On this past Tuesday’s Purposeful Stories webinar series, 17 Sport cofounder Neill Duffy spoke to Sebastian Buck, cofounder and strategic lead for enso, about the future of sports after COVID19. Their conversation took a sweep look at the state of the sport industry and how it can ‘reboot’ with more purpose.
The full video can be found below as well as some of the key learnings from the talk.
Sport are helping, but the virus has made clear sport is not designed with Purpose in mind.
The Mercedes F1 Team designed a new breathing aid. Steph Curry hosted an Instagram live with Dr. Fauci. Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks reimbursed employees that eat locally during the crisis. And these are just a few of the examples of how teams, leagues and athletes have responded impactfully to the COVID 19 crisis. But beyond these initial responses, this pandemic has made clear that sport does generally not have a just cause beyond entertainment and $$ and that the vast majority of the sports world isn’t set up to add sustained value to their communities due to their lack of meaningful investment in those areas.
It’s time to stop relegating purpose
This crisis has made it more clear than ever that sports should stand for more than just wins and loses. And this means not more than just setting up a foundation or donating extra equipment. It’s time to stop relegating purpose to CSR departments or designating it as a small initiative, and instead start integrating purpose as a central organising principle that guides how sport is run. It’s time to start looking at all departments — fan engagement, sponsorship, ticket sales, marketing, and more — through the lens of value created for both owners and society.
The Industry needs to follow the example set by athletes
It’s clear that athletes have more power, autonomy and influence than ever before. Colin Kaepernick has elevated his cause to the highest levels of discourse; the USWNT has been vocal about their need for equal pay. But every time any one of these individuals takes a stand, it shines a bright light on how stark the difference between their actions and that of their employers. Teams and leagues, and the broader sports industry, should follow these examples to acting in a more purposeful way.
We invite you to continue the conversation with us on our Sport 2.0: Slack Channel where we are bringing together the sporting community to discuss this topic and others like it.
You can also sign up for our next Purposeful Stories webinar, we will be joined by Todd Jacobson, Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility for the NBA to talk about how the NBA is adapting to the crisis and how they are giving back to their dedicated community. Register here to make sure you don’t miss it!
17 Sport is the world’s first truly integrated sports impact company on a mission to build a positive future for the world through sport. We provide purpose led advisory, commercial and management solutions for brands, sports properties, athletes and non-profits wanting to manage their investments in sport in a more purposeful way. www.17-sport.com
