Startup Idea #77: Sports business 2.0

The global sports market is now a sizable aspect of the economy. As this market continues to grow, there are plenty of opportunities to get into the game. I have developed some ideas on what a startup can do. Here is the list;

Player Trading: Player transfer between clubs is not new. What is astonishing is the value of those deals and yet little sophistication in the trading tools. This is a huge opportunity. Who is going to be the Markit for the player transfer business? To supply clubs with vital market information, player statistics as well as all the necessary documentations and compliance reporting.

What about an exchange platform to coordinate the buying and selling of players. Player transfer is currently a time-consuming and close door affair. Is it possible to make it open, like an stock exchange where the value of the deal is open to anyone and trades can be executed effortlessly?

Thinking a step further, how about a derivative product based on player transfer to allow clubs to hedge their risks of non-performing players? Using data mining techniques to properly price and allocate the risks can be a compelling value proposition.

Investment bank for sports: There is a viable business to build technologies that help businesses that are exposed to sports risks (i.e. ticket sellers, hotels, sports merchandise, venue holder et al) to manage those risks (hello WeatherBill) . A sports merchandise store, for example, should not face the risk of slow moving inventory simply because it selected to sell merchanides of a losing team. Its business in selling, promoting et al of merchandise, not in picking winners of tournaments. Hence, that risk should and can be properly hedged.

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