The Explosion of Fantasy Sports

Fantasy sports is an industry that 10 years ago virtually didn't exist. It has recently exploded and by some industry estimates is a $4 billion industry.

Fantasy Sports come in all shapes and sizes. You can play Fantasy Baseball, Football or Basketball, or you can play Fantasy Nascar or Golf. There are many leagues that are free to join, but there are also many leagues that cost a fee to join. Often the pay leagues are more serious and include access to in depth statistics and live updates.

Fantasy Sports is a growing concern in the workplace as lost productivity is a concern. Avid fantasy sports players will spend signifigant time researching their team for a draft or checking the stats of their players.

There are also many sites that offer fantasy advice and rankings. These sites often charge fees and are growing quickly.

I believe fantasy sports are so popular because it allows users to form a group (league) and feel like they are a part of something bigger.

Fantasy sports also allows fans to extend their passion of sports beyond individual games and into everday life.

This booming industry will only contiune to grow.

http://money.cnn.com/2005/12/07/technology/fantasysports_fortune_121205/index.htm

Daisuke Matsuzaka and Sports Marketing

The Boston Red Sox this winter signed perhaps the most sought after free agent. Daisuke Matsuzaka. Matsuzaka is the third major asian baseball player to make the leap from Japan to America. The others being Hideki Matsui of the New York Yankees and Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners.

The Red Sox committed a record $51.11 million to the Seibu Lions, his baseball team, just to exclusively negotiate with Matsuzaka, paying him another $52 million over 6 years to play in Boston. The Red Sox felt that not only was Matsuzaka a top of the line pitcher, he would be a revenue generating machine in the lucrative asian market.

The Red Sox are expected to have Japanese advertisments in Fenway Park for the first time ever. They are also planning special events, such as holding back tickets to Matsuzaka starts and charging a premium to customers who would like to be part of the "Matsuzaka Experience". The money spent by these fans would buy tickets to the game, a Matsuzaka jersey, early entrance to the park and dinner.

The Red Sox are also expanding their popular tours of Fenway Park to include Japanese tours.

A local bureau estimated that Japanese tourists could bring as much as $14 million in revenues to the city of Boston this year alone. Not all of this is due to Matsuzaka but a considerable amount is. While the money does not all go directly to the Red Sox, this is the beginning of opening a once very small minded team up to the rest of the world.

This is only the beginning of a worldwide integration in sports. With sports at a worldwide level instead of a national level, the potential for revenue is vastly increased. If a team wants to be competitive on a global scale, it has to make a commitment to being open and understanding of different cultures.

For More Information See:

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2007/02/11/matsuzaka_factor_mobilizes_red_sox/