alternative sports such as SlamBall are emerging HOT

We are in the halcyon days of emerging sports. Never has the sports landscape been more vital and fertile for new alternative sports.  

The UFC, which was a fledgling sports property for years, is now a juggernaut. Professional Bull Riders is now well established, strongly supported with a robust national media deal. The Professional Lacrosse League, with its unique approach to teams and its league schedule, is firmly planted on the sports calendar. Athletes Unlimited, American Cornhole League, Drone Racing League, Fan Controlled Football (and soon baseball), Major League Rugby all have found audiences, secured meaningful broadcast deals, continue to grown and are seemingly viable long-term.

So why are we in a time where so many new sports are flourishing? What are the underlying factors? In my view, there are a number of determinants:

• Emerging sports are inherently entertaining, showcasing a new breed of athletes doing things that, in many cases, haven’t’ been seen before.

• Fans/viewers, particularly younger ones, want something new and fresh that they can call their own.

• Many of these sports are perfectly suited for the modern-day fan—fast, fluid, quick in duration and ideal for social media.

• Media partners, too, want something new that they can be part of in the early stages. To wit, many media partners have been early-stage investors of emerging sports properties.

• Moreover, rights fees to these new properties are accessible for media partners, certainly relative to the astronomical rights fees major sports fees are demanding for their rights.

• Ditto for sponsors. They want to be in early on sports that they believe will take off and the cost of entry in most cases is reasonable and offers the potential for an enormous ROI for corporate partners.

• Emerging sports offer opportunities to athletes who otherwise might not earn a living playing their skills and talents. For the properties themselves, the cost of signing players and fielding teams (the largest expense for most sports) are relatively reasonable.

So what’s the next sport that will break through on the sports landscape? Keep an eye on SlamBall. It checks all of the boxes above. From its early iterations it has a deeply passionate worldwide fan base clamoring for its return. When the organizers of SlamBall teased its 2023 return, it received >200M views of its content. Watch this SlamBall sizzle reel.

For the uninitiated, SlamBall is a one-of-kind action sport that combines the best of basketball, football and hockey infused with trampolines and the essence of a video game. The game is lightning fast, non-stop, action-packed and perfectly suited for how modern fans want to experience sports. Games are high scoring—30 minutes in duration and, unlike other sports, SlamBall is completely free-flowing and devoid of stoppages.  

By all accounts, SlamBall is being relaunched as a legitimate professional league with a regular season schedule, playoffs, data driven metrics, player development, gaming, a fully operational league office, community engagement, consumer products and grass roots participation.  

So watch for SlamBall. Don’t be surprised if you see some exciting news about its relaunch in the coming months. And check it out. It’s hard not smile and lean forward when watching SlamBall. Mark my words…

3.22.23 UPDATE: SlamBall announces investor group—read the buzz.