Author: alexhunter1232

By: Alex Hunter

It is no secret that technology has had the largest influence in the globalization of the sports industry. Whether it be in connecting people, building the image of a particular franchise, helping business advertise through sports or helping an entire professional league reach a large target audience, technology has constantly used to achieve each of these goals.

Improvements made in the Sports world through technology

The evolution of technology has allowed for advances in other aspects of the world including the world of sports. These changes are “bringing more sports to people than ever before,” (Lexology) something that has been urged for several decades. The introduction of smart devices enabled the initiatives that I have mentioned to be sped up. Cell phones, laptops,

and even televisions have “increased international viewership of sporting events” (Lexology). The 2010 World Cup is a prime example of how technology not only increases global awareness of live sporting events, but also pushes people to tune in to the event itself. ESPN3

about 7.4 million viewers and “generated 15.7 million hours of viewing” (Lexology) around the world. The ESPN app provided another method of viewing for fans and this resulted in 2.5 million downloads and led to the app being used by one million people per day on average (Lexology).T

The NBA is Going Global

As I mentioned technology has allowed for professional leagues/associations to expand and diversify their audiences. The National Basketball Association, specifically has been able to use technology to have games shown around the world.

finals of the NBA playoffs were “televised in more than 200 countries” in year 2010. (Lexology) and “in over 400 languages” (Lexology). In the year 2017 alone the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were in the finals at the time, had a total of “six different countries have television or radio crews in crews to broadcast the Finals, and another 14 are broadcasting remotely” (Cleveland). In this year’s regular season the amount countries in which NBA games were broadcasted increased 215 countries and an increased 50 languages (NBA). The NBA also offers a channel known as “NBA League Pass” that offer out-of-market games every week (NBA). These games are connected through television, the NBA App, and the online NBA site which showcases the idea of convergence of the different media platforms in order display a form of entertainment throughout the world. It also shows the “push theory”(Vivian) as the NBA wants people to have knowledge of the games occurring so they are taking initiative.

The only revolving issue around technology and its ability to globalize sports is the idea of blackouts. This is ” when a sports event that was scheduled to be televised is not aired in a particular media market” (FCC). This is a problem that is not as prevalent as it was in the past due to the Federal Communications Commission implementing rules to fix this. However, it has been an problem in the past for all televised sports including NBA games. It was not until 2015 that tightened the grip of blackout regulations in hopes of putting an end to the issue.

The role that technology played in globalizing the sports industry has vastly improved the diversity of the audiences viewing sports and has allowed for the NBA to benefit financially, increase viewership, and improve their image throughout.

Sources:

Vivian

Lexology

NBA

Cleveland

FCC

 

By: Alexander Hunter

America Connected through Sports

For centuries sports have been played all around the world and have provided people with the opportunity both compete and connect with each other. Journalist Stewart Friedman calls sports “the language of connection” (Harvard Business Review). Sports have arguably left their largest imprint in the United States. Americans love seeing a team labeled an “underdog” succeed against heavyweight teams. This is something extremely prevalent this time of year in the United States as millions of people tune into the NCAA tournament many of us refer to as “March Madness.” People gather with friends and/or family to watch their favorite teams battle in order to prolong their season. According to the NCAA both CBS Sports and Turner Sports has “delivered strong numbers on all platforms” (NCAA) in which there has been has been 25% increase resulting in record setting numbers in live streams and viewing hours (NCAA). This

improvement can also be credited to idea of media convergence that John Vivian discusses in his book The Media of Mass Communication (Vivian). Sports fans are able to get updates on games from several different sources including social media, television, the internet, magazines, and even newspapers. Sporting events have the power to bring several media platforms together. This, however, is not something that happens during a certain time of year instead this is an ongoing as the end of one season of particular sport carries over into the beginning of another allowing for sports fans of all demographics to connect year-around.

The Transcendence of Sports in Tokyo and Other Countries

The social changes that can be made based on the influence of sports is shown clearly in the recent and upcoming actions being made in Japan. With the next Olympic and Paralympic games being set to take place in here, there are being meetings held to discuss these events. One in particular known as the “‘Sports Ministers’ Meeting'” ( The Japan Times ) is where the board members are discussing how they plan to use sports as a source for bettering society. In these meetings they have developed three main topics in which will be discussed include “”Sports for Development and Peace,’ ‘Sports for All’ and ‘Sports Integrity Protection'” (The Japan Times ). With Japan being the host of the events that will help put these ideas into action the country will take the leadership role in allowing the exchange of “opinions and information among sports members from each country” (The Japan Times ).

How Sports have Reduced Conflicts

The power that sports have in unifying was displayed at the 23rd Winter Olympics which were held in Pyeonchang, South Korea (World Economic Forum). As most people know the relationships between North and South Korea has not been the friendliest in recent years although they have found ways to coexist. Despite the lengthy conflict these nations had in the past, at the most recent Winter Olympics the athletes from each country “marched together” (World Economic Forum). This is not the first time we have seen sports used as the mediator to reduce

and “make conciliatory international gestures” (World Economic Forum). In 1971 the Chinese established the “‘ping-pong diplomacy'” (World Economic Forum) in which American players where invited to the country to participate in exhibition matches. This would be the first time they allowed U.S. citizens to enter the country and lead to reopen diplomatic communication between the two nations” (World Economic Forum).

The influence that sports has played in not only bringing people together but also reconciling entire nations signifies the reason why sports are needed. It gives reason for all the types of communication that Vivian discusses, whether it be interpersonal, group, or mass communication (Vivian). It has proven to generate mass communication as I mentioned earlier that countries’ government systems have used sporting events as a way to ignite diplomatic initiatives. Nelson Mandela said it as simply yet truthful as possible: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does” (World Economic Forum).

Sources:

Harvard Business Review

World Economic Forum

The Japan Times

NCAA

Vivian

By: Alexander Hunter

Effects of Marketing In Businesses

I am covering the aspect of sports marketing around the world.  Marketing at the international level has become more common as it boosts a company’s image as well increases and diversifies the audience viewing the sport itself. The net worth of the sports industry has grown tremendously along with the popularity of them. The sports industry today is worth between $480-$620 billion dollars according to a recent study in which sports teams, leagues and federations all were analyzed (The Sports Market). Also the value of global sports in terms of “its size, makeup, and revenues” is growing tremendously. Soccer alone helps generate much revenue in the sports industry around the world as the total amount of revenue generally falls around $28 billion per year (The Sports Market). Soccer stands as the most popular sport in many foreign nations and in Europe alone it is considered more of a business due to the fact they have five of the largest leagues which “account for half of the market” (The Sports Market). 

The North American sports market alone has grown gradually each of year due to the fact that more people are familiarizing themselves to sports other than the one popular in the respective cultures.  The amount of money (in billions) from the years 2014-2018 are shown below (North American Sports Market):

• 2014:  $60.23 billion
• 2015:  $63.56 billion
• 2016:  $67.29 billion
• 2017:  $69.14 billion
• 2018:  $71.19 billion

Marketing Techniques

Other important aspects that I would like to consider are the techniques that marketers use in order to connect people with sports at the international level. Innovative technology plays a large role in these techniques as smartphones, tablets, and laptops/computers allow people to view sports games or stay updated on sports games as they are occurring (International Sports Marketing). As many know the ability of people being able to view professional sports is greatly impacted “by the socio-economic conditions of their country” (International Sports Marketing). In the past, many of the sports marketing efforts were put forth towards countries with stable economies which is why professional leagues such as the National Basketball

(NBA), National Hockey League (NHL), and Major League Baseball (MLB) were unknown by others around the world.  The use media today, however, has allowed improvements in the issue because of the innovations in technology which have created new media outlets. These forms of media have taken “Media Ubiquity” (Vivian) to a global platform today, when just a few years ago the inescapable use of the media was only seen in the countries with flourishing economies. As time goes on the trend of the international expansion of the sports marketing, and sports industry, will likely continue progressing.

Sources:

Vivian

International Sports Marketing

 The Sports Market

North American Sports Market