The men's 2021 edition of the Australian Open will undoubtedly bear similarities to its earlier counterparts in various aspects, but there will be more to it than just that, and especially this time considering that the entire world is living in a 'new normal', which brings me on to the point I want to discuss. Everyone can be seen today talking about the ramifications the novel coronavirus situation has had over virtually every entity, including the giant worldwide sports industry. But what most do not know is the exact fashion in which the global sports industry has taken a hit at the hands of Covid-19. To start off, US$756 billion is the mind-boggling value the worldwide sports industry moves annually. And all of this is mainly possible due to one thing which sports do best, and that is to gather a large audience.
When this is done, it does not only involve a mere match ticket purchase by a fan. There are even more far-reaching impacts. For instance, when a fan plans to watch a match in person, he first has to sort out the accommodation and transportation expenses. Not only that, he even has to obviously pay for food, extra entertainment and taxes as well. Once that has been done, put yourself into his shoes and decide what he is going to do next. Yes, he then buys sports merchandise since he is a particular fan after all! This sports retail (merchandise) category, as a matter of fact, is the biggest revenue source for the very industry.. In fact, a recent study has shown that the very industry can produce an indirect revenue worth two and a half times that of the direct revenue.
Speaking concisely, the global sports industry has so many peripherals and other giant industries' interests attached to it that it will be safe to say that it is arguably the best maintainer of a diverse ecosystem of a region, and the fact that it can do so on both economic and social grounds only adds to its significance. Thus, the biggest challenge that the 2021 Australian Open faces is its ability to keep things in flow. Behind closed doors, the shine of the aforementioned chain or 'ecosystem' will be lost as there would be no such productive activity to lift sports from a dingy environment.
Neither would the sports-related businesses and economic activities prosper, nor would there be a vibe of unity or social intensity resulting from a packed stadium or groups of enthusiasts. Hence, let us all have our fingers crossed and hope that the men's 2021 Australian Open takes brave yet safe decisions to change the prevailing dismal course of the global sports industry, once and for all.