POV — THE BUSINESS OF SPORT

Platform economics, the growth of women’s sport, athlete-creator influence and advances in technology are reshaping the business of sport. These forces are changing how value is created, who holds influence and what leadership requires.

For decades, the dominant commercial model centred on reach: how many people watched, attended or engaged around an event. Today, value increasingly depends on relationships that continue beyond it.

Audiences are spread across channels but connected through communities. Athletes and creators are building their own businesses. Women’s sport is attracting investment and developing distinct commercial models. Technology is changing how organisations operate and connect with people, while institutional and private capital is reshaping ownership and expectations of return.

Events, media rights and sponsorship remain foundational. But capturing these opportunities requires a commercial architecture that connects rights, content, partnerships and participation with the people, skills and leadership to make it work.

Governance underpins that architecture. Commercial decisions affect public trust; technology brings responsibilities around data; investment raises questions of accountability. Transparency, integrity and human rights shape confidence among athletes, fans, partners and investors.

Ecosystem Layers

These shifts are interconnected. The leadership challenge is to bring the ecosystem layers together so that commercial growth strengthens the relationships, capabilities and credibility on which sport depends.

» Governance as a Value Driver: Making trust, integrity, human rights and accountability foundations for sound decisions, commercial confidence and institutional credibility.

» Partners as Collaborators: Developing sponsorship into shared platforms, content and innovation that deliver measurable value for sport, partners and communities.

» Women’s Sport as a Growth Platform: Building dedicated commercial strategies, investment models and leadership pathways around its athletes, audiences and potential.

» Athletes as Media Enterprises: Recognising their growing ability to build audiences, shape culture and create businesses through storytelling and direct relationships.

» Fans as Communities: Building lasting relationships through participation, belonging and experiences shaped by an understanding of what different communities value.

» Technology as Infrastructure: Connecting digital platforms, data and AI to support engagement, personalisation and better decisions, with responsible use built in.