Trends in Sports Industry

You know investors now definitely see sports as an asset class when J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley all decide to allocate time and resources to launching sports-focused teams / reports / indexes. 📈 ➡️ J.P. Morgan   6 months ago, J.P. Morgan launched a new "sports investment banking coverage group" to cover investments in sports franchises for their clients around the globe.   Fred Turpin, J.P. Morgan’s Global Head of Media and Communications Investment Banking declared then: “With top sports franchises in the US and Europe now valued at more than $400 billion in total, sports have become an increasingly large asset class, attracting more and more institutional investors.”   ➡️ Goldman Sachs   Last month, GS released a report called "Changing the Game: Unlocking new opportunities in sports" in which they picture sports as an "outperforming asset class generating opportunities for corporates and investors to diversify their assets and unlock value."   Here's a quote from Dave Dase, Global Co-Head of Sports Franchise:   "The days of just selling tickets and concessions are over; sports are rapidly expanding into 24/7 data management platforms that bring best-in-class customization - helping teams grow and increase the monetization of their fan base across all business verticals.”   Trends quoted in the report include:   📱 Evolving media landscape shaping a new era for sports rights   🤝 Minority stakeholders becoming an essential part of the capital structure in parallel with soaring sports teams’ valuations 🎮 Expanding range of sports-adjacent businesses 🥅 Modern-day stadiums generating new avenues for monetization   ➡️ Morgan Stanley And now, Morgan Stanley’s wealth management division is launching an investment index tied to sports leagues.   Name of the index?   The "Parametric Custom Core Sports League" strategy.   The portfolio's holdings will consist of 250 to 400 securities from companies that have sponsorship, media, advertising deals, and other associations with major sports leagues, including the NBA, WNBA, NFL, NWSL, MLS, MLB, LPGA, PGA, NHL, US Open Tennis, F1, Nascar, and college basketball.   The portfolio is aimed at high net worth sports fans with a $250k investment minimum.   It will allow them to invest in a curated index of companies with strong sponsorship, media and advertisement ties to the most prominent sports leagues.   Sandra Richards, Managing Director and Head of Morgan Stanley’s Global Sports and Entertainment Division, stated:   “We see the demand from our clients that are asking about ways to invest in sports. And it’s going to continue.”   To be noted that they'll use Nielsen Sports as its data source to track the activity, spending and visibility of the companies with exposure to professional sports leagues.

Is it just me, or is the sports industry being flooded with a new era of advisors - but mainly because there are simply fewer opportunities for senior leaders? And if so, what does that mean for those who want to build a long-term career in the sector? It feels like every other day I see highly experienced leaders — people who’ve spent decades in sport, made mistakes, learned lessons, and delivered real success — struggling to land another full-time role at a similar level. And this is happening at a time when, I would have thought, strong leadership is needed more than ever. Instead, many are moving into advisory work, taking on projects for the very organisations or investors who won’t commit to them permanently. And I’m not talking about people close to retirement either— in some cases, these are leaders with just 15 years’ experience in sport, and who are positively regarded by those around them. Now, this isn’t about defending the “old guard” or dismissing fresh talent. 'Outsiders' can and do succeed. But for every home run, there are multiple strikeouts — particularly in an industry defined by relationships, leadership, and culture. And it’s also important to note that some of those moving to advisory are doing it by choice and/or are actually having even greater impact because of the freedom they have to work across multiple organisations rather than just one. My concern is that many are moving into advisory roles not by choice, but by necessity. When this becomes an industry-wide pattern, the effect is that institutional knowledge, networks, and judgment are being underutilised. Instead, the higher-risk, higher-reward appeal of hiring from outside the industry - often at a lower price point - becomes more attractive to the influx of new investors and owners looking to scale their capital investments in a new asset class. 'Go big or go home'. Those who know me know I don’t always speak positively about how sport has been run historically. I have often said "sport has been successful in spite of itself, not because of itself". But even I wonder whether it has gone too far in pushing for leadership change. A decade ago, many leaders may have turned their noses up at the need to innovate. Today, that mindset feels far less common. Most senior leaders I speak to understand that change is essential — and are actively trying to adapt. So here’s my question to the industry (and anyone who's read this far!): Are we seeing a serious loss of experienced leadership in the way I’m describing? And if so, is that as risky for the sector as I fear? Or is this actually a better outcome — having senior experience “on tap” for guidance, rather than fully embedded and overcommitted?

Thinking about a career in sports? Here’s something you may not expect: Brace for how it can totally change your fandom. After a decade in the NFL, my lifelong die-hard loyalty to one team faded almost completely. However, my love for sports is stronger than ever - just viewed through a different lens. It's less about the disillusionment often associated with "seeing how the sausage gets made". And more about gaining a new perspective. In my career, my allegiances have shifted in unexpected ways: from rooting for rival teams out of professional commitments, to celebrating the achievements of peers, to getting deeply invested in storylines that directly impact my work. My general interest has expanded from team loyalty to the broader strategy and management within sports. Not everyone experiences this same change. Many maintain their original team loyalties. However, stepping into the sports industry often means seeing the games you love through a new, more complex lens. Be ready for your passion to evolve as your career does.

I decided to go down the women’s sports rabbit hole. To understand the landscape, I examined the WPL.  How popular is women’s sport in India? Let us peel the onion. 📺 30 million people viewed the first game of the 2025 edition of WPL! For more context, the women’s edition of the football World Cup 2023 peaked at 11.5 million. This popularity translated to wages as well. 💰The top WPL athletes earn $415,000 annually. Second only to WNBA players. Peel another layer. 💎 The five WPL teams were auctioned for a collective $572 million. Let’s examine this number some more. The WNBA was launched 27 years ago, and in 2022, it raised $75 million at a $1 billion valuation. In Feb’ 23, the Seattle Storm WNBA team was valued at $151 million. The exact price as a WPL team, which played its first game in March 2023! Impressive? This is not a WPL story. Those paying close attention can see a perceptible shift globally as well. For the first time, during the 2024 Paris Olympics, we saw gender parity. The first Olympics were played in 776 BC. It has taken an age, but the world is changing. Now, let’s zoom out. There is an opportunity to build innovative, cutting-edge tech solutions for women’s sports, particularly in India. We see three unexplored areas: 💻Big data and analytics: Global performance analytics for women athletes have made impressive strides. However, applying these benchmarks to the Indian context is fundamentally flawed. The underlying datasets, training environments, and physiological baselines are different. We believe the real opportunity lies in building context-specific performance intelligence, starting with accessible, low-friction devices that capture data. This isn’t just about better training decisions — it’s about creating foundational datasets that don’t exist in India. 🛣️ Scouting and career pathways: The rise of pro leagues for women in India is a clear growth signal. However, talent identification and career development infrastructure remain essentially unchanged. There’s an opportunity to build athlete-owned platforms that function as dynamic resumes; they’re the first building blocks of a scalable, merit-based ecosystem where athletes can be seen, supported, and sustained throughout their careers. 📺Grassroots viewership: Grassroots viewership for women’s sports remains an undercapitalised lever. While men’s grassroots content has just started finding distribution through live-streaming platforms, this hasn't been meaningfully extended to women. The issue isn’t just visibility—it’s community. The next evolution will be platforms that don’t just broadcast but build belonging: gamified, socially integrated, and safety-first spaces that drive participation, not just viewership. The momentum is building, and technology is key to unlocking women’s sports’ full potential in India. It is your time, Indian founders. Reach us at - contact@centrecourtcapital.com Centre Court Capital I Alok Samtaney I Faraz Abdi

ESPN just hired a 14 million-follower creator as their newest talent. 🏈 Katie Feeney, the recent Penn State grad who made waves as the Washington Commanders' first-ever Social Media Correspondent and covering events such as the Super Bowl and Oscars, is joining ESPN as a Sports & Lifestyle Content Creator. She'll contribute to ESPN's social and digital efforts, including a refreshed SportsCenter on Snapchat show, create short-form content for an upgraded ESPN app, and appear across key shows like Sunday NFL Countdown and College GameDay. This is ESPN acknowledging what we've known for a while: Gen Z doesn't consume sports the way previous generations did. They're not sitting through three-hour broadcasts. They're watching highlights on TikTok, following creator commentary on Instagram, and getting their sports news from personalities they trust and not traditional anchors. ESPN's accelerating a playbook that's working. They hired Omar Raja, who created House of Highlights as a full-time digital commentator in 2020. They inked a deal with the Pat McAfee Show in 2023, and launched the ESPN Creator Network, now in its third iteration. And they're not alone in this shift. Look across the sports landscape. This year alone: 🏈 The National Football League (NFL) broadened its creative initiatives by granting creators and players turned podcasters access to its official archives and event field passes 🏀 The National Basketball Association (NBA) expanded its Creator Program re-upping its Creator Correspondent Program ⛳ The PGA TOUR established a Creator Council to have creators collaborate with its media, marketing, and communications teams ⚾ The Major League Baseball (MLB) invested in Jomboy Media to leverage its expertise and build activations across its key events 📺 FOX Sports announced a collaboration with Barstool Sports that brings its personalities to Fox's college and basketball broadcasts Traditional sports media companies and leagues are racing to stay relevant, and creators are their bridge to younger audiences. What also is fascinating is how this creates entirely new career paths, outside of having to climb the traditional journalism ladder to become a sports media personality. If you build an engaged following, demonstrate your unique voice, major networks, organizations and teams may come calling with partnerships opportunities, job offers or even investment dollars. Katie Feeney joining ESPN isn't just a hire. It's traditional media admitting that creators aren't just supplementary talent anymore: they're essential to survival. The smartest media companies aren't fighting this shift. They're embracing it and I love it. 📬 Want more analysis on how traditional media is adapting to the creator economy? Plus weekly platform updates and what they mean for your strategy? Subscribe to my newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eme5sJMq

I've been asked a lot recently on podcasts how to evaluate and think about large sponsorships. At ClickUp, we had a strategic partnership with the San Diego Padres that was extremely beneficial from an activation perspective. Here are some key points on how it worked/ was structured: 1. Embedded Partnership: It was important for us to be as integrated into their ecosystem as they were in ours. Our agreement included them using ClickUp as their primary work management tool across several departments. This integration was beneficial in many ways, helping them to speak our language when building out assets and discussing different aspects of our sponsorship. 2. High-Quality Content: We brought our team on board and ensured we had almost unlimited access to tell their story alongside ours. Baseball has a rich history and underwent significant transformations during the pandemic and when everything reopened. We were alongside them for that journey and wanted to tell that story through high-quality content. 3. Fluidity: I dislike rigid agreements. Life and business are dynamic, and our agreements should reflect that. We structured our partnership to be as fluid as possible, allowing us to add assets ad-hoc and make real-time changes. This created a true two-way partnership where both parties were continually thinking about how to further utilize each other. In many ways, it was one of the best partnerships/sponsorships I've done in my career (and I've done a lot). When evaluating potential sponsorships, beyond market fit and target demographics, consider the type of relationship you want with your partners. Look for organizations that align with that vision—it will pay dividends.

The job market in sports & entertainment is booming - but it doesn’t always feel that way when you’re on the hunt, right? Here’s the reality 👇 📈 The U.S. projects 108,900 new sports & entertainment openings every year through 2033—faster growth than most industries. ⏳ Yet it still takes an average of 41–44 days to fill a role, and companies are running more interviews than ever. 🤖 Nearly every major employer uses an ATS (98% of the Fortune 500!). Translation: if you only “apply online,” you’re battling algorithms before you even get to a recruiter. 👥 Meanwhile, referrals and networks are becoming the real front door. In fact, rediscovered and referred candidates now make up nearly half of hires at some companies. And in our industry specifically? College sports is about to change dramatically - schools will start sharing $20.5M+ annually with athletes beginning in 2025–26, creating whole new roles in compliance, cap strategy, and athlete marketing. Women’s sports, creator-led content, and fan data monetization are driving demand for skills in sponsorship, analytics, and community-building. So what does this mean for job seekers? ✔️ Don’t just apply - network like it’s your job. Two warm touches (referral + conversation) per role is the new standard. ✔️ Lead with numbers. Show how you’ve grown revenue, audiences, partnerships, or fan engagement. ✔️ Share your work. A portfolio, case study, or even a Loom video can cut through the 40-day hiring cycle. And for employers? Shorten the funnel, double down on referrals, and start hiring for the new NIL-driven revenue models now. Bottom line: the opportunities are there. But the path in looks less like “click apply” and more like relationships + results. Curious: if you’re in sports or entertainment, how are you navigating this shift? 👇 #JobSearching #JobSearchTrends #TopVoice #SportsBiz #HiringNow #Networking

Last week, the U.S. Soccer Federation made waves with a bold move: the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as the new head coach of the U.S. men's national team. This hire signals a serious step forward in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted right here in North America. With Pochettino's pedigree as a top-tier coach, this decision marks a new chapter in U.S. Soccer's ambition to compete at the highest level on the global stage.   However, what stands out even more is the innovative financial backing behind this appointment. A significant portion of Pochettino’s contract is supported by a philanthropic contribution from key figures in the financial world, including Ken Griffin (Citadel) and Scott Goodwin (Diameter), along with a group of corporate partners.   This collaboration is a groundbreaking case of financial services, philanthropy, and sports intersecting in a unique way. Traditionally, corporate sponsorships in sports focus on visibility, branding, and engagement with fans. But this move goes beyond traditional sponsorship models and highlights how corporate allies and sponsors can create deeper, more meaningful contributions to sports organizations by driving talent acquisition and operational support through philanthropic gifts.   This approach raises fascinating questions for the industry:   - Could this model signal the start of a trend? As private investment blends with philanthropy, will we see other sports teams and organizations adopt this innovative funding strategy to compete at the highest levels?   - What are the tax implications? U.S. Soccer operates as a nonprofit, which opens the door to the possibility that these contributions may be tax-deductible. Could this further incentivize financial leaders and corporations to support sports in this way?   - The bigger picture: Will this create a ripple effect, with investors and senior executives finding new avenues to influence and shape the future of sports, all while aligning with social and philanthropic values?   For those of us in the private investment and executive leadership space, particularly within the sports industry, this serves as a case study in how business leaders can redefine the concept of partnership in sports. There’s an emerging opportunity to blend financial acumen with philanthropic intent to fuel the future of sports development.   https://lnkd.in/ew_NQKMN   #sportsbusiness #philanthropy #soccer

Football ownership is no longer reserved for billionaires. Increasingly, it’s the players themselves who are taking a seat at the table. Juan Mata García ’s decision to become a shareholder in Melbourne Victory Football Club while still playing is another sign of a much bigger shift taking place across global sport. This isn’t a retirement plan. It’s a strategic repositioning. For decades, footballers generated enormous wealth but rarely participated in the long-term value they helped create. Their careers produced trophies, commercial growth, media rights and fan engagement, yet ownership remained in the hands of investors, institutions and private capital. That dynamic is changing. Today’s players are beginning to understand that their greatest asset isn’t just the salary they earn. It’s their knowledge, their network, their credibility and their ability to create value beyond the pitch. What’s particularly interesting in Juan Mata’s case is that he isn’t waiting until retirement. He’s becoming part of the ownership structure while still competing, allowing him to understand the business from the inside and prepare for a seamless transition into an executive role. We’re likely to see this happen far more often over the next decade. Not only in Australia. Across Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East. The smartest players won’t ask, “Which club should I play for next?” They’ll ask, “Which club, league or sports business should I own?” For clubs, this can also be a competitive advantage. A player who becomes an owner or strategic shareholder isn’t simply extending his relationship with the club. He’s aligning his long-term interests with the institution’s success, bringing global visibility, commercial opportunities and strategic relationships that often extend far beyond football. Ownership is becoming the new stage of an elite athlete’s career. And I believe we’re only at the beginning. The future won’t belong only to those who play the game. It will belong to those who own part of it. Always winning. No Limits. #SportsBusiness #ClubOwnership #SportsInvestment

India’s sports viewership is hyper-local and it’s evolving in very sport-specific ways. As we continue to work across regions, one thing becomes clear: Live sports streaming isn’t just growing, it’s evolving differently across different formats and geographies. And the data we see on SportVot gives us a close-up view of where that shift is happening. - This is Part 3 of my 5 part series "India's REAL Sports Map" where I share insights from the ground on how India is redefining the sports landscape. - Here’s what the numbers show us across SportVot’s top 5 streamed sports: ➤ Cricket has the highest share of streamed tournaments, led by Maharashtra (68 tournaments), followed by Delhi, UP, and Haryana. ➤ Football is gaining consistent momentum in Maharashtra (60+ tournaments), Karnataka, and the Northeast. Goa, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, and Rajasthan show early-stage traction ➤ Racket Sports (Badminton, Table Tennis, Tennis) are steadily growing in urban and semi-urban regions. Maharashtra (15) and Karnataka (8) are leading and Tamil Nadu, Goa, Delhi, and Gujarat are emerging players. Other presence in Punjab, Jharkhand, Assam, UP, Kerala. ➤ Volleyball is one of the most underrated formats we stream. In Assam, we’ve streamed tournaments across 200+ villages. Maharashtra and Goa are emerging. ➤ Basketball is showing strong numbers in Maharashtra (19+ tournaments), Karnataka and Chandigarh. Followed by streams from Gujarat, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan. ➤ For Hockey, Maharashtra, Goa, Jharkhand and Delhi are emerging hubs. This does not include Kabaddi, where 50+ tournaments per year are streamed from Maharashtra alone. Also important to note: ➤ This data only represents what’s being streamed via SportVot, not necessarily what’s being played the most. But what it does show is where digital adoption, infrastructure readiness, and organiser/rights holders’ intent are the strongest. If you're a broadcaster, sponsor, or league operator, this map gives you a sense of where digital sports production is already active and where your next digital-first sports community might emerge. Sharing a map below that gives out more numbers from our platform.