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With each passing year, the world of sports just seems to get more and more popular in terms of global following, social media activity, revenue and much more.
Just look at the NFL, for instance. In 2021, the league agreed to new TV deals worth over $100 billion. For comparison sake, the NFL signed TV contracts in 1990 worth $3.6 billion, which feels like pennies today.
Another key factor? The rise of sports betting in the United States. This industry began to take off after the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) in May 2018. The PASPA barred sports betting from taking place in most parts of the nation.
The state of Maryland launched sports betting in November 2022, and it didn’t take long for the industry to take off. Through Maryland sports betting promo codes, keen customers can enjoy special offers such as a “No Sweat First Bet” of up to $1,000 from FanDuel and a second chance wager of up to $500 from BetRivers.
With more than 30 other U.S. states enjoying the recreation of betting, and with pro leagues holding partnerships with major sportsbooks, the sky’s the limit for the sporting industry to grow more and more over time.
With that all said, let’s dive into some of the main takeaways from the top sports industry marketing trends around the world.
Esports Are Here to Stay
Sports betting and actual sporting events/competition have been popular forever. But only in the past decade or so have we seen Esports really skyrocket in terms of global following, money making and more.
In the 2000s, making millions of dollars playing video games would’ve been unheard of. But now, the top gamers in the world are doing it for a full-time career while making lucrative amounts of dollars.
From Fortnite to Call of Duty to popular EA Sports’ video game series’ like “Madden”,”NHL” or “FIFA”, there are gamers who can make anywhere from six figures to several million dollars in one year.
There is actually an esports league for Call of Duty,the “Call of Duty League.” It launched in 2020 and consists of 12 teams, 10 of which are based in the United States. There’s a team from Toronto, Ontario (the Toronto Ultra) and a team from London, United Kingdom (the London Royal Ravens).
The Call of Duty League holds several major tournaments throughout the year, and the season ends with the Grand Finals showdown. The Los Angeles Thieves are the reigning league champs, having defeated the Atlanta FaZe in the finals.
EA Sports holds major tournaments for the top players of its video game franchises around the world. The Madden Championship Series has become so popular that it’s aired on top apps like Twitch and on ESPN, the Worldwide Leader in sports.
Social Media & Advertising: The Great Game-Changers
According to a previous study, there were nearly 4.5 billion different users of social media around the world as of July 2021. 11 years earlier, the number was at 970 million, per their study.
So in today’s technology-dominated era, the easiest and quickest way to promote anything (a message, an event, a product, a company, etc.) is to use social media. Top platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are used non-stop daily by countless people across the world.
Every professional sports team you can think of is constantly using social media to game updates, news, information on upcoming events and more. Again, it’s the simple and rapid way of promoting what you want your audience to see.
With advertisements, take a simple look at what the top sportsbooks are doing. Just about any NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB broadcast features commercials/advertisements and/or references of a top sportsbook
For instance, you may see an NHL broadcast share over/under totals (combined goals in the game, if player X will tally two or more points, etc). An NBA broadcast might also show you the live point spread of a game from a certain sportsbook, along with the money lines.
Major sports leagues across the world are consistently breaking new records in terms of attendance, viewership/TV ratings, revenue and much more. The power of social media and advertising are significant reasons why.
