One of the things we are reminded of each year when we host the Octagon/Street & Smith’s World Congress of Sports is that just about everyone in the industry, from owners and CEOs down to the people in the ticket office, spends most of their time thinking and talking about the same themes.
Several topics popped up continually throughout the World Congress sessions. Among them:
The NHL. The league and its problems were often used as a punchline during discussions, with one panel session jokingly declared to be an “NHL-free zone.” There was, however, strong sentiment that it is imperative for the league to put some kind of product on the ice at the beginning of the next regular season, even if it has to be with replacement players. Some members of the World Congress finance panel predicted dire results for a few teams, including perhaps shutting their doors for good, if the lockout drags into next season. While gaining cost certainty in a labor deal is crucial, they said, at some point, the potential consequences of waiting to make a deal with the union might become catastrophic.
Keeping the games drug free. The importance of making sure that players aren’t using illegal substances popped up again and again, with much ire directed at players unions for their resistance to meaningful reform. Perhaps the strongest comments on the subject came from ESPN’s Mark Shapiro, who wants to see players banned if they are found to be using illegal substances even once. “You know you’re not supposed to do it,” he said, “so don’t.”
Technology. From video games to wireless applications, technology played some part in almost every discussion, even as our panelists often admitted they aren’t certain where it’s going. One thing they agreed on, though, was that, as our Special Report sections for the World Congress have detailed this week and last, young consumers today expect information to be available from multiple sources so they can get it whenever and however they want it. “Attention Deficit Disorder,” said one panelist, “has gone from being a handicap to being a life skill.”
There’s a big world out there. Several panel members, as well as many conference attendees, helped put the world in this year’s World Congress. Among the most insightful was Michael Payne, who for years was associated with the Olympics and now is special assistant to Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone.
Among Payne’s observations: While the perception of athletes in the United States seems at an all-time low, in Europe it has never been higher. Athletes in Europe are more admired than are movie stars or musicians. And, by the way, most Europeans believe the U.S. response to drug testing, with resistance from players and repeated offenses allowed before an athlete is banned from competition, smacks of hypocrisy after years of hearing the United States lecture Europeans on the importance of keeping drugs out of sports.
Payne returned to the technology theme, as well, saying the youth market in Europe is being driven by mobile applications. It’s not that mobile is replacing television, he said. Television is still king. But when it comes to driving the audience in the European market and even in Japan, it’s being done by sending highlights, previews and other targeted content into wireless devices. When it comes to the youth market, he said, “If you are not in that space, you have lost already.”
