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.

🏀 The Future of Sports Partnerships: Less Logo Slaps, More Impact 🚀 Not long ago, sports sponsorships were all about logo placements—billboards, jerseys, static signage. But in today’s world, brand partnerships need to do more than just “show up.” They need to resonate. The best sponsorships aren’t just transactions; they’re strategic integrations that drive real impact for brands, teams, and fans alike. 🔹 The Shift: Brands are moving from passive visibility to active engagement—think interactive activations, digital integrations, and immersive fan experiences. 🔹 The Opportunity: The right partnership can’t just exist; it needs to enhance the game-day experience, tell a compelling story, and build emotional connections. 🔹 The Challenge: How do we create sponsorships that feel authentic instead of forced? 💡 Here’s what I’ve learned from negotiating partnerships at the Minnesota Timberwolves & Lynx: 1️⃣ Innovation Wins – The most successful partnerships are the ones that create new categories and unlock untapped revenue streams. If it’s never been done before, that’s the opportunity. 2️⃣ Cultural Relevance Matters – Fans don’t just love sports; they love the culture around it. The best sponsorships tap into local pride, viral moments, and emerging trends. 3️⃣ ROI is More Than Impressions – Brands aren’t just looking for visibility anymore; they want measurable engagement, data-driven insights, and proof that their investment drives results. At the end of the day, the best deals aren’t just signed—they’re built. They’re the result of deep conversations, creative problem-solving, and a commitment to aligning brand objectives with fan passion. 🔥 What’s the most creative or unexpected sports partnership you’ve seen recently? Drop your thoughts below—I’d love to hear! 👇 #SportsSponsorships #BrandPartnerships #SportsMarketing #FanEngagement #RevenueGrowth

For a long time, sports merch was just a jersey. Something worn once a week. It was functional, not personal. That era is over. We’re watching the lines between sportswear, streetwear, and high fashion disappear. Fandom isn’t just about what you wear to the stadiums anymore. It’s about identity. Style. Craft. Look at the momentum heading into this year’s Super Bowl, the Winter Olympics, and even F1. We’re not just seeing logos on t-shirts. We’re seeing a masterclass in brand building. Four brands I’m watching: 🏈 Off Season:  Emma Grede and Kristin Juszczyk are making stadium looks people actually want to wear. Taylor Swift wore it. Backed by Fanatics and the National Football League (NFL). This isn’t merch, it’s statement wear. 🏎️ Enchanté:  Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 brand, Enchanté feels like a love letter to motorsports and a direct reflection of his personality. This isn’t just logos on a shirt, these are staple pieces. 🏅SKIMS: This is SKIMS’ fourth time partnering with Team USA for the Olympics. So what Team USA wears off the field, you can wear while you watch them at home. 🏟️Lululemon x NFL:  Elevated fan gear for all 32 teams, in the classic lululemon styles people know and love. The trend is clear: Premium merchandise is now a cultural connector. Whether it’s recycled fabrics or a limited-edition collab, fan gear has leveled up. These brands aren’t just capitalizing on culture.  They’re building craft inside it. And they’re all building on Shopify. And as fandom keeps evolving, that layer of intentionality, of craft, will matter more than ever.

Wellness is shifting from optimization to resilience. Consumers aren’t chasing perfection — they’re building capacity. In a world defined by uncertainty, instability, and information overload, wellness must support peak performance and emotional durability. Resilience-building behaviors (doing more this year): • Taking care of my mental health 📈 45% • Listening to my body more 📈 44% • Exercising 📈 42% • Prioritizing sleep 📈 41% • Spending time in nature 📈 38% • Mindfulness practices 📈 31% • Analog hobbies 📈 31% At the same time, people aren’t craving biohacks — they’re craving meaning: • Peace 🧘 43% • Personal growth 🌱 41% • Fun & laughter 😄 38% • Love ❤️ 37% • Joy ✨ 33% • Friendship 🤝 32% The future of wellness isn’t built on marginal gains or elite optimization. It’s built on coping capacity — mental health, meaningful relationships, nervous system regulation, and the basics done consistently. The brands that win won’t promise superhuman outcomes. They’ll help people feel steady, connected, and capable in a chaotic world. 📩 Subscribe to Fitt Insider for the latest health and fitness headlines delivered every Tuesday. [ Source: VML Future 100]

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.

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

The biggest threat to traditional sports may be a totally new asset class, Sports Creators. Good Good Golf, 7 friends who started their YouTube channel 5 years ago just raised $45 million. For context thats more than challenger leagues such as Baller League, Unrivaled basketball & Grand Slam Track who are often seen as potential disruptors to traditional sports. And unlike traditional sports that depend on 3rd party broadcast and ticketing, they monetise directly with fans. - Good Good have already built their own successful merch operation & brand. This product line even sponsors pro PGA players. - They already put on their own events, the Good Good Championship, with a $100k purse. - They have direct brand and sponsorship deals with the likes of Callaway. - And most importantly, they have a direct relationship with the fans. In fact, i'd go as far to say they may have a better understanding of fans that many traditional rights-holders. Because their content HAS to be built with fans at the centre. Further to this, GG are actually playing a role for attracting new people to the game. They've essentially created a modern sports franchise from scratch, but without the overheads. While traditional sports are stuck in rigid structures, these creators move fast and connect directly with fans. This may be the start of an entirely new asset class in sports - one that doesn't need permission from gatekeepers. Just direct relationships with fans who actually care about the content. Yes you can argue that this it totally detached from the elite game. But what investors are betting on is that is will be one of the main home for this new wave of golf attention and commercial success across the next decade - and they may just be right. This is the future sports execs shouldn't sleep on.

India’s ₹12,800 crore wellness industry is being disrupted by free park meetups. Across India, people are trading fitness apps for early morning run clubs and outdoor yoga classes. This movement toward what experts call "analog wellness" is changing how brands connect with consumers. I visited three such communities last week, and I liked the diversity of participants and their loyalty. Many attend 3-5 sessions weekly and bring friends consistently. What's driving this movement? 📍 India's health and wellness market has exploded to ₹12,800 crore ($1.5 billion) in 2024, with the industry showing a 5.3% annual growth rate (IMARC Group, "India Health and Wellness Market Report 2024"). 📍 India’s wellness tourism market alone is projected to reach $21.3 billion by 2025, growing to $41 billion by 2030, reflecting Indians' rising preference for experiential wellness (FICCI–EY Wellness Report, 2023). 📍 While digital fitness platforms are growing, a recent OnePoll survey found 56% of respondents prefer group workouts, with over one-quarter specifically wanting to exercise with others rather than alone (OnePoll/Zepp Health, 2023). Smart brands are already capitalizing on this trend: ➡ Decathlon hosts free weekend hiking groups that build community while showcasing their products (Decathlon India Events Page, 2024) ➡ Local athleisure brands are sponsoring neighborhood sports leagues instead of paying for Instagram ads (Business Today, "How Homegrown Fitness Brands Are Winning," Feb 2024) ➡ Several fitness chains report that their outdoor bootcamps generate significantly more word-of-mouth referrals than digital offerings If I could give one piece of advice to wellness brands right now: 👉 Stop thinking about customers as metrics and start creating physical spaces where people can truly connect with each other. In our hyper-digital world, the simplest human connection, like sweating next to a stranger who becomes a friend, might be the most valuable offering of all. Have you attended any offline wellness communities yet?

🔎 2025 Sponsorship Lessons: What Really Moved the Industry (Insights from Alex Kopilow – Sponcon Sports Newsletter) This year wasn’t about who produced more sponsored content — it was about who used their rights smarter. Teams, brands, creators and athletes all pushed the same idea: extract maximum value from every moment, every shoot, every activation. Here’s what stood out 👇 1) Celebrations Became Prime Sponsorship Real Estate The smartest work happened inside the emotional moments — not around them. Product integrated into celebrations, branded goggles in every viral locker-room clip, trophies turning into full storytelling assets. 👉 When a brand shows up inside the feeling, the association feels earned, not forced. 2) Period-Positive Marketing Hit the Mainstream Bold, athlete-led campaigns used sport’s visibility to normalize menstrual health. They worked because they were visual, social-first, and built to spark conversation — not just generate PR. 👉 Stigma shifts when the work is watchable and shareable. 3) Sports Became a Tune-In Engine for Entertainment Stadiums and creators turned into distribution channels. Promo moments were embedded inside formats fans already love — food reviews, stunts, creator collabs. 👉 When the content is native, the tune-in CTA feels like part of the story. 4) Player Shoot Days Became Content Factories An hour with an athlete = a month of assets. Hero shots, BTS, short-form clips, creator collabs — the best teams squeezed everything out of each session. 👉 ROI comes from how well you multiply the output. 5) Sideline Tech & Fan POV Took Over Storytelling From AI glasses to phone POVs, “fan-first angles” became the default language of sports content. 👉 Authenticity beats heavy production. 6) Rights Activation Became Sharper & More Strategic Brands stopped treating rights as checklists. They used them as creative frameworks to build smarter, more culturally relevant ideas. 👉 The best work came from constraints, not from bigger budgets. Bottom line: The future of sponsorship isn’t “more content.” It’s better use of the moments you already own.

76% of marketers can't prove ROI on their sports sponsorships. The market is set to double anyway. The global sports sponsorship market is projected to grow from £97 billion in 2023 to £190 billion by 2030. And three-quarters of sponsors can't prove what they're getting from the biggest line item in their marketing budget. This is the Emperor's New Clothes of sports business. On this week's The Attention Shift Podcast, Jo Redfern made the point that we're stuck in a loop where everyone's pretending the old metrics still work. Logo appearances. Time on screen. Impressions. These tell you nothing about whether anyone actually cared, bought anything, or remembered your brand. Most sponsorship deals are still built on passive logo placement. Pay money, get visibility, job done. Except visibility doesn't equal value anymore. What actually works? Look at what Maybelline did with Olivia Mahr at the New York Marathon. Natural. Authentic. Connected to the athlete's existing brand. Or Spotify's content-led approach with FC Barcelona - creating cultural moments through artist collaborations rather than just slapping a logo on a shirt. These aren't traditional sponsorships. They're partnerships where both sides understand the audience and create something worth paying attention to. Lee Radbourne put it well: The sponsorship market won't double because the current model works. It'll double if brands stop renting eyeballs and start building actual relationships through athletes and properties that genuinely connect. Full episode with Jo Redfern and Lee Radbourne is live now https://lnkd.in/eszKhjNJ