The FA Partnering With Xbox is The Latest Collaboration Between Sports And Gaming
In August 2021, The Football Association (The FA) announced Xbox as their official gaming partner. The FA controls all association football in England; through the global partnership, Xbox has acquired access to the men’s and women’s National Teams, their home stadium (Wembley), and St George's Park, their national football center.
According to the initial press releases, the FA-Xbox partnership aims to encourage gaming and football across different demographics. Kathryn Swarbrick of the FA said the partnership with Xbox is an opportunity to take the relationship between gaming and sports "to the next level for all of those connected with English football.” Interestingly, using the gaming market to attract new and established audiences is something many sports organizations have attempted, such as the NFL partnering with Twitch gamer Tyler Blevins for play-by-play commentary. We also saw the NBA create its NBA 2K eSports league in 2018. Twenty-four teams compose this eSports league, and 22 have affiliations with individual NBA franchises.
There are many reasons sports bodies are looking at the gaming market to drive engagement, including some of the biggest athletes in the world advocating for games and platforms like FIFA and Twitch. For example, since retiring from professional football, former Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has become one of the fastest-growing Twitch streamers. However, perhaps one of the biggest reasons sports clubs and leagues are moving into gaming is because there has been a significant generational shift where an interest in video games and social media platforms has surpassed the interest in watching and competing in sports. Of course, sports leagues aren’t just using the video game market and companies like Microsoft to drive fan engagement, but also online casino gaming and sports betting companies. For example, the National Hockey League (NHL) announced a multi-year partnership deal with BetMGM in April 2022. BetMGM is a casino and sports betting platform that, according to this review site, offers some of the best online casino bonuses available, such as a free $25 no deposit offer, besides betting markets for the NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA, and college football. Individuals can also wager on the Premier League, controlled by the FA. As part of BetMGM’s partnership with the NHL, the online casino gets access to the NHL’s official branding, which the platform will use to create premium experiences exclusive to sports bettors.
There has been concern over the disappearance of sports fandoms as younger generations turn their attention to video games and social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Recently, partnering with gaming organizations like Xbox and famous Twitch streamers has proven to be a good way for sports to maintain their relevance and drive fan engagement. However, we can’t say this business model is new, as sports bodies have long used online casinos and sports betting platforms for these same reasons.
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According to the initial press releases, the FA-Xbox partnership aims to encourage gaming and football across different demographics. Kathryn Swarbrick of the FA said the partnership with Xbox is an opportunity to take the relationship between gaming and sports "to the next level for all of those connected with English football.” Interestingly, using the gaming market to attract new and established audiences is something many sports organizations have attempted, such as the NFL partnering with Twitch gamer Tyler Blevins for play-by-play commentary. We also saw the NBA create its NBA 2K eSports league in 2018. Twenty-four teams compose this eSports league, and 22 have affiliations with individual NBA franchises.
Why Gaming?
There are many reasons sports bodies are looking at the gaming market to drive engagement, including some of the biggest athletes in the world advocating for games and platforms like FIFA and Twitch. For example, since retiring from professional football, former Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has become one of the fastest-growing Twitch streamers. However, perhaps one of the biggest reasons sports clubs and leagues are moving into gaming is because there has been a significant generational shift where an interest in video games and social media platforms has surpassed the interest in watching and competing in sports. Of course, sports leagues aren’t just using the video game market and companies like Microsoft to drive fan engagement, but also online casino gaming and sports betting companies. For example, the National Hockey League (NHL) announced a multi-year partnership deal with BetMGM in April 2022. BetMGM is a casino and sports betting platform that, according to this review site, offers some of the best online casino bonuses available, such as a free $25 no deposit offer, besides betting markets for the NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA, and college football. Individuals can also wager on the Premier League, controlled by the FA. As part of BetMGM’s partnership with the NHL, the online casino gets access to the NHL’s official branding, which the platform will use to create premium experiences exclusive to sports bettors.
There has been concern over the disappearance of sports fandoms as younger generations turn their attention to video games and social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Recently, partnering with gaming organizations like Xbox and famous Twitch streamers has proven to be a good way for sports to maintain their relevance and drive fan engagement. However, we can’t say this business model is new, as sports bodies have long used online casinos and sports betting platforms for these same reasons.
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