A Changing Guard: Where will Sports be in 20 years

I conducted an array of research before I went into writing this essay, AI was a postulation that reared its head in almost every article or research I read – which helped in deterring my belief in it becoming a mainstay in sports in 20 years.

I don’t believe this generation is receptive to AI as ties to a more organic interaction with sports will act as a deterrence to merge sports media with something that automates it. To truly predict what the landscape would be like in 20 years I tracked what the hallmarks of sports media are today and what fans' respective interactions are with it.

After experiencing sports and the media both in Europe and the United States I’ve come to realise how different we both consume it, so I believe it’s best to give two predictions to cover both cultures as the likeliest of scenarios is that 20 years from now, they will be completely different. Beginning with the United States, it came to my surprise just how casual most fans here are– now this isn’t meant in a manner to disrespect but rather an observation. People are aware of a sport, aware of some of the household names but there lacks an obsession nature that I see in my European counterparts.

The only fans that I see an innate obsession are those who indulge in fantasy football/basketball or sports gambling, with this minority these hobbies are clearly paired with a passion for the sport, but it was interesting to take note of the direct proportion between the two. The casual nature has also changed how when people do watch sports it’s typically on a very shallow level – there isn’t a prolonged attention span nor interest to delve into the sport. Therefore, I believe such an audience will promote a complete overhaul of how sports will be delivered to its audience. I imagine there will be a creation of a sports media company of the same ilk as ESPN and TNT, but its primary mission will be to broadcast sports to a more casual audience rather than face the same tug-of-war legacy broadcasters like ESPN are having between satisfying its generational fanbase and advancing into a modern media space.

The theoretical name of this company will be Content as that would be their main goal – this would see commentators replaced with entertainers possibly celebrities of note during that time (who wouldn’t need to have any background in sports) commentating on the game and contribute to bringing an audience – this would run concurrently with sports itself being shortened to be in tune with its audience’s attention span. Panellists would all be of the same ilk as the Pat McFee and the TNT show with Shaq and Barkley except there will be more of an emphasis on entertainment and most likely won’t require guests with prior playing experience.

Expect a company such as this to also seek out media rights of professional athletes in an act to control their time as I expect players' relationship with the media to deteriorate to the point where AI would probably be subsided with fill-in post-match interviews – expect this company to force players into collabs with influencers, movies and tv shows and most likely offer some type of incentive most probably monetary to whoever can put themselves into a position that produces the most content – whether that be relationships, fights and any type of conflict.

In regards to Europe, the whole continent prides itself on its archaic relationships with sports. The quote-on-quote founding fathers of some of the most popular sports such as Football, Rugby and Cricket scorned any wholesale changes to a sector that’s intrinsically linked to the history of many of its countries. In terms of what’s changed regarding sports media, the only one of note over the past 20 years is obviously the introduction of social media, but regarding the more old-fashioned forms of coverage such as sports writing, film and production - there isn’t a massive disparity from the year 2003 to now.

Europeans hate change, and this outlook encompasses many things, some bad and some good, but in regards to their receptiveness to change in sports and its coverage it’s a big no-no. There have been countless times that how sports like football are played or covered by the media has changed only to be reverted immediately as it was seen as sacrilegious.

That is why I predict as boring as it sounds that not much if anything will change about how sport is covered or played in Europe and it will act as a type of tradition or pride especially as our American counterparts fall more and more into a completely different and surface level sporting media landscape.

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