The world around us changes. It can be felt in the water, in the earth, and smelled in the air. If we put an attempt to quote Lord of The Rings aside, the world around us is indeed evolving. Just look at the economy, politics, industry, and sports. Everything changes. We live in an age where trends emerge and die by the day. We don’t want to sound cheeky, but the future is shaped as we speak, and we’re not only talking about sports.
To avoid deviating from our subject for today, this article’s topic will be sport and only sport. Regardless of sport, as we could be speaking of tennis, football, NFL, basketball, or wrestling, it’s shaped by trends. Some trends come and go, and others remain. The very few we will talk about in this article are here to stay once they’re established in 2025 and beyond.
The Growth of eSports
A little over a decade ago, gaming was only for gamers. Gamers were ordinary folks in love with the game. It was as simple as that. Today, eSports are not only for gamers. You can tell we’re speaking the truth when you see traditional sports leagues such as FIFA, NBA, or NFL hosting eSports tournaments. What created the eSports trend is that it brought together fans of the conventional game and gaming fans under one roof. Once this mix happened, new audiences started to lock in, and eSports became available to more people due to the technological development we’re witnessing at the moment.
These days, sports teams are building their eSports divisions. It is not uncommon to see real football clubs sponsoring professional FIFA players. Many young game fans spend more time online than ever, and eSports is a great way to connect with them. Furthermore, you have popular video games such as League of Legends that are now treated as sports competitions, and you even have the World Championship, where teams are battling each other in LoL. It goes as far as you now have organized LoL teams led by their captains and superstars such as Faker, Uzi, or Ambition. Online gambling outlets such as Stake.com even have odds set and accept bets on eSports. eSports have become so mainstream that in no time, they will not be viewed as a trend in sports but as a sport itself.
Wearable Technology
Wearables are no longer seen only as fashion items. In sports, they are used to track and record data. We live in an age of smart devices. In sports, they are worn by athletes to measure their heart rate, speed, or fatigue. The best part of wearable technology is that it can measure and record all of this data in real time, giving players and teams a competitive advantage that was unimaginable only a few years ago. Also, thanks to smart wearable devices, athletes can train not only better but smarter and, if need be, recover faster. As if that is not enough, it is also sued by coaches and managers. When used the right way, coaches are now able to make better in-game decisions and influence the game even more than expected.
What makes wearable technology a trend in 2025, and you will see more and more of it as time passes, is that even fans benefit from it, too. Various sports apps, such as those used for sports betting, allow fans to track player stats during games in real-time, making the game and betting experience all that better. For most fans, it is only another way to stay connected to the game or a team they love and better understand what’s happening on the court. For sports in general, it is a trend that is taking over, and for all the good reasons.
Sustainability
It comes off as weird talking about sustainability in sports, but it’s happening. Most of you know that the most significant sports events in the world create a lot of waste. Just look at the most prominent sports league in the world and their attendance at each game. Sports impact the environment; today, it is more noticeable than ever. This is why many teams are already trying to reduce their activities’ impact on the environment. This is being done in more ways than one. Here are just some of the examples:
- Building green stadiums. Just take a look at what Forest Green is doing. It goes far and beyond the stadiums, but it is worth mentioning the likes of The Ali Sami Yen Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and Climate Pledge Arena, which are just some of the world’s most sustainable stadiums.
- Cutting the use of plastic at events and finding more viable and greener solutions.
- Using electric buses or trains for travel. In some parts of the world, this is not doable, especially for international matches or when teams from the East Coast play those on the West Coast in the NFL. A good example of trying to be green is Italian Clubs Milan, Inter, Juventus, Roma, and Lazio, which often travel via train for domestic games.
Sustainability is not only a trend. It is something that clubs and fans alike deeply care about. These changes are welcome, but they will be successful only if both parties cooperate. When a team takes sustainability seriously, statistics show that they garner more neutral fans who recognize such honest-to-God activity.
AI in Sports
Artificial intelligence really is a game changer. It touched upon every imaginable field, including technology, industry, economy, healthcare, trading, online gambling, and eventually, sports. AI can do so much for modern sports, teams, and athletes. It helps them improve by analyzing player performances, predicting injuries, and even suggesting strategies. Fans, on the other hand, can receive personalized stats, replays, and even enhanced broadcasts. Every casual fan loves sports betting, and we shouldn’t forget that. AI can help by giving insights, providing better odds, and making wagering more accurate and engaging for users.
If you know how AI can help you make NFL predictions for the upcoming season. Doing this on your own would have been impossible only a few years back. Now, with artificial intelligence, many sports activities are becoming possible. AI is a global trend in society and will be a significant part of sports culture in the future.
Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR)
Sports are not only played on the field. Fans experience this in the stadiums and at home in front of a TV. In this department, VR and AR will change the outlook of all sports. The best example is watching games. With VR, you can watch a game at home and have the same feeling as if you were at the game itself. On the other hand, AR can add extra information to the experience by showing players’ stats in real-time, in your room, when you’re broadcasting the game on your phone, or through smart glasses.
Furthermore, these technologies are of great help in assisting athletes with training. The best example is VR, which players use to experience realistic on-field situations without risking an injury. Sports such as golf, skiing, cycling, and athletics have been using it for a while. We need to say that while VR and AR are present, they’re not as widely available as they will be in the future, at least when discussing usage by the broader masses. 2025 is when this trend will undoubtedly take over, even though some perks we as fans might like straight away are still a few years away.
Growth of Women’s Sports
The time was due, but the women’s sport is finally receiving the attention it deserves. For some time now, female athletes have been showing that, in certain areas, they’re as good as their male counterparts. These days, this is a trend that will continue in 2025 and beyond, and more people than ever recognize this. It is seen through attendance, better TV deals, better player contracts, and more sponsors flocking to cover female teams and athletes. The best examples of the growth we’re discussing are the FIFA Women’s World Cup and WNBA.
This shift has been awaited for too long. Today, when it’s happening, and with expectations that there’s more to come, people must understand that it’s not only about equality. While equality is essential, we’re predominantly talking about opportunities. Putting women’s sports at the forefront of sports, in general, is an excellent opportunity for fans to experience sports from different angles, for players to enjoy themselves more and feel appreciated, and for various brands to connect to other demographics. The growth of women’s sports in 2020 and the years to come benefits society, as we need equality more now than ever.
Health and Wellness
Considering all the circumstances surrounding modern sports, it is no surprise that athletes are more focused on their mental health than ever. To provide players with much-needed balance, team management often hires psychologists and mindfulness coaches to aid players. While leading a balanced lifestyle is essential for modern athletes, what’s even more critical is recovery. Both teams and individual athletes, together with their coaches, know a lot more about recovery than it was known in the past. Most now have access to cryotherapy, yoga practice, and nutrition plans designed per personal specifications. This is an essential training regimen for even a lower-tier athlete. In a competitive domain such as sports, having an advantage is paramount, and thus, a sports trend revolving around health and wellness is here to stay.
With how much athletes are exposed to the world through social media platforms, fans are starting to take notice. Thus, fans’ interaction with wellness increases, too. When your favorite athlete or a team shares a date on mental health and fitness, you ought to listen. This interaction creates a circle of well-being where we inspire each other.
Better Fan Engagement
These days, it is good to be a sports fan. Sports teams are doing their best work to keep fans happy and engaged. This is not always possible with on-field performances, but it is possible through other means. For one, most teams provide fans with interactive apps, allowing fans to vote on issues such as game-day music or make minor decisions tied to the gameplay. You already know it, but fans can now interact with their favorite teams and players through social media platforms, thus keeping them closer to both. Today, following sports is a fully personalized experience, and fans thrive on it.
Globalization
Sports have been global for a while now, but there are always new markets to enter, all depending on the sport. Not every sport is football. For example, the NFL is trying wholeheartedly to reach an audience in Europe and South America. In the USA, it is the most popular sport. Still, it is not a global phenomenon like European football; competitions such as La Liga or Premier League are the best examples. Besides football, almost every other sport is trying to reach further from where it is now, including sports such as MMA, basketball, and cricket, among many others. When growth is achieved, it opens doors to new opportunities, such as cross-cultural events on all scales. New fans are always welcomed in the world of sports. Players worldwide are going to teams in other countries, making the game as global as it ever was. Due to these transfers, many leagues are more diverse and exciting. In the future, we can expect teams to explore talents even in the world’s most exotic corners, regardless of the sport.
Bottom Line
Sports are evolving. They’re ever-present through televisions and social media platforms and thus susceptible to trends. Above in the article you’re having the trends we believe will shape the world of sports in 2025 and in the years beyond.
