Towards a 'better normal' for global sports

THE sporting world has, just like almost every other industry out there, felt the full brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic for the better part of this year.

But even as the global economy navigates its way through a brutal recession, the hope is that sports can rebound in a big way and inspire and unite communities like never before.

As Adrian Staiti, the Asia-Pacific president of sports business agency Sportfive, puts it, global sport is poised to enter a "better normal" as countries gradually emerge from the pandemic in the months and years ahead.

In May this year, it was announced that sports agency Lagardère Sports and Entertainment has been rebranded as Sportfive, following the sale of the business from Lagardère Group to private equity firm HIG Capital a month earlier. The latter now owns a 75.1 per cent stake in the business, with France-based media conglomerate Lagardère retaining a 24.9 per cent shareholding.

BT Weekend met Mr Staiti, an American based in Singapore, for lunch recently to get his views on what the future of the sports industry could look like in a post-Covid world.

As a company that represents so many different brands and stakeholders, how tough has it been this year, with all the disruption caused by Covid-19?

It's been a stress test for all of us, for the entire sports industry, and I would say for the entire live entertainment industry too, including music, conventions and mass-participation events.

Luckily, we are now seeing a pathway for some leagues to resume their events but in revised formats. So we see some sports operating again, albeit in completely different environments and situations, but things are definitely moving in the right direction.

In this period, it has also challenged our industry to think a bit more laterally in terms of how to create better value for fans.

These days, if a person can't go to a stadium and watch a match, what are the other options out there? So there's branded content, archived and repurposed content, behind-the-scenes footage - there are so many many different ways to engage audiences. I think this is healthy for our industry too. And the challenge will be, as we get back to what I call a "better normal", how to maintain this level of engagement even after Covid.

What sorts of opportunities do you see in e-sports?

E-sports gives plenty of access to teams and players. They do live streaming, fans can communicate with the players and even play along with them, so it's really inter-connected. Other sports can learn a lot from e-sports in terms of how they engage fans at a high level.

E-sports was the only sport that continued throughout the Covid period, and the ratings and numbers are just booming. So global e-sports revenues are now in the range of US$850 million a year, and it is expected to reach US$1 billion by 2022.

We were one of the first agencies to be a firm mover into e-sports. Our presence in this space is large as we represent many rights-owners. Our ambition is to continue to grow in this space, and invest in resources and properties.

In terms of live sporting events, do you foresee things going back to where they were before Covid-19, with thousands of fans in a stadium?

I don't believe live sports are going to go away. We just need to get to a place where people are comfortable to go back to the stadiums and arenas again. Live sports is in our blood, that communal element that brings us together as human beings. In many ways, we thrive off it. The moment when a stadium erupts in celebration, and you're one of 70,000 people in there experiencing that moment, it's irreplaceable.

I think - at some point, although no one knows exactly when - live sports will come back even stronger because there's such a pent-up demand for it, for that human interaction.

How can technology play a part in this 'better normal'?

A sports venue could use artificial intelligence to know what food you like, which gate you entered in, where you sit, where you bought your tickets or merchandise, and so on, and then push notifications to you based on your preferences and profile. There's 5G technology that can make the user-experience better, safer and more efficient. Overall, venues can provide a better digital experience for all visitors, and give more interesting content that people want.