Sunday, May 29, 2005
Gentleman start your engines
The National Football League is the new lone solider among the big 4 sports.
The other sports are in turmoil. The National Hockey League ($2 Billion industry) is set to self-destruct. The National Basketball Association is dull, crowds are dwindling and there is a huge marketing problem with today's stars (Ego’s, drugs and more Ego’s). Major League Baseball takes one step forward for every three steps back. Baseball has a see no evil policy on steroids, crowds are sparse and there too many teams that don't start the season with a realistic chance to win it all (no real revenue sharing or salary drag {cap}).
The fact that people are turning away from these sports means that their money and interest is going somewhere else. There may not be a perfect correlation, but NASCAR has seen its popularity skyrocket while the other sports have experienced significant declines. In fact, one could now argue that the big 4 should be changed to the big 2 - The NFL and NASCAR.
NASCAR is red hot in the United States (and Canada). They now sanction more than 1,500 races in 38 states, Canada and Mexico. This is no longer a sport for the redneck. NASCAR has broadened its appeal and now has a fairly affluent fan base. According to a recent study, the average household income for a NASCAR fan was $60,200 (US).
The average income for fans is not the only thing on the rise for NASCAR. The following statistics provide a more complete story of how rapid the growth has been for this perceived "trailer park" sport:
- In 1995, sales of merchandise sat at $600 M per annum now sales are over the $2 B mark per annum.
- Over 5.4 M viewers tune in for each event up for 3 M in 1995.
- The 2.1 B in licensed merchandise is 3rd highest amongst all sports behind only the NFL and MLB. It is, however, over $1 B more than both the NBA and NHL.
This spike in popularity could now have come at a better time for the sport as it is set to award the NASCAR Hall of Fame to an American city. The Hall will be awarded to one of 5 finalists - Atlanta, Charlotte, Daytona Beach, Kansas or Richmond. The early money is on Atlanta.
Atlanta is estimating that over 1 M people per year will pass through the doors of the Hall. If so, that would be 3 times the amount of any other pro Hall. Currently, The Hockey Hall of Fame has the most visitors per year at 325,000.
The other sports are in turmoil. The National Hockey League ($2 Billion industry) is set to self-destruct. The National Basketball Association is dull, crowds are dwindling and there is a huge marketing problem with today's stars (Ego’s, drugs and more Ego’s). Major League Baseball takes one step forward for every three steps back. Baseball has a see no evil policy on steroids, crowds are sparse and there too many teams that don't start the season with a realistic chance to win it all (no real revenue sharing or salary drag {cap}).
The fact that people are turning away from these sports means that their money and interest is going somewhere else. There may not be a perfect correlation, but NASCAR has seen its popularity skyrocket while the other sports have experienced significant declines. In fact, one could now argue that the big 4 should be changed to the big 2 - The NFL and NASCAR.
NASCAR is red hot in the United States (and Canada). They now sanction more than 1,500 races in 38 states, Canada and Mexico. This is no longer a sport for the redneck. NASCAR has broadened its appeal and now has a fairly affluent fan base. According to a recent study, the average household income for a NASCAR fan was $60,200 (US).
The average income for fans is not the only thing on the rise for NASCAR. The following statistics provide a more complete story of how rapid the growth has been for this perceived "trailer park" sport:
- In 1995, sales of merchandise sat at $600 M per annum now sales are over the $2 B mark per annum.
- Over 5.4 M viewers tune in for each event up for 3 M in 1995.
- The 2.1 B in licensed merchandise is 3rd highest amongst all sports behind only the NFL and MLB. It is, however, over $1 B more than both the NBA and NHL.
This spike in popularity could now have come at a better time for the sport as it is set to award the NASCAR Hall of Fame to an American city. The Hall will be awarded to one of 5 finalists - Atlanta, Charlotte, Daytona Beach, Kansas or Richmond. The early money is on Atlanta.
Atlanta is estimating that over 1 M people per year will pass through the doors of the Hall. If so, that would be 3 times the amount of any other pro Hall. Currently, The Hockey Hall of Fame has the most visitors per year at 325,000.
# posted by Shaky @ 11:35 p.m. 
