Should big associations support less profitable sports?

[Bitcoin Smith]

Each sport is under the control of an individual organization and maybe there is one to monitor whole of sports like the Olympic Games but games like football, cricket, hockey and all will have different associations, and I believe one has no connection to the other one in any matter. But all of the sports might comes under on ministry so there might be some possibility but revenue sharing is not really possible between sports.

[suzanne5223]

What you said is something I care about, but there's nothing we can do about it if some football club doesn't like the idea.
We already have some football clubs like Barcelona (who used football money to invest in basketball, futsal, and roller hockey), Galatasaray (who also do the same thing in basketball, volleyball, and other sports), etc.
I believe the purpose of their investment in minor-interest sports is to build their brand, community loyalty, and long-term social capital. Besides, if their club does well in all sports participated it will all turn into a profit.

[Stepstowealth]

So if the big associations in Europe that make millions from football weren't funding a team for these league also in spite of not making money there, it's likely these leagues would collapse and there would be no incentives from regional organisations to feed their national teams either.

No, that might not be true at all, each sport has its own fan base and it'll keep on its own even if it's not funded by big associations. In Asia sports like Cricket play very important role for the fans and the associations make money from Cricket when it comes to the fan base. There're multiple such games with fan base and they'll keep getting funds overtime I guess so they'll be there if they don't receive funds from big associations that basically make money from Football.

I agree with you because if big associations no longer decide to continue to fund football I'm very sure that footballing teams will find a way to still remain self sufficient from either sales of products or other innovative ways as it is a business and not all businesses crumble when they do not have support. The most important support that football teams need is the supporters because they are the main people who generate money for the club from followership  and a steady purchase stadium ticket and other club items These are the direct customers of the club and it is only when these people withdraw their support completely that the team can fail.

[WhoYouCantKill]

Each sport is under the control of an individual organization and maybe there is one to monitor whole of sports like the Olympic Games but games like football, cricket, hockey and all will have different associations, and I believe one has no connection to the other one in any matter. But all of the sports might comes under on ministry so there might be some possibility but revenue sharing is not really possible between sports.

The thing there is, just because they fall under the same ministry doesn’t necessarily imply sports actually operate as one financial system. Cricket, football, hockey and some other sports usually have different bodies that govern them, different budget, as well as commercial structures. And even though there may actually be some coordination at the national or Olympic level, revenue sharing are still not automatic but would still depend solely on a deliberate agreement.

[nelson4lov]

Maybe or maybe not. What I know for a fact is the recent case where Barcelona's basketball got their budget reduced by 15-25% during their financial crisis in 2021/2022 (around the time they even begun renting out their stadium to raise cash). If ever there was a time that lower interest sports would've died, that would've been it. I believe most of those small sports will not just die off. Sure they might lack proper funding from time to time but they won't necessarily phase out.

[BALIK]

How would that make you feel? Is this something you care about?

Honestly if major club scrap these sport simply under the pretext of cost cutting and corporate profit then it would be blow to the soul of sport.

This would destroy the diversity of sport.

If only football and basketball survive then where will Olympic level athletes such as those in athletics, water polo or handball go?

Regional academies would shut down and national team would struggle to produce new talent.

[Dogedegen]

But maybe some of the bigger teams will want to save money or just cut costs and abandon minor sports, in spite of making millions in the big sports. How would that make you feel? Is this something you care about?

What is the benefit of doing this? Money should flow into things that are useful or productive, it should not act as a subsidy for hobbies of individuals that are not really interesting to everyone else. If you use money this inefficiently, you are reproducing the inefficient use of money that a country usually has. Also you are creating dangerous incentive shifts which for the long term can have all kinds of negative effects. I do not agree with any kind of subsidizing or participation prizes. If someone wants a lot of money and support, they should pick the sports that are profitable and interesting to the majority. If they don't want to pick such a sport, then this person should accept the responsibility that comes from this kind of decision. Appealing to others to reduce the consequences of your own actions at their expense is not a good thing to do..

What you said is something I care about, but there's nothing we can do about it if some football club doesn't like the idea.
We already have some football clubs like Barcelona (who used football money to invest in basketball, futsal, and roller hockey), Galatasaray (who also do the same thing in basketball, volleyball, and other sports), etc.
I believe the purpose of their investment in minor-interest sports is to build their brand, community loyalty, and long-term social capital. Besides, if their club does well in all sports participated it will all turn into a profit.

Their motives are mostly about profit, because even doing good PR will benefit them a lot in the long run. There is no greater good achieved funding less interesting sports and people who are not so talented or disciplined. There are better uses for the money if they want to donate it..

[Big Dirams]

Businesses are established for profit-making. This is why they will only sponsor sports that could bring the necessary returns. Low-ranked sports in my country have been neglected by the government and corporate bodies because they bring low returns.

No investor or body will want to put money into something that can't give them returns. They are not running a charity so obviously they will prefer to invest in a bigger sports that can easily give them the returns they expect. I think this is happening in almost all part of the world, government also support some sports to get returns too and also for the development of the country but some developing countries neglect this.

The government in our country is the worst body I have even seen supporting sports. Aside from the national team you can barely hear about them funding other sports which are not related to national.

Those teams and athletes always source for their own sponsor and I can also agree with smrtprofit in respect to TV channels being among people who sponsor all of this sport since they need to display it on both national and local level to keep the viewers entertained it’s a win-win for both but the sport and its team need to somehow source their self up to a level which will pick the interest of those bodies.

This is funny but true. I am sure you're talking about Nigeria. It's funny how the government doesn't help supporting the sports in the country. Even the National team receives very little support so how can you expect other sports to have good support. Every sport is only supported on a National level and it's the reason why the domestic leagues is backwards compared to other countries.

[JunaidAzizi]

If the club is making a high fund from football, then it is their social responsibility to take care of other sports and take responsibility for them so that people have many options for entertainment. But the question is, is it the responsibility of the clubs or the government and its associations to support those smaller sports? The income from football is rightfully invested in players and stadiums, while the government should make investments in smaller sports to help them grow. However, if the government is not fulfilling its part and the club is also generating significant income, then a small investment from the club can make a difference and will really help the smaller sports players with their facilities and team management.

[bhadz]

I will take it as an example in my country. Our country supports massively the sports of basketball. Despite the fact that we've got a lot of individual talents who are excelling in individual sports, the support for these other minor sports and athletes is totally lacking in terms of parity. And if these associations and companies supporting the main sport that they are sponsoring start to give a lot of financial support on these minor sports and athletes, I think that they're going to see a huge return in it and they are a part of its growth. Like for example in tennis, it's not really a big hit in the past years in our country but thanks to the aspiring star that we have who's competing in a lot of tournaments recently. The support from these companies are starting to show results.

[Alphakilo]

Less profitable sports in my sense could be what the community loves and intend to keep its history intact as a legacy to the society and whether they bring profit or not, it is a part of culture that the community may have been used to and apart of their history.
So when big associations support the more famous sports, its simply because they want to make money, they want to be seen and as a marketing gimmick, it brings in more customers and a good PR for them.
When big associations on the other hand decides to support these lesser profitable sports, it's like I said already, maybe it's to preserve culture and history of the sport that the society or community of persons who love that particular sports show strong support and love for without the aim of making profit but as a way to give back to society and help.

[AmaGold70]

I understand that football makes lot of money, and even gain the highest interest from fans , and spectators, but this doesn't mean that money generated from football is used to maintain other form of sports, that may not be true. There is also enough money in sports like basketball, baseball etc, and I also believe that there are some sports which the athletes even earn more money than those who play football, and if money for the maintenance, and sustenance of those sports are coming from football, it would not really be so. Every sports have their own way of making income, and I believe their is no way money made from soccer will be used to maintain teams in other areas outside football.

[Hispo]

I understand that football makes lot of money, and even gain the highest interest from fans , and spectators, but this doesn't mean that money generated from football is used to maintain other form of sports, that may not be true. There is also enough money in sports like basketball, baseball etc, and I also believe that there are some sports which the athletes even earn more money than those who play football, and if money for the maintenance, and sustenance of those sports are coming from football, it would not really be so. Every sports have their own way of making income, and I believe their is no way money made from soccer will be used to maintain teams in other areas outside football.

I do not think money from football is also used to keep up other sports which have nothing to do with football, otherwise other events would be bigger and would also receive more attention and advertising. Not even mentioning that doing so it would mean football associations would lose money, due to the fact baseball, volleyball and other sports are not so profitable as football is.

if football events are so big when compared to other sports, it is because there is a loop of money: all money which is gotten by football associations get re-invested into the same sport, making it bigger and bigger as time passes by.
There is a good reason why World Cups continue to grow so much and become more profitable with each four years that come and go.

[Ayers]

How would that make you feel? Is this something you care about?

To be honest, I do not want these smaller sports to remain mere parasite of football forever.
However, before cutting off funding from football club, an environment should be created that will allow these sport to stand on their own feet.
For instance, revenue stream could be generated through TV right, e-sports integration or introduction of new format.

But abruptly stopping funding without establishing any alternative would simply be irresponsible.

In short, yes, I care deeply about this issue.
If we view modern sport solely through lens of balance sheet and profit margin then diversity of athletics will be lost.

[Chibit01]

Big sponsors target where they want to put their money that can also give them that equal return on value. Most of the small teams in my locals I know about are mainly sponsored by individuals, either the club owners or someone who just picks interest in them.

The minor sports may need more support, but that doesn't mean they are completely dependent on football clubs. Every sports have their federation, sponsors, fans and different sources of funding….. so yeah they can survive on their own.

They can survive on their own, but that will be to a certain level. Club sponsorship is bigger than we picture it, especially when there are supposed to be professional players who are to be paid. Those personal sponsorship and fan support can do all of that.

[rbynxx]

But maybe some of the bigger teams will want to save money or just cut costs and abandon minor sports, in spite of making millions in the big sports. How would that make you feel? Is this something you care about?

It's definitely survival of the fittest. Well, despite that I do think they got their own market and they'll have some of their own time to shine but it is what it is and it's not a bad thing tbh. Not really something I care about but I think their are some organizations that do especially if someone is really tied to culture, it will not that be abandoned so easily.

[Davidvictorson]

But maybe some of the bigger teams will want to save money or just cut costs and abandon minor sports, in spite of making millions in the big sports. How would that make you feel? Is this something you care about?

What do sport leagues with big sponsorship have that those with no sponsorship have
- a large viewership
- already well funded by the government or some private individual
- have good return on investment for all parties involved.

Now compare this to smaller sports teams you will see that the reverse is the case. The first step is for governments to invest in them …by doing so they would have a good  return on investment for all parties involved.

[Crypto_Timothy]

There are others sports, yes but just like you said for it to be profitable, in terms of finances, brands and cooperations have to invest money into the sports and for most of these brands before they Invest money into a sport, they would prefer it has attention and can be profitable to them. You can see where the problem is, so if they don't see it profitable, they don't invest, I mean it doesn't mean the sport is bad or anything, it's just not profitable for them financially.

[Sonia_123]

All sports are important to every country irrespective of how pronounced or profitable they can be, they run their sports themselves with little or no support from the big sports leaving them to sort for funds through adverts and other means to meet their needs.

We cannot compare football to other sports because of the interest involved by many which keeps it outstanding an more profitable than other sports it's all by choice.

[AVE5]

My take on this is that football clubs, league's or related associations is a business field that's why the player's are paid and treated kindly to encourage their performance and player's worth is measured according to his relevance.
What I'm trying to say here is that old leagues too could floop when it is no more profitable.
More money and attention is worth investing by where you finds opportunities to make more successful.
Lack of good management can also cause league to collapse.