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STRATEGIC SPORT MARKETING TREND REPORT

STRATEGIC SPORT MARKETING TREND REPORT 7

Marketing

Student Name: Tommy Bush

Institution of Affiliation: UNT University

Date: 2/10/2021

Effects of Covid 19 on Sports Participation

Introduction & Background

The current global Covid-19 Pandemic has brought forth various alterations upon sports events. The impacts of the pandemic upon sporting events are quite diverse. For instance, the current pandemic resulted in changes of sponsorships, the acceleration of trends such as hybrid events, as well as the rising significance and advocacy of players. With the impacts of the lockdown and social distancing, it is also quite clear that e-sports gained exponential popularity. From the research by Hull and Romney (2020), when the NBA (National Basketball Association) and Major League Baseball (MLS) started the cancellation of their scheduled games, it was quite clear that life would change in the U.S. This strategic change by most U.S sports institutions was necessarily followed by others like the European FIFA as the world sought to instigate standards, which would enable for the essential mitigation of the spread of the Corona Virus. With the Covid-19 pandemic, international sports participation has changed.

According to Wong, Ling, and Louie et al. (2020), the Covid-19 pandemic resulted to numerous changes on numerous business industries, with sports and events being most affected. In this sense, upon the onset of the pandemic in 2020, most global sporting activities had to be suspended because of movement restrictions, social distancing, and the banning of international sports participation. During this period, online viewership increased drastically even though most international sports were banned due to travel restrictions. However, the survey by Kantar Sports Monitor provided fan insights suggesting that at least 76 per cent of American sports fans were greatly affected by the pandemic and the absence of sports activities (Grix, Brannagan, Grimes, and Neville, 2021). It is quite clear that the 2020 events resulted to the emergence of undesirable effects upon the sports industry, which needs address to enable for improvements of 2021 international sports activities. From fans being absent in stadiums to players being unable to play because of contracting the Covid-19 virus, it has become very critical that international sports federations facilitate vaccine roll-outs to guarantee increase in participations and improved fan participations.

Review of Literature

With the spread of the pandemic in 2020 and the implementation of various international travel restrictions, sporting activities have been affected with routine activities in the sporting sector most affected. As indicated by Alam and Abdurraheem (2020), most global sports entities like FIFA, MLS, and NBA sought to cancel their sports events to ensure the protection of athletes, the spectators, and other involved groups. Attributing to the explicit global effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, Yeo (2020) stipulates that the most affected industry was sports, with most sports organizations having to cancel regional, national, and international level events.

What is very clear is that the pandemic resulted to the paralysis of most sporting activities especially with most countries having to initiate movement restrictions and social distancing to limit the spread of the virus (Grix, Brannagan, Grimes, and Neville, 2021). During the pandemic period that is 2020 year, most athletics and sports agencies and clubs had to accommodate losses and transformations because of the pandemic. According to Yung (2020), the major impact of the pandemic that was experienced relates with the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics to the year 2021. In this sense, it was quite risky for the global community to allow for the continual participation in the international sports activity due fearing of spread of the deadly pandemic.

Throughout the pandemic, Coche and Lynn (2020) stipulate that athletics and international sporting events underwent dramatic transformations, with cancellations, postponements, and at times players having to play without fans. Particularly, the changing sporting paradigms were impactful upon both the athletes, organizations, and their respective supporters. Articulating to the effects of the pandemic upon sports and events, Hull and Romney (2020) further explains the profound influence faced by businesses that have been supplying international sporting agencies to have had dire ramifications upon management and endorsement of sports activities. By this, for sports brands it was critical to establish the necessary strategies that would improve upon participations amongst most entities seeking to increase their global participations. Sporting venues that used to accommodate millions of fans no longer hosted any fan base, with this implication resulting to loss of jobs. According to Grix, Brannagan, Grimes, and Neville (2021), the sporting franchise was also affected by the Covid pandemic through the ban of non-essential travels hence the inability of fans to travel to watch games, hence limiting

Relating to the report by Yeo (2020) concerning the changing international sports paradigms in 2021, it is identifiable that new trends are subject to bring forth influential conditions that would impact the international sporting landscapes. Supporting the articulations provided through the report findings, Wong, Ling, and Louie et al. (2020) suggests that the pandemic has facilitate the emergence of implicit changes upon the nature of sports brands and international participations amongst various global sports entities. By this, most sports organizations are currently undertaking accelerated shifts into digital transformations and marketing to guarantee their eventual survival. According to Ross and Wear et al. (2020), best approach by the international community and sports clubs is to increase the attainment of better vaccination of both fans and players, which would ensure the retention of the necessary fan base. With the pandemic warranting most stadiums empty and without fans, the implications meant broadcasters needed to undertake the necessary innovative measures.

According to the insights provided by Nielsen Fan Insights group, at least 53 per cent of fans are said to be in preference of clubs and brands, which have facilitated the enhancement of live sports viewing from home. As such, Yung (2020) through the research study indicates that after the pandemic, it is evident that sporting events and clubs that have enabled the integration of hybrid viewing elements that involve the merging of virtual and live experiences will thrive during this new era of sports.

Case Analysis & Discussion

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic period, most business brands and consumers have been forced to facilitate the re-evaluation of their common routines. With most business like sports and events institutions, the pandemic was their biggest challenge because of restricted movements and the prohibition of large gatherings (Wong and Ling et al. 2020). Particularly, most sports and events organizations had to undertake the necessary changes upon their marketing strategies to ensure their survival and the essential mitigation of rising debt standards. Through the understanding by Ross and Wear et al. (2020), most of the sports clubs incurred enormous debts during the 2020 period, hence their strategic undertaking of virtual and live sports to enable for their realization of the needed market survival and also to assure that they retain their fan base.

Particularly, the sports marketing status is seemingly changing with most business entities seeking to facilitate the adoption of better strategies to attract and attain increased online views (Coche and Lynn, 2020). Prior to the pandemic, most sports and events organizations were subject to utilize bizarre and wild marketing elements that often involved inflammatory and controversial commercials. However, wacky commercial ad campaigns did facilitate effective capture of viewers’ attention before the pandemic, but with the health crisis, most of the marketers sought to adopt marketing messaging strategies that would portray elements of empathy and the essential support to the fans. Just to indicate the shifting sports marketing elements, individuals have referred to the 2021 Super Bowl event, which attracted vast number of people in the U.S alone.

During the event, most of the participating sports agencies strategically utilized new sports advertising aspects that were centered upon philanthropy, inspirational quotes, and hope. During the Super Bowl, it is arguable that the global community needs to improve their approach to dealing with the pandemic especially with increasing vaccine generation. Most of the commercial marketing ads utilized by most of the sports enterprises were are clear depiction of the need for the world to remain strong and enable the implementation of better strategies to mitigate the spread of the pandemic and therefore ensure the realization of better global prospects and growth. As such, it is evident through the Super Bowl event that the global sports environment is shifting towards other marketing strategies that are centered upon empathetic marketing tendencies. This shift in sports marketing efforts is a clear indication of the rationale that major sporting events and brands are starting to adopt new versions of advertisements and strategies that portray values of compassion to the consumers during the current health crisis.

By this, with most consumer livelihoods, support systems, and health being threatened by the Covid-19 pandemic, it has become a necessity for most sports brands to facilitate the necessary adjustment of their marketing and advertisement efforts to meet the new needs. With current vaccination roll-out, the various sporting events are characteristic of integrating marketing techniques that evidently are in compliance with different state regulations. What has been integral to the promotion of sporting activities across the international community is a requirement to ensure the attainment of better collaboration and global security because of increased participations. To conclude, the changes in international global sporting activities because of the Covid-19 pandemic have had dire consequences to most global operations and by this, persons have faced numerous economic, social, and financial ramifications.

References

Alam, M. M., & Abdurraheem, I. I. (2021). COVID-19 and the Financial Crisis in the Sports

Sector around the World. Sport in Society, 1-14.

Coche, R., & Lynn, B. J. (2020). Behind the scenes: COVID-19 consequences on broadcast

sports production. International Journal of Sport Communication, 1(aop), 1-10.

Grix, J., Brannagan, P. M., Grimes, H., & Neville, R. (2021). The impact of Covid-19 on sport.

International journal of sport policy and politics, 13(1), 1-12.

Hull, K., & Romney, M. (2020). “It has changed completely”: How local sports broadcasters

adapted to no sports. International Journal of Sport Communication, 13(3), 494-504.

Mastromartino, B., Ross, W. J., Wear, H., & Naraine, M. L. (2020). Thinking outside the ‘box’:

A discussion of sports fans, teams, and the environment in the context of COVID-19. Sport in Society, 23(11), 1707-1723.

Wong, A. Y. Y., Ling, S. K. K., Louie, L. H. T., Law, G. Y. K., So, R. C. H., Lee, D. C. W., ... & Yung, P. S. H. (2020). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports and exercise. Asia-Pacific

journal of sports medicine, arthroscopy, rehabilitation and technology, 22, 39-44.

Yeo, T. J. (2020). Sport and exercise during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.