In responding provide one to two feasible strategies for U.S. leagues to learn from the Australian sport industry’s approach.

The first paragraph should be labeled (Daniel MacQuarrie) and the other one should be labeled (Gary Mullins) ***

In responding provide one to two feasible strategies for U.S. leagues to learn from the Australian sport industry’s approach.

Daniel MacQuarrie

When looking at what Australia can do and continue to do to better market and gain traction in global opportunities in sport, there are a few things that jumped out to me from the readings. The government in Australia seems to be very supportive and encourages the teams of the country to go global. They want their teams to compete at a high level and find other teams to play on a regular basis. Another big piece that I believe plays a big part in their showing of support is how they are investing in their facilities. The state government has invested more than $500 million to upgrade venues and facilities which shows direct support of having the most up to date places to use that they can. I believe that with John Eren saying that they want to bring international sporting events to Australia is also a big deal. He mentioned that, “We are looking at all options. We like the sound of American football, we like the NBA, we like the NHL,” (Mai, 2015). This is a good indication of knowing what they want and how to get international events to their country. I believe that this can all be done if those leagues also feel the same way.

One of the biggest factors that comes into play when expanding globally and getting people to watch is the power of streaming on multiple devices across the country and around the globe. Ensuring that fans can watch their sporting events from all over the world would show that they are trying to outreach to more than just their country but build a fanbase all over the world. The time difference and streaming capabilities could cause a few problems, but if fans are interested, they will make time to try and watch what they have to offer. Streaming services for sporting events are some of the most convenient ways to watch a match or a game. Even with a time difference, most services allow you to record in real time and watch later which for Australian leagues would be a game changer when it comes to other countries watching.

Gary Mullins

As I began reading about the Australian sports industry it was apparent that it had a lot of good things going for it. Already the home of the Australian Open, a major tournament, in the tennis circuit, there are talks ongoing with most United States professional sports organizations to bring games to Australia. The biggest reason for these talks is the love of sports by the Australians, and it seems like both sides are interested in making this happen. Brian Morris, CEO of Melbourne & Olympic Parks stated, “The Australian public has a huge appetite for sport, and it’s fantastic that U.S. sports leagues recognize their popularity here.” (Mai, 2015) This seems like a good working relationship, the American sports want to expand globally, and the Australian fan base loves American sports. Another factor that is moving in the right direction for Australian sports is their continued commitment to provide more outlets for their fans to watch sports. “Earlier this month, the country’s premier sports league, the Australian Football League, signed the biggest broadcast deal in Australian sports history: a six-year, $1.7 billion broadcast rights agreement with partners Foxtel, Channel Seven and Telstra. The deal represents a 67 percent increase in average annual value, according to the league.” (Mai, 2015) This kind of infusion of money will help expand the Australian Football Leagues fan base and popularity.

My suggestions to the Australian sports industry would be to use every social media outlet possible to promote their events. Almost all Americans are glued to their phones and this promotion could be right at their fingertips. As American games or events move to Australia it will be important to make sure the fan base back home will be able to watch, with the amount of people traveling to watch the games live limited. With all the streaming apps today, it would be interesting to see how they could appeal to the American viewer and promote their country. I think having an interactive broadcast where you have inside access to players and coaches during the heat of battle is always a good thing. The NBA has done more of this in the last few years, and I think the fans like it. It will be interesting to watch how our relationship with the Australian sports industry grows over the next few years.