Katie O'Reilly

📊 New Data Tool for Evaluating Sports Franchises The University of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School of Business has teamed up with Arctos Sports Partners to launch the pioneering Sports Franchise Index (SFI). This innovative initiative promises to transform how we understand the performance and valuation of sports franchises. 🔍 What is the SFI? The Sports Franchise Index offers a comprehensive and transparent measure of the financial and operational health of sports franchises. Utilizing robust data analytics, the SFI aims to provide deep insights into the sports industry. 💡 Notable Findings: - Long-Term Growth: The value of North American sports assets included in the index has compounded at 13.0% per annum over the last 60+ years, outperforming the equity market by 2.5%. - Superior Risk/Return: According to several measures of risk, North American sports assets included in the index possess risk/return characteristics superior to other traditional and alternative asset classes. 📊 Latest Performance Updates (as of Q1 2024): - Quarter-to-Date Return: 4.8% - Year-to-Date Return: 28.1% - Three-Years-to-Date Return: 16.7% 🔝 Year-Over-Year Performance: - Outperforming Assets: North American sports assets have outperformed global equities (23.8%), U.S. small cap stocks (19.7%), private credit (8.8%), private equity (6.0%), commodities (1.5%), and fixed income (1.3%). - Top Performers: The U.S. media and entertainment sector (53.6%) and U.S. equities (29.9%) have outperformed North American sports assets included in the index. This collaboration highlights a significant step forward in using data-driven strategies to revolutionize the sports industry. I've dropped a link to the announcement in the comments 👇 #linkedinsports #sportsfranchise

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Read more about Game Plan & BridgeAthletic coming together at Sportico

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Golf - The Evolving Business Model. The men's professional game of #golf continues to be as divided as many of the stakeholders in the US political arena. We saw it yet again this past weekend, when one of the games showcase events "The Masters" was played at Augusta in Georgia, USA. Broadcasters seemingly, and incredibly unprofessionally, went out of their way to discredit the presence of the #LIVGolf league players who were in attendance along with their #PGATour colleagues over the course of the week. All of the sly and sarcastic interludes throughout the broadcast did not get lost on the fans of the game, as the internet lit up as if it were some kind of heated debate between passionate #Democrats and #Republicans. #PGA pundits making sly remarks about the LIV players not being able to manage playing 72 holes over the week, because the rival LIV tournaments are played over 54 holes over three days. This got me thinking. Who actually invented the concept of 18 holes for a round of golf, and how did 72 holes become the 'norm" for a golf tournament? Well you might be surprised to learn that at the traditional home of golf, St Andrews in #Scotland, the course originally consisted of 22 holes. 11 holes out, and 11 holes back in. This was later shortened when holes were merged together. Yet back then there was no standard, some tournaments even featured courses that had just 12 holes. It's when we jump back over the Atlantic once again to understand that The Masters tournament was originally played over eighteen holes over three days, eighteen holes were played each day for the first two days, and then a final 36 holes were played on the third day. Co-founder of 'The Masters" , Amateur golfer Bobby Jones suggested that the tournament should be played over four days so more tickets could be sold, and other events could be built around the week, so it was born, the concept, and norm that a golf tournament was to be played over eighteen holes over the course of four straight days. Other major tournaments followed suit such as 'The Open' and the 'PGA Championships'. In June 2021 the disruptors came into the game, the LIV Golf league. LIV introduced three day and fifty four hole tournaments. Ever since then the internal flames on mens professional golf has become an out of control wildfire. Players, fans and administrators are all embroiled in a never ending circus that started in 2021, over 250 years after the game was invented. The question is, when will the adults enter the room and realize that for mens professional golf to prosper the ego's need to be put aside so that the sustainable future of the game can be created which for now, is the only thing that matters. The only thing that matters.

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This article sheds light on the stark reality of adults exploiting players and their parents to capitalize on their amateur success. The focus is to offer the opportunity to play in college or professional baseball while perpetuating a culture of fear of missing out if you don't participate. The revenues will continue to be funded by the mass herd of youth players participating in multiple events, all for a ranking and profile to platform you to the next event. What a cycle. Now, players can or have signed away their NIL rights for this organization to continue to scale while offering more tournaments and showcases all year round to a younger and younger player demographic. Renowned MLB agent Scott Boras said in the article, "There are many other facets of illustrating your skills where you don't need Perfect Game, and to give away rights that potentially could be of substantial value to you going forward," he said. "That is not the original intent of what this was, which was a fee-for-service. Now it's a fee-for-service, plus a loss of monumental rights for no remuneration to the player."  With the prevalent use of social media, the NCAA's move to pay players and NIL usage, the industry will continue to pressure parents and players to do anything possible to secure their players' opportunities to play at the next level. The best players rarely have to pay to participate, with their expenses often compensated for playing in large-scale or marquee tournaments. They frequently move from team to team and showcase to showcase, seldom competing within their local communities. The focus has shifted from team success to building their brand. Injuries will continue to rise, and Major League Baseball (MLB) will continue to inherit a generation of players who have spent most of their time focusing on what they need to do to boost themselves and less on the teams that can help them succeed. I really hope and would love to see MLB Playball, USA Baseball, and MLB Pipeline's platforms efficiently marketed and integrated inside more communities to help offset what is currently happening to amateur players on their journey. After all, many of these players who are paying for these tournaments, are all dreaming of playing MLB. Starting off playing in your community league with a pathway of opportunity for more players to play at higher levels shouldn't come with such a high price tag.

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As we bask in the aftermath of the Masters Tournament, it's thrilling to see how vibrant the golf scene has become. The latest findings from The Pulse of the Golf Consumer report reveal a significant upswing in golf's popularity. 📊 Key Insights: ⛳️123 million Americans engaged with golf last year in various forms, marking a 14% increase over five years. ⛳️An impressive 95% of core golfers are planning to play as much or more in 2024. ⛳️The female golf segment is showing particularly strong growth, with a 25% increase in participation over the last four years. ⛳️Social media continues to be a powerful platform for golf, with over 50 million Americans consuming golf-related content. The momentum in the golf industry is undeniable, and it’s exciting to see such enthusiasm and participation across the board. Whether it’s playing, watching, or discussing, the game is reaching more people than ever. Let's keep this momentum going!

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This report illustrates the gaps that are often found between "policy" and "implementation." We see examples of this in in other areas including anti-doping and safe sport. One of the solutions is greater accountability. Policies are just words on a page that are ineffective without robust accountability frameworks to affect real change. #sportpolicy #accountability

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Are you a Dualie? If you are, then you could be key to strengthening long-term participation in the game. In short, the National Golf Foundation define a dualie is a golfer who plays both on-course and off-course golf. Not content with a regular 18, they use a simulator, visit the range, or head down to a Top Golf or a Big Shots in between rounds. I’ve seen several reports recently about the consistent growth of off-course golf. And I’ve heard a fair bit of concern from the industry on whether it will weaken participation in the traditional game. I’ve always thought otherwise – so it’s great to see this report suggesting I was right 😊 When we see golfers taking lessons, or hitting the range we know that the number of rounds they play goes up – we’ve measured it. We know that when we can help engage golfers in activities around the club other than playing golf, the number of rounds they play goes up – we’ve measured it. So it has always followed in my head that when golfers hit balls for leisure, the number of rounds they play will go up. In addition, this report shows that they are more committed to traditional golf, their ability level is higher, they spend more money on equipment, and - the number of rounds they play goes up! I think there’s also a great argument that off course golf is a fantastic entry point for many people too. But that’s a post for another day 😊 #participation #dualie #golfbusiness https://lnkd.in/eepE24rS

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I've talked about the impact that the AIQ.team has in the NFL, but our value transcends beyond just the sport of football - we have a significant presence in basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer and more. With the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals & Draft right around the corner, our team is looking at this past year's rookie class and the signals the AIQ picked up between the players cognitive scores & performance on the court. 🏀 I wanted to share one in particular: the NBA All-Rookie team outperformed all of the other 2023 NBA prospects in the area of Learning Efficiency (LE). LE is one of the 15 data points the AIQ measures and affects a player's ability to learn technique, strategy, reports, etc. and recall this information readily when needed. Teams that use the AIQ for scouting & talent selection know that LE is a crucial indicator in a prospect's ability to learn the playbook more quickly than their peers and adjust to the speed of the game better than other draftees. As sports evolve to rely heavily on analytics and measuring "between the ears", we continue to provide insights & correlations to our teams to help them select the right talent, develop players properly, and ultimately take the right step to a championship caliber team. #Linkedinsports #NBA #CognitiveAssessment

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Once again, the PGA Championship did not disappoint! Nearly 5 million viewers tuned into final round coverage on CBS, which came down to the very last putt. Over the course of the tournament, the Nielsen Sports team worked with the PGA of America to help maximize exposure for its sponsors. We analyzed 27 footage hours of brand exposure in real time, enabling the PGA to optimize signage locations and deliver more value to its sponsors. Primary drivers of on-screen brand exposure were Grandstand signage (24%), Tee Billboard (23%), Presentation backdrop (22%) and Tee Fence (18%). Through 3 rounds (round 4 data pending), time on screen for PGA sponsors was up +157% versus the first 3 rounds of 2023. Shout-out to our friends at the PGA of America for investing in data and insights to support their client relationships! #sportsbiz #Nielsen #data #insights #partnerships

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🚀 Exciting times for the golf industry! 🌟 The National Golf Foundation’s recent article highlights the significant impact women and girls are having on golf’s growth. With increasing participation, leadership roles, and influence, it’s clear that the future of golf is bright and inclusive. Read more about how women and girls are fueling the sport’s growth 👇

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🎯 How Many of the Top 5 Players in the World Use 14 Clubs from the Same Brand? 🏌️‍♂️ Most would think all of them, or at least 3 out of 5. But what if I told you the answer is ZERO? 🤯 If the best golfers in the world aren’t 100% brand loyal, why should you be? We spend countless hours playing, practicing, thinking about golf, talking about golf, and wishing we were playing more golf. So why not take full advantage of the options out there? Why think you need one brand? I own a golf shop, and even I play clubs that I don't offer in my shop. If that isn’t showing personal performance over marketing, then I don’t know what is. Explore. Experiment. Elevate your game. 🏌️‍♀️🏌️‍♂️ #CustomFitting #golfshop #golfclubs #brandloyalty #mixedbag #top5 #pgatour #golfequipment #brandagnostic #agnostic #performancefirst #pompanobeach #lowerscores #golfclubrepair #honesty

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Interesting details coming out for the NBA package A, B and C media partners… all this will lead to superstar players earning $60m, $70m and $80m per year on their super max contracts! Check out the article

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Calling all parents of athletes, coaches, athletic directors, and club programs. You are missing the most important ingredient in developing your kids. Let’s start giving them the tools for success. Message me if you want to try Athletic Mindset where we measure how an athletes thinks while practicing and competing in sports.

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How can you increase customer golf spend by 80%? While reducing member attrition to 2% While multiplying golfer recruitment? To add to my recent posts on recruitment & retention, in a sample of over 50 clubs we found that average golf spend increased by 80% for golfers engaged with our Active Member Management program. That’s spend on buggies, pro shop, green fees and all things golf. A golfer in this program really is the most engaged golfer a club can have, and we have the data that shows it. If you’d like to learn more about AMM, send me a message and I’ll run you through our Orbis programs. #customerengagement #customerexperience #golfbusiness

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What’s your strategy or the best strategy you can think of for increasing return on investment (ROI) in sports? 🤔 Last year Ryan Reynolds and Roy McElhenny lost roughly $12 million after investing in Wrexham AFC. Their strategy for reversing the scales was to continue pursuing advancement to a higher league, which came to fruition for the team in April (very well done!🎉). The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on the other hand is "starting to pursue" private investment in The Hundreds teams to be able to compete on a global scale. Richard Gould, CEO, was quoted as saying “We'll be able to make sure we retain and attract all the best players in the world and have a game that either broadcasters, supporters or new fans want to be involved with.” Is the solution to sports organisations’ financial woes and goals only found in on-the-field/pitch performance? My answer is of course no. I am not saying that on-the-field performance doesn’t matter because it does. However, maybe there is an overreliance on this as a strategy for attracting and retaining fans. Not only is this unreliable but it is unsustainable. A terrible example of this is all the high-profile injuries coming out of women’s sports as a result of grueling and brutal scheduling that sees players having back-to-back tournaments. A great off-the-field solution for increasing ROI in sports is using supporter data to increase ticket sales and attendance, the “rocket fuel for any professional sports league.” as Jessica Berman, commissioner of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), calls it. Not just tickets but merchandise as well and negotiating sponsorship agreements of higher value. This is something that we have been working on with over 500 sports organisations worldwide. Some of you might already know about the 4 Fundamentals powered by the Data Talks Sports Platform. We wrote a book about this last year and this year we released a course educating and empowering decision-makers in sports about using supporter data to sell more tickets and merchandise and negotiate sponsorship agreements of higher value. We focus on the 4 Fundamentals, which are: 1️⃣ Grow your supporter base, continuously 2️⃣ Collect supporter data with contact information and merge it with your other data 3️⃣ Find out which supporter segments you should target with your campaigns 4️⃣ Send out relevant offerings to those segments in a way that your supporters will really appreciate Again I ask, what’s your strategy or the best strategy you can think of for increasing return on investment (ROI) in sports? Let me know in the comments!

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We talk about the power of sports on a daily basis, but the results of the latest Sports Events & Tourism Association State of the Industry Report, sponsored by Northstar Meetings Group and produced by Tourism Economics make the case with real numbers. And they are the strongest numbers ever recorded. Among the highlights: ⚽ 63 percent of cities that responded said sports are the top room-night generator in their communities. 💵 The sports-events industry had a direct economic impact of $52.2 billion in 2023 and $128 billion overall factoring all spending. ✈ More than 200 million people traveled to youth and adult amateur sports, as well as collegiate championships in 2023. 🛌 Sports-related travel generated more than 73 million room nights in 2023. Thank you to John David, STS and Sports ETA for the chance to support this important research. If your destination or organization is not investing in sports-related travel, it is time to look at the power this market holds for the future. And our events, including the TEAMS Conference & Expo, the EsportsTravel Summit and TEAMS Europe, as well as our channels through SportsTravel Magazine can help position you for success.

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After spending the last couple months diving down and meeting / having dialogue with all 20 China Basketball Association (CBA) teams, I’ve learned quite a ton. Here are a few highlights that should indicate the CBA is on an upswing: 1)  There will most likely be an increase to 6 quarters of game play by foreign players combined in the upcoming 2024-25 season, up from the current 4 quarters. That means that if a team has 2 import players on the bench (and they’re allowed up to 4 signed and registered to play anytime, but most teams carry 3), they will likely play 1 in the 1st quarter, 2 in the 2nd and 3rd quarters and are restricted to only 1 on the floor in the 4th quarter = 6 quarters with foreign players. As the entertainment quality of the product suffered 3 years playing in a bubble, and last season was the 1st truly post-pandemic CBA season, there is a need to make the game more dynamic, and foreign players raise the level of the game. 2)   While salaries are down from the days of import players making up to USD 4 million post tax pre-pandemic and in a different Chinese economy, all salary ranges quoted to me for foreign players by teams are USD 500K to 1.5 million post tax. This is still by far the highest in Asia, and it’s competitive with European salaries minus the top Euroleague Basketball teams. Teams are mindful of the need to carefully manage their finances in this economic climate, but the ecosystem is still incredibly more healthy than that of Chinese football (soccer). The tone I receive from team owners and managers is that the teams are committed more than ever to working together in a meaningful way to develop the CBA post-pandemic being financially responsible in line with current Chinese economic conditions through innovation and constant fine tuning of the product. No one is sitting on their hands and hoping for the best, and remaining the best and strongest league in Asia is a top of mind objective every day. 3)   Given the fact that the China men’s national team is not playing in the Olympics this summer, the focus on developing young players on the national team by playing in top competition in Australia and the U.S. is a smart move. The roster of young bucks was announced this past week, and this XInhua News Agency article has a reference to the July 5-10 NBA Summer League games Team China will play in Sacramento: https://lnkd.in/ggWK7-8b Team China (men’s and women’s sides) will play in Melbourne July 2 to 5: https://lnkd.in/gQJgs5sR Here is a photo from last weekend with Courtney Fortson, who is playing on the China NBL team Changsha Yongsheng and fighting to get back to the CBA. My colleague Alex Olin and I brought Courtney the second-ever China shoe deal for a non-NBA foreigner player with 361 Degrees International Ltd in 2018 when he became the league’s MVP after leading the team to the CBA Finals.

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