), NBA Fit and the NHL’s Hockey Is For Everyone. On top of this are the efforts of NGBs and nonprofit sports organizations.

But are we as an industry doing enough? Probably not. But no group will fly this healthy-living banner unless they see others sharing the load. And few will invest without seeing clear linkage to future sustainable earnings.

It’s a nice catch-22.

From a research standpoint, we know a passion for sports can be inspired in a number of ways, from attending a special game with a parent or guardian, watching a spectacular performance on television or learning to love a game after some form of regular play.

It is the last of these that is coming under threat for many of us. So, for the larger benefit (society’s health) and a self-serving one (your organization’s ROI), please plan to put some regular sports participation on the calendar for you and yours in 2015 and beyond.

Rick Burton (rhburton@syr.edu) is the David Falk Professor of Sport Management at Syracuse University and SU’s faculty athletics representative to the ACC and NCAA. Norm O’Reilly (oreillyn@ohio.edu) is the Richard P. & Joan S. Fox Professor of Business and chair of the Department of Sports Administration at Ohio University.

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