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Sport Is Dead.
Long Live Sport.
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Growing up in a household of sport-aficionados and consumed by 10+ years as a competitive artistic gymnast, there was never a time I wasn’t consumed by sport. From changing in the car and eating my dinner in the school cafeteria before practice, sport was never just a passing play, it was my centre of gravity. And when I wasn’t exercising my competitive drive through activity, I was pulling at my hair and screaming at the TV hoping it would help propel my favourite athletes faster around the last bend of the track.
I was a force to reckon with as a kid—I had an abundance of energy and loved to walk the line of cheek with my family (sorry, Mum and Dad). Thankfully for them, my quick uptake of sport roped in my fire (mostly) and smothered me with a discipline that transcended practices. Sport set me up to be a better adult—even today, it underpins my sense of confidence, willingness to embrace challenge, and competitive fire.
For me, sport has always been a form of magic—an incredible display of the peak of human ability and exploding with surprise.
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But lately, the illusions have started to glitch.
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Mainstream sports such as men’s football, basketball, and American football are under heavy criticism for losing their magic. The Premier League is suffering from a wealth concentration problem that is isolating the underdogs and diminishing “unpredictability.” Meanwhile, the NBA All-Star Game has numerously been dubbed as “unwatchable and cringe-worthy” with minimal competitive drive. On top of that, the NFL is increasingly under fire for falling victim to the hands of betting and becoming more of a data game.
As mainstream sports have grown in popularity, brands and sports governing bodies alike have fuelled their commercialisation—introducing in-season tournaments, flooding broadcasts with live data tracking, and overloading fans with ads. What was once a celebration of raw human ability is now facing an identity crisis, driven by an insatiable pursuit of revenue.
But amidst this crisis of mainstream sport, there is an undercurrent of activity thriving beneath the surface.
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Enter, challenger sports.
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Challenger sports are breaking the traditional structures of play and challenging the spotlight of mainstream sports today. Often manifesting as spin-offs of traditional sports (e.g., football and basketball), they’re inventing new game formats, opening up the playing field to those traditionally excluded, and reimagining what it means to be a fan of the game.
Challenger #1: Football → Panna & 6/7-a-side Football
Born in Suriname and adopting its essence in the Netherlands, panna football is a one-on-one football match in which players win by kicking the ball between their opponent’s legs, executing a nutmeg or “panna.” Its fast-paced nature and complex footwork put creativity front and centre—showcasing unfiltered talent that often goes viral.
In a similar vein, 6- and 7-a-side football leagues are bringing football back to its street roots with smaller pitches and shorter playing times. Beyond offering a whole new pathway to professional football, both leagues are reimagining fan entertainment—with Baller League now backed by YouTuber KSI in the UK and Kings League streaming on Twitch.
Challenger #2: American Football → Flag Football
Flag football is rapidly taking off among young girls in the US, with girls now making up over 40% of youth players and nearly half a million ages 6 to 17 playing nationwide in 2023. Flag football is a non-contact, minimal gear version of American football that is enabling girls to explore football in a more approachable way. It will be making its Olympic debut at the 2028 LA Olympics.
Challenger #3: Basketball → 3x3 Basketball
Lastly, 3x3 basketball is bringing basketball back to its unapologetic physicality and relentless pace, slicing the court in half with 10 minute games with one sub and non-stop music. After its debut at the Tokyo Olympics, viewership skyrocketed by 613% during the Paris Olympics in 2024. In the US, the new 3x3 women’s league Unrivaled is promising to pay players the highest average salary in women’s basketball history alongside offering equity in the league. Read more about 3x3 and why we should care about it in the piece I wrote last year.
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At the centre of them all is one common theme: access.
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Access to unrestricted play. Enabling autonomy in where, when, and how sport is played—leveraging the vast outdoors and city streets as malleable playgrounds for kids, teens, and adults alike to participate
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Access to creativity & individualism. Embodying a “break and adapt the rules” mentality that amplifies creativity in athleticism—encouraging players to lean into their own take on the sport.
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Access to community. Bringing fans and athletes alike into new modes of play structure and viewership that foster competitive camaraderie as opposed to reckless rivalship.
Today, this kind of access is hard to come by.
Sports that were once accessible through communities and after-school clubs have now come with hefty price tags and heightened competitive pressure—this is particularly prevalent among youth basketball in the US where “the average family reports spending $873 on basketball program fees alone.” And for girls in particular, a lack of support for body confidence and self esteem is contributing to them dropping out of sport at twice the rate of boys.
Sport should be a runway, not a roadblock. It’s a means to gain momentum for setting yourself up for success in life. As such, there’s never been a more important time for sports that champion access than now. As progress-oriented brand-builders, we can drive access by backing challenger sports, regardless if you orbit the sports world or not.
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Here are a few ways to ride the undercurrent:
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For those with existing ties to the sports world…
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Elevate the next wave of tastemaker athletes.
Challenger sport athletes aren’t global superstars draped in luxury, they’re local heroes and raw talent that embrace unpolished play (e.g., 3x3 players like the Philippines' Camille Clarin or the Netherlands’ Worthy de Jong). They are deeply credible among youth today who respond positively to their grassroots authenticity and community connection, making them ideal ambassadors to tap into.
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Geek out in the new niches of sporting equipment.
As challenger sports introduce new styles of play, they’re also driving innovation in new sports equipment (e.g., 3x3 basketballs have a different weight and grip than regular basketballs). This shift opens the aperture for the creative development of core game elements—from the flags used in flag football to the mini cages in panna football, the potential for creative interpretation is vast.
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Embrace unconventional settings.
Challenger sports demand bystander attention and come loaded with a rebellious spirit. 3x3 tournaments are already popping up outdoors in city centres (like at Monaco’s Port Hercule) and panna games are happening in old warehouses. Their flexibility swings the door wide open for brands ready to bring sports to surprising, unconventional places—and make a bold statement while doing it.
And for those open to getting involved…
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Sponsor and refurbish the third space.
As commerce-less third spaces become increasingly sparse, challenger sports offer the ultimate route into protecting spaces for youth to convene. There’s never been a better time than now to find the urban playgrounds needing a bit of love and inject them with new life (e.g., like Jordan refurbishing a basketball court in Berlin to be a safe space for girls, or how Virgil Abloh, Daily Paper, and Surf Ghana backed Freedom Skatepark in Accra).
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Experiment with new entry points to sport.
Challenger sports (particularly those with street roots) are usually part of a much larger whole, with 3x3 basketball and panna often being coupled with music, food trucks, and streetwear stands (see Rotterdam Street Culture Week). Because these sports happen in such culturally dynamic environments, showing up and supporting them can go far beyond being a name on a jersey.
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Break the rules of traditional athlete sponsorship.
Sponsorship rules are much more flexible than mainstream sports, so there is ample room to play with how brands can sponsor athletes and the events alike (FIBA already allows World Tour teams to promote their sponsors with temporary bicep tattoos).
Now's the time to embrace the ripples, rather than resist them. Challenger sports are not only preserving the magic of sport, but are elevating it to wholly new, unchartered heights. Riding the undercurrent of sport—and backing those challenging it—means championing access. Because, in this game, no one’s warming the bench.
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As a Senior Strategist at SYLVAIN, Megan can often be found working at the intersection of sport and youth culture. When she’s not deep in the trenches of research, she's running through Amsterdam's parks, sweating on a basketball court, writing about the sports world, or listening to Kofi Stone.
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Progress Report is a bi-weekly newsletter of business considerations, cultural conversations, and fun recommendations from around the world and web.
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