The Future of Sports - Kantar · The Future of Sports Connecting with Millennial and ... sports...
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in NEXT The Future of Sports Connecting with Millennial and Centennial sports fans TRENDING DOWN TRENDING UP MORE DIVERSE 52% of Millennial and Centennial sports fans are non-white (vs. 27% of older sports fans) While the NFL’s future demise has surely been exaggerated— it’s still by far the most popular sport in the U.S. among all generations—fewer Centennials and Millennials consider themselves fans of the league (69% vs. 80% of older sports fans), likely meaning that “The Shield” will get stiffer competition for the #1 sport in the future The National Football League (NFL) The Olympics Compared with their older counterparts, Centennial and Millennial sports fans are far less likely to be fans of the pageantry and international competition on display in both the Summer (33% vs. 52%) and Winter (30% vs. 46%) Olympics. NCAA Football of Centennial and Millennial sports fans consider themselves fans of college football, ranking it #6 out of 13 sports measured (vs. 54% of older sports fans, which ranks #3). 31% Just CONTACT [email protected] or your MONITOR account team for more in-depth insights about the future of sports. Note: Source for data is the 2019 U.S. MONITOR, Q3 survey (2,000 respondents, 12+, fielded in July 2019). Sports fans are defined as anyone who agreed with the statement, “I consider myself to be a sports fan” (55% of the total population); “older sports fans” are defined as self-identified sports fans who are either Generation X, Baby Boomers, or Matures. The National Basketball Association (NBA) 52% of Centennial and Millennial sports fans consider themselves fans of the NBA, ranking it #2 on the list of 13 sports measured (vs. 33% among older sports fans, which ranks #6). Esports 19% of Centennial and Millennial sports fans consider themselves fans of esports (vs. just 2% of older sports fans), and 70% say the sport is either “in” or “on the way in” (vs. just 47% of older sports fans) Professional soccer While it ranks toward the bottom on the list of top sports among Millennial and Centennial sports fans, professional soccer is gaining ground with younger generations of fans (12% are fans of the sport vs. 8% of older sports fans) Is the sports industry missing an opportunity with women? YES: 76% of Millennial and Centennial sports fans agree, “I wish the culture of sports could change to be more inclusive of women than it is today” and 65% say, “I wish I could watch more women’s sports on TV or online” (vs. 62% and 40%, respectively, among older sports fans) Should sports marketers “take a stand” on important social issues? YES: 71% of Millennial and Centennial sports fans agree, “Brands have an important part to play in the social conversation about issues like #metoo and race relations” (vs. 45% of older sports fans) Will sports continue to fend off digital competitors for time and attention? MAYBE: 50% of 12-29-year-old sports fans agree, “Most of the time, I'd rather play video games than play sports.” Yet, 80% of these same fans agree, “I plan on playing sports throughout my life.” Buoyed by the mass appeal of live, televised events in a fragmented media marketplace, the sports industry’s revenue has never been higher. But with youth participation trending down and in-person attendance for many leagues slumping , the future of sports depends upon the industry cultivating sports fans in the Millennial and Centennial generations—cohorts with a very different profile, preferences, and priorities than other generations of fans. MORE FEMALE 44% of Millennial and Centennial sports fans are women (vs. 36% of older sports fans) MORE URBAN 41% of Millennial and Centennial sports fans live in urban areas (vs. 20% of older sports fans) LEAGUE WATCH THE FACTS A different demographic profile Sports leagues trending up and trending down The Millennial and Centennial POV on the issues shaping the future of sports KEY QUESTIONS
Transcript of The Future of Sports - Kantar · The Future of Sports Connecting with Millennial and ... sports...
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The Future of SportsConnecting with Millennial and Centennial sports fans
TRENDING DOWNTRENDING UP
MORE DIVERSE
52% of Millennial and Centennial sports fans are non-white (vs. 27% of older sports fans)
While the NFL’s future demise has surely been exaggerated—it’s still by far the most popular sport in the U.S. among all generations—fewer Centennials and Millennials consider themselves fans of the league (69% vs. 80% of older sports fans), likely meaning that “The Shield” will get stiffer competition for the #1 sport in the future
The National Football League (NFL)
The Olympics Compared with their older counterparts, Centennial and Millennial sports fans are far less likely to be fans of the pageantry and international competition on display in both the Summer (33% vs. 52%) and Winter (30% vs. 46%) Olympics.
NCAA Football of Centennial and Millennial sports fans consider themselves fans of college football, ranking it #6 out of 13 sports measured(vs. 54% of older sports fans, which ranks #3).
31%Just
CONTACT [email protected] or your MONITOR account team for more in-depth insights about the future of sports.
Note: Source for data is the 2019 U.S. MONITOR, Q3 survey (2,000 respondents, 12+, fielded in July 2019). Sports fans are defined as anyone who agreed with the statement, “I consider myself to be a sports fan” (55% of the total population); “oldersports fans” are defined as self-identified sports fans who are either Generation X, Baby Boomers, or Matures.
The National Basketball Association (NBA)
52% of Centennial and Millennial sports fans consider themselves fans of the NBA, ranking it #2 on the list of 13 sports measured(vs. 33% among older sports fans, which ranks #6).
Esports
19% of Centennial and Millennial sports fans consider themselves fans of esports (vs. just 2% of older sports fans), and 70% say the sport is either “in” or “on the way in”(vs. just 47% of older sports fans)
Professional soccer While it ranks toward the bottom on the list of top sports among Millennial and Centennial sports fans, professional soccer is gaining ground with younger generations of fans (12% are fans of the sport vs. 8% of older sports fans)
Is the sports industry missing an opportunity with women?
YES: 76% of Millennial and Centennial sports fans agree, “I wish the culture of sports could change to be more inclusive of women than it is today” and 65% say, “I wish I could watch more women’s sports on TV or online”(vs. 62% and 40%, respectively, among older sports fans)
Should sports marketers “take a stand” on important social issues?
YES: 71% of Millennial and Centennial sports fans agree, “Brands have an important part to play in the social conversation about issues like #metoo and race relations”(vs. 45% of older sports fans)
Will sports continue to fend off digital competitors for time and attention?
MAYBE: 50% of 12-29-year-old sports fans agree, “Most of the time, I'd rather play video games than play sports.” Yet, 80% of these same fans agree, “I plan on playing sports throughout my life.”
Buoyed by the mass appeal of live, televised events in a fragmented media marketplace, the sports industry’s revenue has never been higher. But with youth participation trending down and in-person attendance for many leagues slumping, the future of sports depends upon the industry cultivating sports fans in the Millennial and Centennial generations—cohorts with a very different profile, preferences, and priorities than other generations of fans.
MORE FEMALE
44% of Millennial and Centennial sports fans are women (vs. 36% of older sports fans)
MORE URBAN
41%of Millennial and Centennial sports fans live in urban areas (vs. 20% of older sports fans)
LEAGUE WATCH
THE FACTS A different demographic profile
Sports leagues trending up and trending down
The Millennial and Centennial POV on the issues shaping the future of sports KEY QUESTIONS
