Technology and Sports Marketing Sports' marketing is a comparatively new field and dimension within the broad concept of marketing. It is continuously evolving and changing today as society combats the free market to decide the legal and ethical limitations of business today. It is significant to note that this discipline within marketing is not clearly defined. Sports today use corporate sponsorships and television money in order to contend and pay for top quality athletes. Those companies use teams, leagues, colleges, and individuals to make a distinction between their products in a very aggressive business environment. What makes up sports marketing to one person could be considered selling out to another. The business world keeps pushing to find a competitive advantage and the sports world has in general welcomed the money offered (Weikel, n.d.).

Every area of marketing communication is being greatly affected by advances in interactive communication (Sport Marketing on the Internet, n.d.). In 2005 digital sports marketing began to integrate thing like sms text messaging and community sites. Digital sports' marketing has benefits for athletes, rights holders, sponsors and fans. In fact brand to fan communication is becoming easier everyday with tools like Facebook, Youtube, iPhone apps and more pervasive tools like sms text messaging. Digital is now a vital part of sports marketing and media. Sponsorship activation needs to comprise new media as a key mechanism to deliver sponsorship return on investment (ROI). Digital sports' marketing includes: micro-sites and campaign websites, athlete and fan blogs, Twitter, Youtube channels, Flickr accounts, forums, mobile friendly websites and location-based service integration (Digital Sports Marketing, 2011).

Marketing has changed sports at...

Sports and sports marketing will persist to evolve and advance in the next ten to fifteen years, adapting to shifts and changes in demographics, consumer behavior, the economy, technology and culture, and aligning to better serve a variety of stakeholders, such as customers, players, employees, partners, corporations, and communities, both local and larger (The Future of Marketing in Sports Entertainment, 2011).
The future of marketing in sports entertainment includes:

The altering consumer and sports business landscape

The significance and changing nature of content, media and communications

The impact and role of technology

Team/player/organization/league branding and strategy

Managing crisis, disagreement and negative word of mouth

Forging relationships and connections with consumers and key stakeholders

Winning customer satisfaction

Aiding organizations and managers learn about and adopt new, successful marketing tools and mindsets (The Future of Marketing in Sports Entertainment, 2011).

For sports properties to continue to attract sponsorship revenues sports marketers will need to adapt to meet the challenges of brands as they push into new media formats and seek increasingly personal relationships with their consumers. As the number and quality of opportunities for brands to connect by way of traditional TV diminish, their marketing dollars will transfer to those that can deliver what…