How Sports Continue to Impact Pop Culture and Entertainment

Content creators have always loved athletes – mainly because they are our real-life superheroes. We normally tend to idolize, imitate and even draw inspiration from them. And it’s actually why many sports stars, from Ronaldo to Joe Namath, have enjoyed multi-million popularity spanning across various sectors.

As the years go by, this relationship between the sports industry and pop culture continues to evolve as companies seek to attract and engage more fans. So, if you’re wondering how pop culture is benefiting from the relationship, why don’t you hang around? Here, we’ll go into depth about this matter while highlighting some important facts that will leave you more informed.

The iGaming industry

It’s actually true that this sector has been adopting different approaches to help it grow so that what was once a niche industry now enjoys a multicultural following. Things like bonuses have really helped companies attract and retain players on their platforms. For instance, with a Fliff promo code, players can explore various sports betting aspects they had not considered, making them more connected with the platform.

But that’s not all that iGaming companies are doing to improve their competitiveness – the sporting world brings a whole new way of discovering new audiences. Let’s assume, for instance, that you enjoy spinning slot wheels. Can you imagine a scenario where you encounter a particular game featuring themes of your most loved football team or player?

Or think of it as the game featuring various thematic elements like stadium backgrounds, jerseys, trophies and so on. This blend might help game providers replicate the engaging atmosphere of a live game, allowing them to appeal to audiences from the sports sector.

Plus, the sports industry has such a huge following. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that, in countries like the US, more than 105 million people were reported to have watched live sports in 2024. This is almost a third of the country’s more than 340 million population.

Realizing this, companies have been partnering with various teams for additional publicity with the hope of drawing new audiences from these numbers. And now that the iGaming sector is growing competitive daily, more companies may actually adopt this strategy for growth in the coming days.

Films and TV shows

Have you heard about ‘Remember the Titans?’ This 2000 American biographical sports drama film, which Jerry Bruckheimer produced, features real-life athletes, including Gerry Bertier and Julius Campbell.

The story follows a group of previous football coaches and players who attend the burial service of a previous player. Among the key characters of the film are Bill Yoast, the head coach of the newly integrated T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia, and Herman Boone, a Black head coach.

A good number of people seemed to love the film, seeing that it has a 7.8/10 rating on IMDb. As if that’s not enough, it opened strongly at the US box office, maintaining its position in the top five for six weeks. Another movie featuring a sports-based theme is the 1976 Rocky film, directed by John G. Avildsen and written by Sylvester Stallone.

Released towards the end of 1976, Rocky actually became the highest-grossing film of that year, earning almost $225 million globally. Several awards, including the Academy Award, followed, with numerous publications ranking it as one of the most iconic films ever. So, as you can see, sports-based films have actually been doing well since time immemorial.

Expectedly, TV show creators have not been left out. And for those who love American sports drama, you have possibly encountered Friday Night Lights. This series is about a high school football team set in the imaginary town of Dillon in rustic West Texas.

Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton feature as Eric Taylor and his wife, Tami Taylor, with several other primary casts associated with football and high school. Just like the previously mentioned movies, this TV series was loved by many, leading to an 8.7/10 rating on IMDb.

The fashion industry

Do you actually know that, according to a recent report by the Guardian, alliances between sports and fashion resulted in $78.5m in earned media value (EMV)? Well, what is EMV? You may ask. This is basically a metric that measures the value of unpaid media coverage a brand receives. In other words, it helps measure the exposure you receive from non-paid channels like press mentions and social media.

Major fashion houses are now collaborating with various teams in ways that were never thought of before. Do you remember when a popular tennis player, Jannik Sinner, took a Gucci monogrammed bag to the court at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships? According to the label, this was actually the first time a high-end luxury luggage item was carried to court.

In another place, Emma Raducanu, a British tennis star, was named a Dior ambassador just a month after her magical win in the 2021 US Open. By drawing upon the popularity of such stars, fashion brands are able to increase their visibility to millions of new audiences.

Well, as you can see, the sports and pop culture industries actually seem to have an undying relationship. In fact, with more people expected to join the sporting world, we might see more such collaborations in the coming days.

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