How the Internet Changed The Sports World

You’ll know just how transformative the introduction of the web has been just by looking at your own life, especially if you’re of an age where you can recall what the world was like before the internet became so ubiquitous. Take a look at, well, virtually anything, and you’ll likely find clear differences between how it used to be and how it is today. And it’s all thanks to that smart old invention of Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the internet.

In this blog, we’ll take a look at the impact the internet has had on the sports world. While the fundamental action on the field may be the same as in the old days, the broader culture and fan experience have shifted almost beyond recognition.

Sports fans in the pre-internet did have a voice but, for the most part, the only audience they had for their hot-takes was the group of friends they saw before, during and after the game. If you were living in an area without fellow fans, then all your thoughts would be lost to the wind.

Today, that’s all changed. Thanks to the internet, fans from all corners of the globe can voice their opinions to a large audience — and that can have a big impact on sports as a whole. For example, social media was cited as one of the primary reasons why tennis star Naomi Osaka pulled out of the 2021 Roland Grace tournament. That’s a negative impact, but social media also been a force for good, such as when the whole world (except France) celebrated Argentina’s dramatic 2022 World Cup Final victory.

Fans have always been close to their sports. But today, they’re closer than ever before. Thanks to the web, fans have a host of new ways to enjoy their chosen sport. With little more than their smartphone, fans can listen to football podcasts, get expert options and use a free betting offer from OddsChecker to back an unlikely winner for victory, and access exclusive behind-the-scenes content from their favorite sports teams.

All of those activities would have been unthinkable just a few decades ago, yet today, they’re commonplace. This has led to a climate that provides greater engagement for even casual sports fans.

Fans have been following distant teams — those based in countries other than their own — for decades. But it’s fair to say that this used to be a real test of loyalty, as there was no meaningful way to stay up to date with all that was going on at the club. Fans could find the occasional sports highlights show and a paper newsletter, but not much more.

Today, it doesn’t matter where you’re located. As long as you have an internet connection, you can stay up to date with your chosen team even if they’re on the other side of the world. This has been mutually beneficial for both clubs and fans; clubs can market themselves to entirely new audiences and increase their number of supporters, while fans can support far-flung teams as if they were their local club.

The internet has made us all smarter, and that’s especially true of sports fans. For the first time ever, fans have access to a whole host of data points with which they can make informed decisions. Sports fanatics have always had long debates about players, teams, and games, but now they have easy access to information that they can use to support their arguments.

Of course, this element does also expose one downside of the web, and that’s the fact that even when they’re presented with new information, die hard fans are unlikely to change their mind. But by and large, access to data is a positive thing — there are no other areas of life where people confidently argue with experts as they do in the sports world.

That’s just a selection of ways in which the web has impacted sports. And with virtual reality, augmented reality, and the metaverse on the way, we can expect more changes in the coming years.