One of the truly great aspects of sports fandom is that it is inherently social. It’s just no fun cheering by yourself. Fans want to be around other like-minded fans, regardless of whether that occurs at the actual sporting event, at the local sports bar, or during viewing parties held at our homes in front of a TV.
You would think that there would be no shortage of compelling, cutting-edge startups focused on the sports vertical. Unfortunately, you would be wrong. Certainly there are some companies with the right combination of a compelling user experience and robust technology platform, but the unfortunate truth is that the sports startup space is littered with retread concepts that have little chance of succeeding.
Read on for why that is the case, how it might change, and some great examples of websites that are doing it right.
Pro Sports Content is Heavily Protected
Sports content rights holders are vigilant about protecting their content and are not apt to look kindly on any startup that attempts to circumvent the content owner’s intellectual property. This is similar to the music industry's problem, and yet entrepreneurs continue to push ahead with music startups aimed at fundamentally altering the way we consume music.
A more likely reason for the hesitation is that startups are often so focused on the prospect of working with professional athletes (and, admittedly, it is a seductive thought) that their success ends up hinging on buy-in from a significant number of those athletes. For example, in my job at Octagon, I’m approached regularly by startups looking to work with our athletes or for assistance in navigating the sports business community maze and gaining access to leagues, teams or major online sports portals.
There's Not Enough Value for Pro Athletes
Below are four companies that I think approach the sports industry the right way. The success of these startups is a hopeful sign that we will see even more companies adopting this approach. It's an exciting thought from the perspective of both an advisor to these companies and as a sports fan.
SeatGeek: Going to a game with like-minded fans is the purest form of sports community. That's where SeatGeek comes in. Using an algorithmic, data-driven approach, SeatGeek takes ticket aggregation to the next level by providing a ticket price forecast functionality (think Farecast for sports and music events). Certainly there are many pieces that make up what is considered a “successful” sports franchise, but a packed house on game night definitely is one of them.
Fanvibe: If 2010 was the year that location-based services began creeping into the mainstream consciousness, then 2011 is going to be when that trend really hits the sports world, with Fanvibe leading the charge. The Fanvibe sports-focused, location-based application allows fans to create on-the-fly communities around specific games and events through its check-in based platform. The NBA, one of the more forward-thinking leagues in terms of utilizing digital platforms, already has integrated the Fanvibe’s technology into the NBA’s mobile application with “Turnstile” branded functionality.
Silver Chalice: Silver Chalice is a growing powerhouse in the sports world. To wit, Silver Chalice has developed a premium video advertising platform dubbed “SEASON” to deliver high-quality sports video highlights served alongside contextually relevant articles from SEASON’s publishing partners. In other words, SEASON’s technology platform enables a user reading an article about last night’s game to see an advertising-supported video highlight of that same game next to the article, providing a compelling user experience while also generating revenue for rights holders and publishers.
Disclosure: The author of this post has a business relationship with SBNation.
More Sports Resources from Mashable:
- Top 10 Fantasy Football Sites to Help You Win
- How Social Media Is Changing the Super Bowl
- When Social Media Gets Athletes in Trouble