SMA Blog
Consider this hypothetical issue for tennis. A new men’s tour is set up, separate from the ATP
Tour. Some players like Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud, and Jack Draper are among the top
names to join the new tour. As the ATP Tour refuses to give ranking points to players playing
for the latest tour, it throws the concept of official rankings into chaos.
t's 6:45 AM on a Saturday in Chicago, and 22-year-old Alex Taylor is already awake, phone in hand, planning his soccer viewing marathon through the Live Soccer TV app. The app displays over 100 international leagues with detailed kickoff times and streaming information for each match. With multiple screens ready—laptop, TV, and tablet—Alex prepares to watch several games simultaneously throughout his 14-hour soccer day.
As the active lifestyle market enters a new era with the real possibility that rising prices due to increased U.S. tariffs will test the consumer’s allegiance to brands or their daily routines.
The use of AI in market research is not just a passing fad; it’s a fundamental shift here to stay.
The companies who fully embrace its capabilities will be better equipped to predict trends with greater accuracy, improve team efficiency, refine strategies for designing captivating UX, and so much more.
SportsIndex is one of YouGov Sport’s signature tools, housed within YouGov BrandIndex. It operates in 35 markets around the world, tracking 200 key domestic and international competitions across more than 30 sports. A core of 21 properties is tracked in every market, allowing for international comparison. Many other events, leagues and tournaments appear in multiple markets; while some competitions are tracked only in the country which hosts them. In every market, YouGov takes a list of the leading sports properties – a mix of domestic and international events, competitions and leagues – and, based on 700,000+ surveys annually, measures the public’s perceptions of them. Every day, and for every property on our list, we track 16 separate brand metrics, providing a treasure chest of data for sports marketers and administrators.
The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) has just released its highly anticipated 2024 NFL Team
Report Cards, offering a thorough evaluation of player experiences across the league. This
survey is more than just a snapshot of how NFL players feel about their team’s performance—
it’s a tool for improving conditions at all 32 NFL clubs. Conducted from August 26 to November
16, 2023, the survey gathered input from 1,706 players, giving us a unique and detailed view into
the inner workings of the NFL, from the treatment of players off the field to the facilities they
work in every day.
Thanks to developments in technology, shifting laws, and a growing interest in data-driven entertainment, sports betting has grown from a specialized pastime to a worldwide phenomenon. Its popularity has exploded in recent years, as evidenced by figures showing an unheard-of increase in both the number of bettors and the total amount wagered.
On strength of schedule, better decision-making and a major trend of 2024
Thanks to developments in technology, shifting laws, and a growing interest in data-driven entertainment, sports betting has grown from a specialized pastime to a worldwide phenomenon. Its popularity has exploded in recent years, as evidenced by figures showing an unheard-of increase in both the number of bettors and the total amount wagered.
Sports-related eye injuries are more common than you may think. Still, protective gear like safety goggles have been made available to help protect athletes from ocular injuries, and a 2022 study suggests that other tools, such as soft contacts, can help minimize eye injuries from contact sports. Mainly, researchers wanted to look into alternatives to protective goggles and other protective eyewear products that may be uncomfortable for physically active and engaged athletes. Aside from goggles, for example, corrective eyewear may have thick or thin lenses that can distort an athlete's vision.
Keeping up with consumers is tough—just when you think you’ve got them figured out,
they change course. But the brands that get ahead are the ones that see these shifts coming.
In 2025, certain trends will take center stage, reshaping consumer expectations and
market landscapes.
This whitepaper explores both micro trends, which signal emerging changes, and macro
trends that drive long-term shifts in consumer behavior. With data-driven insights, businesses
can anticipate these trends, refine their strategies, and unlock new growth opportunities.
Whether it’s spotting the first signs of innovation or adjusting to broader shifts, understanding
these trends will help your business stay competitive and ahead of the curve.
From softball and soccer to basketball and cricket, people who enjoy a range of sports are certainly
spoilt for choice. These days, coverage has increased around so many popular pastimes, with
options like YouTube and X standing out. Podcasts are also bringing something to the table, with
sports fans having so much material dedicated to their favorite sports.
Despite rising living costs, consumers in many markets around the world remain committed to investing in their health and fitness, as detailed in the 2024 HFA Global Report, published by the Health & Fitness Association.
The Champions League is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world of football. For years, fans have debated whether it's just a European affair or if its appeal stretches far beyond the continent. From massive viewership numbers to economic impacts and cultural influences, this competition certainly makes a strong case for its global significance. Whether you’re a die-hard fan tuning in to watch the matches yourself or hearing second-hand of the titanic struggles these world-class teams put up, the influence of this tournament is hard to ignore.
Have you ever gone to a live game or been to a sports bar and seen people on their phones while watching their favorite teams on the screen? You've probably asked yourself what they're doing and why they're wasting their time on their phones when their favorite team is playing. The answer to that is that those people were likely betting on their team. Sports betting is the number one bet on a niche within the world of online gambling. Just as the name implies, it's the act of playing a wager on a sports team of your choice.
Predictive intelligence—as commonly facilitated by advanced data analytics—has radically altered innumerable industries, a fact particularly resonant for the sports betting domain. The onset of cultured algorithms and data processing approaches have delivered a framework for more exact prognostication of sports outcomes. This paradigm shift has comprehensively reconfigured how bets are placed and governed, proffering a more profound comprehension of player performance, team dynamics and game probabilities. In the sphere of sports betting, predictive intelligence utilizes extensive quantities of historical and real-time data to augment the accuracy of prognoses, assembling untried opportunities and challenges for bettors and bookmakers in equal measure. Overall, this transition underscores a transformative jump in how data-driven perspicuity is recasting the future of sports betting.
As a follow-up to two NCAA student-athlete well-being studies conducted during 2020, NCAA Research collaborated with the NCAA Sport Science Institute and the NCAA’s Division I, II and III Student-Athlete Advisory Committees to design and distribute a similar survey in fall 2021. The survey examined the experiences and well-being of 9,808 student-athletes.
Alongside movie stars, TV hitmakers, award-winning crooners, and supermodels, athletes have
become some of today’s biggest influencers.
We study history to learn about the events that happened in the past that dictated the future of countries and even the whole world. When we learn about these events, we also study the articles that were collected from the excavations as proof to back them up. Similarly, in sports history, we read about the legendary players and teams whose specific goals, home runs, or victories reshaped the sporting world. We need proof of these moments, not just to pass them on to the next generation but to save them for ourselves. The vintage sports apparel gives you a chance at both, along with letting you do it with style.
Exploring audience interest and brand sponsor awareness ahead of
the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
People are staying unemployed for longer periods of time as the pace of hiring has slowed down. The median duration of unemployment increased to 9.8 weeks in June from 8.9 weeks in May, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Some of the best athletes in the world in their respective sports will be in the spotlight during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games — but what events or things would they like to see and do when in Paris? SportsTravel has canvassed opinions from dozens of athletes between the Team USA Media Summit in mid-April in New York and since then in multiple media opportunities. Here’s a rundown.
College graduation season is in full swing, and millions of students are preparing to enter the workforce Many new grads the spend months sending resumes into the void, collecting automated rejection emails. A labor market slows, the class of 2024 may have a challenging time getting their foot in the door.
“Storytelling is the component that will amplify, expand and galvanize us to an unprecedented level of relevance and sustainability during this inflection point of our game."
By
Lyndsey D'Arcangelo
The convergence of Sports & Entertainment has transformed hospitality and opened up the floodgates to new social dining activities.
Written by Andrew Petcash
- The Indiana Fever and TEGNA have announced an agreement to air select Fever games for free on WTHR and WALV in Indianapolis.
- The announcement follows on the heels of the Fever’s historic 2024 draft and a renewed excitement by fans across the basketball world for the Fever, one of the WNBA’s most successful franchises.
Discover the dynamic evolution of basketball uniforms, showcasing the shift from timeless classics to contemporary styles, mirroring the games’ ever-changing nature.
VP and Executive Producer, ESPN Films, Marsha Cooke: " . . . a remarkable film we're proud of - one that resonates in history, sports, entertainment, and our country today."
SBRnet is pleased to announce that the 2024 Sports Fan Data survey results are in. Remember, the data covers results from just under 6,700 sports around the country. The results measure the habits and behaviors of sports fans for nineteen separate sports across sixty-eight categories of data, including four new categories.
Get in the Game is focused on helping students of color obtain internships and careers in the business of sports set for Nov 8-10
The sports industry is a global business; every year, billions of dollars are spent on sporting events, sports teams, sports-related equipment, and apparel. Brand partnerships have long played a crucial role in shaping athletes' legacies, expanding their reach to worldwide audiences.
Professor Tim Koba from High Point University recently invited Neil Schwartz from SRRnet to speak to his Strategic Management for Sports class about how data plays a crucial role in the decision-making process at all levels of the sports industry.
The exclusive airing of the KC Chiefs-Miami Dolphins Wild Card playoff game on Peacock has left many NFL fans disappointed
With the CFP National Championship game coming up in just a few days, the analysts and I at
SBRnet wanted to check out whose fans are likely to travel better when it comes to supporting their team
Greenfly report on how the NHL boosts Player and partner content access and fan engagement using AI for digital media contextual analysis and scene detection.
Sam Carp and Sports Pro Media report on Inside the NBA.
Listen Notes interview Eboni Wilson, Vice President of Guest Experience for UBS Arena, to gain insight on the arena business.
TOM PETERSON And Stateline report on track chairs and trails accessible to people with disabilities.
SOPHIE CULPEPPER And NeimanLab report on Taylor Swift and her role in todays culture and the media.
Adam Levi and TSN report on the history and culture of Indigenous roots within lacrosse.
Brooke Auxier and Kat Harwood report on how sports fandom and engagement among women are driven by youth participation, Olympic sports, and social content. Leagues, teams, streamers, and broadcast providers could increase their female fan base and cultivate new fans by catering to their interests.
Nikki Gilliland interviewed Arnold Ma to discuss Western brand strategy in the Chinese market, the future of social commerce, and the power of Douyin.
Hosts Michael Barr, Scarlet Fu and Damian Sassower speak with Cornell University athletic department executive Jeff Hall on their annual "Red Hot Hockey" event at Madison Square Garden.
Petronas, the official supplier to the intermediate and lightweight classes, announces new sustainable fuel at the PETRONAS Grand Prix of Malaysia.
Team Marketing Report interview Eli Velazquez, EVP, Sports, for NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, to help us better understand the Latino sports fan, particularly around fútbol americano (American football), and how NBCUniversal and the network’s Spanish-language sports division, Telemundo Deportes, look to grow that fan base.
LUKE MULLINS: Amid the boiling racial tension and desegregation battles of the late 1960s and early ’70s, a group of young Black women teamed with a DC civil-rights leader to break the color barrier on the Washington NFL team’s cheer squad. Their story has largely been overlooked—until now.
The World Snowboard Federation develops innovative practices of grassroot snowboarding and empowering in the fight against climate change.
University of South Carolina coach Dawn Staley sat down with Bernadette Doykos for a special episode of “The ETCs” where she breaks down the common variables of a hoops superstar, the future of college basketball, and more.
Shlomo Sprung and the Boardroom report on
Otmar Szafnauer about what it really takes to build a winning team in the world’s biggest motorsports competition
Ali Ahmed And YahooFinance looked at the top 20 most valuable esports companies with detailed analysis of the global esports market.
The green and white club's environmental program is in its third year of life, a three-year period in which Real Betis has become a leading Club in environmental sustainability.
Portada recently talked to Alejandro Mayer, Director of Marketing Capabilities at BBVA Mexico, a key executive behind the institution’s La LigaMx soccer sponsorships.
NICOLE GULL MCELROY and Entrepreneur article details entrepreneurship and investment with the cofounders of Rhône.
SARAH SCIRE and NeimanLab addressed different newsrooms gambling policies in formal guidelines.
Jared Newman and TechHive report on how to stream local NBA, NHL, and MLB games, with or without a bundle.
Derek Futterman and Barrett Media report on commentator James Brown being a role model for industry professionals and sports fans.
Nancy Armour and USA Today report on Travis Dermott challenging LGBTQ hate.
Ian Stonebrook and the Boardroom report on the rise and growth of the Jordan brand.
nVenue interview Pracht, a former HP Enterprise executive, to break down the company’s fancentric triangulation of tech, fan engagement and live game data.
Michael LoRé and Forbes report on the impact, investments, and importance of women's sports.
TYLER METCALF And Entrepreneur report on how marketing budgets diversify with greater expectations of ROI, influencers and the creator economy have become an organic pathway for outreach and brand awareness
Jon Lafayette and Broadcasting & Cable report on how SponsorPulse measures the value and performance of National Hockey League sponsorships.
Christian Ponder and Jason LaRose join Doug Doyle to discuss The Post networking club.
Fast Company Innovation Festival presents a 30 minute documentary about the rise of women's sports.
Abby Schable and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report on mental health in college sports.
Eddie Pells and APNews report on the history and culture of lacrosse and why lacrosse should be an Olympic sport.
Ross Dellenger and YahooSports report on Greg Sankey and college football.
STEPHEN BATTAGLIO and the Los Angeles Times report on how and why the NBA will now be on cable and/or satellite TV.
Andrew Cristall and how he became a NHL prospect with the Washington Capitals.
Lillian Rizzo and CNBC report on how streaming platforms chase live sports rights to grow the diversity of their audiences.
Marcus Buckingham and the Harvard Business Review offers examples of how organizations can design love into their offerings.
CTInsider explains the history of how Ben Kantor became the University of Connecticut's women's assistant basketball coach.
Sam Gutelle and the Tubefilter post an article about the NFL collegiate marketing program by forging new partnerships with universities and their resident student-athletes.
Clinical Psychologist Dr. Ralph Dodd discuss how the role of a sports psychologist has changed and mental health among student-athletes.
Sports Illustrated and
EMMA BACCELLIERI interview story about Caitlyn Clark and her journey and preparation for the upcoming NCAA women's basketball season.
NJ/NY Gotham FC President Mary Wittenberg joined Sportsjam with Doug Doyle to talk about her history, her goals to make the tri-state area the global capital of women's soccer, and Gotham FC.
Barbara Bush lead its social responsibility department, helping oversee initiatives surrounding racial justice, public service, health matters including mental health, community partnerships and more.
Utah Soccer Alliance’s 2008 E64 boys team received a $100,000 grant from Daniels Fund to help finance a week-long training trip for the team to Spain’s TOVO Academy.
Trailblazer explained the challenges of race directing, the difference of racing and race direction, behind-the-scene of the racetrack business, and future lessons to learn about race directing.
PANDA Interactive announced their partnership with First and Pen and SBRNet as the official streaming partner of the Get In The Game Sports Business Career Conference.
SBRnet’s own Neil Schwartz was recently interviewed on Canadian Television discussing the growth of the Pickleball.
This course examines contemporary and productive management principles and concepts used throughout the sports industry and various sport organizations. Through this course, students will learn skills related to creative problem solving and strategic planning...
At the 2022 Sports Marketing Association Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, SBRnet together with Chloe Kim a student at NYU along with her adjunct professor, Brian Hall presented a case study that was focused on A Data Driven Approach to Moving the Phoenix Coyotes to a new location.
Neil joined the IPSM-711 Sport Marketing Class taught by Professor Nancy Lough at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. This course is a study of the conceptual and empirical approaches sport leaders can utilize for building relationships with stakeholders of college sport programs.
On Thursday, September 29th, Neil sat in the Beginning, Data Analytics for Sports class taught by Professor Richard Bailey at the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio.
Marketers targeting sports fans as the focus of their various campaigns don’t show any sign of slowing down. From cryptocurrency companies putting their names on stadiums and arenas to traditional marketing powerhouses like Gatorade and McDonalds, sports fans are now a more sought after audience than ever.
A number of students have told us they have had trouble finding SBRnet on their school library websites. To make it easier for everyone, here is the description we recommend libraries use and below that are a list of our suggested keywords.
This upcoming school term, Dr. Tim Koba from High Point University invited our President and Chief Data officer in to work with his students in his strategic management class for sports organizations.
You are invited to a conversation with Neil Schwartz and Mark Sullivan of SBRnet on fan behavior and trends to watch for the coming college and pro football seasons.
SBRnet has developed a holistic way of looking at audience measurement for sports fans that combines traditional audience measurment with categories that measure active engagement among the same fans to create the FanVerse Measurement.
To address the need for new voices and perspectives in sports coverage, digital sports media company First and Pen and Vanderbilt’s Sports & Society Initiative announced a new content partnership that focuses on sports stories told by voices of color from the college academic community.
MLB’s streaming strategy looks like a winner.
On Tuesday, July 19th, Major League Baseball will play its annual All-Star Game. First played in 1933, the MLB All-Star Game is the first game of its kind played during the height of the regular season. Since then, both the NHL and NBA have utilized similar strategies to showcase their top talent to a national and now worldwide audience.
When it comes to looking at the Social Media habits of Sports Fans, new kid on the bock is garnering the biggest gains. In just one year, Tik Toc has grown a remarkable 70%.
On Running contracted with SBRnet, a provider of data for the sports and active lifestyle market, to conduct an e-mail survey focused on Sustainability within the specialty running market.
We’ve expanded our content to include articles from three great media partners, now including SGB Media, Ports Law Experts and First and Pen.
We sent Neil to the recent MIT Sloan Data Analytics Conference in Boston. He sat in on a number of panels and presentation covering and according to our man in Boston, the key topics were (1) Sports Gambling; (2) Women in Sports;and (3) the continuing use and evolution of data at all levels of the sports business.
SBRnet, a leading provider of data and content on the sports business, is pleased to announce it has received a platinum award in LibraryWorks’ eighth annual Modern Library Awards (MLAs.)
Neil Schwartz and Mark Sullivan were invited to speak to the Sales and Revenue Generation in Sport class at Texas A&M University taught by Dr. Natasha Brison.
The student team from Loras College in Dubuque, IA was the winner of the SBRnet Case Study Competition at the annual SMA Conference held this past week in Las Vegas.
Students are extremely interested in salary information of professional athletes. Based on feedback from librarians and students, we have added the following information. The data can be found by searching the individual sports, such as basketball, golf, etc… and then the salary data is highlighted with flags that say NEW.
You and your students are not the only ones who are back in school in this fall.
Stay current on library trends and discover more about where the field is headed. Industry experts lead these sponsored, 60-minutes interactive presentations, which cover topics like digital publishing, search trends, and open access.
Before you begin to access data, it is highly recommend that you start at the beginning. In our case, the beginning is accessing our comprehensive search feature now called SBRnet Mega Search. This is also our site wide search feature that opens up the world of possibilities for students with applicable data and relevant articles.
On August 17th, SBRnet’s new Sports Market Analytics Platform, (SMA), will be live and ready for use and we are excited for you to see it and use it. While it has a totally different look, it has all of the same great data you have come to expect plus a whole lot of new for students, faculty, librarians, researchers and our corporate users.
SBRnet co-owners Neil Schwartz and Mark Sullivan will be out and about starting next month, leading two online presentations. And SBRnet is the title sponsor of the upcoming Sports Marketing Association Conference which will take place in Las Vegas October 20-22, 2021.
As interest in the business of sports becomes a much larger opportunity for students, professors and librarians are asking us to get more involved directly with the students by making in class presentations and providing guidance on specific projects.
Lisa Delpy Neirotti is the director of the MS in Sport Management Program and an associate professor of Sport Management at the George Washington University School of Business (GWSB).
SBRnet is committed to providing students with the most comprehensive array of sports business data available, and we want to provide them with first-hand opportunities to learn the business.
Where will the jobs be in the sports business in the next decade? Who better to ask than Matt Winkler, the Professor & Director, Sports Analytics & Management at American University.
At this point in my life there is not much I can brag about that will impress my college-aged children, but one story that recently captured their attention concerned Fantasy Baseball. I was among the earliest adapters to a game we called Rotisserie Baseball. This was a pre-cursor to today’s fantasy sports. It was invented by a Manhattan journalist named Daniel Okrent and named for La Rotisserie Française, the restaurant where the first players held their draft and laid out the ground rules.
What did we all do this past year? Of course, we baked bread, binge watched and zoomed. But what did we do when it came to sports and activities?
Growing up on the Qualla Boundary in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, Natalie Welch did not imagine herself completely across the country running a sports business program at a private college in Oregon. But that is exactly where she is today.
Chad F. Boeninger is the Head of User Services, Business & Economics Librarian at Ohio University in Athens, OH. He answers a few questions from SBR.net about the library and how he’s managing.
It's March Madness time and before we all get too wrapped up in filling out our brackets for this year’s college basketball tournament, SBRnet has some new findings from our 2021 Sports Market Analytics Survey of Fan Behavior as it relates to one of hotter topics: Gambling on Sports.
Laura Berdish is a both a professor and a librarian at The Ross School at The University of Michigan. Before her career in academia, she worked in technology, publishing and as a librarian/research assistant for the Transportation Research Department at General Motors.
Around 150 million Americans will tune in to The Super Bowl this Sunday, with countless more millions worldwide making the match-up between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers one of the most watched yearly sporting events on television, according to Nielsen Television measurement. But just like almost every other aspect of our lives, this year’s big game cannot escape the challenges that have been created by the Covid-19 Pandemic. In many ways, Super Bowl LV will be a look into the future-scape that lies ahead for teams and leagues to create new revenue opportunities.