ABSTRACT
Sport starts the conversation because of the emotions it triggers. But sport also means big business. This chapter lays down the foundations of the book International Sport Marketing by identifying and analyzing five major trends in sport: the globalization of the industry and the internationalization of sport actors; the “financiarization” and “vipization” of sport; the triumph of “sportainment;” the transition from broadcasting to streaming; as well as the emergence and growth of e-sport. One of them, “sportainment,” can be considered as both a megatrend and the actual reconfiguration of the boundaries of the sport industry. Indeed, sport and traditional actors (sport organizations and fans) find themselves interacting more and more often with nontraditional stakeholders (i.e. artists, celebrities, entertainment groups, movie theaters, software companies, video gamers, even politicians), as the latter are striving to capitalize on the leverage sport represents in order to reach out to a larger customer base. Moreover, sport managers need to find a balance between the product on the field, finances and marketing. It is at this condition that sport organizations will be able to maximize the utility of their fans, as well as their own financial performance.
