New and Emerging Leagues in Sports and Entertainment: Part 1

FCF Zappers QB Johnny Manziel throws a pass during the 2021 Fan Controlled Football season (Todd Kirkland/Fan Controlled Football/Getty Images).

The sports and entertainment industry is ever-changing. From new initiatives in the diversity and inclusion space to technological innovations and finding more ways to engage with fanbases, many of our favorite pastimes and organizations are looking to adapt to the times.

There are also a collection of leagues that are just getting the ball rolling or are in their infancy period in comparison to ones like the MLB, NFL, or NBA. While some are providing similar on-field play to preceding leagues in their respective sports, others are tweaking things a bit to draw in a new audience.

Just in 2022 alone, 19 new sports leagues will begin play, including the Professional Box Lacrosse Association and the reboot of the United States Football League (USFL).

These up-and-comers are carving out a new lane in sports unlike ever before. And we’ve seen many come and go rapidly, but what is allowing certain leagues to stick and generate national (and international) buzz?

Here’s The Breakdown: what are the start-up leagues that are emerging in sports and what jobs are available there?

1/Fan-Controlled Football

• Found in 2017, but the first season was played in 2021.
• 8 teams currently play in the league.
• Former NFL player Ray Austin serves as commissioner.
• 7-on-7 (unlike 11-on-11 football in the NFL), but is different than the 7-on-7 flag football model.
• Fans can call plays, pick team names, and draft payers.
• FCF has found homes with Twitch and its Fan Controlled Football app. This helped FCF garner an average of 2.4 million live views per week and 250K+ app downloads.
• Ballerz Collective NFTs were additional pieces to the four expansion teams in 2022. These gave fans access to virtual and in-real-life prizes.
• The league raised a $40 million Series A investment from Animoca Brands and Delphi Digital in early 2022. Other investors included NGC Ventures, Man Ventures, Jump Crypto, Red Beard Ventures, and Spartan Capital.
• The league’s initial seed investors include Basecamp Fund, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Talis Capital, Verizon Ventures, and Correlation Ventures.
• All FCF games during the 2022 season were broadcasted on NBCLX and Peacock. DAZN and FuboTV also had FCF broadcasts.
• The league wants to play two seasons per year and is hoping to expand to 20 teams by 2025.

One of the most unique league concepts in all of sports, FCF truly puts the power in the hands of the consumers. The league was created by Project Fanchise, which had plans to bring two fan-controlled football teams to the Indoor Football League (Salt Lake Screaming Eagles and Colorado Crush), with the Screaming Eagles actually being operated through fan interaction in 2017.

Through Twitch, fans of FCF can make play calls and direct their respective teams in 7-on-7 action as if they were playing a real-life game of Madden NFL Football. The eight-team league is also unique in some of its rules:

• Game clock: two 20-minute halves.
• 50-yard fields.
• Rock-Paper-Scissors instead of a coin toss.
• Rather than traditional 7-on-7 with no linemen, FCF features three down linemen on both sides of the ball and four skill players.
• No kicking or punting; possessions begin on the 10-yard line (aside from possessions following a turnover).
• One timeout per team (per half, two total for the game).
• There are three power-up options: fifth down option to avoid a turnover; flip the field (moving a team back to their 10-yard line), and power play (causes the team to play with only six players on the next play).
• One- and two-point conversions pit a wide receiver from the scoring team and a defensive back from the team who gave up the touchdown in a one-on-one matchup, with the point value determining where the PAT is attempted. Quarterbacks have 3.5 seconds to convert the pass.
• Fans also decide on instant replay calls.

While the sport is very youthful with only playing its second season ever in 2022, there are high-profile people in the sports business who are a part of the league’s operation. Several partial- and majority-team owners in the league include NFL Network analyst Cynthia Frelund, WNBA champion Renee Montgomery, MLB pitcher Trevor May, as well as former and current NFL players Marshawn Lynch, Richard Sherman, Dalvin Cook, Todd Gurley, Austin Ekeler, and Jamal Anderson.

There are also reports that the league is pushing for a collective bargaining agreement between FCF and its players. However, there is no official word on when that may come.

Why FCF?

FCF may be in its infancy, but it’s already picking up steam, as it plans to start its two-season per year schedule in the near future. And with sponsors and partners like Wendy’s, Gatorade, IBM, Tyson Foods, and Progressive Insurance on board, FCF appears to have the support that other non-NFL football leagues have lacked over the years.

Just in two seasons, the league expanded from four to eight teams, showing rapid growth as it looks ahead to Season V3.0.

If you are willing to learn on the fly and wear different hats, the FCF could be the league for you. Take it from Dan Hartman, the league’s Director of People:

“I like to describe starting at an organization like FCF … it’s kind of like choose your own adventure,” Hartman said. “Because you start in the organization, and you think you’re going to be doing one thing, but as different things come up, they get thrown over your way. And you can say ‘yeah, I’m going to dive in head first on this and figure it out.’ Or you learn really quickly like ‘hey, I tried to give coding a chance and I screwed it all up, it’s not for me, so I’m going to let some other people do that. But at least I tried it and know that I don’t want to do that in the future. … I think that’s super advantageous for team members who are looking to start their career somewhere.”

Where are the jobs:

While FCF does not have any live roles available at the moment, TeamWork Online has helped many people throughout the league find jobs specifically for the 2022 season. Those from FCF with TeamWork Online profiles include a variety of team members in different roles at the organization, such as Interns, Associates, Managers, Directors, and VP-level leaders across all disciplines. As the organization continues to grow, FCF looks to post a few roles in the upcoming months, all of which will be posted on TeamWork Online.

2/XFL

• Named after the league of the same name founded by former WWE chairman Vince McMahon.
• 3rd iteration of the league following 2020’s reboot that was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The XFL’s return is set for February 2023.
• 2 of the league’s majority owners are BIPOC — Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Dany Garcia. Gerry Cardinale and his RedBird Capital Partners — which is under Alpha Acquico LLC — were also in on this joint ownership venture.
• Felony charges disqualify players from joining the league.

It was a full-circle moment in 2020 when Johnson was a part of an ownership group that bought the XFL from his former WWE boss in McMahon. Now the league is set to return by 2023 after we last saw it run for five weeks before the sports world was put on hold due to the coronavirus. Once it returns, you can check out the action on ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2, and FX, as the league’s deal with The Walt Disney Company is slated through 2027.

One of the more positive developments for this latest XFL is its support from the NFL. The NFL will evaluate (and possibly implement) XFL rules like the double-forward pass, 60-second instant replay limits, no gunners on punt coverage, a five-round shootout of two-point conversions for overtime, and more.

The XFL has also done well with bringing in experienced people throughout sports to be a part of league operations. Former Buffalo Bills and Sabres President Russ Brandon is set to be President of League and Football Operations. Doug Whaley, Brandon’s former general manager from the Bills, is also in the fold as Vice President of Player Personnel. The NFL network’s Marc Ross — who has executive experience with the Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, and the NFL’s league office — will also serve as Executive Vice President of Football Operations.

Other operation staff to note includes Janet Duch (Chief Marketing Officer and Content Officer), Russ Giglio (Senior Director of Player Administration and Officiating Operations), Brad Campbell (Senior Director Football Technology), Bobby Monica (Senior Director of Equipment Operations), and David Dykeman (Director of Football Special Projects). This group has experiences that span from the college ranks with the Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences, all the way to the NFL and Madison Square Garden.

Why the XFL?

As the league begins its third iteration — with the hope that another global pandemic does not get in the way — the new XFL has the makings for what could be its best version yet. The league rebranded with its new logo in April 2022 and shared its brand pillars (Co-Creation, Inclusivity, Accessibility, and Innovation).

Inclusivity can be measured right away for the league’s leadership team, first with two executives of color in Whaley and Ross, but additionally with two other women in executive positions along with Duch (Kerry Gordon and Cindy Wagner).

Again, it cannot be stressed enough the importance of having the NFL back the XFL and look to the new league as a partner. So the funding and support that may have been missing in the past XFL leagues is now present and should help the league last longer than its predecessors.

Where are the jobs:

Similar to FCF, the XFL has not posted many jobs as of late. But some of the hires throughout the league through TeamWork include Erica Muhleman (Senior Vice President, Team Services), Anastasia Ali (Director, Team Operations), and Jack Freeman (Information Technology Engineer). Others slated to work there next season include Miles Hearon (Project Manager), Charlee Schaefer (Communications Associate), Cortez Robinson (Head Equipment Manager), and Anthony Zucconi (VP, Marketing & Brand).

The XFL does have several options available on its website: Director Performance Marketing, Art Director, Recruiter (Talent Acquisition), Social Media Manager, Director of Partnership Sales, Creative Director, and more.

3/Esports

• There is a multitude of Esports leagues out there. Some of the top ones are Super Liga (playing League of Legends), Call of Duty League, Compete League (also League of Legends), Electronic Sports League, European Gaming League, and High School Esports League.
• Esports’ global market in 2022 is roughly estimated at $1.08 billion (Global News Wire).
• Esports sponsorships in 2021 tallied at $641 million (60% of overall revenue). The Esports world generated another $192.6 million in media rights deals (Exploding Topics).
• The Chinese Esports market is the biggest in the world, as the market there is estimated at over $360 million, which is over $100 million more than the next-biggest market (United States: $243 million).
• Despite the previous figure, the U.S. Esports market is projected to be the biggest in the world by 2023 (PwC).
• The top four highest-earning Esports organizations — TSM, Cloud9, Team Liquid, and FaZe Clan — are all worth $300 million in value (Forbes).
• By 2024, it is expected that over 285 million people will be designated as Esports enthusiasts, with over 290 million additional viewers being expected to watch Esports events by that time (VentureBeat).
• 57% of Esports viewers come from the Asia-Pacific region. North American viewership accounts for 12% of total Esports views (roundhillinvestments.com).
• 80% of Americans say they are not interested in or have not heard of Esports. But the United States is expected to have 45 million Esports viewers by 2023 (Morning Consult and eMarketer).

The world of Esports continues to be one of growth in sports and entertainment. According to esportsearnings.com, over 2,100 tournaments played in 2022 totaled over $115 million in total prize money. This prize money has been raked in by over 15,000 total active players across the globe.

These tournaments have become big money generators. For example, the Gamers8 tournament from Aug. 18–20 of 2022 had a total prize pool of $12.6 million. Of the 374 players taking part in the event, 29 of them were able to rake in $100K from this tournament alone.

There are leagues and tournaments for specific games and ones that are centered around specific gaming developers. One example of this would be the Electronic Sports League, which has well over 100 different league competitions it’s overseen and a mix of games played tournament-wise, like Counter-Strike, DOTA Underlords, FIFA, and Call of Duty. ESL’s biggest generator has been ESL Intel Extreme Masters, which has gained over $19.1 million over 179 tournaments.

Many Esports events are being streamed on Twitch and YouTube. The Call of Duty League recently held an event in Los Angeles and saw positive developments from the depths of the pandemic. The championship competition had a two-year high in peak viewership (260,000 people), an increase in tweets about the event and people tweeting about it, and overall ticket sale improvements from the 2021 event.

TeamWork Online partners LEARFIELD and Electronic Arts are partnering on the LevelNext Madden National Championship too, which will give students at over 2,500 colleges the opportunity to win from a prize pool of $150K by playing Madden NFL Football 23.

Why Esports?

One of the fastest-growing sectors in all forms of business, Esports has connected people across the globe in ways we’ve never seen. Because of that, there are boundless Esports teams, tournaments, events, and organizations for you to consider.

If you are a longtime gamer, a former gamer, or just a person who has a love for the gaming industry, you can get an up-close look at how Esports events and tournaments are run, and see what goes on with an Esports team on a day-to-day basis.

It must also be noted how lucrative Esports can be — by 2024, explodingtopics.com projects that the Esports market to be $1.62 Billion worldwide.

Where are the jobs:

Another TeamWork partner is Esports Engine. The Esports event operator has new jobs available to get into the gaming world. There are currently two that are in the content creation/web and creative services category — Graphics Producer and Designer and Animator.

Esports Engine also has more operation-based roles. The Broadcast Technical Manager, Event Production position assists with event planning, venue selection, pre-production for these events, and equipment management on a project basis. A higher-level role there is Senior Manager, Competition Operations role that manages players, designs Esports competitions and tournaments and collaborates with other organizations and publishers, among other responsibilities.

There is a role more directly linked to the competition: HCS LAN Referee. In another project-based role, the LAN Referee will score keep, oversee gameplay, and provide overall player relations and communication for play in the Halo Championship Series.

What did we Learn:

The sports world is more than just the NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB. Leagues are doing their best to be creative and draw in fans in unique ways. While some rely on a quality product that is identical to other leagues a sport may play, others have shown that innovation can connect you to new audiences as well.

Regardless of what stage the league is in, many of them are looking to bring on new faces. Maybe the cache of a long-standing, historic league has the allure that attracts you to them. But being a part of an emerging league could give you the opportunity to help stake new ground with leagues that are also making a name for themselves.

FCF’s Dan Hartman had this to share with those entering the industry through emerging leagues. He says it’s about being a “jackknife,” essentially having multiple skills in your arsenal:

“The thing that I love about FCF and the reason to be involved in organizations that are innovators in the space or start-ups or just hitting the ground running, is similar to the whole start-up space as a whole,” said Hartman, who has worked for several start-up companies. “You have to learn stuff really quickly. You don’t know what your day is going to look like every day, you don’t know what you are going to get into. And I think that’s really exciting and extremely rewarding from a professional perspective. You get exposed to so many things that you never thought that you would and you bring out different areas of yourself that you didn’t know were there.”

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