During 2020, we saw two seismic shifts in sports: the pandemic and, equally as big, the social justice movement. 

Because of the pandemic, there are likely to be ongoing restrictions to in-person fan attendance at US sports events extending into 2021. This will drive sports organizations to put a higher priority on identifying new ways to drive revenue and creating year-round, two-way relationships with fans. The need is dire: For example, in 2020, National Football League (NFL) teams are expected to lose an estimated $5.5 billion of stadium revenue, primarily in the form of ticket sales, concessions, sponsorships, and sales of team merchandise.

Although many different diversity, equity, and inclusion issues have been perennial challenges in sports, a new urgency was created because of the events in the summer of 2020. It has become clear that US sports organizations can no longer be passive spectators around issues related to inequality and injustice. While many organizations stood behind their players during team protests and calls for action, there is still a lot of work to do across the industry.

I believe that the impacts of the events of 2020 will be felt by the US sports industry for years to come, and 2021 will be a pivotal year—challenging fans, athletes, broadcasters, teams, and leagues alike in new and unexpected ways.