The future of travel sports leagues continues to grow and drive significant economic engines in the hotel , restaurant and entertainment industries . In 2019 , the $ 45.1 billion in sportsrelated travel spending means that nearly $ 124 million was spent EVERY DAY by sports travelers , event organizers and venues . When indirect and direct costs are added together , the economic impact reaches a staggering $ 103.3 billion in sales . Clearly , after the pandemic sports travel will see a robust increase and our region needs to continue investing in marketing to host these events .
Finally , the media is impacting the business of sports . Now we are seeing NCAA athletes getting paid for the use of their likeness in advertising and endorsements . ( It ’ s the end of the amateur athlete .) This change is going to open the floodgates for marketers to create media stars out of college athletes not just on their play but also on their lifestyle . In addition , media is becoming more specialized in that there are spokespeople and channels on every sport imaginable . I even saw disc golf
broadcasting their matches with cameras , commentators and Madden-like “ chalk ” boards .
I read recently that there are over 134,000 hours a year in which some type of sport is being broadcast in the United States . When you break that down , we are broadcasting 14 years ’ worth of 24-hour sports broadcasting in a single year . Clearly , in this global economy , sports media will be king and queen and we will see more and more options to entertain us from across the globe .
Mike Panaggio is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of DME Delivers , a national trendsetter in direct marketing , and co-founder of DME Academy , an elite , multi-sport training and educational institution . DME Academy is designed to help student-athletes looking to reach their ultimate potential harness their strengths and achieve their goals . The Academy represents athletes from 31 countries –– and counting .
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