The Elephant in the Room: Challenges Faced by the Sports Industry That We Don’t Talk About

 

The word ‘sports’ widely evokes an image of motivated athletes surging through stadiums with adrenaline and power. While we have come a long way from Olympians dueling to death in contemporary amphitheaters, has the progress in sports incurred a rise of new adversities with it? The billion dollar global sports industry might look like the modern El Dorado to the common eye but the industry faces its fair share of challenges.

Spectators and fans make up a large portion of the sports industry’s stakeholders. While arenas with throngs of crowd cheering and chanting are commonplace, the active physical participation of millennials has seen a dismal drop. With games being streamed live and broadcasted globally, the need for stepping outside the comfort of homes seems to have been minimized. With the current participation trends in view, the future of millennial interest in venturing physically to sports stadiums and arenas seems bleak. Better advertising and mainstream relevance would be preliminary steps to dealing with this issue. Moreover, making stadiums more accessible to the general public, regulating ticket fares and introducing attractive elements would further enhance public participation, in general.

While advertising and social presence are requisite, these factors tend to put a constant pressure on the industry. From game updates to upcoming fixtures, fans demand to stay abreast of everything online. Catering to an ever demandite crowd presents itself as a challenge at times. Taking the list a step further is the concern about game day experiences. Players are often booed at or selectively cheered for, which can add a hint of pressure to the game. Many experts argue that these factors lead a game astray from its natural course.

With great power comes great responsibility. Sports events become the talk of the town more often than not and that can encourage acts of vague predictions to please the public. Curiosity gets the better of many fans and illicit betting and gambling flourishes under such a sphere. However, there is scope for improvement in the way games are conducted and the manner in which rules are imposed. Though the challenges might seem many in number, feasible solutions can definitely be thought about. As the saying goes, it is only in the darkest of the nights that we find the brightest stars, may the sports industry introspect and find ways to make sports an all-inclusive sensation again.