The Secret

The metrics on them are scary. They’ve disappeared from the trackable universe into “dark sharing.” Two-thirds use ad blockers on their laptops, and mobile blocking will follow. Even Facebook and Twitter are losing Generation Z by the millions. 99 cents is their favorite price. They think nothing of pirating video streams, but they rarely watch sports from start to finish because the highlights tell the story.

CAN THE SPORTS INDUSTRY EVER MAKE MONEY ON THEM?

Here’s the secret: The kids now coming of age are actually the most informed young sports fans in history. They are cord cutters, but they have not cut themselves off from sports. Sports programming and data are such a deep part of their culture that they feel a sense of ownership. And that’s the very trick to reaching them—empowering them to take sports media as we know it, mash it up and distribute it as they see fit.