250-creative mega-studio, 66%+ creator followership in emerging markets — sports goes global

Good morning, ! This week we’re looking at AI turning into football’s tactical OS (hyper-precision tracking measured in milliseconds), creators becoming sports media infrastructure with 49% of global fans following influencers, design going asset-light as Elevate forms a 250-creative global studio, eSports skewing 80% under 40, and Lewis Hamilton running a brand-ownership empire instead of endorsement churn.

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MEDIA & SPORTS

Influencers Are Now the Sports Media Middlemen

Influencer engagement is no longer a side hustle—it’s infrastructure. 49% of global sports fans now follow creators, effectively redrawing the sports media value chain. For leagues, rights-holders, and sponsors, this is mass-market behavior, not a Gen Z curiosity.

The growth skews young and global. Markets like India (66%), UAE (67%), Saudi Arabia (63%), Brazil (59%), and Mexico (55%) are outpacing the West, driven by mobile-first consumption and short-form video. Among fans aged 18–44, global followership hits 59%, confirming a preference for personality-led storytelling over traditional broadcast voices.

Meanwhile, Western Europe lags—France (36%) and Italy (40%)—but younger cohorts are closing the gap, signaling future upside.

Why it matters: creators now deliver efficient reach, measurable attribution, and global fan acquisition. Sports media isn’t broadcast or digital anymore. It’s broadcast + creators + commerce. (More)

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INVESTOR CORNER

Elevate Becomes the Largest Creative Design Firm in Sports

Elevate has acquired Downstream and GA, combining to form what is now the largest creative design studio in sports, with 250+ creatives across 10 global offices and a client base of 400+ brands.

The move expands Elevate’s footprint from stadium design into broader experiential and hospitality spaces. Downstream brings deep expertise in corporate branding (clients include Google, Zoom, Nike), while GA’s work in hotel and mixed-use design aligns with the luxury adjacent nature of new-gen sports real estate.

Why it matters: This isn’t a typical agency roll-up. It’s a vertical integration bet on the “experiential economy,” where stadiums, hotels, and brand environments blur into one monetizable platform. With Elevate Creative now a third of Elevate’s workforce, it’s clear: design isn’t a service arm—it’s core strategy.

Financial terms weren’t disclosed, but Inner Circle Sports advised Elevate on the deal. All creative leads report to Elevate CCO Drew Bryant, while new president Chris Allphin handles the business architecture.

This could be the blueprint for a new asset-light model in sports infrastructure: global, brand-centric, and fully creative-first. (More)

ENTREPRENEURS

The Hamilton Playbook

Lewis Hamilton isn’t just building a legacy on the track—he’s architecting one off it. While most athletes chase endorsements, Hamilton opts for ownership and equity, from co-creating capsule lines with Tommy Hilfiger to launching his +44 streetwear brand, which leans into sustainability and cultural storytelling. He’s also a co-owner of Extreme E, an electric racing league marrying sport and climate activism.

In media, his Dawn Apollo Films venture adds content production and IP control to his playbook. The thread? Creative control, brand consistency, and mission alignment. It’s not just diversification—it’s intentional empire-building. (More)

TECH & INFRASTRUCTURE

AI Is Now Football’s Tactical OS

AI is quietly becoming football’s operating system. For example, ReSpo.Vision’s 3D tracking tools helped Wisła Kraków win the Polish Cup by correcting a defender’s posture—measured in milliseconds.

At the elite level, teams deploy AI-enhanced game plans and Automated Video Assistant Coaches to predict and adjust in real time. Off the pitch, scouting has gone algorithmic: clubs like Brighton and PSG use xG models, spatial analysis, and even psychometric data to identify undervalued talent.

ReSpo’s next move? Reconstructing matches in 3D for fans to experience goals through the player’s POV. With monetization looming on both sides—performance and broadcast—AI isn’t just optimizing football. It’s redefining who wins, who watches, and who gets paid. (More)

eSPORTS

Millennials and Gen Z Dominate the eSports Audience—Here’s Why That Matters

Forget Baby Boomers. 80% of eSports viewers are under 40, according to Deloitte, with 46% being Millennials and 34% Gen Z. That’s a sharper tilt than even the general video gamer demographic (73% under 40), and far beyond the overall sample (just 65%).

Translation for investors: eSports isn’t just “young”—it’s hyper-indexed on the two most commercially desirable, digital-native demographics. These are the same cohorts driving trends in streaming, crypto, DTC brands, and mobile media.

The sharp drop-off in Gen X (just 15% of eSports viewers) underlines the generational gap: traditional sports advertisers trying to age down their fanbase may find faster ROI by looking here instead.

Bottom line: If you’re selling media, consumer products, or fan engagement tools, this is not just a new sport—it’s a new audience architecture. (More)

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