Sea Change: Prediction of the Near-Future World

As a result, all ticket sales will move to the blockchain. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) will act as a key to access experiences and their badge of proof that they were there. The focus on, in a way, “owning” an experience could transform into a business model where image brokers partner with the sports leagues to offer images from an event to the highest bidder as an NFT. Owning the moment will move fans into a monetization model of ownership rights to a precious moment in time.

However, the monetization potential does not stop with the fans. Salaries for players will continue to grow and eclipse the top earners year-over-year. The largest accelerator in wealth will be players taking more direct control of their name, image, and likeness (NIL), personal brand, and fan engagement in real-life and virtual reality communities. I expect it will profoundly impact college players benefiting from their brands before they make it to a professional league.

At the brand level, things we’ve never thought we would say will transpire. As we’ve already seen with the recent scandal of Deshaun Watson, one or more NFL football teams will file for bankruptcy or become an asset sale because of growing scandals and litigation. At some point, a team will likely lose three to four marquee players to a scandal, disrupting the fan base, draft position, and overall ability to move merchandise. This will force ownership to negotiate a debt settlement, cut losses, and have a fire sale.

Inversely, outside factors rather than internally derived ones will also impact the brands of the sporting world. As nations push for decarbonization, motorsports will face a transformation decision to survive. Formula 1, owned by the Liberty Media Group, will continue to grow F1 racing popularity but will eventually drive itself into a corner.

When they must come face-to-face with the environmental impact of racing, they’ll look to acquire Formula E. With all major car manufacturers producing electric vehicles and even Honda, Formula 1 engine producer for Redbull, stepping away with the most successful turbo hybrid engine in the 2022 race year, sponsorship dollars will move away from Formula 1 for racing sports aligned to their investments like Formula E or Extreme E. But the changes in the business world will not be exclusively confined to the sports industry.

How the Economic Landscape Will Shift

Geographical-based decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) will displace the sharing economy leaders like Uber and DoorDash, among others. As restaurants try to control their profit margins by delivering food via gig delivery drivers, DAOs will create local collective services within micro-economies to support their businesses. Large corporations will fund these DAOs as last-yard delivery and service solutions. Still, they’ll also partner with small local businesses for iterative services, support, or even white-label local goods.