NBA – PARADIGM Sports

There are NO shortcuts

Posted May 8, 2021January 27, 2022 Glen MulcahyPosted in Athlete, Coach, Parents

I am currently in the process of onboarding a couple of interns for this coming summer who will be working on our various digital platforms, image creation, video and audio editing and back end support for summits, webinars and live streams.

We have now sponsored over 20 university co-op students over the last few years as we have built out our websites to provide content for all youth sports stakeholders and as we onboard new students each time, one of the key teaching points I share with them is the importance of having a strong work ethic and have used a myriad of sports analogies over the 4 months they work with us to ensure they finish the term strong.

This comes from the many years of playing various sports where coaches would remind me and all of my team mates of the importance of work ethic, something that has been lost in part in recent years where many parents, kids have fallen into the early sport specialization trap but not recognizing the importance of practicing the way they will actually play in games.

What separates those that reach the highest levels they aspire vs. those that do not having coached hundreds of different players in different sports and now having interacted with thousands of coaches that have shared similar stories of players they coaches, is the fact that the ones that excel are the ones that have superior work ethics to do vs. those that have a tendency to not run through the finish line.

There are so many analogies I can share as examples of those that reached the elite level, below are three that come top of mind;

Sidney Crosby

When Sid (The Kid which is no longer the case) was coming up the pipeline many felt that he was the next Wayne Gretzky, much like people feel now of Connor McDavid. What has separated Sid from the rest of the pack and what has made him the player he has become is not the fact that he focused on hockey from a young age like many kids do today, is his commitment to practice like he is going to play every practice.

He even will ask his team mates not to pass “tape to tape” so that he can retrieve pucks that are too far away or caught up in his feet to kick to his blade and doing so at full speed.

He is so committed to working on his skills even now at the age of 31 years old, that the Pittsburgh Penguins, according to a story shared with one of my colleagues who interviewed Mike Johnston, former head coach, built as second practice rink adjacent to their initial rink so that he and other players would not have to wait for the Zamboni to clean the ice for 15 minutes.

Per his current head coach Mike Sullivan

“The quality that allows Crosby to remain atop the league, coaches and teammates say, is his unique work ethic, an ability to specify subtle areas for improvement and work with meticulous precision until they match the other elite elements of his game. … “He’s a generational talent,”

Micheal Jordan

Many know the story that he was released from the first high school team that he tried out for, was totally distraught, cried as a result for quite some time after the fact but he made a commitment to be the best he could be, and ultimately became arguably one of the best ever to play in the NBA by working tirelessly to do so.

The same work ethic transferred to when he decided to retire from basketball when he lost his Dad, to pursue a career in professional baseball and although never made it to the MLB White Sox, he honed his craft over a few years in the minors by working tirelessly every day with hitting and other specialty coaches to improve his batting %, stealing bases and so forth.

Walter Payton (AKA Sweetness)

Hi workout routines to this day are still used as examples for those in the NFL to mirror and what many don’t know is he mentored a former high school player to work out with him which he did for years. In the short clip below he shares the 5 years that he did so with Walter where they became good friends as a result and talks about the infamous hill (AKA Hell) they trained on.

There are many other examples that I can cite of professional players whose work ethic got them there like Kobe Bryant (sadly who we lost way too early last year), Tom Brady, Muhammad Ali, Pelé, all of which continued to work on their craft while even when they reached the levels they did professionally.

This is the big takeaway that youth coaches must remind their players regardless of the level to ensure that they don’t cheat themselves, and at the same time their team mates, of the importance of working hard during every game, practice … to reach the highest level possible, there are no shortcuts. Too often over the many years of coaching I would see kids that had great skills but when push came to shove they did not put in the extra effort to hone their craft and as a result they got passed by many of their less “skilled” counterparts.

Those that reach the tip of the pyramid don’t make shortcuts along the way, they recognize that it take YEARS to reach that the highest level they aspire to and continue to work on their crafts even when they do.

How BC is returning to Sport – Phase III

Posted September 2, 2020January 27, 2022 Glen MulcahyPosted in Athlete, Coach, COVID-19, Officials, Organization Executive, Parents

Since we entered the COVID-19 Era, I have had a number of conversations with various youth sports groups regarding the confusion regarding all of the return to play protocols as various provinces go thru their various stages of returning to play.

Our home province, British Columbia, has recently announced that we are now in Phase III thanks to the amazing work that our PHO and Dr. Bonnie Henry have done since COVID-19 lead to shutting down Sports and numerous other sectors.

Although I am excited that we will see sports ramping up this fall, based on recent conversations since I have had with a few user groups I felt best to share what the phase means in terms of returning back to Sport as some are inferring that it literally is GAME ON, meaning, we are good to return back to pre-COVID era and we are still a ways from that being the case.

Below is a summary of all phases of the proposed return to sport plan as a summary for user groups to reference;

What has not changed from prior phases is;

Personal Hygiene – washing hands regularly and using disinfectant
Social Distancing required in common areas like benches, dugouts, dressing rooms, lobbies and entrances (masks in those areas is also recommended)
Maximum gatherings of 50 to include spectators
Symptom Screening before every activity
Contact/Participant tracking

What has been eased up in terms of restrictions;

Cohort groups identified by risk of sports can be anywhere from 10-100
Contact within those cohort groups is now permitted
Competition or games can now be played (adhering to revised protocols)
High Performance training with limited travel

In terms of the actual sizes of cohort groups, as this will vary across a myriad of over 70 sports in BC alone, confirm with your PSO and refer to updated return to play quidelines, a recent example included Basketball BC’s HERE

Lowest risk of Contact – i.e. Archery, Tennis, skiing, golf – Up to 100
Higher risk of contact – Baseball, Cricket, Soccer – Up to 50
Frequent/Sustained Contact Sports – Football, Rugby, Hockey – Up to 50
Combative Sports – Martial Arts, Boxing – Max 10 per cohort

NOTE: Cohort groups includes spectators which are immediate family members only to be considered part of the cohort. Coaches and officials can be counted outside the total cohort number IF they are able to maintain physical distancing at all times.

To determine where your sport falls in terms of the size of cohort groups permitted, reach out to your PSO/RSO for confirmation as it is not a one size fits all approach, each sport will have different guidelines based on their evolving return to play plan and facilities being used.

A couple of examples that I can share with you how user groups implemented to limit COVID-19 exposure and reduce risk to participants (players, coaches and others)

My niece recently flew to Montreal for her first year to play for McGill’s Women’s Varsity Hockey Team. She will be staying in dorm rooms in a converted hotel that McGill purchased and renovated for dorm housing with her own bathroom and common areas for kitchen for cohorts to use only. Similar to the NHL bubble, they will not interact with others out of their cohorts

Her season will start with skills development sessions only, and will find out this week as Quebec enters into their next phase and she shared the original plan for competitive games is for McGill to play Concordia and Ottawa’s USports teams to be within a short travel distance but no travel will be permitted to USA or other provinces until a later date.

Although she will be able to be part of the team for various activities, all of her courses, like all the other students will be done online until further notice, like most other universities at least for this fall.

The second would be easing of instructions for minor hockey associations, the first of which that re-opened its doors with strict COVID-19 protocols was Burnaby Winter Club BWC) in May which we shared Returning Back to Play – Phase II where they took the biggest risk as the first out of the gate but to date no positive COVID-19 cases have been reported months later.

Now all other minor hockey associations in the lower mainland are slowly but surely returning back to the ice with various camps, skills sessions with limited number of skaters and coaches on the ice and aspire to return back to 5 on 5 hockey this coming season.

Ironically in July I had a coach who attended many of the workshops that I ran last year for one of those associations reached out to me if I felt it would be safe for him and his son to return to play and I shared all the work that was being done to ensure that it would be safe, but it would be different at least in the immediate short term.

When ViaSport and our provincial health authority announced that we would be entering phase III, I was excited but at the same time a little weary due to the fact that I have also connected with colleagues in the US, Europe and Australia who have shared how far out they are from returning to sport.

One recent example was a conversation that I had with one of our speakers for our Summer Summit, Rosemary Morris, the first female official of men’s elite basketball in Australia and she stated that they were in full lock-down due to the explosion of COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.

This included;

Curfew where all residents had to be in their homes from 8PM to 7AM the following day
Only 1 hour of outside time for physical activity, exercises
No retail shopping except essential services (grocery, pharmacy and of course alcohol)
Full cancellation of all sports programming until further notice
Police and Militia enforcement to ensure people follow the lock-down requirements

This right around the time when the Big 10, Pac12, CFL and various other professional, collegiate, school and youth sports cancelled all fall sports programming in Canada, US and abroad to curve the spread of COVID-19.

This is not to say that I am beyond excited that kids in BC, in particular the Vancouver area where I reside, will have the opportunity to return back to playing the sports they love, being with the coaches, team mates and working up a sweat with huge smiles on their faces while they do so.

I just want to make sure that we don’t go to the other extreme as we have seen in many US states who recognized the importance of kids playing youth sports but did not do so in phases adhering to various return to play protocols.

Recently the CDC, like ViaSport has identified various groupings of sport based on risk assessments per the image below

Phase III does permit cohort groups of competition within teams in your area but does not permit tournament play requiring travel to other areas.

Masks, sanitizer, and ultimately participating outdoors are the main recommendations to flatten the curve of COVID-19

Sadly COVID-19 has forced our hand to go down the path of implementing cohorts or bubble environments to limit the interaction and potentially the spread of COVID-19 but as the NHL has shown, if bubble is maintained, it does permit sports to be played.

According to ViaSport, the term cohort is “a group of participants who primarily interact with each other within the sport environment over an extended period of time.”

Similar to the Bubble concept that has been implemented by professional sports like the NHL, NBA once kids are identified for their cohorts they are not permitted to interact with ones that are in other cohort groups and same holds true for coaches, officials if they become members of a cohort (exception being if they can maintain physical distancing then could coach other sports with other cohorts)

However, as the MLB who has not implemented a bubble model like the NHL/NBA/MLS have has shown, the chances of transmission of COVID-19 is much higher even though baseball is one of the sports identified by youth sports groups as being lower risk as by its natures participants are much farther apart then other team sports.

It also does not help when they had a couple of pitchers on one team that went partying in Chicago increasing their exposure, their team mates and potentially others teams they are playing against … but I digress.

The end result is for the foreseeable future, the cohort and or bubble model is necessary for us until such time that there is a vaccine or other treatment protocols for COVID-19 but by doing so, it will permit kids to play what they love, coaches do what they love to do and all other stakeholders return back to the fields, courts, fields and other playing surfaces so we can “Play for the love of the game”

In addition to the new Phase III guidelines, please ensure that you continue to follow health authority, organization and league safety protocols until such time that we do enter phase IV when large gatherings can take place as they had pre-Covid.

How Sports are changing the world

Posted August 29, 2020January 27, 2022 Glen MulcahyPosted in Athlete, Coach, Organization Executive, Parents

I would be remiss not touching on what is the hottest topic in the world of sports, the recent postponements of league and playoff games by Professional sports in response to the tragic shooting of Jacob Blake in Kinora, Wisconsin.

Yet another tragic moment where a white officer uses excessive force towards a black man, this time Jacob Blake being shot 7 times in the back when he was entering back into his SUV where his kids sat in the back.

Although it appeared Jacob had no weapon, the police now allege that he had a knife and put one of the officers in a headlock before he let go and went to enter his vehicle.

What they can’t dispute it the officer shot Jacob 7 times in the back in lieu of other means to subdue, contain him with his partner before using deadly force.

In lieu of potential criminal charges being brought forth for the very least assault with a deadly weapon (as Jacob is still fighting for his life in ICU and was handcuffed to his bed until recently when I am writing this) using deadly force to this extent he and fellow officers involved in the incident are put on “administrative leave” pending investigation of the incident?

Really?

What is the justification for lack of justice that has been called out now by many professional athletes starting with Lebron James, identified by commentator on ESPN as being of the top 5 most influential athletes in the globe when he shared this tweet

Having worked in security for BC Place Stadium for many years and been trained in use of “reasonable force” to deal with unruly fans and having worked with many police constables and sergeants as a result, I agree 100% with Lebron’s statement, pulling a gun is the LAST resort and first shot would be to subdue someone (i.e. shooting in the leg) or to be used in self defence for their lives (i.e. when gun pointed at them). There is no way the officer in question can make either of those claims based on video footage.

Much like when I watched the video of George Floyd when I watched the Jacob Blakes video where the officer pulling the trigger 7 times I was again sick to my stomach.

In lest we forget why the movement why BLACK LIVES MATTER has led to so many protests as a result, the issue of racism including white police brutality towards black people or other members of colour has been going on for decades which is what lead to the recent postponements of COVID-19 delayed league and playoff games.

The first by the Milwaukee Bucks who as a team took the stance they would not play and then the Orlando Magic and then the NBA postponed games on a Wednesday, much like they were the first league to shut down their season due to COVID-19 also on a Wed (Mar 11) and the NHL on the Thursday (March 12)

Fast forward 5 months, the NBA shuts down first, MLB and MLS canceled games but the NHL played on even though discussions started on Wednesday by a number of players to do the same?

Unlike COVID-19 league response to shut down the season, this time it was the players that pressuring the league and owners to do so as they had reached out to members of the newly formed Hockey Diversity Alliance (HAD) co-founded by Evander Kane and Akim Aliu that now includes many other minority members in the NHL. The dialogue continued Thursday morning after the Vancouver Canucks had a team meeting and Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson then reached out to Ryan Reeves who were scheduled to play that evening.

In ESPN article, Bo shared “We talked about it in the room this morning. We realize the impact it’s having on the world and in the sports community, seeing what was going on in basketball and the MLB. We wanted to go over and talk to Ryan and Vegas. We just all thought it was the best course of action,” Canucks center Bo Horvat said. “We have to come together. This stuff can’t stand. We need to educate ourselves and understand what’s going on in the world. There needs to be change. Us, being all together here as one, shows strength in the hockey community and in the world.”

As a result of pressure from the NHLPA and negative press they were receiving, the NHL then postponed games Thurs and Friday to protest Jacob Blakes shooting and will return to play Saturday

Ironically all of these events transpired the week that the MLB was to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day, on Friday Aught 28^th, 7 decades after he broke the colour barrier for Major League Baseball.

Traditionally the MLB celebrates Jackie Robinson Day on April 15^th, where all players wear 42 on all teams in recognition of his contributions to the game (which has been retired permanently for the league), but MLB was shut down to COVID-19 they opted for Aug 28^th this year in lieu

This was to recognize the day that Jackie, his wife Rachel and children participated in the March of Washington in 1963, where Martin Luther King delivered his infamous “I have a dream speech”

Jackie was rookie of the year, MVP numerous times and helped the Brooklyn (now LA) Dodgers win the World Series in 1955.

This was no easy task for Jackie as the racial challenges he broke the colour line by himself and faced numerous racial challenges well before the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King and very March of Washington he participated in well after he retired and was nominated in the MLB Hall of fame in 1962.

He continued to be an advocate for the civil rights movement after he retired until he sadly passed away as a result of a heart attack in 1972 when he was 53 years old.

I have watched many sports movies over the years but one of my all time fav’s as a result of my Papa Johns (my step grandfather) love for the game of baseball was 42, the story of Jackie Robinson as I wanted to learn more of his favorite players. He would share with me all the time that he was his favorite as he changed the game of baseball, as well as sports for the better and how disappointed he was he died so soon.

It was because of her love for the game of baseball, that it became one of the many sports that I played and became a fan of the Montreal Expo’s growing up in Montreal. The recent postponement of NHL/NBA games reminded me of the lockout season where the Expo’s were the front runner to win the World Series in 1994.

It is also why this is one of my favorite clips from the movie and why all players wear 42 on April 15th every year since 2004.

Fast forward and many other sports and political leaders have come forth to open the colour barrier and reduce racism in sport and the world to include;

Bill Russell 60’s

As a member of the Boston Celtics in 1961 he lead other black players on his and opposing team St. Louis Hawks to protest racist behavior in Lexington, Ky although the game was played by white team mates.

He shared when interviewed afterwards “I am coming to the realization that we are accepted as entertainers, but we are not accepted as people in some places”

Muhammed Ali 60-70’s

Arguably the GOAT of boxing, and one I am the biggest fan of what he did not only for the sport, but also his fight against racial injustice throughout and after his career. One of the driving reasons he opted out of the army to go to Vietnam was due to the racial injustice in the USA he felt needed to fight more.

One of his most infamous quotes

“Why are all the angels white? Why ain’t there no black angels?”

Nelson Mandela 90’s

I could not write any post about racial inequality, injustice, or brutality without referencing I believe was one of the greatest leaders of our time, Nelson Mandela.

20 Years ago in the first every Laureus Global Sports awards he shared his infamous speech “Sport has the power to change the world” when he was asked to introduce the first ever recipient of the lifetime achievement Award Pele in 2000.

This after Nelson was president of South Africa where he was instrumental for ending apartheid after serving 27 years in prison of a life sentence but then pardoned in 1990 for conspiring to overthrow the state. During his first year as President one of the tactics he did to unify the country post-apartheid and integrate white and black constituents was provided advice and guidance to captain of their World Cup Rugby Team that South Africa was hosting they went on to win in 1995.

Colin Kaepernick

In 2012 he took over as starting QB for the San Fransico 49’ers and lead them to their first superbowl since 1994 and in a preseason game in 2016, he took a knee during the anthem as a protest against racial injustice, police brutality and systematic oppression.

The protests continued in 2017 until Donald Trump told NFL owners they should “fire” players that protest against the anthem (arguing it was disrespecting all the current and veterans of the military and the American Flag which never was the reason for him or others that followed suit taking the knee)

Colin became a free agent and was not signed by another team, and filed a collusion lawsuit against the NFL as no teams would hire him and in 2019 received a confidential settlement so withdrew his grievance.

In the fall of 2018, although still waiting settlement from the NFL, Nike produced this commercial narrated by Colin

After Nike released their commercial, they received praise, the value of their stock and sales increased and received numerous positive comments on all their social media platforms for supporting Colin and his stance against racism and police brutality.

Yes, there were still those on the other side arguing that he was disrespectful, and although he lost his career in the NFL, he did not give up on what he truly believed much like all the other examples above starting with most recent postponed NBA/NHL and other sports games to protest racism, tragic brutality and injustice.

This is why Nelson was so correct when he shared that Sport has the power to change the world and we WILL see a change for the better as a result. In order for it truly to change, everyone involved in sport, whether it be professional, collegiate, school or community sports need to continue the conversation so the momentum is not lost.

Black Lives Matter.

#theconversation

Why Youth Sports Must Pivot

Posted April 11, 2020January 27, 2022 Glen MulcahyPosted in Athlete, Coach, Early Sport Specialization, Organization Executive, Parents

When all of the events we planned or I was going to speaking at starting late February were canceled one after another after another left me shaking my head in disbelief.

It was when what I am calling Sports Black Friday happened on Friday, March 13^th when one sports org after another in Canada announced either they were ending their winter seasons or suspending their spring seasons indefinitely was when my jaw dropped and now just a few weeks later all sports, fields, parks, beaches and other areas where people traditionally were playing or being active are closed.

Since that point, like many other small businesses I have been scrambling to figure out how we can pivot and still continue to provide all key stakeholders the resources we have thru our newsletters as well a digital resources including digital summits, podcasts and so forth thru our digital arm For The Love of The Game.

I have listened in on several podcasts and a few webinars the last couple of weeks to get a sense from health authorities as well as numerous other experts in the sports sector to get a sense (a) when we should see youth sports ramping up again and (b) what it will actually look like.

We all know that 2019-20 winter programs have been ended although the NBA and NHL are still crossing their fingers they will be able to salvage some form of playoffs late Spring/Summer.

The same holds true for the MLB, they are on hold until given the green light.

The big unknown is when will other sports programs ramp up, things like parks and rec summer programs, schools, and traditional winter sports that traditionally start up in September.

The fact is, no one, whether they be government, health authorities, sports executive members at any level truly know the answer.

The one thing that all, including yours truly, can say is ….

Youth sports needs to plan NOW how it will Pivot and improvise, adapt and overcome post COVID-19 vs. pre outbreak timing.

#1 – Although we have been advocating for kids to have more cost-effective programming for years vs. what has evolved to the travel ball, pay to play models that have pushed out more and more kids from participating, it will push even more out due to recessionary impact on our economy when many people have lost their jobs or businesses

#2 – Community Centre, Parks and Rec and school-based programming should see huge opportunities to provide cost-effective programming options in lieu to accommodate the increased demand for kids who are already itching at the bits to get outside and play with their friends but are unable to do so as adhere to physical distancing requirements.

#3 – The sports that were seeing huge growth with academies, private leagues will all need to revisit their prior business models as families show parents lost the jobs, businesses will no longer be able to afford it and may take years to recover.

Many parents will also be conditioned as the weeks, month evolved to have their kids practice physical distancing so map opt to have their kids do individual sports or activities like art, music in lieu short term.

#4 – Youth sports orgs are also going to have to PIVOT quickly to implement digital resources for games, training, meetings, AGM’s that traditionally involved gatherings over 50 people and should not be on hold, should be rolling up their sleeves to plan for their revised fall programs NOW.

#5 – Due to the youth isolation that kids are experiencing not being able to go to school, participate in extracurricular activities, youth, school sports when they are given the green light to do so, the teachers and coaches are going to need to be able to connect with them moreso now then ever to appease their concerns.

#6 – All coaches will need to address how they are providing a safe environment for the kids under their watch starting from the initial parent meetings to ensure kids are SAFE.

Perfect example – I have evaluated many coaches over the years running practices to provide them mentorship and it has amazed me how few ensure that every one of their players has a full water bottle, majority of times only a handful of players and means the kids share. Think if a team had shared a few water bottles with their team mates and with one that was positive for CV19?

#7 – Those that have thought nothing of “mandating” travel tournaments in youth sports programs in past will need to understand that forcing families who were able to squeeze their pennies enough to support their kids to play recreation or competitive youth sports will not be in a position to do so.

#8 – Free Play, the term used for when kids just go to a park, field, court, rink and “Play” for the sake of playing like they all are now, should become more the norm like it was pre internet era, than the exception.

Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCA and other community rec centres should see huge growth when we are given the opportunity to return to play as a result.

#9 – Due to significant drop in registrations means lower gaming grants which means many of the sports organizations that have relied on third party providers for skill development will need to revisit what they can do in lieu.

#10 – I have shared in past how Norway is setting the bar with their youth sports model but it actually goes back to the 1980’s when the globe had another recessionary period and they created a Children’s rights to Sports Initiative that was both top down (government initiated) and bottom up (public sector supported)

What this entailed

All kids (not just those that could afford to pay to play) would have access to quality coaching
All would have a voice in the experience (asked what they would like to see)
Needed to be low-cost (funding by gaming sector)
Promoted Multi-Sport Sampling
No Travel or competitive teams until 13 years old

The focus – developing the love for the game, friendships, and having fun which lead to over 90% participation rates for ALL kids, not just the select few that could afford the pay to play model.

As more and more days go by and kids are unable to play their organized sports, I suspect if you ask them why they play, having asked 100’s over the years, those will be the answers they share and should have been the focus of youth sports organizations not what it evolved to as a multi-billion industry

Not Winning at all costs
Not Travel or Tournaments
Not sitting on a bench when it is their turn to play
Not working with a specialty trainer/coach
Not the trophies or the medals

Hopefully when youth sports return again, we all will look at it with a different lens and it will be just that, kids playing kids for the love of the game.

#WeApplaudit #OnApplaudit

For all the workers in heathcare and other sectors deemed essential services for their selflessly working during this difficult time for all of us.

This is the Future – 2020

Posted February 7, 2020January 27, 2022 Glen MulcahyPosted in Athlete, Coach, Parents, Uncategorized

About a year and half ago I shared the growth of eSports in This is the Future and this week saw an article in the financial post where the owners of the Canucks Sports and Entertainment, The Aquilini’s, have invested in numerous eSports leagues and teams starting back in August 2018 to build the biggest e-Sports gaming network in North America less that 2 years later.

In 2018 the industry projections of e-Sports were projected to exceed $1 Billion, and now is over $1.5 Billion, a further 50% growth in just over a year with no signs of slowing down, similar to the 400% growth rate of the youth sports sector since 2010 in Canada.

Here are the numbers shared in recent article in the Financial Post;

Dota2 Event hosted in Rogers Arena August 2018 had $25 Million in prize money, $11 Million going to the winning team
eSports events hosted across the world in the very same arenas that professional sports teams play in (NHL, NBA) are selling out faster than the top musical acts are
Ticket prices average $40 for fans of the eSports “athletes” to attend the live events, generating over $600,000 in ticket revenue alone per event
According to MarketingHub, a market research firm, 800K people had heard of the growing niche industry in 2015, by 2019 the awareness had grown to 1.57B
Revenue has been increasing by more than 30% per annum, in 2016 was $493 M USD, $906 M in 2018 and is projected to exceed $1.6 B USD in 2021
eSports is inclusive, regardless of your sex, orientation, nationality etc. if you can play you can play online against any gamers across the globe

What the Aquilinis realized in 2018 like many others in the top 5 professional sports space is eSports is no longer a niche phenomenon but it is growing exponentially and as a means to further grow revenue streams and tap into a new and evolving fan base is to invest in the eSports industry.

Other prominent owners in professional sports have done the same

Jerry Jones – the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, one of the top professional sports franchises in the world, has purchased an esports team, including the purchase of a house in the Dallas area for them to live, eat and to hone their craft who is coached by one of my colleagues, James Leath, founder of Unleash the Athlete. For insight listen to the podcast of the week HERE when I talked to him.

Prominent athletes and celebs are also investing millions into esports

Michael Jordan, arguably one of, if not, the Greatest Basketball Player of all time, invested $26 Million in eSports organization Team Liquid

Canadian Rapper Drake who was shown supporting the Toronto Raptors as they made their amazing run to the NBA championship last year has invested in esports organization 100 thieves with teams that compete in games like Call of Duty and Team of Legends

Steph Curry and teammate Andre Iquodala invested $37 Million in eSports organization TSM whose teams compete in games League of Legends and Fortnite

Hall of Fame Quarterback and now NFL commentator Steve Young also tagged into the investment made by Steph and Andre and part of the funding will be to build a 15-20,000 square foot eSports facility in Los Angeles

Rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs along with a group of investors provided just over $30 Million in funding to PlayVS eSports League Based in Los Angeles that allows high school students to represents their schools in eSports competitions and can qualify for the growing number of collegiate scholarships for competitive gamers.

Former Golden State Warriors Team Mate Kevin Durant invested $38 Million in Vision ESports and esports investment fund and management company

Professional Sports Leagues have also jumped onto the bandwagon starting in 2017

Since this interview in 2017;

NBA formed a joint venture with Take 2 Interactive to form NBA2K League whose inaugural seasons was in 2018 with 21 teams who are owned by NBA Teams and has partnered with the likes of Champion, AT&T, Snickers as key sponsors

NHL franchises are also forming leagues, starting with Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) the parent company of the Washington Capitals working closely with EA Sports.

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (owners of the Toronto Maple Leafs) also is hosting one on one as well as eSports tournaments based on the same EA Sports iconic video game and several other NHL teams are tipping their toe in the water investing in various eSports tournaments, leagues and teams.

Major League Baseball (MLB), Major League Soccer (MLS) and even the largest professional sports in the world, the NFL with over $13 Billion in annual revenues, is jumping on the esports bandwagon starting with the Minnesota owners investing in Activision Blizzard.

It also has gotten the attention of what used to be a focus on amateur sports, the International Olympic Committee, who has shifted their mindset over the years to permit professional athletes from the MLB, FIFA, MLS, NBA, NHL to participate in winter and summer games.

They also entered into discussions with INTEL last summer to continue on the momentum of pre-Olympic showcase event before the Pyeongchang Winter Games for eSports to be an Olympic event in Paris Summer 2024 Olympics.

If you have been coaching youth sports, a former youth or even professional athlete you’re probably shaking your head why the Olympics would even consider why playing video games could even be considered as sport? Some would argue Poker, bowling, darts are games also but do get considerable coverage on ESPN and other sports networks when major sports like NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB seasons are over.

Here is some insight in terms of the neuroscience what is needed to be a gamer at a high level;

That the video game industry, thanks to PlayStation and Microsoft 360 as well as PC games is now over a $138 Billion USD industry worldwide, has now gotten the attention of celebrities, professional athletes, teams and the Top 5 Professional sports to create a spin-off industry to generate even further revenues via competitive events for one vs. one and team play.

Youth Sports has also grown exponentially in Canada and the US in terms of revenues since 2010 as more and more families go all in supporting their kids chasing the dream of full-ride scholarships or playing professionally, based on the growth of eSports suspect will see that spin-off as well.

Sadly, as more and more specialize earlier and earlier, more and more are quitting because what started out as a fun activity became work as many games are sharing when they retire from competitive game play.

Like overuse injuries in young youth sports athletes as a result of the early specialization phenomenon, a recent science daily article share insight how esport athletes who participated in a study are also at risk for various physical, psychological disorders;

56% reported eye fatigue
42% report neck and back pain
36% wrist pain
32% hand pain
Yet only 2% sought medical treatment
40% get no physical activity per day, and average video game playing time is 10-12 hours/day

Although video games have evolved into the competitive eSports industry, youth sports are showing similar trends in terms of physical and physiological health issues including

400% increase in ACL tears
Over 60% of current Tommy John Surgeries on 15-18 year old arms
Over 200% increase in concussions
Increase in mental health issues due to pressure to perform, meet parental expectations for return in investment

Both Multi-Billion Industries are suffering from CHRONIC overuse injuries being sustained by KIDS?

Maybe it’s just me, but Houston, we have a problem … a very big problem as these trends will merely lead to a major impact on the medical system in future that is already pushing its limits due to funding challenges to hire nurses, doctors and other support staff.

More than ever, we have to work together to bring the game back to the kids so kids can play for the sake of playing again, not chasing the almighty dollar at a lifestyle pace that is not sustainable long term.