How Sports Stardom Has the Potential to Change What We Watch and How We Watch it

Hollywood has undergone a seismic shift since the invention of the internet.

A small number of studios controlled what TV shows and movies got bankrolled and distribution. If one of the studios didn’t play ball, you didn’t.

With widespread adoption of the internet, Netflix, Hulu, Prime, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and traditional networks, there is mountains of content. Leverage has flipped from the studios to the creators. Social media has empowered artists to be their own marketing machines and operate without the financing and infrastructure of larger players. A smartphone or microphone has enabled anyone to be a creator reaching millions.

Although I didn’t watch the (“The Match”) Phil v. Tiger pillow-fight (not great golf was the resounding consensus), the result was a heavily-promoted, discussed and sponsored event that has the potential to shake up the sports world in a way similar to how Hollywood was disrupted.

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*Following paragraph added on 4/4/2020

Professional football was a fledgling business in the 1920s — a far cry from what it is today.

The concept alone was loathsome to most sports fans.

“Football, when played with the amateur spirit, possesses more elements for the development of character and manhood than any sport I know,” said…