The Business of Sport
SOURCE: Michael Balog, Unsplash
For many young and aspiring athletes cracking it pro is the metaphorical top of the mountain. It’s an exclusive club, a byproduct of which is the ability to (usually) make an incredibly healthy living all while doing something you love.
However, especially in hyper-competitive global sports such as football and basketball, those highs can be all too easily followed by some brutal lows.
You see, sports is a funny thing. One day, you could be on top of the world – everyone lapping up your success as you soar to unforeseen heights, but string some poor performances together or have an unsavoury behind the scenes incident, you could be cast to the side like an unwanted toy in the name of a business decision.
“Ruthless is the right word,” UC Sports Management and Marketing Lecturer Dr Nick Maitland said.
“Athletes and coaches are seen as resources, and if the resource is not providing value, then they are replaced.”
Take Liam Lawson for thought. Coming into this year’s Formula 1 season, he was touted as the next phenomenon after landing a seat alongside Max Verstappen in Red Bull’s championship winning car.
He was given two races until being demoted by the the big bosses because of poor results. Just like if an employee at a high-performing organisation doesn’t meet their quota, they’re given the boot, but on steroids. Start to see why sport draws comparisons to businesses now?
Moreover, with any successful business, power and in-house politics rear their ugly heads.
Current United States D2 and former semi-pro basketball player Nick Davidson is all too familiar with the concept.
“If you're not performing, your job’s at jeopardy, and if you're a professional athlete, that's how you get paid,” he said.
“At the D2 stage, if you're a coach and you're not performing, you could very well be out of a job.”
Davidson went on to say sporting politics often spills onto the court, as teams simply want to get a return on their investment.
As a result, while Player A may be performing better in training and when they get the chance in-game, they won't see the success translate into playing time because Player B is earning more.
“It's rough because at training you're out-playing them and you're doing everything in your power to get that playing time over them, but you don't get it.”
So, cash may always be king in sports, and the US has mastered sporting commercialisation. You only need to look at top college athletes such as basketball star Cooper Flagg, who reportedly raked in $28 million USD through brand deals at his lone year attending Duke University.
As a result, Davidson said college athletes are constantly looking for the next paycheck and treating the sport they love “as a business.”
To many, the jury’s still out as to if that’s a positive outcome.
“Sport has been commandeered by business and, as a society, we are far to forgiving of the effect commercialisation is having on it. Sport is often seen only as a form of entertainment and the audience as little more than consumers with the ability to spend,” Dr Maitland said.
It’s a very food-for-thought conversation. In a perfect world, the purity of sports wouldn’t be marred by deals made outside the playing arena.
But that’s simply the way the cookie crumbles. At the end of the day, sports isn’t just about the scoreboard – it’s about the bottom line.