Why sport has an analogue advantage over artificial intelligence
AI can simulate almost anything, but it can’t manufacture genuine human connection or tangible experiences
1 week to go - Happy Hour Sports Industry Networking event!
We’re one week away from our first Happy Hour Sports Industry Networking event for 2026 in Melbourne, in partnership with MEE Agency, and it’s shaping up to be another BIG one! Don’s miss out!
What to expect
An afternoon/evening of post-work casual drinks in a fun, informal and welcoming setting.
Who should come?
If you work in or around sport, you’ll fit right in!
The invite is open to those from agencies, rights-holders, brands, athletes, media, suppliers, recruitment, government, startups, education, or anyone else that has a passion for the industry and would like to connect.
For information on past events and who attends, visit here
Why come along?
Because the industry runs on relationships, and this is the easiest, most relaxed way to build them. No panels, no formalities. Just good people, and good conversations.
Have you purchased your tickets yet?
Event details:
Date: Thursday 26 March
Time: 3:00pm - 6.30pm
Venue: Royal Saxon, Richmond
Tickets: $27
Thanks to our amazing event partners 🤝
Sport Design Australia - A top-tier sports creative agency built to fill the gaps of modern sporting teams. They’re experts in brand, design, content and creative support for sport, trusted by top local & global sports organisations such as the NFL, Paramount+, Cricket Victoria, NZ Rugby and more. They focus on work that builds brand, engages fans and increases revenue, with a keen eye for top quality work. Check out their Instagram here. Looking for creative support? Reach out to Ryan.
Royal Saxon Hotel - Our venue partner and the perfect setting for a fun afternoon with the sports industry.
See you there?! 🍻 🥂
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AFL announced cyber security organisation CyberCX will become the Official Cyber Security Partner of the AFL and AFLW - as part of the deal, it will also become Naming Partner of the AFL Review Centre (ARC) for the next 2 years
AFL entered into a new 5-year licensing agreement with Gello Beans and Gello Snakes - the confectionery brand will feature the AFL logo on their packaging and AFL-licensed Gello products will be distributed through Chemist Warehouse and other prominent pharmacies, such as Amcal and Discount Drug Stores
Sydney Swans secured a new 3-year partnership with Virgin Australia - The partnership will tap into AFL fan travel, with more than half a million supporters travelling to watch their teams in 2025, and double-digit growth expected in the coming years
Sydney Swans and realestate.com.au extended their partnership until at least the end of the 2029 AFL and AFLW seasons - The new agreement will see realestate.com.au retain prime real estate on the back of the Swans guernsey and it’s branding across LED signage at the SCG
Adelaide Crows welcomed V Energy as the Club’s Official Energy Drink Partner for the next 3 years - members and fans will see V Energy feature across the Club’s digital channels, activations and at home games
Brisbane Lions inked a new deal with Keri Juice which will be visible on the Club’s game day and training shorts this season - Keri Juice products will also be stocked around the Gabba and at Brighton Homes Arena for AFLW fixtures
Essendon FC announced a new partnership with MOVA which joined the Club as its Official Home Cleaning Appliance, Outdoor Lawnmowing and Personal Care Products Partner for 2026
Essendon FC welcomed Ring as its Official Home Security Partner in 2026
North Melbourne FC announced a new partnership with Latrobe Health Services which became an Official Partner of The Huddle and the Official Health Insurance Partner of the Club
Port Adelaide FC welcomed Mayfield Childcare as a Principal Partner across its AFL and AFLW programs, which secured the Naming Rights to the popular ‘Kids Zone’ on game day
Helloworld Travel signed a 5-year agreement to become the Naming Rights Partner for Penrith’s new 25,000-seat venue currently under construction in western Sydney
Venues NSW inked a new 3-year deal with Totality (formerly known as Saxo Australia) which became the Official Online Trading Partner of Allianz Stadium - the move forms part of a move to kick-start the multi-asset investment broker’s launch in the Australian market
Netball Australia and Suncorp Super Netball League renewed their partnership with not-for-profit health fund HCF through to the end of 2027
Gold Coast Titans announced the 2nd year of its partnership with the Aged & Disability Expo Australia which will see Titans players attend the event in May, giving attendees the chance to meet players in person
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and ShoeGrab extended their partnership for the 2026 NRL season (for a sixth season)
Penrith Panthers and Zenn Ability renewed their partnership for the 2026 season (entering the fourth year of the relationship)
Sydney FC announced a new partnership with Sports Direct which will see the leading global retailer engage directly with Sydney FC’s passionate fanbase through a range of in-stadium, digital and experience based activations
Basketball Australia unveiled Gold Coast founded company Dritimes as a partner of Australia’s national teams - Boomers and Opals
Basketball Queensland confirmed the extension of its partnership with CarCoop which is continuing as the Official Naming Rights Partner of the Queensland State League and Queensland State League Youth competitions through to 2028
Sydney Kings teamed up with Snap Fitness for the Hungry Jacks NBL Finals Series, giving the Australian fitness provider a strong feature at Sydney Kings home games, across LED and court signage, plus ownership of the 3-point moments in-game
Brisbane Bullets announced that WNBA global basketball icon and entrepreneur Angel Reese has invested in Brisbane’s effort to bring a WNBL franchise to the city by joining the bid for the league’s 10th license - the news follows Reese’s recent visit to Australia with Reebok to unveil her signature shoe and announce the brand’s Official Footwear Partnership with the WNBL for the 2027 season
After more than 40 years in Moorabbin, PUMA Oceania moved its headquarters to Cremorne – right in the heart of Melbourne’s sporting precinct
Sports Direct Australia opened a brand new store in Sydney Chatswood Chase, this follows the leading global retailer’s first store opening in Melbourne late last year
Stan Sport welcomed Arsenal legend Theo Walcott to Australia who joined The Premier League Trophy Tour which is undertaking a 10-day tour across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane - The launch was marked by an official press conference at Sydney’s Toronga Zoo
GWS GIANTS CEO, Dave Matthews reconfirmed the club’s interest in hosting a match for premiership points in the United States on SEN’s ‘Crunch Time’
VFL secured new broadcast deals, which will see at least 53 Smithy’s VFL matches broadcast across Kayo Sports, ABC, Seven Network and SEN throughout the 2026 season
World Surf League and Rip Curl pro teamed up with ‘Schoonerscorer’ to promote the upcoming Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach 2026
Hawthorn FC players Will Day, James Sicily, Emily Bates and Eliza West were among those to greet Queen Mary and King Frederik of Denmark on their royal visit to the MCG
Nike announced the return of its ‘After Dark Tour’ which is returning in 2026 to Sydney - the global tour ‘built for Women, Powered by Nike’ is see a series of unforgettable nighttime running experiences which take place across 7 x major cities: Shanghai, Sydney, Mexico City, London, Los Angeles, Manila, and Mumbai
Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival announced that Eliud Kipchoge is coming to Melbourne to race alongside tens of thousands of runners in October
Seattle Seahawks announced the ‘Seahawks Australia Tour, presented by The Pass’ - an event on the Gold Coast giving fans an opportunity to see the Lombardi Trophy
NBA announced that NBA House, an immersive basketball experience and fan event, will debut in Australia at The Timber Yard in Melbourne this May - Operated by Seeker Agency, it will feature 6,000+ square meters of interactive basketball and pop culture experiences for fans of all ages
McLaren, known for its Formula 1 and supercar engineering, announced it’s launching a new venture called McLaren Golf, a standalone golf equipment business which aims to leverage its elite motorsport and supercar engineering to deliver a new benchmark for golf equipment
Guest Writer: Tom Meredith
Today we’re welcoming Tom Meredith, Director & Principal Consultant at PLYMKR, as this week’s guest writer!
Tom is a freelance sport marketing and fandom consultant who supports agencies, brands and governing bodies in unlocking growth by connecting with fans in more meaningful and memorable ways.
Guided by a deep passion for sport, and his beloved Swansea City Football Club, Tom has carved a 15-year career in the sport marketing industry, at agencies in London and Melbourne - IMG, Synergy Sponsorship, Bastion Collective, TLA Worldwide and TGI Sport Wildcard.
Today he explores why sport holds a powerful ‘analogue advantage’ in an increasingly AI-generated world.
Enjoy the read!
Why sport has an analogue advantage over artificial intelligence
Right now, if we’re honest, we’re all a bit…uneasy. Aren’t we?
It feels like the marketing industry has been handed a magic wand. Type a sentence into a box and an image appears. Ask a question and a strategy forms. Feed in a prompt and an entire creative ecosystem is conjured seemingly out of thin air.
For anyone, like me, who has spent a career wrestling with blank pages, tight client deadlines and complex creative challenges, it’s difficult not to think - AI is amazing and yet truly terrifying all at the same time.
How are we supposed to compete with magic?!
Is the creative craft as we know it dead? And should we all just pack up now and start a new career selling Pokémon cards?
Not just yet guys, stick with me…
It’s OK to feel anxious about what’s next, we all are. But I believe there’s a real recalibration happening.
When machines can generate endless content, what becomes valuable?
For those of us working in sport and entertainment, the answer might be surprisingly simple: We compete with magic by remembering that sport has always been magic.
Not the algorithmic kind, the human kind.
The beautiful irrationality of fandom.
The kind that sees you hugging complete strangers because in that moment you’re feeling exactly the same thing.
Tribal, emotional and unscripted.
Sport, it’s magic too.
Artificial intelligence can simulate almost anything, but it can’t manufacture genuine human connection or tangible experiences
The sights, sounds and smells of a packed stadium
The feeling of pulling your favourite player’s trading card
The tension of a record-breaking moment
These are powerful analogue experiences; physical, emotional and shared. And in a world becoming ever more automated and synthetic, they’re becoming increasingly valuable.
The future of our careers shouldn’t be about competing with AI’s magic. It should be about harnessing the magic sport already has and creating the conditions for fandom to thrive by capitalising on our analogue advantage.
The Pillars of our Analogue Advantage
1. Shared Moments
Modern media is increasingly solitary - designed to keep you scrolling. You only need to look at rising loneliness rates (one in three Australians feel lonely today) to see the impact on mental and physical health. Sport remains one of the last cultural arenas where millions experience the same emotional moment simultaneously, and the ability to understand a moment in time as an opportunity to connect emotionally to the masses has the power to fuel fandom and engagement with brands on a deeper level.
Just look at the celebrations marking South Sydney’s Alex Johnson breaking the NRL try-scoring record at Allianz Stadium, described as ‘pure humanity’ by ABC News as thousands of fans stormed the pitch in a spontaneous, joyful expression of togetherness. A shared moment that will be remembered forever. And gold for all brands involved with South Sydney.
From a brand perspective, Gatorade’s ‘Run The Track’ experience at the Melbourne F1 Grand Prix stood out. They understood the significance of track access during Grand Prix weekend and gave 2,400 fans the chance to run the circuit together - a once-in-a-lifetime shared experience that authentically put the product in the hands of fans at the right moment.
2. Tangible Nostalgia
Sport is built on nostalgia. Fandom is passed down through generations, and the great victories, moments and players live long in the memory, they are wrapped in emotion and identity. Sporting nostalgia has a unique ability to transport you back in time and make you feel exactly what you felt in that moment. The value of this is rising fast.
Take trading cards and collectibles. This industry is experiencing its biggest ever boom; astronomical sale prices, record participation and mainstream cultural relevance:
Logan Paul recently sold his PSA10 Pikachu Illustrator Pokémon card for a world record $16.49m
The ‘Holy Grail’ T206 Honus Wagner baseball card is believed to be worth $30–50m
And its big business here too - PAX Aus collectibles convention drew 85,000 people this year
Australia’s collectibles market is forecast to hit USD $20b+ by 2033
In this hobby, fans can physically hold something that transports them to a time, place or moment in their life. That’s where the value lives.
Contrast this with the collapse of the NFT market, where 90%+ of total value has been wiped out. A completely digital product with no nostalgic relevance, devoid of meaning, authenticity or emotional connection. Back in 2021, Justin Bieber paid $1.3m for a digital image of a monkey. Today it’s worth almost nothing. Of course it crashed.
3. Real Voices
As AI floods every platform with generated content, the voices that feel genuinely human are becoming increasingly valuable. I’m personally more conscious than ever of content that feels manufactured, or that carries an undercurrent of agenda. It turns me off straight away, and I’m not alone.
Trust in traditional media is eroding. Audiences are sceptical of polished, agenda-driven commentary and they’re voting with their attention. What’s filling the void is fascinating.
The Grade Cricketer podcast is a perfect example. What started as a few grade cricketers taking the mickey out of club cricket culture has grown into one of Australia’s most listened-to sports podcasts, landing mainstream media and sponsorship deals with a genuine cultural footprint. They didn’t get there by sounding like traditional cricket journalists. They got there by sounding exactly like themselves.
Sky Sports’ ‘The Overlap Fan Debate’ series in the UK tells a similar story - real supporters from every Premier League club, passionate, partisan and unscripted, debating the big topics with each other. The format generated compelling long and short-form content that actually sparked conversation, and many of those fans have since become established creators in their own right.
Authenticity isn’t just a brand value anymore. It’s a competitive advantage in sport marketing. There is room for more real voices, so get out there and share your opinion!
4. Live Atmosphere & Experiential
The atmosphere of live sport can’t be captured through digital or artificial mediums and that gives our industry enormous enduring value. It’s sensory: the noise when the players run out, the smell of hot pies, the energy of a critical moment. This is what stays with you forever as a fan.
And appetite for live sport is seemingly unwavering. In 2026 alone we’ve seen the Australian Open welcome its largest ever attendance (1.4m), the Melbourne Grand Prix break its own record (484,000) and the Ashes set a new attendance high (860,000) across just 18 days of cricket. Live is as powerful as ever.
These events are becoming more than sport, they’re cultural festivals. The Australian Open is now a three-week celebration built around tennis; a blended ecosystem of sport, culture, business and entertainment where Melbourne and the world choose to spend their summer. Its focus on innovation, world-class experiential and authentic brand partnerships makes it better every year.
If you work in events, be excited. Live experience is only going to become more valuable as the world gets more digital.
Summary
None of this is an argument against adopting AI, far from it. AI will revolutionise the way we work, and we’re already seeing great examples of AI-enabled fan engagement through personalised content, real-time data, stadium entertainment and accessibility.
The future of sports marketing won’t be about choosing between AI and human experience. It will belong to those who combine both, using technology to enhance the magic of the real world, not replace it.
The most successful sports, brands and professionals in the AI era will be those who use technology to amplify analogue experiences; deepening nostalgia, extending shared moments, promoting real voices and enhancing atmosphere.
Technology alone will not differentiate our work. Emotion will, as it always has done.
So, stay true to your craft and believe in your role in this industry - because sport is still one of the most powerful, and most human, magical forces in culture.
And don’t read too many AI related LinkedIn posts or Instagram reels, they’ll just scare you!
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