future of sports essay

Essay about Future of Sport

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Some sports will remain unchanged and virtually untouched by technology, the American style football for example has proven over time it is very resistant technology.6 By the time 2020 arrives it is presumed that many sports will willingly allow technology to become an even greater part of their sport culture. Problem calls will become a thing of the past in those sports the sport of football will continue to have their human umpires running around attempting to keep up with all 22 players at one time.6 While these issues may continue in this sport not all sports will be so closed minded to the ideas of the technological and automation advances that will be occuring. In one-way or another every company and sport association will be a …show more content…

In fact their experience will be just as real as if they actually attended. More sporting events will be captured with the ever-evolving 3D technology . Spectators are sure to continue attending event due to the 2020 style arenas, which will no doubt be state of the art. The viewers at home with the right technology will enjoy sporting events just as much if not even more so than the actual attendees. The new technology will allow the home viewer to zoom in and out, and even change their viewpoint all while pulling live up to date data of the event, the athletes and fellow fans.6 Some stadiums will offer experiences which can only be received by attending and surely provide rewarding experiences for the attending fans of the event, home viewers however are sure to enjoy their own flexible, interactive environments. Advertising during sporting events is sure to more impactful and more individualized as well. Fans of sporting events are sure to enjoy personal viewing experiences which will be provided by the ultra-thin OLEDs4 they are provided for their personal viewing pleasure in the stadiums. This technology will allow the fans to view their desired views, replays, menus and team status updates as they use almost any surface as their screen and enjoy the touch technology it will provide.4 These technology will be geared for each spectator both virtual and those who attend via their personal HD 3D

The Impact of Sports on American Society Essay

Abstract: Society is affected every day by many different kinds of sports.  These sports often govern society's way of life.  People all over the nation turn their TVs to sporting events, such as golf, during the weekends.   Scott Stossel states that "more than six million Americans enjoy watching golf on the weekends."  Parents  use sports as a teaching tool for their children.  Kids learn teamwork and discipline from team sports programs and  sports have also helped many students with their grades.  Kids who want to compete in school sports are taught to keep their grades up or they won't be able to play, but the greedy coaches and schools often look around grades to keep their "star athletes" in the games.  Adults have

Sport And The American Dream Essay

In Jeffrey Schranks’ short story, “Sport and the American Dream”, he is trying to show us that the sport America watches and plays, portrays America’s character as a nation. Since America goes from baseball to football we it shows us that we are becoming more violent. his comparisons of sports and war is says best how America changes as a country over the years. Back when baseball was Americas’ pastime to being a totally football country. When we were a baseball country, Americans were happier, not many cared about wars or violence just the enjoyment they got from watching the games with friends or family at the ballpark. It didn’t matter that the sport wasn’t moving at a fast pace or so competitive. Football is the

Essay on Sports Specialization

• 10 Works Cited

Sports are a popular pastime among all ages and types of people. People not only participate in them for fun, but also for money, physical fitness, rush of competition, and for many other personal reasons. Playing sports is especially common among young people in schools. Athletics are great and enjoyable for many reasons, but there can be a point where sports participation can go too far and become negative for children and adults. Sports specialization for young people is an increasing trend that results in sports having a negative impact on individuals and society.

The Globalization of Sports Essay

• 11 Works Cited

Sport is an ever growing aspect of our cultures, and as the access to different avenues of sport begin to present themselves we question the ability of sport organizations to expand globally. This review of literature will examine different avenues of sport and the research that has been done in regards to their effort to expand on a global scale.

Video Mapping Essay

In this report I am going to be discussing different types of digital technology, all of which have majorly evolved in recent years, and are always being used in today’s events industry. Examples of digital technologies include: video mapping, podcasts, lighting and sounds. In this report I am going to focus on the evolution of video mapping and social media, and how it is used within different types of events.

Hrm 533 Course Project Case Study

As CEO of AMC, my initial goal would be to create a product that can’t be replicated with in-home technologies. I believe we hit the nail on the head by adapting our theaters with “4-D” technology. This means submersing the viewers with a 3-DS picture, and adding physical features including scents, rain, wind, etc. Although it exists in a few standalone theaters, no chain has migrated towards this and would provide us a massive competitive edge. AMC would become the place consumers experience a movie, instead of merely watching. The second product would be a totally new ballpark, and that is video-game tournaments. Currently, they are typically held in school cafeterias or cramped back-rooms, but by simply hooking up a console to our projector,

Information Technology Influences on NFL, NASCAR and Other Sports

Perhaps the most innovative technology has come in the world of auto racing, specifically NASCAR. Sportvision has created many new technological advances that make watching NASCAR more enjoyable and fan friendly. “RACEf/x is a car-tracking system that collects car performance data from every Winston Cup car five times per second, providing speed, position, time behind leader, brake indicator and throttle percentage information to NASCAR fans” (Pierce). Before, fans just sat on the couch and watched a bunch of cars go around in circles, but now because of technology fans can be updated on virtually up to the minute statistics of the

The Golden Age Of Sports Essay

The 1920s was a great decade for the economy because of the popularity in sports. The number of fans increased, which created the need for new stadiums and raised the salary for sports stars. Sports in the 1920s went through many changes in the time period known as the "Roaring Twenties." New heroes, new teams, and new leagues were emerging in sports. Some sports were just starting, some were broadening their horizons, while others were just becoming more popular.

Sociology of Sport Essay

What is the social role of sport? To what extent does social structure influence the practice and experience of sport? Discuss in relation to two of the following: gender, class, ethnicity or Aboriginality, or region. Illustrate your answer with at least three examples from sporting contexts (local or international).

Reinvent The Movie Theater Analysis

In the article “Reinvent the Movie Theater: Wifi, Outlets, Lowlights, Second Screen Experience” by Hunter Walk, the author reveals the cinema's inability to adapt to a modern concept. By integrating advanced technology into theater experiences, Hunter Walk believes it would further elevate the ambiance; consequently, attracting a broader audience. This belief is built upon the fundamental principle of wants and needs. Walk conveys the idea of segregating similarly minded viewers into “environments which meet our needs” ultimately, optimizing pleasure. Walk communicates throughout his article, that creating a multifunctional space permitting the use of all technology will increase productivity. If the cinema introduced “wifi, outlets, lowlights”

Case Study : Dallas Cowboys Stadium

Dallas cowboys stadium, also called AT&T stadium, is the largest domed stadium in the National Football League in Arlington, Texas, United States, which is city-owned and has a capacity of 85,000 seats with a telescopic roof. It is used as the base camp of Dallas Cowboys, a great sport club in the world. Except its major application – professional football, many other kinds of activities can he carried out in the stadium like basketball matches, soccer games, also Spartan games and motocross. The stadium was finished on May 27 in 2009.

Sports Marketing Essay

As there are many important variables in this decision process that are not under the direct control of the sports marketer such as the players performance or lack of competition in match, it is vital to ensure that fans enjoy a positive experience. It is necessary in an increasingly competitive and cluttered sporting landscape to strategically manage the variables that are under the control of sports marketers. It is essential to the sports marketer to understand which dimensions spectators perceive as important (Michael D. Clemes, 2011).

Essay On Sports And Sports

Sports and religion are things that can go together in many ways. Sports were founded on religion and were kept strong by religion. Now sport is taking over as religion almost in today's world. Sports can promote things that are not necessarily right according to God but we participate anyway. While how the mind and body are connected give another way of how sport is. Finally, we see that sports in a modern context have changed greatly and are ritual heavy one would almost say idolic. Religion and sports are both here to stay and they really are a way something that can unite everyone.

Essay on Society and Sports

There are many repercussions that are projected upon both men and women when they enter into a sport that typically isn’t thought of as gender appropriate. Some of those cultural and social stigmatisms may be abandonment by your peers, and friends questions regarding your sexuality, and even in some cases criticism as to how you are living your life. In some cases, it may lead to you not being accepted by either group, theone whose norems you are not following, of as well as the one with whom you are trying to get involved. This paper will address all of these issues and how these seemingly negative situations can, will, and are, leading to growth. It will also discuss how this is a situation where repercussions are

Essay on Youth and Sports

Raising children in today’s society is not for the faint of heart. Raising children has never been easy, but it is especially difficult in youth sports today. Coaches and parents are putting a lot of pressure on our young sons and daughters. The pressure to succeed in sports at

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How to Write a Non-Cliche College Essay About Sports + Examples

What’s covered:, what makes a sports essay cliche.

• How To Make Your Sports Essay Unique

Great Examples of College Essays About Sports

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You’ve been brainstorming essay topics for your college applications, and you think you’ve finally found the right one: an extended metaphor likening your experience on the field with overcoming personal struggles. The problem: many other students have this same thought. 

The purpose of a college essay is to make yourself stand out as a unique individual, but when students write about sports, they often blend in. Because of that, students are usually advised to pick a different topic.

That being said, it is possible to write a non-cliche college essay about sports if you put in a little extra effort. Read along to learn how to make your sports essay different from all the other sports essays.

Sports essays are cliche when they follow a standard trajectory. Some of these trajectories include writing a story about:

• An agonizing defeat
• Forging bonds with teammates
• Overcoming adversity
• Overcoming an injury
• Refusing to quit
• Victory during a big game

Because sports essays have very similar themes and “lessons learned,” it can be difficult to make your story stand out. These trajectories also often focus too much on the sport or storyline, and not enough on the writer’s reflections and personality.

As you write your essay, try to think about what your experience says about you rather than what you learned from your experience. You are more than just one lesson you learned!

(Keep in mind that the sports essay is not the only college essay cliche. Learn about other essay cliches and how to fix them in our complete guide).

How to Make Your Sports Essay Unique

1. focus on a specific moment or reflection..

The college essay is a way for students to humanize themselves to admissions officers. You do not feel human if you are describing yourself as just another player on the field!

One important way to make your essay about you (not just about sports) is by focusing on a specific moment in time and inviting the reader to join you in that moment. Explain to the reader what it would be like to be sitting in that locker room as you questioned the values of the other players on your team. Ask your reader to sit with you on the cot in the trainer’s room as your identity was stripped away from you when they said “your body can’t take this anymore.” Bring your reader to the dinner table and involve them in your family’s conversation about how sports were affecting your mental health and your treatment of those around you.

Intense descriptions of a specific experience will evoke emotions in your reader and allow them to connect with you and feel for you.

When in doubt, avoid anything that can be covered by ESPN. On ESPN, we see the games, we see the benches, we even see the locker rooms and training rooms. Take your reader somewhere different and show them something unique.

2. Use sports to point out broader themes in your life.

The main risk when writing about sports is neglecting to write about yourself. Before you get started, think about the main values that you want to express in your sports essay. Sports are simply your avenue for telling the reader what makes you unique. 

As a test, imagine if you were a pianist. Would you be able to talk about these same values? What if you were a writer? Or a chemist? Articulating your values is the end, and sports should simply be your means.

Some values that you might want to focus on:

• Autonomy (you want to be able to set your mind to anything and achieve it on your own)
• Growth (you seek improvement constantly)
• Curiosity (you are willing to try anything once)
• Vulnerability (you aren’t afraid to fail, as long as you give it your all)
• Community (you value the feedback of others and need camaraderie to succeed)
• Craft (you think that with deliberate care, anything can be perfected)
• Responsibility (you believe that you owe something to those around you and perhaps they also owe something to you)

You can use the ESPN check again to make sure that you are using sports as an avenue to show your depth.

Things ESPN covers: how a player reacts to defeat, how injuries affect a player’s gameplay/attitude, how players who don’t normally work well together are working together on their new team.

Things ESPN doesn’t cover: the conversation that a player had with their mother about fear of death before going into a big surgery (value: family and connection), the ways that the intense pressure to succeed consumed a player to the point they couldn’t be there for the people in their life (value: supporting others and community), the body image issues that weigh on a player’s mind when playing their sport and how they overcame those (value: health and growth).

3. Turn a cliche storyline on its head.

There’s no getting around the fact that sports essays are often cliche. But there is a way to confront the cliche head-on. For example, lots of people write essays about the lessons they learned from an injury, victory, and so on, but fewer students explain how they are embracing those lessons. 

Perhaps you learned that competition is overwhelming for you and you prefer teamwork, so you switched from playing basketball to playing Dungeons & Dragons. Maybe, when your softball career ended abruptly, you had to find a new identity and that’s when you became obsessed with your flower garden and decided to pursue botany. Or maybe, you have stuck with football through it all, but your junior-year mental health struggle showed you that football should be fun and you have since started a nonprofit for local children to healthily engage with sports.

If your story itself is more cliche, try bringing readers to the present moment with you and show why the cliche matters and what it did for you. This requires a fair amount of creativity. Ensure you’re not parroting a frequently used topic by really thinking deeply to find your own unique spin.

Night had robbed the academy of its daytime colors, yet there was comfort in the dim lights that cast shadows of our advances against the bare studio walls. Silhouettes of roundhouse kicks, spin crescent kicks, uppercuts and the occasional butterfly kick danced while we sparred. She approached me, eyes narrowed with the trace of a smirk challenging me. “Ready spar!” Her arm began an upward trajectory targeting my shoulder, a common first move. I sidestepped — only to almost collide with another flying fist. Pivoting my right foot, I snapped my left leg, aiming my heel at her midsection. The center judge raised one finger. 

There was no time to celebrate, not in the traditional sense at least. Master Pollard gave a brief command greeted with a unanimous “Yes, sir” and the thud of 20 hands dropping-down-and-giving-him-30, while the “winners” celebrated their victory with laps as usual. 

Three years ago, seven-thirty in the evening meant I was a warrior. It meant standing up straighter, pushing a little harder, “Yes, sir” and “Yes, ma’am”, celebrating birthdays by breaking boards, never pointing your toes, and familiarity. Three years later, seven-thirty in the morning meant I was nervous. 

The room is uncomfortably large. The sprung floor soaks up the checkerboard of sunlight piercing through the colonial windows. The mirrored walls further illuminate the studio and I feel the light scrutinizing my sorry attempts at a pas de bourrée, while capturing the organic fluidity of the dancers around me. “Chassé en croix, grand battement, pique, pirouette.” I follow the graceful limbs of the woman in front of me, her legs floating ribbons, as she executes what seems to be a perfect ronds de jambes. Each movement remains a negotiation. With admirable patience, Ms. Tan casts me a sympathetic glance.   

There is no time to wallow in the misery that is my right foot. Taekwondo calls for dorsiflexion; pointed toes are synonymous with broken toes. My thoughts drag me into a flashback of the usual response to this painful mistake: “You might as well grab a tutu and head to the ballet studio next door.” Well, here I am Master Pollard, unfortunately still following your orders to never point my toes, but no longer feeling the satisfaction that comes with being a third degree black belt with 5 years of experience quite literally under her belt. It’s like being a white belt again — just in a leotard and ballet slippers. 

But the appetite for new beginnings that brought me here doesn’t falter. It is only reinforced by the classical rendition of “Dancing Queen” that floods the room and the ghost of familiarity that reassures me that this new beginning does not and will not erase the past. After years spent at the top, it’s hard to start over. But surrendering what you are only leads you to what you may become. In Taekwondo, we started each class reciting the tenets: honor, courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, courage, humility, and knowledge, and I have never felt that I embodied those traits more so than when I started ballet. 

The thing about change is that it eventually stops making things so different. After nine different schools, four different countries, three different continents, fluency in Tamil, Norwegian, and English, there are more blurred lines than there are clear fragments. My life has not been a tactfully executed, gold medal-worthy Taekwondo form with each movement defined, nor has it been a series of frappés performed by a prima ballerina with each extension identical and precise, but thankfully it has been like the dynamics of a spinning back kick, fluid, and like my chances of landing a pirouette, unpredictable. 

Why it works:

What’s especially powerful about this essay is that the author uses detailed imagery to convey a picture of what they’re experiencing, so much so that the reader is along for the ride. This works as a sports essay not only because of the language and sensory details, but also because the writer focuses on a specific moment in time, while at the same time exploring why Taekwondo is such an important part of their life.

After the emotional image is created, the student finishes their essay with valuable reflection. With the reflection, they show admissions officers that they are mature and self-aware. Self-awareness comes through with statements like “surrendering what you are only leads you to what you may become” and maturity can be seen through the student’s discussion of values “honor, courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, courage, humility, and knowledge, and I have never felt that I embodied those traits more so than when I started ballet.” These are the kinds of comments that should find their way into a sports essay!

“Advanced females ages 13 to 14 please proceed to staging with your coaches at this time.” Skittering around the room, eyes wide and pleading, I frantically explained my situation to nearby coaches. The seconds ticked away in my head; every polite refusal increased my desperation.

Despair weighed me down. I sank to my knees as a stream of competitors, coaches, and officials flowed around me. My dojang had no coach, and the tournament rules prohibited me from competing without one.

Although I wanted to remain strong, doubts began to cloud my mind. I could not help wondering: what was the point of perfecting my skills if I would never even compete? The other members of my team, who had found coaches minutes earlier, attempted to comfort me, but I barely heard their words. They couldn’t understand my despair at being left on the outside, and I never wanted them to understand.

Since my first lesson 12 years ago, the members of my dojang have become family. I have watched them grow up, finding my own happiness in theirs. Together, we have honed our kicks, blocks, and strikes. We have pushed one another to aim higher and become better martial artists. Although my dojang had searched for a reliable coach for years, we had not found one. When we attended competitions in the past, my teammates and I had always gotten lucky and found a sympathetic coach. Now, I knew this practice was unsustainable. It would devastate me to see the other members of my dojang in my situation, unable to compete and losing hope as a result. My dojang needed a coach, and I decided it was up to me to find one. 

I first approached the adults in the dojang – both instructors and members’ parents. However, these attempts only reacquainted me with polite refusals. Everyone I asked told me they couldn’t devote multiple weekends per year to competitions. I soon realized that I would have become the coach myself.

At first, the inner workings of tournaments were a mystery to me. To prepare myself for success as a coach, I spent the next year as an official and took coaching classes on the side. I learned everything from motivational strategies to technical, behind-the-scenes components of Taekwondo competitions. Though I emerged with new knowledge and confidence in my capabilities, others did not share this faith.

Parents threw me disbelieving looks when they learned that their children’s coach was only a child herself. My self-confidence was my armor, deflecting their surly glances. Every armor is penetrable, however, and as the relentless barrage of doubts pounded my resilience, it began to wear down. I grew unsure of my own abilities.

Despite the attack, I refused to give up. When I saw the shining eyes of the youngest students preparing for their first competition, I knew I couldn’t let them down. To quit would be to set them up to be barred from competing like I was. The knowledge that I could solve my dojang’s longtime problem motivated me to overcome my apprehension.

Now that my dojang flourishes at competitions, the attacks on me have weakened, but not ended. I may never win the approval of every parent; at times, I am still tormented by doubts, but I find solace in the fact that members of my dojang now only worry about competing to the best of their abilities.

Now, as I arrive at a tournament with my students, I close my eyes and remember the past. I visualize the frantic search for a coach and the chaos amongst my teammates as we compete with one another to find coaches before the staging calls for our respective divisions. I open my eyes to the exact opposite scene. Lacking a coach hurt my ability to compete, but I am proud to know that no member of my dojang will have to face that problem again.

In the beginning, you might think this is another cliche sports essay about overcoming adversity. But instead, it becomes a unique statement and coming-of-age tale that reads as a suspenseful narrative. 

The author connects their experience with martial arts to larger themes in their life but manages to do so without riffing off of tried-and-true themes. Through statements like “I knew I couldn’t let them down. To quit would be to set them up to be barred from competing like I was” we learn about the students values and their desire to be there for those who depend on them. 

The student also brings it full circle, demonstrating their true transformation. By using the “Same, but Different” ending technique , the student places themself in the same environment that we saw in the intro, but experiences it differently due to their actions throughout the narrative. This is very compelling!

“1…2…3…4 pirouettes! New record!” My friends cheered as I landed my turns. Pleased with my progress, I gazed down at my worn-out pointe shoes. The sweltering blisters, numbing ice-baths, and draining late-night practices did not seem so bad after all. Next goal: five turns.

For as long as I can remember, ballet, in all its finesse and glamor, had kept me driven day to day. As a child, the lithe ballerinas, donning ethereal costumes as they floated across the stage, were my motivation. While others admired Messi and Adele, I idolized Carlos Acosta, principal dancer of the Royal Ballet. 

As I devoted more time and energy towards my craft, I became obsessed with improving my technique. I would stretch for hours after class, forcing my leg one inch higher in an effort to mirror the Dance Magazine cover girls. I injured my feet and ruined pair after pair of pointe shoes, turning on wood, cement, and even grass to improve my balance as I spun. At competitions, the dancers with the 180-degree leg extensions, endless turns, and soaring leaps—the ones who received “Bravos!” from the roaring audience—further pushed me to refine my skills and perfect my form. I believed that, with enough determination, I would one day attain their level of perfection. Reaching the quadruple-pirouette milestone only intensified my desire to accomplish even more. 

My efforts seemed to have come to fruition two summers ago when I was accepted to dance with Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet at their renowned New York City summer intensive. I walked into my first session eager to learn from distinguished ballet masters and worldly dancers, already anticipating my improvement. Yet, as I danced alongside the accomplished ballerinas, I felt out of place. Despite their clean technique and professional training, they did not aim for glorious leg extensions or prodigious leaps. When they performed their turn combinations, most of them only executed two turns as I attempted four. 

“Dancers, double-pirouettes only.” 

Taken aback and confused, I wondered why our teacher expected so little from us. The other ballerinas seemed content, gracing the studio with their simple movements. 

As I grew closer with my Moscow roommates, I gradually learned that their training emphasized the history of the art form instead of stylistic tricks. Rather than show off their physical ability, their performances aimed to convey a story, one that embodied the rich culture of ballet and captured both the legacy of the dancers before them and their own artistry. As I observed my friends more intently in repertoire class, I felt the pain of the grief-stricken white swan from Swan Lake, the sass of the flirtatious Kitri from Don Quijote, and I gradually saw what I had overlooked before. My definition of talent had been molded by crowd-pleasing elements—whirring pirouettes, gravity-defying leaps, and mind-blowing leg extensions. This mindset slowly stripped me from the roots of my passion and my personal connection with ballet. 

With the Bolshoi, I learned to step back and explore the meaning behind each step and the people behind the scenes. Ballet carries history in its movements, from the societal values of the era to each choreographer’s unique flair. As I uncovered the messages behind each pirouette, kick, and jump, my appreciation for ballet grew beyond my obsession with raw athleticism and developed into a love for the art form’s emotive abilities in bridging the dancers with the audience. My journey as an artist has allowed me to see how technical execution is only the means to a greater understanding between dancer and spectator, between storyteller and listener. The elegance and complexity of ballet does not revolve around astonishing stunts but rather the evocative strength and artistry manifested in the dancer, in me. It is the combination of sentiments, history, tradition, and passion that has allowed ballet and its lessons of human connection to become my lifestyle both on and off stage.

This essay is about lessons. While the author is a dancer, this narrative isn’t really about ballet, per se — it’s about the author’s personal growth. It is purposefully reflective as the student shows a nice character arc that begins with an eager young ballerina and ends with a reflection on their past. The primary strength of this essay is the honesty and authenticity that the student approaches it with.

In the end, the student turns a cliche on its head as they embrace the idea of overcoming adversity and demonstrate how the adversity, in this case, was their own stereotypes about their art. It’s beautiful!

“Getting beat is one thing – it’s part of competing – but I want no part in losing.” Coach Rob Stark’s motto never fails to remind me of his encouragement on early-morning bus rides to track meets around the state. I’ve always appreciated the phrase, but an experience last June helped me understand its more profound, universal meaning.

Stark, as we affectionately call him, has coached track at my high school for 25 years. His care, dedication, and emphasis on developing good character has left an enduring impact on me and hundreds of other students. Not only did he help me discover my talent and love for running, but he also taught me the importance of commitment and discipline and to approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running. When I learned a neighboring high school had dedicated their track to a longtime coach, I felt that Stark deserved similar honors.

Our school district’s board of education indicated they would only dedicate our track to Stark if I could demonstrate that he was extraordinary. I took charge and mobilized my teammates to distribute petitions, reach out to alumni, and compile statistics on the many team and individual champions Stark had coached over the years. We received astounding support, collecting almost 3,000 signatures and pages of endorsements from across the community. With help from my teammates, I presented this evidence to the board.

They didn’t bite. 

Most members argued that dedicating the track was a low priority. Knowing that we had to act quickly to convince them of its importance, I called a team meeting where we drafted a rebuttal for the next board meeting. To my surprise, they chose me to deliver it. I was far from the best public speaker in the group, and I felt nervous about going before the unsympathetic board again. However, at that second meeting, I discovered that I enjoy articulating and arguing for something that I’m passionate about.

Public speaking resembles a cross country race. Walking to the starting line, you have to trust your training and quell your last minute doubts. When the gun fires, you can’t think too hard about anything; your performance has to be instinctual, natural, even relaxed. At the next board meeting, the podium was my starting line. As I walked up to it, familiar butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Instead of the track stretching out in front of me, I faced the vast audience of teachers, board members, and my teammates. I felt my adrenaline build, and reassured myself: I’ve put in the work, my argument is powerful and sound. As the board president told me to introduce myself, I heard, “runners set” in the back of my mind. She finished speaking, and Bang! The brief silence was the gunshot for me to begin. 

The next few minutes blurred together, but when the dust settled, I knew from the board members’ expressions and the audience’s thunderous approval that I had run quite a race. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough; the board voted down our proposal. I was disappointed, but proud of myself, my team, and our collaboration off the track. We stood up for a cause we believed in, and I overcame my worries about being a leader. Although I discovered that changing the status quo through an elected body can be a painstakingly difficult process and requires perseverance, I learned that I enjoy the challenges this effort offers. Last month, one of the school board members joked that I had become a “regular” – I now often show up to meetings to advocate for a variety of causes, including better environmental practices in cafeterias and safer equipment for athletes.

Just as Stark taught me, I worked passionately to achieve my goal. I may have been beaten when I appealed to the board, but I certainly didn’t lose, and that would have made Stark proud.

This essay uses the idea of sports to explore a more profound topic—growing through relationships. They really embrace using sports as an avenue to tell the reader about a specific experience that changed the way they approach the world. 

The emphasis on relationships is why this essay works well and doesn’t fall into a cliche. The narrator grows not because of their experience with track but because of their relationship with their coach, who inspired them to evolve and become a leader.

Have a draft of your college essay? We’re here to help you polish it. Students can participate in a free Peer Review, or they can sign up for a paid review by CollegeVine’s experts. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account today to start improving your essay and your chances of acceptance!

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The "Future of Sports" is a 50-page document that imagines what's ahead in the industry over the next 25 years. These are not so much predictions of what will happen as working versions of what could happen — provocative prognostications based on interviews with academics and futurists, all subject to inevitable revision as Father Time throws his customary curve balls.

FULL REPORT: The Future of Sports

Bruins owner spearheads report on what sports will look like in 25 years

The Stadium

- Advances in ultra-lightweight carbon fiber allow morphing of buildings and roofs.

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- Self-driving, self-parking cars free up lots of space from what used to be parking lots.

- Smaller footprint of stadiums allow them to be built in city centers and be big part of city life.

- Turf football fields are designed to help receivers hit 22-plus mph on their routes.

- Spring-loaded, carbon-fiber basketball floors are designed to add six inches to vertical leaps.\

The Athlete

- Athletes are allowed to use genetic enhancements for injury prevention and safety.

- As medical patients enjoy benefits of these new treatments, stigma begins to disappear.

- Rules begin to allow athletes to use performance enhancers up to predetermined, safe levels.

- The line between artificial and natural body parts blurs as science learns to rebuild humans.

- Enhanced athletes and natural athletes will compete in separate leagues, like amateur and pros.

- Separate leagues meet in championship games between natural humans and ones perfected in labs.

Broadcasting

- Major networks are boxed out as leagues, players, franchises and fans become content kings

- Influence of network commentators and journalists wanes as fans get access to players by social media

- Major online platform (likely Google) buys multi-year broadcast rights for a major sports league

- The word 'broadcast' disappears from lexicon as fans access content from many sources all at once

- Fans begin to integrate these streams into seamless, coherent and personalized viewing experiences

- Watch a game through virtual reality headset from perspective of your favorite quarterback

- As e-sports increase in popularity and realism, celebrity gamers challenge traditional sports stars for adulation

-  Pro sports leagues that embrace gaming stand to foster more allegiance for their leagues, teams and players

- Talent ecosystems emerge with coaches, high school and college teams, ranked amateurs and fulltime pros

- Game-play sensors leave handheld controllers behind; control now by every limb and even facial expressions

- Remote and in-person play indistinguishable thanks to tactile feedback interfaces and virtual/augmented reality

- Participation in sports, now implicitly including e-sports, soars to its highest percentage of humanity in history

Future shock

- Some futurists predict robots and kiosks replacing some workers and driverless cars replacing others

- Sports marketing evolves to focus more on upper-middleclass women as middleclass wealth wanes

- More franchises establish women's teams, not so much for revenue as for the good of the brand

- As more fans are priced out of attending live games, 'third venues' emerge as go-to spaces

- These will be the 21st Century's family-friendly versions of tricked-out, tech-savvy sports bars

- Augmented reality will include life-sized replays up close in fully realized 3D in theater-sized venues

Source: The Future of Sports

Essay on Importance of Sports for Students and Children

500+ words essay on importance of sports.

First of all, Sport refers to an activity involving physical activity and skill . Here, two or more parties compete against each other. Sports are an integral part of human life and there is great importance of sports in all spheres of life. Furthermore, Sports help build the character and personality of a person. It certainly is an excellent tool to keep the body physically fit. Most noteworthy, the benefits of Sports are so many that books can be written.  Sports have a massive positive effect on both the mind and body.

Physical Benefits of Sports

First of all, Sports strengthen the heart. Regular Sports certainly make the heart stronger. Hence, Sport is an excellent preventive measure against heart diseases . This certainly increases the life expectancy of individuals. Furthermore, a healthy heart means a healthy blood pressure.

Sports involve physical activity of the body. Due to this physical activity, blood vessels remain clean. Sports reduces the amount of cholesterol and fats in the body. This happens because of the increase of flexibility of the wall of the blood vessels. The flexibility increases due to physical exertion, which is the result of Sports.

Furthermore, the sugar level in blood also gets lower thanks to Sports. The sugar certainly does not accumulate in the blood due to physical activity.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

A person experiences a good quality of breathing because of Sports. Sports strengthen the lungs of the body. Sports certainly escalate the lung capacity and efficiency of the body. Hence, more oxygen enters the blood which is extremely beneficial. Furthermore, there are fewer chances of developing lung diseases due to Sports.

Appropriate body weight is easy to maintain because of sports. A Sports playing person probably does not suffer from obesity or underweight problems. Sports certainly help the body remain fit and slim.

Furthermore, Sports also improves the quality of bones. A person who plays sports will have strong bones even in old age. Several scientific research reports that Sports prevent many diseases. For example, many researchers conclude that Sports prevent the development of cancer.

Other Benefits of Sports

Sport is certainly an excellent tool to build self-confidence . Playing Sports increases confidence to talk properly. A sport certainly improves the skills of communicating with others. Furthermore, the person experiences confidence in sitting, standing, and walking properly. Hence, Sports enriches the social life of an individual.

Sports bring discipline in life. It certainly teaches the values of dedication and patience. Sports also teach people how to handle failure. Furthermore, the importance of following a time schedule is also present in Sports.

Above all, Sports improves the thinking ability of individuals. Sports certainly sharpen the mind. Children who play Sports probably perform better at exams than those who don’t.

Finally, Sports reduces the stress of mind . A Sports playing person would certainly experience less depression. Sports ensure the peace of mind of those playing it. Most noteworthy, Sports brings happiness and joy in the life of individuals.

A sport is an aspect of human life that is of paramount importance. It certainly increases the quality of human life. Sports must be made mandatory in schools. This is because it is as important as education. Everyone must perform at least one Sport activity on a regular basis.

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David Perell

The Future of American Sports

Sports are outer models of our inner psychological lives.

Cultures express themselves through sports, which makes them essential to any well-functioning society. On a macro scale, they unite communities, and family and friends on a micro one. 

There is a direct relationship between sports and the nature of work. When our working lives change, so do the sports we play. As a result, three eras define the last century of American history: baseball and the factory, football and the corporation, and basketball and the independent professional. 

How do these societal shifts begin? 

Shifts in society begin with shifts in media. Baseball became popular after the radio was invented, football grew with the popularity of television, and today, social media is boosting the popularity of basketball. 

Baseball was once the social center of American life, and as a result, people aptly call it “America’s pastime.” In baseball, one thing happens at a time. Like a factory, players have fixed positions and delegated, specialist jobs (pitchers, right fielders, shortstops, etc.). Order is central to the game. At baseball’s peak, American work was defined by mass production. Efficient factories propelled America’s emergence as a world power. Furthermore, baseball’s lenient pace was perfect for the radio era — play-by-play announcers served as background noise for tedious work days, and radio gave Americans a tight, tribal-like bond.

But the rise of television in the 50s and 60s initiated baseball’s decline. Baseball was too slow for television. But football’s fast-paced and dynamic nature was ideal for it. Football evolved with television technologies including instant replay, slow motion, and graphics — all of which enhanced the game.

The nature of work changed during football’s post World War II rise to prominence. America had proven its capabilities as a military authority during the war, and cemented its position afterwards with the expansion of multinational corporations.

As William Whyte argues in The Organization Man , American values shifted — away from individualism, and towards collectivism — to meet the demands of the corporations that employed them. Corporate work was generally more dynamic than factory work, and office workers were less constrained than they were in the factory. Like the corporation, football is a game of constant movement and synchronization, and players plan their movements before each play and conform to their role. 

American culture changed as well. Television gave America an outlet to export its culture and expand its global dominance. America had become a superpower and needed a new national sport to reflect its position as a global force. As David Walker observed, football was representative of American exceptionalism, its power on the global stage, and its cultural indifference towards delicacy. 

Fantasy football further propelled football’s dominance. By drafting players and “owning” them for a season, fans had a reason to watch every game, even when their favorite team wasn’t playing. But modern culture — defined by the rise of social media — rewards individuality, which the football helmet hinders.

As the helmet foreshadows, cultural and technological shifts will contribute to football’s decline in the coming decades. The helmet, which transforms athletes into gladiators, is indicative of football’s Achilles heel, and Cris Collinsworth said it best on a recent Sunday Night Football broadcast: “it’s easy to look at these guys like they’re robots.” Since Millennials overwhelmingly support humanism, football’s violence and the brain problems induced by it, have become a disadvantage. Furthermore, the attentional shift from television to social media will hurt football, and propel another sport — basketball. 

Like social media, basketball is all about the individual. The NBA thrives on strong personalities and the best players transcend their teams: Michael Jordan and the Bulls; LeBron James and the Cavaliers. Sneaker culture highlights the influence of these loud personalities. In 1984, Nike and Michael Jordan launched the Air Jordan I sneaker, and since then, Jordan Brand has gained stature in American culture. Because of the internet, personality-centric brand collaborations will become more popular. Today, Big Baller Brand is pioneering a new kind of basketball centric, social media native brand. 

Jordan advertisement

Basketball, like the future of work, demands a diversity of skills. As an independent professional, I wear a variety of hats — I write, create videos, interview professionals, produce podcasts with them, and consult . I embrace serendipity, and most of my planning is short-term. Basketball players are similar. They move freely between positions (they “switch”) and contribute on both offense and defense. Since the game changes quickly, it requires optionality and real-time decision making. 

The NBA has become the barometer for how American sports leagues should operate. Commissioner Adam Silver has embraced numerous cultural trends, including globalization , technology , social media , the pro-diversity movement, and even the rise of direct-to-consumer business models. The NBA’s rise may still be in its infancy, but these secular trends will propel its growth.

Basketball reflects the future of work, culture, and society. As we enter a hyper-digital world, bet on the NBA.  

Cover photo: Tim Shelby, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Esports is the future of all sports – here’s why

Chair in Science Communication & Future Media, University of Salford

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Andy Miah is an Academic Adviser to the International Esports Federation

University of Salford provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation UK.

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The future of all sports is esports. That may sound like a bold statement but there is growing evidence to support it. Today’s spectators and participants expect to be digitally engaged while they watch. And the most effective way to deliver digital engagement is through “gamification” – the transformation of watching into playing.

While the “real” sports world is still far bigger than the competitive esports community, esports is showing supporters a new kind of future. A future where experiences make the most of fans’ desire for interactivity within their leisure experiences. Today’s consumer does not just want to watch or listen, they also want to participate – and esports integrates these principles into people’s leisure time.

Read more: Will Super Mario ever be an Olympic sport?

The latest transformation that is bringing these two worlds even closer together is the creation of new, virtual reality gaming experiences, which are turning esports into physically active experiences. Virtual reality may just be the technology that unites the two worlds of sports and esports which are, otherwise, struggling to find common ground.

While it may take some years to fully realise the impact of esports, the rise of mobile and virtual reality gaming combine to make a tantalising prospect on which to imagine its future. Consider HADO, a new, two versus two, sports arena-based game consisting of virtual reality battles .

Players each wear VR headsets and strap mobile devices to their arms, through which they can see each others’ actions and fling virtual fireballs at each other – a sort of digital version of dodgeball. One of the reasons that HADO is so important is that it brings a three-dimensional experience to an esports arena, where otherwise they are played out on flat screens for spectators to watch. Sony is even working on a spectator VR system to watch esports in virtual reality.

The rise of affordable virtual reality headsets, are also kick-starting a new fitness revolution , with pimped-up gymnasia fast becoming virtual reality exercise spaces. This convergence of high-end gaming technology with physical fitness may be the most compelling way to bring these two worlds together.

The VR Olympics?

Rumours are that the International Olympic Committee is interested in virtual reality as a possible route for esports inclusion within the Olympic programme. But rather than just being virtual versions of today’s sports, new kinds of sports such as HADO are likely to emerge. Alternatively, the stadia and fields of play of conventional sports may be re-imagined in virtual arenas, designed to maximise excitement. For example, tomorrow’s tennis stars could be playing on VR courts where they are able to move in three dimensions, rather than two. This could be made possible with three dimensional, full-body virtual reality systems where you can feel and truly experience the world around you by wearing a exo-suit to simulate the virtual environment.

In less than one year, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will take place, amid widespread speculation that esports will find a place on – or at least near – the podium. For example, recently in Tokyo an esports hotel has just been launched and is expected to be ready for Games time. As well, Olympic partner Intel recently announced an Olympic-sanctioned esports tournament taking place days before the Games open.

And while esports won’t be a medal sport in Tokyo next year, 2019 is the first year in which a major sports event has included esports medals. In this respect, the South-East Asian Games is pioneering the association with esports and further indicating that this emerging technology is gradually finding its way into sports mega-events.

Read more: Fortnite World Cup and the rise of the esports industry

Meanwhile, talks continue to take place in relation to the programme for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which is likely to follow its two predecessors and have some kind of esports event . And in 2019, the European Games included esports within its cultural programme, rather than the sports programme.

It is worth remembering that, in the early decades of the modern Olympic Games, medals were given for cultural achievements. The original vision was to celebrate sport blended with culture and education, values still enshrined in the Olympic Charter .

So, before we conclude the conversation about the relationship between esports and traditional sports, we should remember that today’s esports may be analogised to the silent film era from 100 years ago. There’s a great deal of technological evolution still to come and esports are still in the process of being established.

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Associate Professor, Occupational Therapy

Sports In The Future essay

SportsIn The Future

InstitutionAffiliation

Sportsin the Future

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Sportsand the world of sports present itself with a chance of immenseopportunities with the passage of time. Each day dawns to bring abetter practice, a safer sporting action, discovery of new rules,bettering the old rules, abandon the irrelevant games among variousother rising features in the future of the sports world. The unifyingfactor of games with the maintenance of the competition and thefighting spirit acts as the platform to provide the immense chancesfor improvement of the current level of sports to a higher echelon ofsports in the days to come. The analysis of the chapter presents tous a holistic approach to the new trends and most likely outcomes ofthe high expectations we have for our future in sports.

Thesocial construction of sports encompasses sports around two models,the power and performance model and to the pleasure and participationmodel (Coakley 2015). Now each model offers full explanations as towhat model it advocates for and the reasons for taking such steps.However, the two aspects do not adequately cater for all sportscategories or offer satisfactory explanations as to why, but theirinclusive purposes tend to extend to various sporting activities. Thepower and performance sports will continue with to be highly visibleand extend to a wider publication in the future (Coakley 2015).

Sportsdepicting pleasure and participation have a bigger interest amongpeople who see sports as a representation of their values andinterests. There is an expression of freedom, self-expression,authenticity, holistic health among others. Each of the sports modelsmentioned above has the current factors that support the growth ofeach model. Each element expands the competition and carries theneeds of the sport to the future times (Coakley 2015).

Organizationand rationalization, commercialization and consumption,telecommunication and print media, technology, identification ofgoals continue to play a huge part of the nature and expression ofsports in the current society. Owing to their existence, it,therefore, means that the sports face agents of change to transformto the sports of the future. The growth aspect of the sports entailsa conservative goal-holding basis on the belief that sports arepositive activities that should have regards regarding preservationand expansion to cover more than the current forms (Coakley 2015).The process of improvement to the sports of the future encouragesthat the participation in sports produces results that are positive,with an important factor to keep a heavy maintenance of the ethicalstrongholds of the sports along with maximizing on theparticipation(Coakley 2015).

However,the process of transforming the sports comes with a whole lot ofchallenges. Working to effect change while still maintaining theconservative nature opens loopholes and barriers. When the soleexistence of sports acts as a social benefactor, there are those inthe society who feel that changing the current nature of sportsundercuts to the privileges and benefits from the sports. Challengesin the transformation process alleviate more with the transformingthe structure of the sport, changing rules, roles, engagements, andaltering the reward system of the sports structure (Coakley 2015).The challenges of transforming a sport get difficult with the day,and more often than not, the process of changing a sport leads to thecreation of a very new sport. Such challenges, though hurting to thesporting spirit tend to introduce us to the next generation of sportsto dominate our future.

Itis, therefore, a pivotal factor to include the athletes in the fullprocess of transformation of sports. The input from the athletesdepends on their popularity and visibility as expressed by mediahouses and the overall public appearance forums. Current sportscelebrity status limits their voices to impact real changes in thesporting world. Persistent desire for change and fighting for it maybe easily prone the athletes lose the celebrity limelight theycurrently possess and vanish into thin air from the media coveragepushing for the change. The need to change the structure of thecurrent compositions yet unfruitful from the restraints has areflection on the nature of our celebrities in sports. They haveconstant involvement in projects to better their communities bybuilding grounds, offering care for young stars, sponsoring eventsamong many efforts pushing the message of communal inclusion into thesports world.

Coakley,J. J. (2015). Sportsin society: Issues and controversies .

Sport Tomorrow

Innovation and future of sports

10 stunning predictions about the future of sports in the coming decade

As we entered a new decade some 2 years ago, we have made some noteworthy predictions on how the sports industry will evolve over the next ten years. One thing seems certain: we are in for some big changes!

Table of Contents

Looking forward to the next decade

As I explained in an earlier blogpost ( 11 important future trends in the world of sports ), looking forward is always fun. Analysing new trends, changing demographics, new technologies and changes in society are generally catalysts for predicting change going forward. Sports is no exception in this perspective. Certainly today’s world is witnessing a lot of change, varying from the war between Russia and Ukrain to Covid and a bunch of different new technologies. All are changing our lives.

Such events and trends offer an excellent opportunity to make some bold (and less bold) predictions on the main innovations in sports in the next decade. Below I have summarised my top 10 sports innovation predictions. If I have missed one, feel free to comment or add in the comment box below.

Prediction 1: The sports media landscape will dramatically change

This prediction is an easy one! If one thing is for sure, it will be the way we will produce, deliver and consume media content. It is an open door to state that traditional media have to change. But really, they will have to in order to survive. What can we expect?

To start with, in the future we will watch and pay for content in a different way. We will only view content at our own convenience and only pay for the content we watch. New generations do not want it any differently. It means, traditional TV is out and streaming will be the standard. In the further future, we will only pay per view, menu a la carte! We will increasingly decide what we want to see, including camera angles, stats, interviews etc. Expect a kind of netflix for sports to come to the fore and a battle for media rights.

Also expect an increasing number of sports federations, leagues and clubs starting to produce and sell or broadcast their own productions. Additionally, as it will become very easy for everyone (including you and me) to produce new content, the number of sports (related)productions (background, funny, add-on etc) will rise enormously. GenZ and Gen Alpha will play a leading role in this transition as they will be the main consumers and producers and will easily navigate through this mountain of newly generated content. Expect new platforms to emerge!

If you want to know my view on how the media sportslandscape will change, read my article: 6 powerful trends in sports media and broadcasting

Prediction 2: Sportification and gamification will gather momentum

New sports will emerge whilst some traditional sports will slowly disappear. It could well be that individual sports will grow at the expense of team sports. No doubt, there will be huge changes in the sporting landscape. Expect sports such as outdoor sports and at home sports to gain in importance. Traditional sports that are not changing their format or not adjust in time to the needs of future generations, are likely to lose share. Technology and social cohesion will be key in this perspective.

New sports will emerge as with VR/AR/AI technology an entire range of new opportunities will arise. Expect current e- games to become real new sports; e-athletes equipped with VR goggles will battle it out. Kids are likely to become more active in sports again as technology will be blended into sports, a requirement for future generations. Sports with a tech game element in it! What more does a kid want? It is gamification and sportification all the way. Location will be no longer an issue. You can play tennis at your local club but also crossborder with your friend in Tokyo.

Interesting read: Sportification new mantra of the gameindustry

Prediction 3: Sustainability in sports will become even more important. Sports are going green!

As so many people are interested in sports, sports will play a leading role in promoting and supporting sustainability. Influencers, consumers and regulators will be the driving forces. Nothing less than a neutral footprint will and is already the target! It means new stadiums have to be carbon neutral, have to be fully recycable, should recycle waste and have to find ways to generate their own energy and water usage. Additionally alternative ways of transportation to and from the stadium will be stimulated. It means, electric transportation, bicycle lanes, trains and trams and less parking spots for fueled cars. Shared self driving and self parking cars will be the name of the game and reduce parking spots.

It is the venue, food, freight, waste and especially transport, where huge steps still can be made. For a more extensive explanation read my article Sports going green!

Prediction 4: Stadiums will become social meeting places offering tailored experiences and convenience all the way

Stadiums are evolving. This is an easy prediction. In 10 years time a newly build stadium will have few resemblances with the stadiums of today. Yes, the average stadium still will be a place where people gather. However, the experience will be entirely different. VR/AR will be commonplace in the future and provide the spectator a different tailor-made viewing experience. Robotised kiosk delivery and guides/holograms equipped with artificial intelligence will improve convenience, reducing queus and waiting times. 5G will provide real time data and stats and allow for exclusive in-stadium social networking platforms. Artificial Intelligence will alter stadiums into deep learning organic structures.

But that’s not my only prediction as far as stadiums are concerned. Seating capacity in newly build stadiums is likely to become smaller or at least becoming more flexible, in order to accomodate the fan that wants to have an improved experience, that is not only limited to the game. Moreover, the recent Covid pandemic might well accelerate this trend as people want to feel safer and more secure.

If you want to know more about this prediction or sports trend read The top 10 basic features of future stadiums

Prediction 5: E-sports will become one of the biggest sports around and gain Olympic status in 2028

This prediction is not a difficult one! E-sports is the exclusive domain of GenZ and Gen Alpha . In ten years time they are grown-ups but will still love their e-sports games. They form by far the biggest part of population by that time. Additionally e-games and e-sports can be played anywhere in the world with any other person; in fact a computer and internet will do to play with someone on the other side of the globe. This makes the sport extremely accessible to anyone. Equality, togetherness and technology is what counts for the new generations.

Of course you can argue whether e-sports are a sport or not. Boomers may argue it is not, but GenZ will tell you that e-sports require skill, strategy and focus. The top players are genuine athletes with a high fitness level. They are already earning millions of prize money right now. With players, viewers, sponsorships and advertising growing fast, revenues are growing exponentially and will surpass the revenues of leagues such as the NFL , NHL etc.

Opportunities for further growth are numerous as games will be transformed in real live sports with e-athletes equipped with VR/AR googles playing their own heroes in the real world. The IOC will recognize the popularity of E-Sports and hence it will obtain Olympic status. What to think of for example HADO? Technology and sports combined. It is already tremendously popular in Asia and growing fast. Undoubtedly many more sports will follow.

Interesting read: 10 awesome reasons why E-sports will take off this new decade

Prediction 6. Balance of power will shift towards the athlete

My prediction is that the future athlete will become ever more powerful. Player contracts will be entirely determined by big data, which give a detailed picture of what the athlete is capable of in terms of both athletic and commercial performance. Best offer will win!

With GenZ identifying themselves with individual athletes rather than with teams, the commercial power of athletes will further increase. Their roles as influencers, ambassadors and role models will become more important. Hence they will be in a strong bargaining position vis a vis both the brands and the clubs they represent. It will all be in the data and the ability of the athlete to align with their values. Transparency and realness pay!

Interesting read: The evolving modern athlete

Prediction 7. Performance levels of athletes will significantly increase on the back of technology, bio-medical science and neuroscience

The fight against doping is ongoing but will become increasingly difficult as the difference between what is artificial and what is natural is likely to become ever smaller. Science is learning how to rebuild humans.

No doubt difficult ethical questions will pop up. Is it allowed to replace an injured natural bodypart with a better artificial one (think 3D etc)? Will genetic enhancements be allowed in order to prevent injuries? Are non-damaging performance enhancers allowed in order to create a level playing field? Will neurotraining be allowed as long as there are no negative side effects. Athletes will be walking on a thin line! However, my prediction is that some dogmas related to these issues will slowly disappear as patients in the real world will be the ultimate beneficiaries.

Also interesting to read: The bionic athlete is not far away: 10 strong reasons why

Prediction 8. Traditional sports betting business model will be completely disrupted

Bookies, be aware! Your business model is about to be disrupted big time and you better adjust quickly! Yes, there will always be a place for sports betting, but not in the traditional way any longer. The arrival of AI and the blockchain will put traditional betting business models upside down! The role of the bookmaker will fade away and a new peer to peer betting system will have developed with more transparency and lower costs. New technology will allow for real time and tailor made betting in the stadium and anywhere else. You want to fabricate a bet with your friend in the stadium. Consider it done! It will be there!

See also: How will the blockchain impact sports

Prediction 9. Women sports will increase in popularity, gays and transgender taboo will be buried

One of the few ways to grow sports, both from a fan and a participant angle, is to grow women sports. After all, global participation of women in several popular sports is still significantly lower than that of men.

Additionally, from a marketing brand perspective, equality will remain a major theme. Expect salaries of women to increase (in fact you can see it already happening around you in sports like tennis, soccer and cycling) , also on the back of female athletes becoming major influencers and role models for (younger) fans. However, as long as the gap in popularity of women sports exist, this salary gap will not be bridged. It’s simply a question of demand and supply!

As far as gender is concerned, GenZ and Gen Alpha won’t accept anything else than gender equality. Expect gays in masculine sports to come out more frequently. Coming out will be the new normal.

Prediction 10. Fan engagement will increase through new ownership and decision models

Professional sports begin and end with the fan. No fans, no sports, it’s that simple. The fans of the future are different from the traditional ones. GenZ and Gen Alpha like to share, are entangled with technology and are used to make their own decisions. With 5G around the corner, interactivity between fan and player/team will increase, both during the game and also on and off the field. Additionally, it will become much easier to become co-owner of a club given technologies such as the blockchain. Co-ownership models will become en-vogue.

See also: 7 awesome examples of fans calling the shots

Published by Jan Kees Mons

I am Jan Kees Mons. Just call me JK, that’s easier I guess. I am a Dutchman living in the heart of the city of Amsterdam. Right now I am living on my own. However, not for much longer, as I plan to live together with my lovely girlfriend. View more posts

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Paychecks, Drafts and Firings: The Possible Future of College Sports

National Labor Relations Board testimony, now in the hands of a judge, could have wide-ranging consequences — positive and negative — for athletes and their institutions.

By Billy Witz

Reporting from Los Angeles

As Elijah Higgins sat on a witness stand last week, he detailed the similarities between his experience last season as a rookie tight end for the Arizona Cardinals and the four years he had spent playing football at Stanford University.

Five or six days a week at each level of play, he was immersed in football activities: lifting weights, practice, film study, physical therapy and playing games. There is travel on charter jets. Free tickets for friends and relatives. Robust coaching staffs setting rules.

There are some differences, Higgins allowed. In the National Football League, there are no classes to attend, though at Stanford, he said, academics took a back seat to football, which is why he still has a few classes to take before earning his bachelor’s degree in psychology.

The only other distinction is that, in contrast to Stanford, he now earns a paycheck. The minimum salary in the N.F.L. last season was $750,000.

Higgins said that at Stanford, in an environment where critical thinking was encouraged, he had begun to consider how money drove what he called the college football “system,” where even at an elite university like Stanford, the pursuit of academics was encouraged only so long as it did not interfere with football.

“I do agree with the fact that college football players are employees without status,” he said.

Higgins was the last of about two dozen witnesses who had testified over the last five months in a National Labor Relations Board hearing that bears wide-ranging consequences for a narrow question: Should football players, and basketball players, at the University of Southern California be classified as employees?

The case may not be decided for many months. But it will almost certainly end up in an appeals court, which is why there is such a voluminous record: 3,040 pages of transcripts from 21 days of testimony, along with more than 150 exhibits.

The record is so enormous that Eleanor Laws, the presiding administrative law judge who will determine how the National Labor Act applies to those players, granted lawyers an additional nine weeks to file their closing written arguments, which will now be due by July 31.

The charges have been brought by the N.L.R.B.’s general counsel on behalf of Ramogi Huma, the executive director of the National College Players Association, which advocates for college athletes’ rights. The defendants are U.S.C. along with the Pac-12 Conference and the N.C.A.A., which may have to classify athletes at member universities as employees even though the board has jurisdiction only over private institutions.

The testimony was often dry, and the hearing, which closed on Thursday, drew little attention as rafts of lawyers — as many as 16 at times — haggled over picayune details of control and compensation and whether athletes had actually been given the U.S.C. student-athlete handbook. (Though U.S.C. generated $212 million in athletic department revenue in the 2022-23 fiscal year, that is not relevant to the case, only that there is compensation and control.)

At times, the elasticity of reasonable arguments was tested.

For example, Jacob Vogel, the U.S.C. marching band director, spent more than three hours discussing with boundless enthusiasm the intricate details of his program, including how band members got dressed before football games.

The argument that playing football was little different from playing the tuba then came under cross-examination from Amanda Laufer, the lead lawyer for the general counsel, who asked how many of the 300 band members had no prior musical experience.

“About 10 to 15,” Vogel said.

“No further questions,” Laufer said, satisfied that she had provided a distinction with the football team.

The case is one of several fronts in the assault on the amateur model of college athletics. Emboldened state attorneys general have chipped away at the N.C.A.A.’s rule-making authority. Antitrust lawsuits that could force universities to pay out billions in damages are working their way through the courts. And last month, the Dartmouth men’s basketball team voted to unionize after winning the right to be classified as employees, a decision the college is appealing.

The N.C.A.A. is looking for relief from Congress, but any hope for an antitrust exemption is unlikely to come until after the presidential election — if at all.

The arguments before Judge Laws lay out contrasting visions of what college sports might look like if athletes were employees.

One is apocalyptic. The other is sanguine.

Teresa Gould, the newly appointed commissioner of the Pac-12 Conference, which is losing 10 of its member universities to other conferences by August, including U.S.C., which is leaving for the Big Ten, testified that high school football stars could be subject to a draft. She also argued that poor play — say a point guard who committed too many turnovers — might lead not to the player’s being benched but to his or her being fired.

Sonja Stills, the commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, testified that her collection of historically Black — and historically underfunded — colleges and universities “can’t afford paying out students,” who in turn wouldn’t be able to afford college if their scholarships were taxed as income. She expected Olympic sports to be axed if money had to be redirected to athletes. Women’s sports could also be imperiled, she said.

And Anastasios Kaburakis, the founder of a company that helps international athletes find opportunities to play at American colleges, described how many of those athletes would be shut out by having to obtain work visas in the United States.

Those cataclysmic assessments were waved away by another witness: Liam Anderson, a distance runner at Stanford, who characterized them as “fear mongering.” He said that not every athlete should be considered an employee and that universities would adjust — much as they have as market forces have affected big-time college sports through so-called name, image and likeness payments that are often made through booster-funded collectives .

And if college football players and players in men’s and women’s basketball could be paid as employees?

“I’d celebrate that outcome,” said Anderson, who served two years as co-president of Stanford’s student-athlete advisory committee.

Anderson’s testimony was among the more compelling during the hearing, which took place in a conference room in a nondescript office building in West Los Angeles.

Anderson described staying at the same Las Vegas hotel last year during the N.C.A.A. tournament as the Arkansas men’s basketball team. A security guard told Anderson his job was to ensure that players did not leave their rooms — a sign of control that buttressed testimony from former U.S.C. football players, who said they had been required to check in for meals with fingerprint scans and to text photos to anonymous attendance checkers to prove they were in class.

A loophole in the board’s byzantine rules allowed Anderson and Higgins, neither of whom attended U.S.C., to testify — even after the general counsel had exhausted its list of witnesses. Because the N.C.A.A. had called upon athletes from other universities to testify, the general counsel was able to call rebuttal witnesses who also did not attend U.S.C.

Opposing lawyers did not know who would be testifying until a witness took the stand, a procedure that protects witnesses in fair labor cases from intimidation. This often set off a flurry of computer searches by lawyers with sometimes only 30 minutes or so before cross-examination.

In the case of Anderson, that led to his being pressed by Daniel Nash, the lead lawyer for the Pac-12, to explain statements he had made in The Stanford Daily that were at odds with his testimony, including an instance in which he had called the idea of paying college athletes an “obvious financial impossibility” in a 2021 op-ed piece .

“My views on this have evolved,” Anderson said.

Lauren Herstik contributed reporting.

Question and Answer forum for K12 Students

Sports in India Essay | Essay on Sports in India for Students and Children in English

Sports in India Essay: Over the past few decades, with active involvement in major global decisions and events, India has left significant footprint in every arena. On the threshold of achieving the mantle of global leadership, Indian success story is scripted in diverse fields of political debates, economy, social ventures, entrepreneurship, art and culture. However, the domain of sports continues to experience drought of significant Indian presence. The nation of over 1.2bn continues to grapple with ideas to build a sporting culture.

You can read more  Essay Writing  about articles, events, people, sports, technology many more.

Long and Short Essays on Sports in India for Students and Kids in English

A Long essay on the topic of Laughter is the Best Medicine is provided; it is of 450-500 words. A short composition of 100-150 words is also given below. The extended articles are popular among students of classes 7, 8, 9, and 10. On the other hand, students in grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 can refer to short essays.

Long Essay on Sports in India 150 Words in English

Long Essay on Sports in India is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Sports in Indian society have always been viewed as a leisure activity, which is given the “leftover” time, after tending to “more significant” activities. From time immemorial, kings and princes indulged in sports like hunting or chariot racing for the purpose of amusement. Though the global notions about sports underwent a change, the Indian mindset has refused to bring out and expand the place of sports in our society.

Over the past decades, with every passing global sporting event like the Olympics or the Asiads, our attention shifts to the depressing state if Indian sports. This attention span is minimal. As a society, we return to our works for sustenance and in training the upcoming generation to earn their daily bread. For the nation, we expect medals in global events but shirk away from preparing our child to be that medal winner.

The presence or absence of sporting culture in any society is a reflection of several other factors operating simultaneously in the social milieu. India, with huge population as a resource is gifted with a large pool of human resource to draw out talent for different sports. Towns and villages abound with youngsters, whose natural inclination towards sports, can be molded into global sporting personalities.

Dhanraj Pillai, Deepika Kumari, Vijender Singh, Sushil Kumar all represent the twinkle eyed youngster from small towns with big aspirations to shine with their talent, when presented with any opportunity. But the names are few enough to be counted on fingertips. A sporting culture would require proliferation of such opportunities, through government and corporate endeavors, to nooks and corners of the nation.

As a developing nation with huge population and debilitating unemployment, “career development” is a major cause of worry for the youth and their parents. The mindset which is rigidly cast in our society expects students to devote themselves unconditionally to books till they emerge out with decent jobs. Studies are considered the sole path to land up a decent job to earn livelihood and raise a family. This route has attained social sanction and any deviation from this standard finds awkward stares, rebukes and obstructions to overcome. For a sporting culture to develop, sports must be viewed as a viable career option in the Indian society.

Parents fail to recognize sports as career option in India. They understood the limited nature of opportunities for the sportsmen at the recognized national level. Only a handful, from amongst a million aspirants, due to several reasons, get to represent the Indian national side in any sport. The remaining becomes part of the crowd, jostling for space to shine at the pinnacle. Any position below the top goes unrecognized and remains non-lucrative to be perused as a career option in sport. But as a society don’t we fail to recognize the same situation in other disciplines as well. We are ready to push our children to become mediocre or sub-standard engineers, doctors, lawyers, CAs but not as a sportsman. This reflects upon the challenge in building India into a sporting nation.

Sporting culture will begin to take shape only when an assured career progression system can be charted out for every sport. This will induce confidence in parents to permit their child to follow his sporting passion as a decent earning assurance at every step even below the nationals could be visualized. Another impediment in the way of building sporting culture is the lack of quality and affordable coaching available for youngsters to pursue their dreams. Most schools fail to provide for a specialized coach for every sport as that will add to the school fees.

As sport is not considered as an integrated part of education, this expenditure is viewed as an avoidable burden by the school authorities. They end up hiring a generalist trainer who fails to spot talent for a particular sport and groom the child accordingly. Also, the infrastructure in most schools is found wanting to promote most of the sports. The private coaching centres have recently found space in certain cities. However, the high cost charged by them deters the talented youth from lower and middle class from joining these centres.

The performances in sports at school and college level fail to attract appreciation and recognition. The student is judged only by his ability to obtain marks in academics, which adds to the peer pressure of an aspiring sportsman. He is expected to perform in academics for the social acceptance and additionally find, time and energy to shine in the sports coaching academies, simply to justify his interest and ability. This dual expectation burden has nipped several budding sporting talents at the very onset of their careers.

Lack of transparency at various selection levels has also been afflicting the Indian sports. Sincere hard working youth often fail to make the cut in the trials where several unethical practices seem to dominate. Lack of fairness at trials is a big setback to the honest efforts of any sportsman. Feeling of dejection is compounded by the future related uncertainties and social mockery of his abilities.

Absence of a healthy and dependable social security system adds to the resistance in pursuing sports as a career. Any major injury or lack of selector’s favourable nod can prolong the period of struggle, characterized by uncertain and meager income source. The healthy social security system of networked schools and health care abroad recognize and support players of the zonal and club levels to the fullest. This state provided assurance promotes a confidence in the society to create space for a sporting culture to proliferate. The role of administrative bodies also comes under scanner when deliberating upon development of sporting culture.

Most of these bodies have become granaries of inefficiency and malfunctioning. Often run as fiefdoms, they prevent the transparent and accountable face of sports to emerge in Indian society. Active role of these administrative bodies with a wider involvement of senior players in decision making can give impetus to sporting culture in India. The proposal to get these bodies under the scanner of RTI is a progressive step to drive away the darkness of inefficiency and unaccountability enveloping these bodies.

With every passing Olympics, we blankly stare at spirit and stamina of global athletes competing for laurel. While US, China and European nations race ahead with medals, our levels of disappointment increase with each passing day. We feel elated even to come on board the medals tally by some spirited efforts. This picture demands a makeover. A makeover which should catapult India onto the sporting map of the world and this demands a collective effort by several stakeholders. The packed stadium euphoria of cricket needs to be replicated in other sports by a determined focus and planned approach.

For any culture to germinate and flourish, the seeds have to be healthy and rich. The recent performances at the Asiads, the Common Wealth Games and other global events portends that the embryo needs to be molded with an eye at the future. China managed to bring about such a flourishing sporting culture in about two decades. The opportune moment in Indian sporting history is now and needs to be grasped with both hands to develop the culture over the next few decades.

Schools are the nurseries of spotting and grooming sporting talent to bring about a makeover to Indian outlook for sports. Marks for sports performances can be an innovative step to create space for more sporting activities. Diversification of sporting activities, by providing sports other than cricket a chance must be taken up in right earnest. Higher frequency of inter and intra school sports meet will generate a competitive spirit amongst the students to shine for their units. Preparation for these meets will ensure focused time and energy spent to bring out the best of the student in the sport of his liking.

The culture of pushing all school kids to play cricket or football in their sports period must change. A focused and scientific approach to identify the sport specific talents and their grooming over a period of time will pay rich dividends over time. Free passes for students to attend sporting events in their cities will have a strong effect in imbibing sporting spirit by students. Schools can arrange interactions of students’with performing sports icons of the city to motivate and inspire youth to take to sports.

Every segment of the society must collectively take the responsibility of building the sporting culture. State must ensure that sporting facilities reach to the grassroots through schools and colleges in rural areas. Games like volleyball and handball which require minimal infrastructural support can be taken up on priority basis. Regular recruitment of coaches for schools and colleges must be emphasized and ensured. It is imminent to spread the opportunities to every part of the nation to tap the talent.

Corporate houses can contribute strongly to this cause by sponsoring of mega events. They can aid in causing awareness by publicizing events. Training academies set by MRF and Tata have been doing a yeoman service to the nation by grooming talented and providing them a platform to knock on doors of national selectors. Many products of these academies have shone brightly for the nation at different stages. Certain costly sports need active subsidized coaching either by state or the corporate. Tennis, squash, badminton or shooting have been inaccessible to common masses due to lack of adequate and affordable centre to learn the game. This arena demands active focus by government and corporate.

The state government can establish hunt teams to collaborate with district administration to hunt for hidden talent in obscure areas. Swimming talent from ponds of villages and archery from tribes of forest must be tapped by this team through coordination between school authorities, coaches and district administration. Such selected youth must be groomed in sports academies, with lodging and food to develop an Olympian for the nation.

Media and sporting icons have a critical role in building a sporting culture in India. The omnipresent media must highlight the apathy of sports bodies and raise awareness about the need for more systematized career progression in sports. It must play an active role through debates and discussions to attack the mindsets of people and sell sports as a career option.

Cricket caught the imagination of the nation by the active role of 1983 World Cup winning team and the continued stature given to cricketers by media. Cricket should not be viewed as an adversary of the sports in India. Rather lessons can be taken for the popularity of cricket to transform the cricketing culture into sporting culture. There is enough space for other sports to grow and flourish in India along with cricket.

Public memory has a very short span, especially with sports in India because as a nation we are not overly involved with sports. In such scenario, media plays a force multiplier by repeatedly flashing past performances, by interviewing famous cricketers or by holding cricket related debates and discussions. This keeps the cricketers fresh in every one’s memoiy along with the overdose of cricket matches and their “live” coverage. Such planned marketing is supported by frequent successes in cricket which has generated role models like Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar. With this backdrop and the recent successes of Saina Nehwal, Sushil Kumar, Gagan Narang, Mary Kom media must build up campaign to disseminate a ,sporting culture.

More companies should approach these stars for advertisement, campaigns so that their “presence” can be felt by society, promoting any upcoming event through adcampaigns and hoardings and by infusing money in these sports by corporate backing can bring a different scenario altogether. The ripple effect of Vijender Singh’s success transformed Bhiwani into a boxing hub. We need more such hubs for athletics, swimming, basketball, hockey and football to emerge in the nation.

Saina and Gopichand’s success turned attention towards badminton while Leander and Mahesh are looked up to in lawn tennis. The success story of these icons demands continued coverage by media along with their upcoming events, to create space for these sports. These performances must be tracked and details brought to public to allow them to have a look and encourage their child to follow these footprints.

Sports in India need a renewed focus. It is time it moves away from the last pages of newspaper, last period of schools, and last priority of parents for their child’s careers and domains of last benchers of schools and colleges. It is time that sporting authorities get a revamp by inclusion of more experienced players in decision making so that they understand requirement of players threadbare. It is time we understand that thrill and pride on hearing the national anthem played when Abhinav Bindra won the gold for India requires sustained efforts, hard work and support from parents. His case was of individuals fight despite the resistance of the system. Imagine how many more Bindras India can produce if the system is supportive, procedures conducive and mindset favourable for a sporting culture to flourish.

Globalization of Terror

The images of collapsing trade, towards are etched crystal clear in our memories. Explosions in Madrid and London were heard the world over – repeatedly in the comforts of living rooms. Closer home, serial blasts in Mumbai Malegaon or recent atrocities in Hyderabad were all carried, presented and vividly dissected in scrutiny for our consumption. Connectivity, we defend, is an asset a necessity in the modern era. The world is shrinking and the global hub has gifted numerous opportunities and advantages to en cash. But in this rush to capitalize on the fruits of globalization, have we missed its impact on a hostile framework? The role of globalization, both as a cause and vehicle of perpetration of violence is increasingly being realized.

Short Essay on Sports in India 150 Words in English

Short Essay on Sports in India is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Globalization has revolutionized each and every aspect of our society, touching us at myriad levels in numerous ways. From the times, we decided to jumps on and integrate with global forces by adopting the new economic policy, the pace of changes has only taken a unidirectional approach. Easing of restrictions on trade barriers and tariffs, introduced an era of competition and quality in the Indian markets. Consumerism has become the order of the day. Nations began to pour in their strengths to capture markets elsewhere. However, the growth story missed the vision from another segment. This market led approach bled the farmers, the weaker and the marginalized sections of our society. Though the fruits of growth percolated to these sections, inequity grew at a rapid pace, creating pockets of grudges, neglect and marginalization.

Globalization brought along an era of instant entertainment through satellite television, ignorant of the sensitivity of the population. Though the barriers of culture and religion were being broken down to build a world of understanding, the process accentuated alienation of certain segments of the society, by sheer

• Essay On Importance Of Sports

Essay on Sports

500+ word essay on the importance of sports.

Sports keep us healthy and active. We can have a healthy mind only when we have a healthy body. We can achieve anything in our lives if we have a healthy body and a peaceful mind. Physical and mental well-being comes naturally when we involve ourselves in sports activities. Sports help in improving our overall personality and make us more active and attentive. Here, students can find a 500+ Words Essay on the Importance of Sports where we will be discussing how important a role sports plays in our life.

Essay on the Importance of Sports

The topic of sports is very broad. It can serve as a form of therapy and a tool in different aspects of life, which can help change the world. Through sports, children develop physical skills, exercise, be team players, and improve their self-esteem. Sports play a significant role in advancing education and in enhancing knowledge.

Playing sports means regular exercising, jogging, going to the fitness centres or playing any game. There are different types of games involved in sports activities. Each game has its own specific rules. These sports activities are done either by individuals or teams for leisure, and entertainment as well as to compete against one another. Playing sports improves the physiological functions of the body organs and improves the functionality of the entire body system. Through sports, we learn different skills like leadership, patience, coordination, motivation, and team effort.

Sport has great importance in building personality, too. For some people, it is not only the body movement or playing strategy, but it’s a life philosophy. In the modern world, a positive attitude to sports is becoming a trend and style. Young people try to look sporty, fit and full of energy. A sports career in India was considered less lucrative in the past. However, now it has become one of the gainful professional options for students. Sometimes students take an interest in sports merely for adventure and a tension-free life. Now, sports games are gaining popularity. Various sports competitions are played at the international level, such as the Olympics. Apart from it, multiple matches and inter-city competitions are organised to promote the field of sports.

Benefits of Sports and Games

Nowadays, we can see problems related to unhealthy lifestyles. We sit more and more on the couch, surrounded by modern technologies. We don’t realise the importance and benefits of sports and physical activities. The lack of physical activity in our body leads to obesity and many other health problems such as heart disease and so. It has become a necessity of today’s world that all of us do daily physical activities or play any sports for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Regular physical activity benefits health in many ways. It helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints, controls weight, reduces fat, and prevents high blood pressure. Children who participate in physical activities such as sports, experience positive health benefits. These health benefits include a decreased risk of high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Also, these children are less likely to smoke or use drugs and alcohol than children who don’t participate in sports.

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Frequently asked Questions on the Importance of Sports Essay

Why is playing sports important for us.

Playing sports not only helps in the active functioning of our body but also helps in flexibility and reduces the chances of falling sick.

Which was the first sport to be played in the world?

Wrestling is said to have been the first sport played in the world, depictions of the same can be found in the caves of France.

Which is the most famous sport in the world?

Football is ranked as the top sport with 3.5 billion followers, seconded by Cricket.

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Essay on Sports in India

Students are often asked to write an essay on Sports in India in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Sports in India

Introduction.

India is a country where sports are deeply rooted in the culture. From ancient games like Kabaddi to modern ones like cricket, sports have always been a significant part of Indian life.

Popular Sports

Cricket is the most popular sport in India. It’s not just a game here, but a religion. Hockey, the national sport, also has a strong following.

International Recognition

India has gained international recognition in sports. In cricket, India has won multiple World Cups. In other sports like badminton and wrestling, Indian athletes have achieved global fame.

In conclusion, sports play a crucial role in India, uniting people and bringing international glory. The future of Indian sports looks promising with the growing interest in various games.

Also check:

• Speech on Sports in India

250 Words Essay on Sports in India

Historical perspective.

India’s sporting culture has evolved significantly over centuries. Ancient texts like the Mahabharata and Ramayana indicate the prevalence of sports such as chariot racing and archery. During the Mughal era, sports like polo and chess gained popularity.

Colonial Impact and Cricket

The British colonial rule introduced new sports, most notably cricket. Cricket became a national obsession, reflecting India’s colonial past and post-colonial identity. Its popularity overshadowed traditional sports, creating a skewed sporting culture.

Government Initiatives

Post-independence, the government established various sports bodies and introduced schemes like “Khelo India” to promote sports. Despite these initiatives, the focus remained primarily on cricket, leading to a lack of infrastructure and funding for other sports.

Recent Developments

The 21st century witnessed a shift. Sports like badminton, wrestling, and shooting started gaining recognition due to consistent international performances. The advent of leagues like the Indian Super League (Football) and Pro Kabaddi League revitalized interest in diverse sports.

Challenges and Future

Despite progress, challenges persist. Inadequate infrastructure, lack of professional coaching, and corruption in sports bodies hinder growth. However, the increasing success of Indian athletes on international platforms is inspiring a new generation. With strategic planning and implementation, India can emerge as a global sporting powerhouse.

In conclusion, sports in India have a rich history and promising future. However, the journey involves overcoming significant challenges to ensure equitable development across all sports. The recent successes serve as a beacon of hope, pointing towards a future where India’s sporting culture is as diverse as its heritage.

500 Words Essay on Sports in India

India, a nation with a rich history and diverse culture, has a unique relationship with sports. While cricket is often seen as a religion, many other sports also hold significant importance in the Indian society. Sports in India are a blend of traditional games and modern sports, reflecting the country’s socio-cultural milieu.

Sports in India have been an integral part of the culture since ancient times. Games like Chess and Polo were invented in India and were later spread to the world. The Rigveda mentions archery, chariot racing, and animal fights, indicating the importance of sports in Vedic society. The Mughal period saw the advent of sports like wrestling and hunting, which are still popular in certain regions.

Cricket: The Unofficial National Sport

The British introduced cricket to India in the 18th century. Since then, cricket has become the most popular sport in the country, eclipsing all others in terms of viewership and participation. The Indian cricket team’s success on the international stage, including two World Cup victories, has further ingrained cricket into the national consciousness. The Indian Premier League (IPL), a professional Twenty20 cricket league, has transformed the sport into a lucrative industry, attracting global attention.

Other Popular Sports

Despite the dominance of cricket, other sports like hockey, football, badminton, and wrestling have also made their mark. Hockey, the official national sport, brought India eight Olympic gold medals, making it one of the most successful sports in India’s history. In recent years, sports like badminton and wrestling have gained popularity due to the international success of players like P.V. Sindhu and Sushil Kumar.

The Rise of New Sports

The 21st century has witnessed the emergence of new sports in India. Leagues for sports like kabaddi (Pro Kabaddi League) and football (Indian Super League) have been launched, inspired by the IPL’s success. These leagues have helped popularize these sports, providing a platform for local talent to shine.

The Indian government has launched several initiatives to promote sports. The Khelo India programme aims to identify and nurture sporting talent at the grassroots level. The government has also invested in sports infrastructure and training facilities, recognizing the role of sports in promoting health and national pride.

Challenges and the Way Forward

Despite the progress, Indian sports face several challenges. These include inadequate infrastructure, lack of professional training, and corruption in sports bodies. Addressing these issues is crucial for the further development of sports in India. The way forward involves comprehensive sports policies, increased investment, and a culture that values sports as an essential part of education and personal development.

Sports in India have come a long way from being mere recreational activities to becoming a significant aspect of the country’s cultural identity. The future of Indian sports looks promising, with the rise of new sports, government initiatives, and increasing global recognition. However, addressing the existing challenges is crucial to ensure the continued growth and success of Indian sports on the international stage.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on Price Rise in India
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Sports as a Career Analysis Essay

A career is basically the course of situations that form an individual’s work life. A career is important to every person, and as growing up, it is considered most vital to do activities and follow the lifestyle that would help in building a fruitful and prolific career. The purpose of this essay is to cover all the aspects of a chosen job or a career falling into the profession that is chosen to be sports. It would outline all the prospects, opportunities, and openings that may be available to an individual through the successful accomplishment in the profession. Furthermore, the basic features such as the earnings, benefits, required expertise, education, and other aspects related to sports and being a sportsperson would also be covered in the paper.

With the passage of time and the progress of the globalization phenomenon, there has become a diverse and widespread range of careers available for people to implement according to their skills. A career pertains to remunerative work, and the return that one gets out of his or her career is based upon the combination of skills, knowledge, and most importantly, the right choice of profession. Having a successful career is very important in today’s highly competitive work environment as every individual is eager to earn a luxurious lifestyle, and it is vital to excelling in the work career if one wants to be able to have a better standard of living. There are a plethora of jobs alternatives that are given preference according to a person’s interest, skills, and of course, the prospect that would be achieved through the job. Career counseling is another career that is available to people for them to discover what they are good at and what kind of career they would have the most interest in and would hence, excel. Also, career assessment opportunities help people explore and better identify and articulate the jobs that would be most suitable to them and would complement their personalities, values, and skills.

Through the numerous substitutes available to pursue as a profession, one that is emerging as the most prolific and productive is the career in sports. There has been an extended engagement in sports and leisure activities by people in all parts of the world, in particular among those in the industrialized world. A sport is entertainment that is enjoyed in every part of the world. With the increase of leisure time and the spread of mass media and marketing, there has become professionalism. Furthermore, with the passage of time and due to the awareness about the positive effects of sports and leisure activities on work outputs, social behavior, and mental and physical health, organizations have been promoting sports as a means to strengthen productivity and innovation. This new importance of sports has caused a healthy increase in the leisure and sports sector of the economies. In this decade of modernization and with the help of the media boom all around the globe, sports is said to have become a global business that helps generate billions for all the stakeholders involved. There are a number of careers involved in sports, such as a sports team doctor who stays alongside the team and assists if any medical help is needed as well as executives, marketers, writers, and academics. Sports management is also another booming career that is flourishing career that beings people of business backgrounds in this profession. However, a sportsperson, or rather known as an athlete, is someone who plays in the team, and this career is thought of as the best that a career could offer to an individual.

Just like any other profession or career, the one in sports follows a series of step-by-step accomplishments. It starts at a low stage, and how much a person can excel as a sportsperson depends solely upon the combination of skills and opportunities. Making a proper career out of sports is something that is new to the professional world, and it is a niche that is rapidly coming up as one of the most flourishing career openings because of the increasing awareness and importance of sports throughout the globe. Being a sportsperson seems very glamorous and attractive as it may be the best way to do something one loves and earn a living out of it. But it is, in fact, not that simple as everyone is not good enough as a sportsperson to play at a level that is nationally or internationally recognized.

Being a sportsperson has many advantages and benefits, but the fact is that it is not easy to accomplish as a superior sportsperson or an athlete. Being a sportsperson requires a lot of effort, time, hard work, and enthusiasm. Professional sportspeople need to have a high level of sporting abilities and need to be able to play at national and international levels alongside other competitors who may have more skills. The knowledge requirements include good knowledge of the rules, techniques, and skills of the sport. It is very important for sportspeople to maintain fitness and healthiness by following a healthy diet and lifestyle because they are dependent on their physical fitness to maintain good standing in the sport. Another requirement that professional sportspeople need to maintain is to be disciplined, self-confident, and motivated. These personal qualities help them gain the strength and enthusiasm to put in the utmost effort. They must be dedicated and need to train themselves to develop or maintain their skills in order to remain competitive. Moreover, people who wish to enter into a career in sports need to have a good level of fitness and health and a body that has enough stamina to cope with the physical demands of their job. It is often said that having a sporting ability is something that is innate or which develops at a very early age. But although it is true that excelling in a sport to a level that is recognized nationally or internationally requires almost a lifetime of practice and effort, yet it cannot be claimed that it is something that needs to be acknowledged at a very early age. Sports calls for a healthy body with time and training to develop the skill, and it only gets better with time.

According to the article by Settimi named ‘Highest earners on the pitch,’ one of the major benefits that are available to successful sportspeople is the financial gains and the amount of salary that they get. The salary structure of sportspeople is never stable; over the normal salary amount, they get the payment according to the number of matches that they play and according to their wins. Sports is said to be the only profession that pays so much to do recreation. However, people who play at the lower levels may not earn a lot, but considering that they do not require much of the technical skills, they may find it worth it. Sports is a product that gains attention from a large number of viewers, and the revenue is not earned through the sale of a tangible item but rather through gaining the interest and devotion of the people that are engrossed in the game. Sports have the tendency to earn revenue from a number of sources. These could include, firstly, the revenue from the sale of tickets which is quite a lot when it comes to games that are played globally and on a large scale. Second, due to the mass viewership of games of sports, companies find it as a blooming opportunity to promote their products and pay large amounts of money to reserve their spots. Along with these, there are other main return bases of sports, such as the selling of television rights to air the matches and seasons on various television channels.

According to the article ‘Sponsorship form’ in the Economist, Sponsorship is also a vital reason for the large pay scale of sportspeople. Sponsorship is received not only by games, but there are also by companies and brands that sponsor individual athletes. However, the problem with sponsoring a particular team is the supporters of other teams may feel opposed or alienated from the brand; similarly, if a sponsored player behaves badly, it would affect the image of the sponsor brand. Hence, sponsorship of a particular team or athlete doesn’t always lead to higher sales, and the sponsorship of sports events has the edge. Sponsorship of games is considered as profitable as advertising because sports has the tendency of gaining the attention of a large number of people, and it thrives on forming an emotional connection with the viewers, as a result of which, the companies reinforce their being through displaying themselves to a large audience with the help of a sports platform. Also, ‘sports is something that is watched throughout the world, it seems to have no national barriers, and therefore companies find it beneficial to market themselves across countries through sports events’ (Stimpson, 2002). These sponsorships are worth millions, and they largely benefit the stakeholders of sports, such as the players.

Having a career in sports is a chance that may also be available to the people who do not have the resources or the access to gain a formal education. An article named ‘field of dreams’ states the trend of a number of agencies going to other countries and look for talented sportspeople who they can train to be better and play for them. These people get lucky and end up earning hundreds of thousands out of their sporting abilities. The citizens of places like Africa who are struck by poverty hope to send their children to Europe or other places where they can get a chance in sports and earn a better living. The article explains the recruiting practices that bring aspiring players from poor regions of the world to more developed countries.

Another phenomenon pointed out in the article by Larmer, ‘The guns for hire will work for gold,’ is the fact that many nations are benefiting from the recruitment of foreign athletes to represent them in the Olympics. Recently, two volleyball players who originally belonged to Brazil became citizens of Georgia for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Similarly, countries such as Qatar and Bahrain also recruited athletes from Africa and paid them millions of dollars for representing these countries. This strategy is helpful for the countries that have a lot of money, but they do not have athletes who could make a name for them in worldwide renowned events such as the Olympics. This proves to be another plus point for being a good sportsperson. The prospects are available worldwide, and it is not subjected to any language or cultural barriers. This globalization of sports is another one of many opportunities that are open to people that chose sports as a career at an early point in time.

A career in sports is said to last as long as the person is fit and plays the games. But the main charm of this career is that even though the players may not be playing any sport, they may still have several ways to make millions through the name that they have made of themselves. Sports tend to gain attention throughout the world; this may be through mass media or other sorts of promotional activities. Hence, any player that is good enough to be featured in games held internationally gets to be known and admired by the people who watch these games with utmost interest and enthusiasm. Once a sportsperson is ended with playing in a certain team, he or she would probably be known by a large number of the world’s population which would prove beneficial as they would be somebody with a name and respect. We can see examples of players such as David Beckham and Michael Jordan who not only earn through their sporting career but also make a fortune out of the name that they have earned for themselves. There are many other sporting vocations other than being a player, which a sportsperson can take up and be better at because of his or her experience, understanding, and exposure in the field. There are many athletes who, after retirement, tend to become coaches or trainers for other athletes. The job of manager of sports teams or players is also an opportunity open to retired athletes along with a number of other jobs that a sportsperson can venture into after the sportsperson career.

Through the advent of globalization and the formation of the world as more of a global village, the sports industry is following a similar pattern. Sporting labor markets are becoming global as the teams now comprise players from all parts of the world. Similar to other business markets, the sports market is now also in the state of the import and exports of players. This factor is a beneficial aspect for a sportsperson as the most talented players are gravitating towards the richest employers who pay them a lot more than they can earn otherwise. In return for this, the best players benefit these organizations by attracting more fans and, thus, more revenue. However, there are many sports that foreign countries are unaware of, such as American football. These sports are played only in certain countries, and thus the prospects of the players of these sports are less towards globalization of sports. Yet, with the passage of time, there are efforts made through media, advertisements, and exhibition of matches to promote these sports in areas where they are not played or, for that matter, even known.

One of the key advantages to the sportspeople of the globalization of the sports industry is that playing at an international level opens a new base and creates a bigger fan following for the athletes. Many of the sporting events are now aiming at playing on international grounds in order to promote themselves on a broader level around different parts of the world. For example, the English football leagues have the practice that every team plays every other twice, once on the home ground and once away. Hence, it is beneficial as the expansion of the viewership of the game is directly proportional to the expansion of the viewership of the team players.

When sportspeople retire from sports, they still have a number of doors open to them. According to the article in ‘The economist,’ named as ‘fun, games and money,’ Hiring Sportspeople for promoting the products to the consumers is a great attraction for organizations that are looking for ways to increase their market share and brand awareness. Companies aim to use the sportspeople to be their brand ambassadors and promoters because they believe that if people are interested in the sport, they would be interested in the players, and if they are interested in the player, they may become interested in them and their product. This is a well-renowned strategy and is beneficial since there are a large number of people who are interested in sports and maybe attracted through this form of advertising. The return that companies get out of the use of athletes and sportspeople as their brand ambassadors is remarkable. It is evident that people tend to take athletes as role models and aim to follow a similar lifestyle, and thus, an athlete promoting a particular product could lay a great impact on the audience. For this influence and power that the sportspeople hold, companies are inclined to pay them in very large amounts, which could earn them a luxurious living even when they are no more a part of any sporting activity. This further opens opportunities to these athletes that are better known and become and a household name in major parts of the world and can access other television professions as well.

The openings, prospects, and opportunities available to athletes is remarkable as it allows them to make a name for themselves and even though it is argued that a profession in sports is always limited to a certain age, carving an influence and making a name in this profession leads to a career that can flourish for more than a lifetime. In the end, it is important to recognize the struggles that need to be made in order to cross the hurdles that come in the way. Furthermore, it is often possible that an outstanding athlete may go unrecognized if not provided with the right forum to be noticed, and sometimes without the right guidelines and awareness, it is difficult to accomplish a career in this field. As time progresses, the field of sports as a professional career is becoming more competitive, but the possibility of it saturating is not viable, seeing that there is a constant cycle of players emerging, flourishing, and retiring hence, making room for upcoming more talented and dedicated athletes. Therefore, if one has the required talent, skills, and abilities, it could not get better than that in making a career out of and using this endowment in the best possible manner.

Works Cited

Butt, D. S. Psychology of Sport: The Behavior, Motivation, Personality, and Performance of Athletes. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1976: 21-61.

“Fun, games and money”. The Economist. 2008: Vol. 387 Issue 8591, Special Report. p3-4.

Kahn, L. M. “Discrimination in Professional Sports: A Survey of the Literature”. Industrial & Labor Relations Review. 1991: Vol. 44 Issue 3. p395-418.

“Local Heroes”. Economist. 2008: Vol. 387 Issue 8591, Special Report. p10-12.

Salter, C. “The Most Valuable Player in Sports is…this Doctor”. Fast Company. Issue 128. 2008: 104-140.

Settimi, C. “Highest Earners on the Pitch”. Forbes Asia. Vol. 4 Issue 9. 2008.

“Sponsorship Form”. Economist. 2008: Vol. 387 Issue 8591, Special Report. p7-9.

Larmer, B. The gun’s for hire will work for gold. Time south pacific , Issue 34 (Australia /New Zealand Edition). p53. 2008.

Walt, V (2008). Field of Dreams. Time south pacific , Issue 25 (Australia /New Zealand Edition). p34-39.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2021, October 1). Sports as a Career Analysis. https://ivypanda.com/essays/sports-as-a-career-analysis/

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IvyPanda . (2021) 'Sports as a Career Analysis'. 1 October.

IvyPanda . 2021. "Sports as a Career Analysis." October 1, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/sports-as-a-career-analysis/.

1. IvyPanda . "Sports as a Career Analysis." October 1, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/sports-as-a-career-analysis/.

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Game Changer: Accelerating the Media Industry’s Most Dynamic Sector

Gaming & Esports: Media’s Next Paradigm SHIFT

Charting Economic Opportunities in the New Digital Paradigm

Personal and Proactive Digital Government

Technology, Media, and Telecommunications

/ report, let the game begin: how esports is shaping the future of live entertainment.

By  Dr. Alexander Schudey ,  Pavel Kasperovich ,  Adeel Ikram ,  David Panhans , and  Lyudmila Matviets

Our last two reports highlighted the rapidly expanding prevalence of gaming in people’s lives (especially in the Middle East), and the unprecedented opportunities this opens for the industry overall . Professional competitions are a natural extension of every game. Video games are no exception, with the first esports tournaments dating back to the early 1990s. From there, it was only a matter of time for them to move from arcades to arenas, and the stakes to grow from bragging rights to millions in prize money. This report explains what esports is, where it differs from traditional sports, and how to best leverage its potential both globally and in the Middle East.

This report addresses key questions, painting the picture of a vibrant new sector bursting with opportunity:

• What is esports and how similar is it to traditional sports?
• How big is the esports market, and what is its growth potential?
• How can stakeholders in esports and other sectors shape the future of esports?
• What challenges does esports need to overcome to reach a significant scale?
• Why is the Middle East well positioned to lead the next wave in esports?

Key Insights

• Game environment: Competition is built around video rather than physical games.
• Ecosystem structure: Esports has a dedicated ecosystem that includes 2 stakeholders not present in physical sports – game publishers and licensing partners.
• Competition format: While inspired by sports, each video game has a unique composition of events with its own tournament structure and rules.
• Even the largest esports events are 50x times smaller than the FIFA World Cup, the world’s largest sporting event.
• Top esports events exceed 100 million hours watched, while the time required to pass this threshold is decreasing.
• Top esports events sell tens of thousands of tickets for live attendance in days or even hours.
• Esports events are growing both in number (>300 tournaments with prizes $100,000 or more) and prestige (average prize level doubled from 2018 to 2021 – e.g., The International’s $40 million prize pool in 2021 approached Wimbledon’s $50 million).
• Esports growth will likely continue as much potential remains untapped: esports’ audience is ~500 million, just 15% of the total gamer population (3 billion). This potential may be captured by existing or new video games, with mobile game-based esports being an important trend to follow.
• Esports clubs are starting to professionalize and grow scale: e.g., Team Liquid covers >15 esports games and has created a diversified business model with >25 million fans.
• National governments are adopting esports-related legislation: e.g., France has recognized esports as a professional sport and esports competitors as athletes.
• Multinational bodies are experimenting with esports: e.g., Asian Games 2022 will have 8 esports disciplines.
• Esports federations are creating dedicated programs to find and nurture talent and make esports a sustainable career: e.g., Japan’s JeSU offers minimum annual salaries in esports leagues, while some Chinese regions support esports players to acquire real estate and pursue higher education.
• Brands are leveraging esports as a marketing channel: e.g., HP, Intel, Mercedes-Benz, Nike, and Louis Vuitton are promoting their products through esports.
• The business model is not yet sustainable: Esports needs to unlock the potential of media rights to transition from being a “marketing cost” for video games to a stand-alone industry.
• Game publishers are cautious: Esports is not a risk-free endeavor as it can impact the perceptions or reputations of the underlying video games (publishers’ main business), but collaboration might be a path to optimize costs and grow the esports scene at the same time.
• Regulations are nascent: stakeholders need to adopt basic practices like in traditional sports (e.g., event calendar), while governments need to consider recognizing esports as an industry and career to make it more organized and predictable, especially for clubs and fans.
• The Middle East offers significant potential for the gaming industry, with a large population of gamers and a track record of recent investment, which is promising for the global esports ecosystem.
• Saudi Arabia has created the largest independent esports event (Gamers8), with 12 esports competitions in 2023 and an unprecedented $45 million in prizes over 8 weeks, while implementing programs to support esports clubs and athletes.
• UAE is also very active in the field, establishing gaming hubs (e.g., Abu Dhabi Gaming is a home for Nigma Galaxy esports club), hosting top global events (such as BLAST Premier World Final for CS:GO in Abu Dhabi in 2022 and 2023, and the PUBG Global Championship 2022 in Dubai), and creating strong local events (e.g., Dubai Esports Festival, Games for Change summit in Abu Dhabi, and an anime and gaming festival in Al Ain).

Middle East Expert perspective: Turki Alfawzan Interview

Turki Alfawzan

Chief Executive Officer at Saudi Esports Federation

Esports: An introduction

Esports gets inspiration from traditional sports in many respects, but differs in 3 important ways:

Game environment

Ecosystem structure, competition format.

Firstly, competition is built around video rather than physical games. While this may sound easy or even trivial, the intensity of an esports tournament can match that of a football final. Esports athletes experience significant stress and surge in their heart rate, 1 1 Source: National Library of Medicine Notes: 1 Source: National Library of Medicine while demonstrating extraordinary skills (unique in each genre), such as speed in their reactions (<200ms) or actions per minute (400-600 APM).

Even today, the likelihood of success in competitive esports is scarce for casual gamers. As with traditional sports, participating at a professional level demands full commitment and dedication from players, who spend 70-80 hours per week training to be the best in their game. Teams/players often live together to optimize their training schedule, sharpen team strategy, tactics, and communications, and develop their individual skills by playing daily against other great players. Complex systems emerge around players to ensure they are ready for important matches. Training schedules include developing new tactics, perfecting current ones, and sparring with other teams and players to evaluate skills and identify gaps. Although they play video games, esports athletes find that physical and mental health are critical for success, so many teams embed nutrition, physical training, and psychological support in their daily routines.

Secondly, esports is embedded in a dedicated ecosystem (Exhibit 1) that includes 2 stakeholders not present in physical sports – game publishers and licensing partners:

• Game publishers own the core game IP that is licensed for use in professional competitive games (i.e., events in which prize money is awarded).
• Licensing partners provide game publishers with the rights to their proprietary IP to produce a game. 2 2 Required for games based on existing IP; otherwise all IP rights are owned by the game developer / publisher Notes: 2 Required for games based on existing IP; otherwise all IP rights are owned by the game developer / publisher Examples include FIFA licensing Electronic Arts to make the FIFA game, or Middle-earth Enterprises licensing Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit to Vivendi, 3 3 Currently Lord of The Rings rights are owned by Embracer Group Notes: 3 Currently Lord of The Rings rights are owned by Embracer Group then EA, and then to Warner Bros. Interactive.
• Event organizers are the facilitators at the center of the ecosystem, arranging the leagues or tournaments, assembling the teams/players, prize money, sponsorships, licenses, and so on. They are then responsible for marketing and managing the event. Event organizers may be esports event specialists (e.g., EFG), 4 4 EFG is the entity launched as a result of the merger of 2 major esports events organizers: ESL and FACEIT Notes: 4 EFG is the entity launched as a result of the merger of 2 major esports events organizers: ESL and FACEIT game publishers (e.g., Capcom Pro Tour / Street Fighter championship, or Major League Gaming owned by Activision-Blizzard / Overwatch and Call of Duty), private or public organizations.
• Distributors include the streamers and broadcasters that bring the competition to a global audience.
• Esports clubs bring together professional teams and players (athletes) to compete at major events, and nurture semi-pro talent. Today the leading clubs consist of multiple rosters that cover different video games.
• Sponsors and brand partners currently provide the lion’s share of funding to the ecosystem, attracted by the young audience and active communities.
• The audience is typically comprised of gamers who are fans of specific competition titles, teams, or players.

At a high level, esports competitions are similar to sports, with qualifying matches, playoffs and finals. They are also hosted in stadiums with live broadcasting through (mostly) digital media such as Twitch or YouTube. However, differences between game genres and complexity of the ecosystem influence esports operations significantly.

• Teams / players: Each competitive video game (title) has its own approach. For instance, most First Point Shooter (FPS) competitions are built around 2 teams of 5 players each, while Battle Royale (BR) games might have 100 individual players, or 50 teams of 2 player each.
• Round Robin where every team plays against every other (e.g., Dota 2).
• Swiss Round in which winners play with winners and losers with losers after the 1 st stage (e.g., StarCraft II).
• Single/Double Elimination where losers are eliminated after one or two losses respectively (e.g., CS:GO, Rocket League, Hearthstone).
• Battle Royale has a unique format at each tournament stage level, with all teams playing with each other multiple times in a row (the players/teams with the most points advance).
• Rules: Each game is truly unique. For instance, both CS:GO and Valorant are FPS, but they may have a different number of rounds played per match (mostly best of 3 (Bo3), but some events may have Bo5 in the grand final), or number of wins required per round (15 in CS:GO vs. 13 in Valorant). In addition, there are many game-specific rules (e.g., CS:GO is cautious about some game mechanics, like one-way smokes, while Dota 2 prevents any kinds of automated scripts).
• Competition organization: Some games (e.g., CS:GO, Rocket League) are organized in an open structure, similar to tennis in traditional sports. Valve is one great example to follow, as it recently announced changes in its CS:GO esports ecosystem which will be effective in 2024 5 5 Source: Esports Insider “Valve set to overhaul Counter-Strike esports ecosystem with major tournament rules changes Notes: 5 Source: Esports Insider “Valve set to overhaul Counter-Strike esports ecosystem with major tournament rules changes . The game developer introduced new requirements to ensure all events secure teams based on their performance as per Valve’s ranking system or open qualifier events. In an open structure, competitions have Challengers/Qualifiers that resemble regional competitions where competitors earn points. Teams that are successful in Challengers/Qualifiers then go to Masters/Majors to compete with the established teams. The pinnacle is Championship/Anchor events – prestigious competitions between the best teams only. Other games (e.g., League of Legends, Overwatch) are organized in closed leagues, analogous to major American sports leagues like the NFL or NBA. Teams (franchises) are selected and secured for multiple years. Those teams then compete though the season in multiple events (though not single matches as with the NFL/NBA), and the best teams then qualify for the final event to determine the League winner.

Therefore, while esports has many similarities with physical sports, it has a more complicated ecosystem. This drives innovation in many directions to cater to all ecosystem participants (especially game publishers, athletes, and audiences).

Esports market and its potential

Not surprisingly, given the ecosystem complexity and relative nascency of the industry, esports is quite fragmented compared to mature traditional sports markets. This section will provide an overview of the esports market based on key metrics (audience numbers, prize levels, ticket sales) and explore the feasibility of scaling further.

Esports market overview

Esports is still far from achieving the popularity of major traditional sports, but it is moving quickly in this direction. Even leading esports events like League of Legends attract just a fraction of the viewership achieved by their sports equivalents like the FIFA World Cup (76 million viewers by media estimation vs. 3,500 million, and 0.2 billion hours watched vs. 35 billion). However, esports has hit multiple milestones over the past 30 years, with especially strong growth in the last 8-10. For instance, several esports tournaments have exceeded the 100 million hours watched threshold. Moreover, where it took 8-9 years for the first comers like League of Legends Worlds and The International for Dota 2 to reach that number, ML:BB achieved it in just 4 years (Exhibit 2). Overall, esports viewership keeps growing, while that of leading sports is stagnating or even decreasing.

• Sports : Almost no growth, with CAGR 2014-2021: NFL 0%, NLB (-2%), NBA (-3%), UEFA (-11%)
• Esports : 10% year over year growth 2021 vs 2022: e.g., League of Legends 9%, Arena of Valor 30%, Dota 2 7%

Fans are attracted by the level of skill and competition they see at esports tournaments. For example, IEM Cologne attracts 15-20 thousand people to watch leading teams competing for a $1 million prize pool live in a stadium, comparable to many physical sports events. Nevertheless, the audience is younger than for major sports leagues, tech savvy, and relatively wealthy (Exhibit 3). These characteristics make esports a promising marketing channel for many brands.

The audience is also passionate and loyal in its demand for specific games. In 2013, tickets to the League of Legends world championship final in Los Angeles sold out the 17,000-seat venue in less than an hour. 6 6 There are many similar examples, including a similarly sized venue in Berlin selling out in just three minutes (2013), all 10,000 tickets to the Dota 2 International tournament in Seattle selling out in an hour (2014), then again in just 10 minutes (2015). Notes: 6 There are many similar examples, including a similarly sized venue in Berlin selling out in just three minutes (2013), all 10,000 tickets to the Dota 2 International tournament in Seattle selling out in an hour (2014), then again in just 10 minutes (2015). In 2016, The International Dota 2 Championship sold out the 40,000-seat World Cup Stadium in Seoul and drew an online audience of 27 million. Games have now become coveted social events. For example, rapper Travis Scott opened his Astronomical Tour on Fortnite in April to an audience of ~28 million gamers.

This demand continues to drive esports market growth. There are now 300 tournaments with prize pools exceeding $100,000. Approximately 30,000 professional esports athletes competed in 2022, compared to 14,000 in 2015. Moreover, the median tournament prize pool has significantly increased: from $270,000 to $600,000 between 2018 and 2021 for professional events.

Leading esports have reached a significant scale across multiple game genres: Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) (e.g., League of Legends, Dota 2), First Point Shooters (e.g., CS:GO), Battle Royale (e.g., PUBG, Fortnite), and Collectible Card Game (e.g., Hearthstone). Leading tournaments offer $1 million plus prize pools, with The International’s $40 million 2021 prize pool approaching that of Wimbledon ($50 million).

Pathway to scale

While the esports audience is still smaller than that of leading traditional sports such as football, it has a unique advantage – high growth potential. Today, only ~15% of the gaming audience also follows esports.

But as more games create a strong foundation, that number is likely to grow. Newzoo estimates that there are approximately 3 billion gamers in the world today, with ~500 million esports fans, indicating a current untapped potential of 2.5 billion people. 7 7 Esports Audience Will Pass Half a Billion in 2022 | Esports Market Analysis (newzoo.com) Notes: 7 Esports Audience Will Pass Half a Billion in 2022 | Esports Market Analysis (newzoo.com) This provides more than conducive grounds to build the needed momentum for gamer audience growth over the next years (Exhibit 4).

One of the reasons for esports’ great potential is that this growth has been driven by just a handful of titles. In 2022, five games accounted for 70% of total esports hours watched: League of Legends (23%), CS:GO (14%), ML:BB (13%), Dota 2 (12%) and Valorant (10%). 8 8 Source: Esportcharts “Most Watched Esports Games of 2022” Notes: 8 Source: Esportcharts “Most Watched Esports Games of 2022” However, esports has much broader potential, and multiple new games are starting to emerge (especially in mobile gaming). Over the past 30 years, there have been 586 games across 12 genres with esports competitions, mostly in the Fighting and First Point Shooter genres, following the development of arcade and PC games (Exhibit 5).

Of these, 42 titles have active esports competition today, including 27 with promising potential in the next several years. They can be classified into four key groups:

• Established leaders are the 5 games that drive esports today (League of Legends, CS:GO, ML:BB, Dota 2, and Valorant). They will likely continue being the key esports disciplines for the next several years.
• Challengers are slightly behind leaders but have strong potential and fan base (Fortnite, PUBG, Rocket League, Apex Legends, and Overwatch 2). These are typically driven by general game popularity – e.g., Fortnite and Apex Legends rank among the top live streams overall, including casual streams of popular streamers and esports athletes playing in their free time.
• Strong supporting games have core audiences in the gaming community (e.g., StarCraft 2, FIFA, Hearthstone, Super Smash bros, Smite, Magic: The Gathering). StarCraft 2 is a good example, with a community reaching back to the 1990s.
• Mobile games will be key drivers of future esports growth. In 2020, only two ranked in the top 10 esports games by hours watched (ML:BB and PUBG Mobile), rapidly growing to 4 in 2022 (ML:BB, PUBG Mobile, Free Fire, and Arena of Valor).

While the list of top games seems unlikely to change in the foreseeable future, there is significant untapped potential for mobile games in esports:

• Coverage, Mobile esports is popular in China and Southeast Asia, but not yet in other regions (primarily due to many free-to-play games existing on PC/Console). This is starting to change with large game publishers entering the space (e.g., League of Legends was adapted to mobile).
• Investment. Some game publishers are starting to invest in mobile esports: Clash of Clans and Free Fire have tournaments with >$1 million prize pools despite viewership still lagging comparable PC titles. Other publishers may well follow.
• Innovation. Mobile can create new genres promising for esports. For example, the new genre of “auto battler” was created in 2020, with leading IP quickly building on the trend. Activision-Blizzard has developed arguably the most popular game so far (Battlegrounds mode within the Hearthstone game) 9 9 Other leading game publishers also followed the trend: Riot introduced Teamfight Tactics, while Valve created Dota Underlords Notes: 9 Other leading game publishers also followed the trend: Riot introduced Teamfight Tactics, while Valve created Dota Underlords which could grow into a solid esports discipline.

Video games are more complex than traditional sports. Only a few genres, sport simulators or racing, do not require special knowledge. For example, League of Legends and Dota 2 (both MOBA games) have >140 and >120 playable characters respectively, each with its own special abilities, statistics, upgrades. Hearthstone (CCG) has >1000 cards to create card decks from. Esports events for such games attract mostly active players, as real gaming experience is required to understand what is going on in an esports match. 

Thus, while 42 games have growth potential, it is likely that esports scaling will also require other games to emerge. Existing games will account for some audience growth in the future. However, their potential is limited by popular relevance, accessibility to a wide audience of multiple skill levels, and ethical concerns (e.g., the level of aggression in First Point Shooters).

Esports stakeholders and value drivers

Esports’ growing scale is attracting attention from all stakeholders in its ecosystem. Each has a distinct role in shaping esports’ future:

• Esports clubs are starting to professionalize and grow in scale.
• National governments are adopting esports-related legislation.
• Multi-national bodies like IOC are experimenting with adding esports to their agendas.
• Esports federations are creating dedicated programs to find and nurture talent and make esports a sustainable career.
• Brands are pursuing esports as a channel to promote their products.

Esports clubs

Its rising popularity is spurring esports to become more professionalized, closer to what we see in traditional sports. Game publishers are creating esports leagues that closely parallel their professional sports counterparts.

• Scale: ~40 esports clubs can now boast top-tier teams in 2+ games . Most esports clubs started with a focus on one game, but key franchises are extending their capabilities. For example, G2 was established at the end of 2014 to compete in League of Legends, but currently covers 7 games, including League of Legends, CS:GO, Valorant, Rainbow Six Siege, Fortnite, Apex Legends, and Rocket League. Team Liquid has even larger coverage with ~15 games.
• Popularity: ~15 esports clubs have >10 million followers . As in sports, strong competition performance draws a loyal fan base, and significant attention both to specific players as celebrities and a club’s brand. FaZe Clan has had tremendous success in the esports arena, attracting ~70 million followers on social media. TSM, Team Liquid, 100Thieves, and Luminosity Gaming boast >25 million followers each. Most followers come via Twitch, which has a direct connection with gaming as fans watch esports players’ streams. But esports clubs often have a strong presence in other platforms – e.g., FaZe Clan has 11.5 million followers on Instagram, while LOUD has >12 million followers on YouTube.
• Value: At the end of 2022, the top 10 clubs’ collective value exceeded $3 billion . Investors also supported esports clubs, anticipating overall segment growth. Multiple teams have raised hundreds of millions of dollars in funds. At the end of 2022 TSM was valued at $540 million, and Team Liquid at $440 million, implying 10-15x revenue valuations. While this is still less than leading sports franchises like the Dallas Cowboys (valued at >$7 billion), it nevertheless indicates strong progress for the young esports industry.
• Business model: Esports clubs are actively diversifying their business models. With the recent inflation, interest rate-induced economic downturn, and shift in investor priorities, esports clubs are trying to establish more sustainable business models. FaZe Clan offers a cautionary tale. This very successful club (its CS:GO team has won most major tournaments in 2022) completed an IPO valued at $725 million 2022. But then high operating expenses and losses created financial difficulty, leading to a 20x drop in value in Q1 2023. Such economic pressures have led esports clubs to diversify their activities. Previously focused on esports competitions (with main revenues being from sponsors – prize money is often distributed directly to players), clubs today are transforming into media/entertainment companies. Some attract popular streamers (e.g., G2 has >10 content creators, including former leaders in various games such as Hearthstone; FaZe Clan had Snoop Dogg in BoD and as a streamer) or transform their esports athletes into streamers (e.g., Tier One). Top clubs also monetize through branded in-game items, often launched before major tournaments. In addition, many clubs like G2 and Team Liquid have developed their own mobile applications, giving fans access to unique content, merchandise, events, and even NFTs, that drive additional monetization. There is still room for further innovation, e.g., creating a strong own brand in specific products/services as top global streamers such as MrBeast do.

National governments

Government support is crucial for such a young industry as esports, recognizing that traditional sports have benefited from government investments in infrastructure, subsidies, and tax benefits. While esports could reach traditional sports’ level in the future, it will require government nurturing.

Some countries are starting to acknowledge esports as an industry, which is a critical first step. In France, for example, esports is an official sport, with its players recognized as athletes under the country’s new Digital Republic Bill. Denmark has integrated esports into the curriculum in 70 schools across age ranges throughout the country. China recognizes esports professionals (players and organizers) as official occupations, although it has started to regulate gaming hours for children which may impact esports’ growth and athlete development.

Multinational bodies

Olympic committees are also exploring esports to boost the popularity of the Olympic games. The International Esports Federation (IeSF) has submitted a request for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to recognize as an official sport. IOC has responded by providing IeSF with the necessary steps for such recognition, acknowledging that, someday, esports may feature in the Olympic Games. In 2021, the Olympic Council of Asia announced which titles would be added to the 2022 Asian Games (to be hosted in September 2023) as medaled events: League of Legends (MOBA); Dota 2 (MOBA); Hearthstone (Card); Street Fighter V (Fighting); Arena of Valor (MOBA); Dream of the Three Kingdoms 2 (MOBA); FIFA (Sports); and PUBG Mobile (BR).

It is interesting to look more closely at how these titles were selected. Of the eight, four are MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena), primarily due to this genre’s popularity within the esports community. We also see titles included that specifically appeal to a regional audience. For example, Dream of the Three Kingdoms is popular with the Chinese audience (and less known outside of China), while FIFA has a strong presence in the Middle East and parts of Europe. The absence of a shooter title is also notable – in particular, Valve’s CS:GO, a quintessential esports title and one of the few that offers fairly unrestrictive licensing requirements for event organizers. In general, the selection of titles comes down to the popularity of the games, but also the restrictions publishers may place on their titles being used for such competitions and possible social sensitivities.

It is worth highlighting that as esports is still at the early stage of development, national games seem to be a bit premature for the industry. Over 60% of the top 8 esports teams are multi-national, while national events in esports not yet common (e.g., compared to football, where national competitions are the most anticipated events). These factors incentivize players to focus on the success of their esports clubs, leaving limited bandwidth for national games. While IeSF hosts the World Esports Championship, so far its viewership is 30-35x lower than for leading team-based esports competitions (Exhibit 6).

Esports federations

Esports federations are building on government interest and starting to develop programs that nurture talent and help athletes pursue careers in the field. Japan’s JeSU now offers financial guarantees for players, with minimum annual salaries in esports leagues. Some Chinese regions provide support to esports players to acquire real estate and pursue higher education. KeSPA in South Korea introduced multiple supporting levers for esports athletes years ago (from event organization to post-career support and compensation) and is extending them further. For example, it now offers legal advice to teams/players on visas, taxes, etc. Private entities are also following the trend, including universities in the USA and Europe now awarding scholarships to esports players.

A supporting ecosystem is emerging, with further growth expected as popularity and the willingness to spend on esports continue to rise. Many of the elements of professional sports are making their way into esports. Already, we have managers, coaches, training centers, nutrition specialists, sports psychologists, and other experts working with professional esports athletes. Online competitive gaming platforms are the functional equivalent of YMCAs and other community recreation centers, where young talent can begin to hone their skills and make a name for themselves. This was critical early in the COVID pandemic as events went completely virtual, proving esports could continue in a largely online format.

Brands have started leveraging esports as a key marketing channel to reach their target audience and build brand awareness and loyalty. Today 45% of sponsorships already come from companies outside the gaming industry (Exhibit 7).

Sponsorship can take multiple forms, for example:

• High profile brands like HP, Intel, Gillette, and Mercedes-Benz have been involved in esports for years through partnership and sponsorship deals. HP sponsored the Overwatch League franchise in the US, while Intel has extended its long-term ESL partnership with a three-year, $100 million deal.
• Brands such as Nike and Louis Vuitton are continually innovating their in-game advertising models, and now offer paid virtual apparel for avatars.
• Organizing esports academies (Gucci).
• Sponsoring esports teams and leveraging them through merchandise and even team names (Honda and Team Liquid in League of Legends) – today esports clubs often have several sponsors.
• Creating esports-driven content (Burberry and Gen.G).
• South Korea’s SK Telecom partnered with Niantic, Pokémon Go’s developer company, to rebrand 4,000 of its stores through Pokémon and deploy Augmented Reality.
• Verizon hosted an esports tournament in Dallas in 2015.
• Japanese operator NTT Docomo sponsored the top esports event EVO Japan in 2019, showcasing its new partnership with a major gaming company and 5G plans.
• Telkomsel and Garena jointly hosted the Indonesia Games Championship 2020 esports tournament.

Media companies are leveraging the esports trend to enrich their content and differentiate from the competition, especially in the digital space:

• Time Warner / Telefonica owns Movistar esports, which aims to become the largest provider of Spanish-speaking esports content.
• Netflix experimented with Formula 1 racing through its “Drive to Survive” series, which generated a significant boost for F1 in the US and around the globe. While there has not yet been a similar initiative in esports (though some media projects exist on YouTube), certain games’ strong fan base makes it possible to envision a comparable effect with a high-quality production.
• Gaming consoles, Smart TV manufacturers, and companies that provide set boxes (like Amazon or Apple) can also experiment with offering esports event content to potentially interested customers.

Main challenges for esports

Clearly this is an exciting time in the world of esports. The industry is enjoying rapid growth, innovation, investment, and popularity. But several challenges will need to be resolved if it is to deliver on its promise, primarily related to:

• Business model: Explore paths to increase media rights monetization.
• Collaboration: Find a way to grow esports as an industry without significant risks to game publishers’ video games business.
• Regulation: Secure basic rights and alignment between ecosystem stakeholders.
• Government support: Recognize esports as an industry and as a career.

Business model

The esports industry’s top challenge is to figure out its business model. The analogous sports franchise business model is built on creating content for a wide audience and monetizing it through media rights. However, esports’ relatively limited viewership makes such monetization challenging. Most tournament prizes are distributed among players directly (not to the esports clubs that hire them) to sustain their careers. This leads other stakeholders, mainly esports event organizers and esports clubs, to rely on sponsors (Exhibit 8). A more sustainable business model will be critical to realizing the full promise of esports – one that provides financial stability to clubs and players, expands audience reach, and allows organizers to invest in the production and marketing of top-quality events.

While multiple media players are already experimenting in this space, the trend is in its early days. YouTube is very active in acquiring exclusive rights for esports, part of its strategy to close the gap vs. Twitch in the streaming market. While many deals are not public, it is estimated that YouTube has entered into multi-year deals and paid ~$160 million for esports from Activision-Blizzard (covering Overwatch, Call of Duty, and Hearthstone), and $113 million to Riot for League of Legends. Some AVOD/SVOD players are experimenting with esports as content to differentiate themselves from competitors. For example, the Spanish platform Movistar offers dedicated esports content and has invested in an esports club. Some regional platforms, especially those focused on sports, are experimenting with sports simulators like FIFA. TV is also getting involved. While South Korea introduced the first TV streams in the 1990s (focusing on the StarCraft franchise), today some cable TV players are doing so as well, including ESPN (League of Legends, Dota 2 tournaments) and BBC (mostly League of Legends).

Collaboration

Finding a sustainable business model is further complicated by the esports ecosystem. Besides being more complex, a fundamental difference compared to traditional sports is that no one owns basketball or football, whereas there are publishers who own games like Call of Duty or League of Legends. Game publishers are an additional, powerful stakeholder at the negotiating table – they are the gatekeepers determining whether a title can be used for esports or not. Other stakeholders have limited say in publishers’ plans for a game’s evolution (e.g., update, discontinue or launch a new version of a game).

Publishers’ shift from a traditional business model of one-time sales towards ongoing monetization via in-game items and subscriptions significantly extends games’ shelf life, making them businesses in themselves with constant development. For example, World of Warcraft has been around for 18 years, through 8 major expansions. This means that a game has its own community and brand, which may be damaged by misaligned PR or activities. If an esports tournament is poorly organized or attracts unwanted publicity, it can have a negative impact on the community, game, and financial performance.

This game-specific context slows down esports’ development, limiting both supply and demand:

• Supply . Esports is not generating money so far, while game sales are lucrative. Game publishers are likely to keep being careful about esports participation, treating it more like a marketing expense than a stand-alone business with its own potential.
• Demand . As each game is owned by another company, it carries risks for third parties who want to develop esports. It is possible to create and nurture a football league without any dependency on a third party, but impossible with a video game. This risk profile means that most of the investment into esports will come from either game publishers or governments.

Some game publishers have separated esports into stand-alone businesses, organizing esports leagues around their games. While some games are easy enough to attract general video game fans (e.g., CS:GO or Rocket League), it may take a long time for more complex games to become operationally and financially sustainable. A good example is leagues for MOBA or some FPS games with complex mechanics like Valorant and Overwatch 2 (many distinct heroes with own special abilities / skills – >15 in Valorant and >35 in Overwatch 2), which limits the potential to game fans only. Each league is focused on one game only, so does not capture the broader gaming audience, which is critical at this early stage. We are already seeing the first signs of difficulty. Activision-Blizzard had to allow franchises in its Overwatch leagues to postpone paying fees, equalling up to $25 million per franchise. Arguably, this led to a somewhat safer approach from Riot, where teams for its new Valorant esports league were selected through an interview and financial review process, but with no franchise fee required.

This status quo will likely drive a change of approach in the market, like focusing on more open leagues (e.g., Valve licenses CS:GO rights to third parties and has 3 successful leagues – ESL, BLAST, and PGL), growing popularity through international events (e.g., Olympic games), or even becoming a part of larger events such as Gamers8 in Saudi Arabia. Potential partnerships to grow not only events for a publisher’s own game(s), but esports as a whole, might also take place in the future, especially if the pace of growth slows down.

The secondary importance of esports relative to games also leads to a lack of unified rules supporting esports athletes, further slowing industry development. The esports ecosystem requires at least some level of alignment to keep the industry moving forward. For instance, sports leagues typically have clear competition rules, event schedules, athlete contract models, processes for trades between the teams, and other elements that address potential conflicts and provide an opportunity for cross-league coordination (e.g., allowing players to participate in national events or change leagues between seasons). A similar infrastructure could benefit esports as well, with some specific cases requiring additional alignment. Sometimes top players can change video games, which is rare in sports. It is especially relevant within the same genre, like when the strong CS:GO player “KennyS” joined Valorant. This could use additional clarification and alignment between game publishers / third party event organizers and their leagues. Another area that requires unification is the overall health and wellbeing of esports athletes, whose career requires them spending long hours sitting in front of their PCs or mobile devices.

In traditional sports, rule changes are approved and facilitated by some form of governing committee. An equivalent body does not yet exist in esports, but may have a role in shaping the format of competitions (e.g., how many rounds of a game to play, points awarded, etc.). Clearly, not everything should be unified or regulated. Game publishers often know their games and communities much better than anyone else, so they are the best stakeholders to oversee the evolution of a specific game (e.g., the balance of power between different game characters, new game mechanics, etc.).

Some degree of unified or aligned regulation is especially critical at this early stage to persuade people that esports can offer a viable career. Fortnite had a prize pool of $30 million for its top event several years ago, but subsequently reduced it to only $2 million today. Activision-Blizzard created an esports scene for its MOBA called Heroes of the Storm by establishing the Heroes of the Storm Global Championship in 2016. But then they shut it down in 2018, which forced athletes to quickly change games if they wanted to stay in esports. Such volatility impacts esports athletes’ ability to plan a career.

Government support

Countries have been slow in supporting esports – perhaps understandably, given the context. But this hesitancy translates into a lack of support for esports athletes, which undermines the overall perception and likelihood of someone choosing it as a career. National recognition as an athlete comes with certain obligations and benefits, which cost money that governments may not always be willing to spend. For example, Spain is, in many ways, the esports hub of Europe because of its popularity there. But the country has not recognized esports as an actual sport. Instead, it includes esports under audiovisual industry development, with a current view that no separate legislation is required. This decision makes it challenging for some people to see esports as a sustainable career. Firstly, it makes esports inherently less stable: a professional esports athlete cannot rely on any game as it can be easily cancelled, or have its support withdrawn – not just by the publisher but by the government. Secondly, because esports athletes are not yet recognized by the state (so not technically employed), they do not receive medical insurance or other benefits, compounding the financial insecurity.

To drive esports forward, governments can consider adopting measures including: holistic regulations for esports; incentives for players to select esports as a career; a clear development path from amateur to professional levels; transition after a person’s esports career ends (both direct involvement as a team owner or a coach, and in adjacent sectors such as game development); and guarantees for players during and especially after the end of their careers (typically in their late 20s – early 30s). Governments and their federations can also organize and sponsor esports clubs and events at multiple levels, from in schools through to major global championships, and invest in dedicated or cross-functional infrastructure like venues.

Case study: the Middle East

• Nigma Galaxy, a successful esports club with more than 5 teams, including globally strong ones in PUBG Mobile, Dota 2 and Free Fire.
• An esports and gaming agency that has hosted more than 100 esports events in GCC, supporting them with content creation, marketing campaigns and talent management.
• YAS HEAT, an esports club and academy that focuses on competing and training athletes in games related to motor racing.
• PUBG Global Championship, the final and most prestigious PUBG (PC version) event globally with the best teams and players competing for $3.3 million in prizes.
• GameExpo with multiple gaming zones, content areas for fans to meet favorite esports athletes, streamers and industry leaders, an indie games expo and trials, a cosplay competition, and many other fun activities.
• Minecraft esports tournament for 8–11-year-old students from Dubai schools.
• A summit that gathered global leaders in esports to discuss global trends and esports, and UAE’s ambitions in the sector.

Its rapidly increasing popularity, youthful fanbase, and tremendous untapped growth potential make esports an exciting segment that will help shape the future of live entertainment. It offers a range of opportunities for established industry players and other companies wanting to leverage the buzz and reach esports’ coveted audience. While some fundamental challenges will need to be resolved, esports has the potential to scale significantly and become a major global form of live entertainment. And Middle East is establishing itself as an emerging leader with strong focus, investment, and commitment to the sector. Its young population of gaming enthusiasts and government willingness to invest in events, support, and infrastructure are positioning the region as the esports market of tomorrow.

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Discover how the gaming industry, now the second-largest media sector, is rapidly growing and why the Middle East is positioned to capture billions of dollars in new value over the next decade.

Gaming & esports is a vibrant and fast-growing sector, powered largely by the passion of 3 billion enthusiasts around the globe. With its substantial revenue potential, the high-quality jobs it creates, and its reputational benefits, Gaming & esports presents rich opportunities for industry and national governments alike.

The digital sector’s multi-trillion-dollar expansion leaves leaders and decision-makers with only two options: adapt to its accelerating pace, or be left behind.

The GCC region has emerged as one of the leaders in digital government services, focusing on stronger adoption through personalization and proactivity

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• Future of Sports Media Research Paper

Future Of Sports Media Research Paper

Athletic Insight, 7 (4), 14 -- 22. The author of this article analyzes the impact of psychology on the global sports media. The study reveals that little has been done globally to incorporate psychology into sports media. The author recognizes that psychology plays a role in promoting collaboration, introduction of supportive services such as counselling and incorporating research into practice. This will influence the shaping of the future of the sports media by bridging the gap between clinical and educational knowledge of sports psychology. The article is important as it provides future changes expected in the sports media. Wolfe, R., Meenaghan, T., & O'Sullivan, P. (2002). The sports network: Insights into the shifting balance of power. Journal of Business Research, 55, 611 -- 622. The authors of this article try to assess the future shape of the sports media by adopting a network view of examining the development and future growth of the sports media industry. In specific, the authors focus on the relationship existing between network actors such as the corporate sponsors of sports and the media and analyze the changing behavior to provide insights into the future of the sports media. Westerbeek, H. (2004). The Sport Business Future. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. The author of this book seeks to assess the future of the sports media by employing an analysis of the effect of external factors on the sports media. The author analyzes the impact of external factors such as technology, politics, social, and economic factors that influence the shape of the future sports media. Billings, a.C. (2009). Communicating about sports media: Culture collide. Lexington, Ky: Aresta The author of this book analyzes the cultural changes associated with the predicted changes in the future sports media. The analysis shows that factors such as nationalism, access to and utilization of sports media influence the future shape of the sports media. Conclusion Conclusively, the sports media will experience significant changes in the future. These changes are expected to bring both positive and negative impacts to the sports societies around the world. The analysis has shown that it will bring an increase in the growth of some sport sectors while marginalizing the traditional sports. However, the changes will bring effects that are more positive for the global society as compared to the negative effects. Therefore, as the global society anticipates these changes, it is recommendable that strategies aiming at reducing the impacts to be adopted.

Sources Used in Documents:

References Andrews, D.L. (2001). Michael Jordan, Inc.: Corporate sport, media culture, and late modern America. Albany: State Univ. Of New York Press. Billings, a.C. (2009). Communicating about sports media: Culture collide. Lexington, Ky: Aresta Ryba, T.V. (2005). Sport Psychology as Cultural Praxis?: Future Trajectories and Current Possibilities. Athletic Insight, 7 (4), 14 -- 22. Schultz, B., & Sheffer, M. Lou. (2011). Factors Influencing Sports Consumption in the Era of New Media. Web Journal of Mass Communication Research, 37 (2), 1. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&an=70879342&site=ehost-live&scope=site

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Connor Goldson has opened up on the emotional battle he faced after his heart surgery and admits he told his wife 'I just want to die'.

Sergino Dest has revealed talks are under way to turn his loan move from Barcelona to PSV Eindhoven into a permanent deal worth around £9m.

Leeds United star Archie Gray has revealed he will not follow in family footsteps and play for Scotland as he wants to represent England on the international stage.

Duncan Ferguson has slammed bottom side Arbroath's players for "downing tools on their club and manager" as he faces having them play an important part in Inverness Caledonian Thistle's own bid to avoid relegation.

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