Welcome to Issue #5 of Innovation in Sport, your regular round-up of the latest innovations and trends in sports & esports media, fan experience, impact & community engagement.

Writing this with Wimbledon on TV in the background, the quarter-finals of the Euros coming up this weekend, and the Copa America also well underway, it feels like we’ve already had a feast of sport this summer - and we still have an Olympics and Paralympics to look forward to.

And that’s before we even mention the esports World Cup and a growing number of high-profile gaming events that are attracting enormous audiences and prize pots in their own right.

Which is where we begin this edition…

🎮 ESPORTS 🎮 

🎾 Wimbledon launches ‘eChamps’ esports tournament on Top Spin 2K25. The number one tennis video game has the full tournament license as England’s famous tennis Grand Slam seeks to engage younger audiences.

⚽ FIFA has partnered with Sports Interactive for a Football Manager esports tournament.‘FifaE World Champion of Football Manager’ will see players compete for US$100k in prize money.

🎮 TikTok has become the ‘official entertainment platform’ for the esports World Cup, joining a host of other big-name partnerships for the eight-week festival that kicked-off this week.

The streaming social platform has launched a dedicated hub for unparalleled esports coverage and engagement.

🎮 The Esports World Cup: What does Saudi Arabia’s US$60m event mean for competitive gaming?

The inaugural esports World Cup has arrived in Riyadh with record prize money and a promise to transform the Saudi Arabian capital into the epicentre for esports fandom and gaming culture.

Sportspro investigates why the Gulf state is investing so heavily in competitive gaming and how it might shape the future of the industry.

✨ NEW FEATURE:
CREATIVITY CORNER FLAG 🎨 
Showcasing the finest creative work in sports & esports

⚽ la Compil des Bleues’ by Marcel, for Orange

If you missed it the first time around, this stunning video content from Orange returned to the spotlight last month when it was awarded the Grand Prix in the Cannes Lions Sport & Entertainment category.

In a year in which Women’s sport inspired a lot of breakthrough work, this masterpiece was the pick of the bunch. Bravo.

📹 MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS 📹

🥇 Peacock will use an AI recreation of the voice of legendary commentator Al Michaels to deliver personalised daily summaries of the action when the Paris Olympics begins later this month.

Of the AI innovation first, Michaels said, “When I was approached about this, I was sceptical but obviously curious. Then I saw a demonstration and said, ‘I’m in.’”

⚽ Here’s one for the Zoolander fans amongst you…  FOX Sports was forced into a public explanation after the United States’ crucial Copa America game with Uruguay saw television viewers left angered by the camera angle used on the broadcast.

“This is not a stadium for ants. This is a very high camera for the CONMEBOL world feed," explained Fox on their X channel.

🤾‍♀️ WOMEN’S SPORT ⛹️‍♀️

⚽ Women’s football is experiencing a financial boom according to Deloitte’s Annual Review of Football Finance.

Deloitte’s figures from the 2022-23 season show a 50 per cent increase in revenue across the 12 teams in the Women’s Super League. Deloitte predicts that number will hit £68million ($86.2m) by 2024-25.

Yet, like much of football finance, these figures are more complex than they seem. 

The Athletic has examined what the report really tells us about the future of elite women’s football in England…

⚽ Manchester United attracted more negative headlines last week when they moved their women’s team out of their usual training building to make room for the men’s squad whilst the training ground is undergoing renovations.

👨🏽‍🤝‍👨🏼🧑🏾‍🤝‍🧑🏻 COMMUNITY & CULTURE 👨🏽‍🤝‍👨🏼🧑🏾‍🤝‍ 

Gen Z are outrunning millennials

Just when you thought that going for a run was one way to escape the endless comparisons between generations, Strava have released data that shows how running is lapping other sports across fitness trackers, and Gen Z is setting the pace.

84% of Strava users told the fitness tracker company their No. 1 reason for exercising is ‘social connection’. Young singles are also joining running clubs to find dates. Content creator Cindy Sandjo, 29, told The New York Times her followers said these groups "are the new dating apps."

Gen Z is 29% more likely than millennials to work out with another person at least some of the time.

Cadbury’s is harnessing generative AI to celebrate the unsung heroes of community sports in Australia and New Zealand. With their Give a Cheer to a Volunteer campaign, the chocolate brand has developed a custom platform that allows Aussies and Kiwis to create personalised, animated tributes to their favourite sporting volunteers.

💡 INNOVATION x SPORTS 🦾

🚴 Rapha has introduced a new modest wear range including a performance hijab for Muslim cyclists
Offering a modest spin on its technical cycling gear, a new collection by the cycling brand enables Muslim women to ride in comfort and style.

⛳ NTT Data is deploying Gen AI, digital twin and private 5G technology at The Open, as the golf major looks to use technology to appeal to new audiences.

Enjoyed this?
Please share it with someone else who’ll love it too:

I hope you found something valuable in this edition of Innovation in Sport. 
If you did, I’d really appreciate it if you were to forward this email to a friend or colleague who might find it interesting or helpful.  

And if you've received this from a friend and would like to receive it regularly, you can sign-up here.

See you next time,

Adam Reed
Innovation in Sport

RECOMMENDATION

If you like IIS, maybe you'll love my other newsletter, The Power Up.

The Power Up is a regular digest of inspiration & resources curated to help 21st Century citizens navigate modern life with more energy, connection & purpose.