I had a chance to meet Hunter Muraira, who manages the skateboard division of Nike, while I was working with Sneakerplay and he told me that “team sports are dead.” That’s not true yet, but there’s a kernel of truth in it for sure.
Brandweek reported last week that the International Fight League “will be acquired by a rival company or shut down.” The IFL, which two years ago had a $500 million IPO (seriously!?!?) is apparently now worth a million, tops. Their gimmick was basically to be the UFC but with teams instead of individuals fighters. Since the only realistic buyer, the UFC, doesn’t appear particularly interested, shutting down looks likely.
As an aside, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is the dominant promoter but the sport isn’t called “ultimate fighting.” It’s mixed martial arts. I prefer boxing.
Anyways, I imagine the the IFL’s founder thought to themselves, “City-based teams work for baseball, football (US), basketball, hockey, football (rest of the world), so that format is a sure thing for MMA!” Apparently not. My guess is that demand for city-based teams is pretty much tapped out.
New ones always seem forced and cheesy, like the IFL’s San Jose Razorclaws or Los Angeles Anacondas. The appeal of a team like the Celtics has so much to do with their history in Boston, and the appeal of expansion teams like the Bobcats has a lot to do with the recognition of Charlotte as a major city on the same level as Boston. Arena Football and Major League Soccer are doing ok with city teams, but that’s probably about meeting unmet demand for those sports rather than local pride. Meanwhile, the UFC’s individual format gives MMA fans all they could want - a (team-based…) reality show plus taped and live fights on Spike, major pay-per-view cards, and big events in major markets.
I think we’ll see more and more of a trend towards individual sports. The UFC is a great example,
but action sports is even more emblematic.At the very least, there’s probably no room for more team sports. Plus, if you look at how the NBA is marketed internationally, it’s based on individual star power.
What does this mean for cycling? I think it’s probably good. Both the business structure and tactics of cycling are based on teams, but fans seem to prefer rooting for people instead of corporations. And at the end of the race, it’s one guy on the podium by himself…

…with his kids. Cute!