Professional Sports Teams and Organizations Industry Profile

The US professional sports teams industry includes about 1,500 organizations with combined annual revenue of over $19 billion. The dominant professional sports leagues in the US are the National Football League (NFL); the National Basketball Association (NBA); Major League Baseball (MLB); and the National Hockey League (NHL). Other leagues include the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA); Major League Soccer (MLS); and the National Lacrosse League. The industry is concentrated: the top 50 organizations have 60 percent of industry revenue.

The industry includes both major league and minor league sports teams, but not “non-team” professional sports, such as golf, tennis, and boxing.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand is driven by consumer income and corporate entertainment spending. The profitability of individual teams depends on achieving high fan attendance and a large TV audience, both of which are enhanced by effective marketing and competitive play. Teams in large metropolitan areas have advantages in the population base and TV audience they can draw on, though they may face competition from other teams. Teams in smaller markets, along with less popular sports and minor league teams, can compete by building fan loyalty through local marketing promotions and an appeal to civic pride. The industry is capital-intensive; average annual revenue per worker across all sports teams is around $350,000.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Major revenue sources for professional sports teams are tickets and concessions (for NFL teams about 25 percent of revenue); TV and broadcast ...