Adapting sports

As media disintermediates, players will form their own brands (ex., TB12) and produce their own content through social media and services like Twitch. This relationship could end up being symbiotic—player brands build league hype—or competitive.

While some leagues are more diversified than the NFL, the major predicament faced by traditional sports leagues is the same: big media pays for big sports because of big advertising. Big advertising in 2020 has more places to put it's money than ever before, and American consumers are increasingly spending their entertainment time with streaming se... See more

Reason #2 is that media, like many other industries, is undergoing an unbundling: “the decline of the firm as a principle agent of change” as Nadia Eghbal puts it. In other words, more power to the players, who can now produce independent revenue streams via social media and live streaming services like Twitch. Players also have a stronger role in ... See more

Thus, as the cable-tv-dominated status quo crumbles, pro sports will develop a new playbook, centered around better telling player stories. Players will also have more opportunity to tell and sell these stories themselves, direct-to-consumer:

The future of sports will follow the future of sports media. Here's the thing: the main role of sports media is to provide narrative.