Times may change but dreams never waver. We support and understand the decision made now, so we can come back stronger later. Keep the torch burning. We’ll see you in 2021.
Source: READY FOR SPORT: WHAT’S ONE MORE
When I developed Niche Out as a concept it was to sit down with brands to move them towards a more consistent promotion of non-traditional sports. Every four years every sporting goods company spends an enormous amount of energy building up for the Olympics. The short window provides sparks of participation leading to new gym memberships, new kids participating in variety of sports and the Games reignite a passion for country and competition. It’s the perfect moment to build memories and to connect brand to the consumer.
Once the Olympics are over, swimming, track & field athletes, gymnasts are relegated to long time competitions abroad. As the time goes by the connection to those athletes subsides, participation decreases and a new generation of kids are left uninspired by the domination of mainstream sports which have professionalized out of the reach of the neighborhood kids.
Covid-19 has taken a lot from us and in the process it has returned an interest in outdoor sports, walking, jogging and biking. Communal sports like basketball, football and baseball have been relegated to postponement or bubbles to recoup the billions of dollars lost. Performance footwear sales are increasing again and the irony of the Olympics being cancelled is that the sports of the Olympics are perfect candidates for bubble sports series operated by brands and made available via YouTube or other social media outlets.
I’ve discussed this in a variety of posts on the professionalization of youth sports:
Should America Start Paying The Elite Amateur Athletes Like In Europe?
To an analysis of the film Amateur:
I.T. Ep. 144: Zion, Netflix’s Amateur & High Flying Bird and the Pac Pro League
What adidas has done with this short film reminding everyone that the Olympics have been postponed is to present an opportunity for their own version of a media company and sports bubble for its athletes. Olympic sports allow are primarily individual and the events only take place over the course of a few days. Those few days are magical and contribute to endorsements and financial opportunities for the athletes. More important those events allow for brands to build awareness around fitness and inspire the next generation of athletes and competitors. We live in a time where the branding in mainstream sports is controlled by one company: Nike. While there individually endorsed athletes in each of these sports, the U.S. has done a very poor job of monetizing and selling other sports. Other sports have been relegated to a 4 year cycle, when the reality is they are seasonal events every year around the world.
I wrote an angry post a few years back when Breanna Stewart was injured in Europe and lost to the WNBA last year:
Breanna Stewart Injured In EuroLeague Final Four Game and Why This is F’ed Up
In that post I gave a breakdown of how the WNBA salaries could be increased so that it functioned more like the NBA. I also described that the majority of the issue was in exposure and the fact that brand dollars could offset much of the issue in sports. I even dove into the breakdown of marketing costs and how little the investment would be by brands. I’m writing this time because adidas’ “What’s One More” reminds me that brands have the potential to generate amazing content within their own sports bubbles with Niche sports. When I watch this ad, by the time its over I’m wishing that they would say, “Coming Soon the adidas Sports League: a month of competition featuring…” Check this out and see if you agree.