FIFA wants to double the frequency of the men’s World Cup to every two years, but it faces opposition from major governing bodies.

The global soccer organization released results of a 15,000-person survey indicating global support for the move.

However, Europe’s UEFA and its South American equivalent CONMEBOL both oppose the concept. UEFA hosts the Euro Cup every four years, and a biennial World Cup could compete with that tournament for fan attention and player participation.

CONMEBOL’s Copa America tournament would face similar challenges.

• FIFA’s revenue is highly dependent on the World Cup — it typically posts losses three years out of four and makes it up in World Cup years. The organization took in $6.4 billion from 2017-2020, over 70% of which came in 2018.
• UEFA’s revenue is much steadier. It earned between $2 billion and $3.5 billion each year from 2017-2020 for a total of $12.5 billion.
• Qatar expects a $20 billion economic boost from hosting the 2022 World Cup.

Europe and South America combine for 65 of FIFA’s 211 affiliated associations, just short of the one-third needed to block any proposal, but UEFA and CONMEBOL have threatened to boycott additional World Cups should FIFA enact the proposal.

European and South American teams have won every World Cup in its 91-year history.

Digital assets company Horizm has launched an AI-powered platform to help brands find sports sponsorships.

Athletes and rights-holders are already offering more than $1 billion in digital inventory on Marketplace, which aims to cut down the time and number of interactions it takes for deals to be made.

Horizm considers itself “the future of digital revenue in sport.” It’s secured deals with multiple Premier League teams including Everton, Arsenal, and Chelsea, and began partnering with Cricket West Indies last month.

Earlier this year, Horizm conducted a study of digital inventory in sports based on the first quarter of 2021:

• The Premier League’s $432 million in digital inventory is worth nearly as much as the second- and third-ranked leagues combined: La Liga ($256.8 million) and the NBA ($172.3 million).
• Manchester United is the team with the most valuable digital inventory — an estimated $128.6 million.
• The NHL is the most efficient league when it comes to generating value from digital assets on a per-capita basis.

Horzim says the world’s leading sports leagues could generate more than $1.3 billion combined this year across Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, which is considered the most valuable platform.

Three million people tried golf for the first time in 2020, which has translated to big business for golf-focused facilities and communities. 

“Demand for private golf club community amenities and real estate is at an all-time high,” Jason Becker, co-founder of Golf Live Navigators, told Bloomberg. 

• The Kiawah Island Club community in Charleston, South Carolina generated $152 million in sales in Q1 2021, a 237% increase year-over-year. 
• August was the highest-grossing month in Kiawah Island’s history, with sales reaching $100 million. 
• Sand Valley Golf Resort in Wisconsin has already sold out of the 17 lots for its private course that it expected to sell to homeowners over seven years. 

Since March 2020, around 64% of people looking to purchase a golf membership and a home are buying real estate inside golf communities, up from 51% in 2019.

Roughly 500 million rounds of golf were played in 2020, and that number could very well continue to rise.

The advent of widespread remote work is also a reported factor in the boom in golf-related real estate as players have to worry less about commutes and living near their offices.

The Baltimore Orioles are once again competing for MLB’s worst record this year, but going to see them at Camden Yards has gotten significantly more expensive.

The Orioles had the biggest year-to-year increase in estimated cost for a family of four to see a game, rising 29.4% to $245.77.

The numbers, calculated by Team Marketing Report and compiled by The Athletic, show a wide spread of in-game revenue across MLB.

• The ​​$376.49 a family might spend seeing the most expensive team, the Boston Red Sox, is more than double the bottom four: the Pittsburgh Pirates ($183.86), Tampa Bay Rays ($179.86), Miami Marlins ($174.54), and Arizona Diamondbacks ($144.25).
• The Orioles’ price increase was more than double that of the next-highest team, the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox, whose estimated cost rose 14.4% to $253.25.

MLB took in $10.7 billion in 2019 revenue but said it lost $3.1 billion last year in its pandemic-shortened 60-game season. Teams laid off hundreds of employees in 2020.

Fan revenue accounts for around 40% of team revenue in a typical season.