The next decade in sports won’t be defined by what’s played… but by how it’s experienced.
We’re shifting from “watching a game” to “living a story.”
And the formula emerging is:
- Competition + Spectacle + Community = Modern Sports Experience
Let’s Dive In 👇
The Original Rule-Breakers
Long before TikTok highlights, halftime concerts, and AR fan zones…there were the Harlem Globetrotters.
Founded in 1926, they took basketball and turned it into a traveling entertainment act.
It is a perfect blend of athletic skills with comedy, choreography, and crowd interaction.
For decades, they sold out arenas not because fans needed to know the score…but because they knew they’d see something they couldn’t see anywhere else.
It was a reminder that sports aren’t only about competition (they’re a canvas for creativity).
The History of Experiential Sports
Before “experiential” was a buzzword, sports innovators were already fusing competition with spectacle:
- 1926 – Harlem Globetrotters: Basketball as traveling theater, mixing elite skill with choreography and crowd participation.
- 1950s – Roller Derby: Speed, crashes, and drama turned skating into a TV-friendly soap opera on wheels.
- 1980s – WWE (then WWF): Wrestling morphed into scripted, character-driven sports entertainment (created global superstars like Hulk Hogan).
- 1995 – X Games: ESPN turned extreme sports into a cultural event with music, fashion, and youth lifestyle at its core.
- 2000s – Red Bull Sports: From cliff diving to air races, Red Bull packaged sports as high-energy, high-aesthetic media spectacles.
- 2020s – Savannah Bananas: Social-media-native, fan-first, founder-led, and unapologetically weird.
The mid-2010s marked the next big inflection point.
But this has really accelerated in recent years as AI comes onto the scene:
- Short-form video cracked attention spans
- Social media made moments more valuable than outcomes
- Younger fans demanded entertainment variety, not just scores
- Sports had to compete with Netflix, gaming, and TikTok for attention.
The playbook is now clear: Turn sports into an experience so unique that it’s impossible to ignore.
The Modern Blueprint: Savannah Bananas
Baseball, for all its tradition, is not where you’d expect the wildest sports innovation.
But Jesse Cole didn’t care.
Instead of fighting for attention in a crowded sports market… he rewrote the rules:
- Players dance mid-inning.
- Fans get pulled into the action.
- Every night feels like live theater that happens to involve baseball.
Now they’re selling out MLB arenas.
The Bananas aren’t just selling tickets…they’re selling memories.
From Brand-Led to Person-Led
Brands and leagues used to be the nucleus of sports.
Now, people (founders, athletes, and creators) are becoming the gravitational center.
- Dana White is the UFC.
- Jesse Cole is the Savannah Bananas.
- LIV Golf’s identity is shaped as much by Phil, Brooks, and Bryson as by the tour itself.
The founders and owners of the next great sports plays need to be personalities themselves (which is why we’re seeing a lot of athletes step up to the plate).
Fans aren’t buying into logos anymore…
They’re buying into stories, personalities, & visions.
Looking Ahead: Experiential Sports
So where does this all go next?
I have a few predictions of what we’ll see more of:
- Mobile Pop-Up Leagues
Instead of fixed arenas…leagues tour cities like a band, setting up short-term, fully immersive venues that vanish after a weekend. - Personality-Owned Micro-Leagues
Top athletes or creators launch their own small-scale leagues, with direct fan memberships and revenue sharing (imagine MrBeast running a basketball league). - Live-Action Sports + Gaming Hybrid
Think Fortnite-style worlds brought into physical arenas. Fans in VR can play alongside athletes in real time or at home using AR to compete with each other in mini-games synced to live plays. - Cultural Mashup Events
Sports combined with massive cultural festivals (hip-hop + basketball, surfing + fashion, golf + art, rodeo + country). The sport is one act in a multi-act experience.
I’m really excited about this next evolution of sports…
It’s going to become much more strange (and there’s a world in which how many social media followers you have is more important than how talented you are as an athlete).
But overall…fans and consumers are demanding more, and those that can build the IP and/or tech to service them will have an abundance of opportunities.
