The Platformization of Recreational Sports (and what this means)
Evaluating the digitization of competition in sports (and how technology is transforming the experience).
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The Mixing of Tech with Recreational Sports
Most recreational sports businesses think they’re selling court time.
They’re not.
They’re selling repeat behavior (and the ones that win over the next decade will be those with the best systems).
A stat that backs this up…
Over 70% of adults who exercise prefer social or group-based activity over solo workouts.
This became very clear during our recent Profluence Sports podcast with Dov Penzik and Michael Madding, two operators quietly building at the intersection of recreational sports, hospitality, and technology.
Let’s Dive In 👇
The 3 Phases of Recreational Sports
To understand where this is going, you need to understand where it’s been.
Phase 1: Pure Play (Pre-2000s)
Recreational sports were simple: Show up, Pay, Play, Leave.
Facilities lived and died by location and foot traffic. They didn’t collect good data or have robust retention strategies.
Phase 2: Experience-Led Venues (2005–2020)
This is when hospitality entered sports.
Think:
Corporate events
Food and beverage
“Competitive socializing,” or what I call “sportainment.”
During this time period…spend per head went up, group sizes increased, but frequency remained low.