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The Sports Branding World Continues To Shrink…

With every passing week the global transparency of sports events continues to grow. Whether it is high school hoops stars looking to build their brand and their game going to Israel, Emirates Airways using the Breeder’s Cup in Los Angeles as a prime global marketing tool or more Chinese brands signing endorsements to promote brands never seen before in the United States, the sports and entertainment world continues to contract in distance and expand in potential opportunities.

So it should come as no surprise as leagues, brands and athletes look to adopt a platform of the excitement of professional sport, with some western nuances, into their local coverage. Whether it is Indian cricket and the glitz and glamour of the Mumbai Indians or the business acumen and branding being brought to the KHL, the influence of smart marketing, branding and promotional techniques, and all the potential revenue associated with those platforms, continues to build, which someday may make for similar game experiences in Beijing and Boston for any fan.

So with that excitement and the potential of sponsorship and even tourism dollars come the Gulf States, and the new energy and effort being poured into special events to lure top athletes and promoters to the region. The London Times had an in-depth piece on the efforts of the Persian Gulf to lure events and also build their own facilities and athletic programs in an attempt to grow all aspects of business in the region through sport. Is it a foolhardy attempt to promote just tourism and create vanity events in this oil rich land? Hardly. The ability to use sports as a social unifier has been proven time and again, whether it was Ping Pong diplomacy between China and the United States in the 1970’s or a recent Asian Cup baseball event which paired China, Japan, Chinese Taipei and Korea, four nations which may not agree on much outside of the diamond, but all love the sport. The belief that being a host to major events, and in turn using those events to also build elite athletic programs for the citizens of those countries, is very sound and can provide a much quicker bridge to exposure and growth outside of one’s borders than any other political, or social program. The Russians, the Chinese and the East Germans in the days of the Cold War effectively used sport as a way to impose social dominance principals on the Western world. While not as overt with political implications, the push by the Gulf States to be involved in sport has the same basic formula. Sport get exposure, sport promotes internal unity, sport unites cultures and sport can create good will. Also factor in that in these challenged times, brands are looking for cost efficient exposure platforms for new audiences, and an emerging culture in the Persian Gulf might be of appeal to elite European brands looking to grow outside their borders.

Does all this mean that suddenly Qatar may become an Olympic superpower or the Lakers may open the 2012 season in Dubai? Probably not. The commitment for long term growth both in events and athletics needs to be there, and the ability to make the events profitable and acceptable across cultures has to continue to evolve. Still, while a few years ago people may have thought that having the WTA Championships in Dubai to be a strange event, this year’s title passed without a comment being made. The ability to both shrink the world and make sport a lynchpin for growth is as strong as it ever has been. So maybe we won’t see the Lakers open a season at Dubai…but an exhibition game at a state of the art arena in 2012? Certainly not out of the question.

Some other good reads…Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel has a good profile of the health issues facing UFC star Brock Lesnar…the Portland Tribune’s Kerry Eggers has a profile of Pac 10 Commissioner Larry Scott…snd for those needing a baseball fix already, check out Ben Hill’s Minor League Business of Baseball Blog for some early offseason updates.