Nowhere is the globalisation of media consumption and cultural participation more apparent than in the world of sports and in the recognition of major international brands. We see the emergence of truly global sports, sports events, and sporting heroes, but at the same time that participation in a huge range of more localised sports remains strong. Thus, 21st century sports fans will have increasingly complex and diverse constellations of interests and allegiances.

But sports sponsors must not only consider the vibrant diversity of sports interests and participation, they must also consider cultural variation in attitudes to sports in general – overall levels of interest, and perceptions of the social impact of sport, vary widely, as do attitudes to sports sponsorship itself, as we shall see – we cannot assume that pro-sport cultures are pro-sports-sponsorship cultures.
Furthermore, the channels through which consumers engage with sports are multiplying, and taking distinct forms in different countries; these variations in participation, spectating and channel use constitute vital intelligence for sponsors. And of course, the shape of demographic variation in all these dimensions varies hugely from country to country.

So, a multiplicity of sports, multiple dimensions of attitude and behaviour, multiple levels of geographic and demographic analysis – international sports sponsors operate in an ever more complex and demanding terrain.

A pdf copy of the full report can be obtained, free of charge, by emailing the Production team.