2021 Year in Review: Our Favorite Trends and Developments

The holiday season is finally here! As the days get shorter and the weather feels cooler, it’s officially the end of the year. In order to fully embrace and prepare for the opportunities to come in 2022, we must look back at the noteworthy trends, developments, and events that transpired throughout 2021. Here are some of our favorite trends and developments from 2021.

NIL Profiting in College Athletics

The NCAA held onto its policy of athletes as unpaid “amateurs” for as long as possible before a Supreme Court ruling in June legally changed everything. Effective immediately, college athletes were permitted to profit off their own name, image and likeness (abbreviated as NIL).

All of a sudden, the business world welcomed college stars, particularly NCAA football players (holding 35% of all NIL activity across all sports according to Swim Swam), to cut themselves a piece of the revenue pie by acting in advertisements, signing autographs, creating cryptocurrencies and more. Rumored deals for players like Bryce Young, a quarterback at the University of Alabama, were astronomical, as he notably made close to seven figures in early sponsorship agreements as per his coach, Nick Saban.

Having only been in effect for six months, the NIL court decision and its true imprint on the NCAA has yet to be realized. However, the benefit to both athletes and brand awareness alike are already apparent, as players rake in piles of cash while new NCAA endorsements engage with a previously unreachable market segment. Brands will be acting quickly to find ways to better track their ROI on these NIL partnerships.

Women’s Soccer on the Rise

The sustained momentum of women’s soccer, both nationally and internationally, is undeniable after a phenomenal 2021. Viewership among game broadcasts has continued its steady growth across a number of leagues; this is especially true in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), an organization whose 2021 championship saw television/stream ratings increase 216% from its 2019 season finale according to Reuters. The NWSL largely benefited from its freshly negotiated three-year broadcasting deal with CBS Sports in 2020, allowing the Washington Spirit vs. Chicago Red Stars winner-take-all final to take place on national TV in November.

Across the pond in England, the Women’s Super League (WSL) is enjoying a stretch of triumph mirroring its American equivalent. On December 5th, 41,000 supporters attended the Women’s FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Arsenal (two WSL teams) at Wembley Stadium. According to Altman Solon, over 1.4 million streamed the match that Chelsea ultimately prevailed in, 3–0. The WSL is now considered the fourth most viewed English league domestically, as its cumulative season audience of 14.5 million broke the WSL’s previous record.

As female leagues/organizations attract more fans and draw more viewers to game broadcasts, companies and brands will be eager to become sponsors of a thriving, marketable product.

The Seattle Kraken’s Inaugural Season

Officially founded and announced in 2018, the Seattle Kraken kicked off its much-anticipated on-ice presentation as the National Hockey League’s newest franchise. In an effort to grow the game and attract new fanbases, the NHL has welcomed the Seattle market in its latest expansion effort following the addition of the Las Vegas Golden Knights just four years prior. The Kraken played its first-ever game on opening night (October 12th) of the 2021–2022 season, with its home opener coming 11 days later at the Climate Pledge Arena.

The Kraken and its community have already proven their commitment toward establishing itself as an impactful, up-and-coming brand across professional sports. The organization’s $1.15 billion renovation project for its home rink was supported entirely with private funding according to the Seattle Times. The team also held a unique fan appreciation ceremony by retiring number 32 as a tribute to the 32,000 ticket deposits made by supporters on the initial day of availability. Through such substantial financial contributions coupled with outside-the-box marketing measures, the Kraken will prove to be an evolving factor across the sponsorship landscape.

Cryptocurrency as a Sponsorship Player

The term “crypto” has become somewhat of a buzzword within the investment community. While Bitcoin, Dogecoin, and other virtual currencies rise in popularity, investing amateurs and experts alike attempt to navigate the crypto waters on online exchange platforms. One particular site, Crypto.com, made waves across the sports business front in November with news of purchasing a noteworthy, Los Angeles-based arena’s naming rights. On Christmas Day, the Staples Center, home to the Lakers, Clippers, Kings, and Sparks, will be known as the “Crypto.com Arena”, according to an ESPN report.

With rights fees totaling $700 million, Crypto.com appears determined to gain brand exposure by diving headfirst into relationships with four franchises in one of the most prominent media markets in the US. If even the Staples Center, a world-famous, L.A.-synonymous title, is vulnerable to the point of nonexistence, who knows what type of seismic market imprints crypto-based companies are willing to take on and pull off in the future.

Formula 1 & Non-Traditional Marketing Tactics

Have you seen “Drive to Survive” yet? The Formula 1-based Netflix show is one of the more popular sports series of the past few years, as the lives of F1 drivers are dramatically documented throughout the racing season.

With its 4th season coming in 2022, Drive to Survive has captured a largely untapped, frankly unknown F1 fanaticism in the United States. According to ESPN Press Room, F1’s average race viewing (947,000 households per event) is up 56% from the 2020 average and more than 40% from 2019’s figure. This newfound nationwide enthusiasm was highlighted by an event we attended, the U.S. Grand Prix, where a record-breaking 400,000 spectators filled the Circuit of the Americas in October. F1’s rapid increase in traction amongst American sports fans reveals the value in unconventional marketing, as the racing organization owes much of its success to the show’s relevance.

Parting Thoughts

While neither quite as hectic nor unpredictable as the infamous year prior, 2021 brought its own industry-wide developments that few deemed foreseeable. Thus, the past 365 days serve as yet another reminder of the fast-moving, unpredictable nature of the sports industry. The year reinforced that both adaptability and flexibility are skills as crucial now as they ever have been. More than any other entity, Trajektory prioritizes adaptability and flexibility and will effectively keep up with the ever-demanding needs and changes in the sports industry. We’re there for the new expansion teams trying to get their sponsorship data aggregated out the door or the women’s sports team that has 10x their sponsorships and needs assistance building recap reports. If you’re interested in learning more, go to Trajektory.com.

Written by: Tyler Webb