We all know that whichever league or competition you’re looking at, the income for the biggest organizations in the market is staggering, generally sitting somewhere in the billions. For every entity directly running or competing in a sport, however, a dozen more businesses are operating on the edges. Here are some of the biggest out there.
Betting and Casino
Globally, there is no bigger sponsor for teams than the casino and betting industry, with brands appearing on team shirts across Europe in particular. In most cases, the specific site will have a heavy sports betting side to it, although most operate on both the sports and casino sides. They give odds on games and races as well as offer things like the popular Starburst slot betting game and live versions of classic games like poker and blackjack.
In terms of scale, sports betting has a massive audience worldwide. While numbers are a little hard to nail down exactly thanks to so many operators active at once, estimates suggest that the total is approaching 150 million users. To put it into perspective for how popular it is in the US, the American market makes up roughly a third of that.
Gear and Equipment
No matter what level you’re participating in sports at, from grassroots up to superstar professional, you won’t get very far without the right equipment to use. At lower levels, regular clothing can be substituted for much of the apparel but things like cleats or rackets are essentials. For all of this, a massive equipment industry has risen up parallel to the sports they provide for.
Most of the biggest companies such as Nike or Adidas produce a wide array of gear, although several groups are focusing on particular items such as the soccer ball specialists at Mitre. Overall, the global market is astoundingly large between all the different manufacturers with a global revenue that sits at close to 200 billion a year.
Memorabilia
While it isn’t as prominent as the other two entries, the market for sports memorabilia is larger than most may expect. Whether it is replica equipment, rare sports trading cards, autographs, or anything else that fans may want to collect, there is a thriving trade across the world including both established companies and private traders.
Considering that the famous Babe Ruth jersey from 1932 recently sold for $24 million at auction all by itself, it’s easy to see how the industry could be a financial giant all by itself.
Exact estimates of the industry value are harder to nail down due to the many private trades happening behind the scenes, but it is certainly in the tens of billions at this stage. Thanks to growing numbers of dedicated memorabilia companies and online auctions, that number is set to skyrocket as well.
So, the next time you’re watching your favorite team and you see all the badges, logos, ads, and more on shirts and stadiums, just keep in mind how massive a world they represent behind the scenes.
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