The Future of Sports and the Importance of Integrity

Our guest in this episode is Katie Simmonds, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of SIGA, the Sports Integrity Global Alliance.  We take a deep dive into the role integrity plays in the global sports industry which is projected to reach US $40.2 billion by 2026.  We discuss the importance of creating and defending a culture of honesty, transparency, fairness, accountability, and equality in sports.  We look ahead at the future of sports - developments in science, technology, medicine, and therapies that will likely change the world of sports in significant ways. We explore the impact of artificial intelligence, automation, content creation, and augmented realities on sports and athletes.  Sports is a BIG business today, and everyone involved will benefit by embracing standards of integrity.

To read more about the future of sports check out, The Future of Sports Integrity, Part 1.

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Kevin Benedict

Partner | Futurist at TCS

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***Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

The Future of Sports Integrity, Part 2

In Part 1 of this series we discussed the future of sports integrity, its meaning, and what makes sports entertaining and compelling to watch and participate in.  We covered the economics of integrity, and how a loss of integrity has a direct impact on the bottomline of sports' ecosystems.  We then identified some of the significant scientific and medical advances that will likely help humans improve their athletic performances, health, injury rehabilitations and prolong their athletic careers in the future.  Many of these advances will need to be studied, evaluated and ultimately absorbed into sports in a manner that preserves the integrity of the sport.

Growth and Innovation:

In Part 2, we explore technologies and innovations that will impact sports, sports integrity and sports ecosystems in the future.  The global sports technology market was valued at US $ 17.9 billion in 2021, and is projected to reach US $40.2 billion by 2026. Growth is forecasted in data-driven decision-making, operations, increased audience engagement, and an increase in online and offline sporting events.

A World Economic Forum report recently found that 76% of consumers today prefer to spend on experiences in the form of live sports or music concerts over material possessions.  These findings represent a positive signal for sports technology innovators that are working on improving the digital experiences for sports fans.

Investors are well aware of the emerging opportunities in the sports ecosystem, in fact, TechCrunch quoted Gayatri Sarkar, Managing Partner at Hype Capital as predicting, “The sports market has the opportunity to be a multi-trillion-dollar ecosystem with technological advances such as 5G, digital collectible trading and the rise of esports, which will fuel new market and social behavior."

The Future of Sports Integrity, Part 1

Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in the SIGA (Sports Integrity Global Alliance) conference at the Nova School of Business and Economics in Lisbon, Portugal.  In preparation for speaking, I researched the business of sports and the critical role of integrity in it.

Sports are games.  People participate in and watch games to experience competitors struggling within a set of rules to overcome and succeed.  At its bare essentials, sports involves a relatable struggle.  A young man or women overcoming a traumatic childhood, poverty, violence, broken relationships, injuries, etc., to become a winner.  This can be highly entertaining, and audiences are willing to spend billions of dollars for the opportunity to watch this struggle unfold.