Sports Is Having Its “Religion Moment”
The same forces that built sports empires are now breaking them apart. Massive changes are on the horizon.
Many of you aren’t grasping what’s really at stake in sports.
We’re not just at the start of another “innovation cycle”…
We’re staring at the beginning of the end of league dominance (and the rise of a new era, one where athletes build the leagues themselves).
Last week, I posted about this on LinkedIn, and the conversation exploded:
The signs are everywhere.
But what’s recently unfolded only makes the point stronger.
Let’s Dive In 👇
Bryson, LIV, and the White House
Bryson DeChambeau is leading the White House fitness initiative as he was named chair of the President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition.
Not a league.
Not the PGA Tour.
Not a commissioner.
A single player with massive influence…not just because of his golf skills, but because of his content, reach, & personal brand.
Today’s aspiring athletes don’t just want to “make it pro.”
They want influence.
They want ownership.
They want to build something of their own.
It is quickly becoming more lucrative to be a sports influencer with control over your audience and distribution (than to be a cog in a legacy league machine).
$5B New Basketball League
Last week, the whispers turned into headlines.
LeBron James, Maverick Carter, and Nikola Jokićs agent met with global investors to discuss a $5 billion international basketball league, targeting a 2026 launch.
Equity ownership for players
12 teams (6 men’s, 6 women’s) touring 8 international cities.
Funding potentially coming from sovereign wealth funds, tech billionaires, and private equity groups aiming to rival the NBA/WNBA model.
The pitch is simple…
Why should athletes create billions for someone else’s empire when they can build their own?
We’ve already seen this in golf (LIV).
In track & field (Grand Slam Track).
We’re seeing it in women’s basketball (Unrivaled).
And this is only the beginning.
The playbook is clear: player influence + social media distribution + access to capital = a new era of sports ownership.
IMG Academy’s Add More Athletes Movement
This transformation isn’t just happening at the pro level.
It’s bubbling up from the ground floor of the sports ecosystem.
IMG Academy’s #AddMoreAthletes campaign is challenging the traditional college sports model.
Right now, 8 million high school athletes are fighting for just 500,000 roster spots in college. The funnel is too small, leaving millions without meaningful opportunities to continue competing.
The proposal?
A “varsity-lite” model, where schools add second squads under university oversight:
Access to varsity-level coaching, facilities, and academic support.
A pipeline that keeps talent in the system instead of cutting it off early.
More playing opportunities for student-athletes across divisions and sports.
This is another step toward decentralizing power in sports: institutions are being pushed to adapt or risk losing the next generation of players to alternative models, independent leagues, or athlete-led initiatives entirely.
Sports and Religion
Sports are following the same iterations religion has gone through.
Religion was once centralized, controlled by massive institutions that dictated everything.
Then came the rise of individual thought leaders, creators, and communities.
Social media is having a similar impact on sports.
The very platform that built the leagues into empires is now eroding their power.
When you give players too much influence, too much money, and too much access to capital…they no longer rely as much on the leagues.
The next generation of athletes isn’t dreaming of “making the league.”
They’re dreaming of:
Playing the game on their own terms.
Owning the table they once sat at as guests.
Creating the next big thing, not waiting for someone else to invite them in.
And once that tipping point hits, player-led leagues won’t just be an experiment.
They’ll be the future.
Where’s This Headed Next?
Sports are cracking. The old model is on borrowed time.
You can already see the next era forming: