Generation Z: Can the sports industry ever make money on them?
Generation Y vs. Generation Z
GEN Y |
GEN Z |
| Born 1985–2000 | Born from 2000 onward |
| Grew up during a strong economy with little global unrest | Growing up during recession and terrorism, marked by sporadic mass violence and national divisiveness |
| Their books and movies explored magic and fantasy, often in quasi-historic kingdoms | Their books and movies portray dystopian futures where kids are imprisoned or hunted |
| Spend money readily without price awareness | 57% would rather save money than spend it |
| Consider diversity important for fairness and inclusion, even if it costs | The most diverse generation ever sees diversity as crucial to problem solving; grew up with an African-American president and have seen same-sex marriage legalized |
| Online tools fed their need for acceptance, but they’ve had to learn hard lessons about harassment, lack of anonymity, being too kind to strangers and loss of privacy | Have been taught since birth to avoid spam, ads, phishing, bots and predators, connecting only with real friends online |
| Saw name-brand college education as path to success—taking on monumental debt and driving up application rates everywhere | More likely to “hack” education by taking advantage of cheaper community colleges, online credits and professional courses |