Worth a Shot: Hasbro Goes all in on Launching its own Sport ☄️🔫
Plus, Kirby Porter identifies the opportunity for athletes in the disrupted CPG market, and a look at how cricket could be boosted stateside by its Olympic inclusion.
Welcome to Sports Pundit, the sports business newsletter which delivers sports industry news faster than a marathoner in Nike Dev 163s 🏃♂️💨
In today’s email;
The Launch of NERFBALL ☄️🔫
The Consumer Startup Gameplan 🧃
Cricket in Los Angeles? 🏏
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TOP STORY
Worth a Shot: Hasbro Goes all in on Launching its own Sport ☄️🔫
Hasbro, the renowned toy and game company, recently unveiled a ground-breaking addition to its NERF brand legacy - NERFBALL, the brand's inaugural official sport.
After more than 50 years since the launch of NERF ball, the brand has evolved into a diverse range of consumer products spanning sports gear, blasters, and more. Now, this journey has come full circle with the launch of a dynamic, competitive sport.
NERFBALL, which aims to offers a fusion of paintball-style action mixed with the agility of basketball, sought out college athletes for this new competition, the first of which took place in Florida last month (Sept 22nd).
The official NERFBALL game comprises four 4-minute quarters, with players assuming Defender, Midfielder, and Runner positions and using NERF PRO LEAGUE balls, NERF PRO STRYFE X blasters, and NERF PRO darts to earn points.
And starting in 2024, Nerf wants to make this a yearly tournament rather than a singular exhibition.
Sports Pundit says
🤔 It was interesting to hear Teresa Pearson (VP of Global Franchise Strategy at Nerf) explain the focus they had on launching this as a sport in its own right, rather than a marketing activation.
It’s also fascinating to see a brand that has chosen to build their own sports property, rather than sponsor an existing one.
Of course, this gives them full control on their IP and the narrative, enabling them to build out processes and to activate as they see fit.
For example, Nerf abstained from sponsorship involvement in this first competition to maintain full control over how it was presented to the audience. The have also been able to use short-form content on TikTok and YouTube Shorts as a funnel to lead viewers to check out the full match on Nerf’s website.
Of course, creating a new sport also creates an additional use case for the NERF product - that hopefully increases sales. Just think about the number of college kids and younger that will now want to try out this sport at home.
OPINION
How Athletes can Benefit from Creator-led Disruption of the CPG Landscape 🤔
The real marketing advantage of creator-founded brands is that they have a face of the brand:
This could be MrBeast for Feastables, KSI and Logan Paul for PRIME, or Emma Chamberlain for Chamberlain Coffee. The list goes on.
In order to adapt, Kirby Porter (founder, New Game Labs), has highlighted that consumer packages goods (CPG) brands who are not founded by creators are having to instead deepen their partnership model. This creates a huge opportunity for ‘mission-aligned’ athletes to step in - like Victor ‘Wemby’ Wembanyama.
Wemby is the face of a new generation of basketball and Barcode [a performance beverage ‘developed by experts, vetted by the pros, made for the everyday consumer’].
This summer the company welcomed the No. 1 pick of the 2023 NBA Draft as an investor and brand partner.
Wemby’s involvement with Barcode will span contributing towards R&D on future products and serving as the leading face of the brand across digital, out-of-home and in-store advertising.
[As Victor Wembanyama put it,] “The partnership with Barcode allows me not only to be a spokesmodel but a role model. I want to be elite, on and off the court, and want my body to be the healthiest it has ever been. That’s why I chose Barcode over anything else.”
As a result, Barcode and Wemby are together forming the same sort of advantages as creator-founded brands.
HIGHLIGHTS
France’s Ligue 1 could see regular-season matches end up in the US in order to bolster media deal ⚽️
Following the USA and Germany, YouTube announces the UK launch of Primetime Channels 📺
The Saudi Women’s Premier League has landed a title sponsorship in the form of Lay’s ⚽️
TaylorMade is set to launch a new collection of clubs, balls and accessories in collaboration with Formula 1 team Oracle Red Bull Racing ⛳️
New sustainable travel charter for football clubs launched to help teams reduce their environmental impact ✈️
ESPN could launch a full DTC service as early as 2025 and is looking to add the NFL, NBA, and MLB 📺
HIT FOR SIX
Gold Rush: Cricket Heading West for LA28 🏏
Cricket may make its Olympic return in 2028, marking its first appearance in the Games since 1900.
In addition to Twenty20 cricket, proposals for baseball/softball, flag football, squash and lacrosse will be presented to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for approval in an upcoming vote next week.
The final verdict is expected to be reached during a meeting of IOC members scheduled for next week in Mumbai. This is significant as India is a country touted as a future host of the Games and, coincidently (or not), is currently in the midst of hosting the ICC CricketWorldCup.
The IOC have been advocating for cricket's inclusion as a new Olympic sport, recognising the lucrative opportunities it presents in India and other parts of the world.
Sports Pundit says
🤔 Of course, cricket's popularity is on the rise in the US as well…
In fact, waiting until 2028 won't even be necessary for Americans wanting to witness international T20 cricket in the country...
Alongside the West Indies, the USA is set to host a part of the 2024 T20 Cricket World Cup – with matches planned to take place in New York, Texas, and Florida.
While Texas and Florida already boast some existing infrastructure, the International Cricket Council (ICC) plans to increase stadium capacity at both venues. And in New York an agreement has been reached for the construction of a modular 34,000 seater stadium.
Notably, Grand Prairie in Texas, made history by hosting the inaugural edition of Major League Cricket (MLC) earlier this summer - a tournament which exceeded expectations both on and off the field.
With a growing South Asian population in the U.S., passionate cricket fans turned out in large numbers, with over 70,000 fans attending the 18-day tournament. Broadcast of the games was also reported to have reached 87 countries worldwide.
It's inclusion in the Olympics, for a Games in the US no less, will only further propel this growth in the run up to 2028.
📚 Further Reading (for the IOC): An uncomfortable truth about sports broadcasting in emerging markets like India 🇮🇳
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What is happening in the Sports Industry? 🎱 🤔
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JOB BOARD
Entertainment Marketing Lead - Gymshark (London, UK)
Innovation Executive - Arsenal FC (London, UK)
Growth Director - Publicis Media (London, UK)
VP, Brand & Growth Research - WarnerBros Discovery (New York, US)
Senior Analyst, Strategy - Major League Baseball (New York, US)
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