One of the fastest growing sports in the world, F1's lessons for soccer leagues include embracing the public and upping the contests' value.

F1’s boom in the US and its lessons for soccer leagues - World Soccer Talk

F1’s boom in the US and its lessons for soccer leagues

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It’s been a whirlwind two years for the regional FOX Sports Networks. In 2019, they were acquired by The Walt Disney Company following its acquisition of 21st Century Fox. Then, just a few months later, the Disney Company sold the channels (which did not include FS1 or FS2, which are owned by FOX Corporation) to Sinclair. At the time, Sinclair licensed the FOX Sports Network name under the condition that they would rebrand the channels in the future.
Well, that time is now after Sinclair <a href="https://investors.ballys.com/news/news-details/2021/Sinclair-Broadcast-Group-And-Ballys-Corporation-Unveil-Official-Bally-Sports-Logo-And-Corresponding-Regional-Monikers/default.aspx" rel="noopener" target="_blank">sold the naming rights to its regional sports networks</a> to the Bally’s casino corporation for $85 million.
We’re already used to kits being covered in advertisements. Then came sponsored stadium names. And now, this is the next frontier in sports advertising with TV networks named after gambling companies. 
While it would be relatively easy to criticize the decision as a step backwards for sports, it’s actually a very smart maneuver by Bally’s Corporation. Here’s why:
1. In all, 19 regional sports networks will bear the Bally’s name. The newly named RSNs that will carry MLS franchises include Bally Sports Southeast (Atlanta United), Bally Sports Ohio (Columbus Crew), Bally Sports Kansas City (Sporting KC), and Bally Sports North (Minnesota United). In the past, select FC Dallas matches have appeared on Fox Sports Southwest, which is now Bally Sports Southwest.
Bally’s President George Papanier, as quoted in <a href="https://www.sportsvideo.org/2021/01/29/sinclair-broadcast-group-ballys-reveal-official-logo-for-bally-sports/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Sports Video Group News</a>, called the deal “a rewarding first step in a transformational partnership that is going to revolutionize the U.S. sports betting, gaming and media industries.” Papanier added, “we look forward to integrating Bally’s unique content…across Sinclair’s live game day coverage and providing unrivaled sports gamification on a national scale.”
2. Bally’s move is clever on several fronts. Advertising itself via naming entire networks minimizes the risk of backing a loser. What’s the return on investment for advertising on a single club’s shirt or stadium if that club is crummy? What kind of positive exposure is Motorola getting out of advertising on Chicago Fire’s shirts when the Fire only have two swift first round playoff exits since 2010? What is Dick’s Sporting Goods getting for <a href="https://www.dailycamera.com/2009/08/14/dicks-sporting-goods-aims-to-get-a-kick-out-of-soccer/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">paying $40 million</a> to put its name on the Colorado Rapids’ stadium with the club not a national fixture and the stadium having relatively weak attendance? 
And if advertising on a club’s shirt raises brand awareness, wouldn’t such advertising make rival fans aware that they should avoid that brand? If Zulily advertising on Sounder shirts is supposed to make Sounder supports more liable to use Zulily then wouldn’t it, in turn, make Portland Timbers fans and other Sounder haters avoid Zulily? 
Bally’s will also receive far more exposure from this deal than sponsoring a specific club or stadium. The Bally’s logo will appear every time a highlight from one of the dozens of teams on its branded RSNs is shown on SportsCenter or social media. Bally’s name and logo will appear on every upcoming schedule and in conversation whenever fans talk about where the game is on. 
3. Bally’s move is also clever because it avoids restrictions and regulations on traditional gambling advertising. In 2019, several US casinos <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-gambling-sports/u-s-casinos-pledge-responsible-marketing-rules-for-sports-betting-idUSKCN1SK1C3" rel="noopener" target="_blank">voluntarily agreed</a> to a code of conduct for advertising sports gambling. The thrust of that code was to avoid marketing to young people. Moreover, traditional sports gambling advertisements on the radio, in print, on social media or on TV are <a href="https://www.americangaming.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Responsible-Gambling-Regulations-WEB.pdf" rel="noopener" target="_blank">usually accompanied</a> by warnings about gambling addiction and links to <a href="https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/national-helpline-1-800-522-4700/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">problem gambler helplines</a>. 
MLS clubs have expanded their partnerships with gambling companies in recent times. For example, DC United wears a gambling ad on its <a href="https://www.dcunited.com/post/2020/02/20/dc-united-and-caesars-entertainment-announce-partnership" rel="noopener" target="_blank">shirtsleeves</a> and will offer a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/10/27/audi-field-fanduel-sportsbook-caesars/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">year-round sportsbook</a> at its stadium. But MLS itself <a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/06/26/mls-opens-commercial-sponsorships-sports-betting-spirits-categories" rel="noopener" target="_blank">has advised</a> that gambling advertising should be limited to avoid youth exposure. As <a href="https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/06/26/mls-opens-commercial-sponsorships-sports-betting-spirits-categories" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Front Office Sports</a> explained, “MLS is requiring clubs to make sure that all advertising for sports betting or spirits be directed to an age-appropriate audience for both products. That means no MLS players under the age of 21 can be included in advertising for spirits, and no sports betting or spirits partner will appear on youth-sized replica jerseys or on the front of club youth academy jerseys.”
But Bally’s RSN naming rights deal avoids all of that. It’s a key move to normalize sports gambling in a country that had shunned it, at least legally, for so long. There will be no consumer warnings attached to the logo and now sports fans of all ages will be exposed to this unique form of gambling advertising. Even fans that don’t watch those RSNs will see the logo and name routinely mentioned and shown in local and national sports media. If you pay attention to sports at all, then Bally’s advertising via sports network naming will essentially be a billboard that you can’t avoid seeing. 
4. Will other sports networks sell their names to advertisers? Why not? Most sports fans and media members have readily accepted all the other forms of sports advertising that have come down the pike over the years, up to and including the <a href="https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/30656402/nhl-sells-naming-rights-four-new-divisions" rel="noopener" target="_blank">NHL selling naming rights</a> to its divisions. 
It’s telling to compare sports with other forms of entertainment like movies and music. Why don’t ads appear below the Wu-Tang “W” or beside the Rolling Stones’ tongue logo on official shirts? Replica Spider-Man or Batman shirts for kids (and adults) don’t feature ads next to the iconic spider and bat silhouettes. Why not? Because then music and movie fans would probably buy fewer shirts. 
But most sports fans happily pay a pretty penny to buy replica merchandise ladled with ads. And sports fans happily include the advertisements when drawing or photoshopping players to post on social media. And, despite conflicts with their own paying advertisers, media outlets often perform this kind of free advertising as well when they create infographics or photoshop trade and transfer targets into their potential new uniforms. 
READ MORE: <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/2020/07/10/why-soccer-is-bigger-than-hockey-in-the-united-states/">Why soccer is bigger than hockey in the United States</a>
As a hobby, sports are a happy illusion that we retain from childhood. Within that hobby, is the name of a sports network sacred? No, no more so than a jersey or a stadium name. But the pervasiveness of advertising in nearly every aspect of the modern sports viewing experience is just a tough reminder that, to them, we aren’t fans – we are customers.
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From FSN to Bally’s, names of networks aren’t sacred anymore - World Soccer Talk

From FSN to Bally’s, names of networks aren’t sacred anymore

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Read our Korea League beginner’s guide to learn more about the Korean top-flight soccer league.
Recent reports that ESPN might offer live Korean soccer to American viewers when the 2020 K League season kicks off on May 8th were quashed after the <a href="https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/k-league-2020-resumption-overseas-tv-rights-south-korea-coronavirus">article by SportsPro Media</a> quickly removed the mention of ESPN’s name. Regardless, a potential deal with any US broadcaster would be welcome news to fútbol fiends who’ve been scouring the Internet for action from <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2020/04/12/belarusian-premier-league-streaming-live-games-on-youtube-for-free/">Belarus</a>, Nicaragua, Taiwan, and Tajikistan.
Christopher Harris, on the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjNw-2k25DpAhU_FzQIHdX5DrIQFjAAegQIAxAB&amp;url=https%253A%252F%252Fworldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com%252Fpodcasts%252F&amp;usg=AOvVaw0qtM2FRyJ_h70zd6TQAPRL">World Soccer Talk Podcast</a>, downplayed reports that ESPN had signed a deal. While hopes were raised when ESPN signed a deal to carry South Korean baseball games, the good news is that soccer will soon resume in the “land of the morning calm” with the K League agreeing to stream the opening game for free on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRIaHZvjipo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/kleague" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Twitter</a> with English-language commentary featuring <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/podcasts/epl-talk-simon-hill/">Simon Hill</a>.
On Thursday, on the eve of the new season, we learned that soccer YouTube channel Copa 90 acquired the rights to one game per week.
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Welcome back, football. ⚽️❤️
The <a href="https://twitter.com/kleague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kleague</a> takes the first steps to returning to competitive action, albeit with strict COVID-19 precaution laws, giving us a glimpse into the future of football restrictions for us all.
And you can watch it right here, in full, with us. 📺⚽️🇰🇷 <a href="https://t.co/WAaNsdXbLm">pic.twitter.com/WAaNsdXbLm</a>
— COPA90 (@Copa90) <a href="https://twitter.com/Copa90/status/1257948778872569856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2020</a></blockquote></div>
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1. How is the K League set up? 

– The K League is a closed-loop system with promotion and relegation between the 12-team K League 1 and the 10-team K League 2. Normally, the last place K League 1 club swaps places with the K League 2 champion. Then, the winner between the 3rd and 4th place K League 2 clubs plays the 2nd place club for the right to enter a playoff against the 11th-ranked K League 1 club for a top-flight spot. For a more in-depth look at how promotion and relegation works across the soccer world, check out <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/what-is-promotion-and-relegation-20230205-WST-417286.html">our article on the subject</a>.
– MLS haters clutching fall-spring calendars look away now, because the K League runs from spring to the fall.
– Some South Korean stars, like Tottenham’s Son Heung-min and Bordeaux’s Hwang Ui-jo, play overseas. But the K League still boasts many domestic players, like Ju Se-Jong and Lee Yong, who featured in South Korea’s 2018 World Cup and 2019 Asian Cup squads.
– Clubs are limited to five foreign players, of which only three can be from outside Asia. Most foreigners are Brazilian, but Canadian defender Doniel Henry, formerly of Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps, plays for the Suwon Samsung Bluewings. Henry’s Bluewings teammate is Australian <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLGbb38rnVc">Adam Taggart</a>, whose 20 goals led the K League last year. Last season, former USMNT and NYCFC midfielder Mix Diskerud <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJF_Tv_2aSU">played for Ulson Hyundai</a> on loan from Manchester City.
– FC Seoul, with six league championships, usually attracts the league’s biggest home crowds. But for all its domestic glory, the club is still searching for its first AFC Champions League title. FC Seoul’s gorgeous home stadium is where South Korea suffered its <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro6-NvG-lOw">heartbreaking 1-0 loss</a> to Germany in the 2002 World Cup semi-final. Seongnam FC and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, with seven league championships each, are South Korea’s most successful domestic clubs. They also each have two AFC Champions League wins. The Pohang Steelers lead the way on the continent with three AFC Champions League wins.
2. What will the 2020 K League 1 season look like?
– There will be 27 rounds of action. The 12 K League 1 clubs will play each other home and away twice. That’s 22 matches. Then the top six clubs will play a further five matches against each other in a mini-league to determine the league champion and AFC Champions League qualification slots. The bottom six clubs will also enter a mini-league to figure out their final table positions.
– All matches will be played behind closed doors
– Two teams will be relegated this season, one of which has already been announced as Sangju Sangmu FC. This club represents South Korea’s military and its agreement with K League 1 has expired. So if it finishes last this year, then the 11th place K League 1 team will play the winner of the K League 2’s promotion tournament between the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th-ranked clubs for a top flight spot. If Sangju Sangmu finishes anywhere else in the table, then the club will automatically go down along with the 12th place club and there will be no relegation playoff.
– According to<a href="http://www.kleague.com/contents/news/16933"> a league statement</a>, “[i]f a player or a member of a team’s coaching staff gets infected with COVID-19 during the season, the affected team will not have a game for at least two weeks and the game will be postponed”
– If numerous players or coaches contract the virus then the K League will suspend the season. If this suspension happens after week 22, then the standings will be considered final.
3. What is the time difference?
– Watching K League games in America at off-hours will require gallons of Dalgona coffee, a Korean specialty. It’s a tasty whipped blend of instant coffee, sugar, and milk all topped with spun candy. Fútbol fanatics watching in the dead of night deserve a little bit of froth. <a href="https://kimchimari.com/dalgona-coffee/">Here’s a good recipe</a>.
– South Korea is 16 hours ahead of America’s west coast and 13 hours ahead of the east coast. So, for example, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Suwon Samsung Bluewings kick off the season on a Friday night in Korea at 7 PM local time – – which will be 6 AM Eastern and 3AM Pacific.
– Saturday afternoon matches will generally be at 2 PM in Korea (1 AM Eastern and 10 PM Pacific on Friday night), 4:30 PM in Korea (3:30 AM Eastern and 12:30 AM Pacific) and 7PM in Korea (6 AM Eastern and 3 AM Pacific)
– Any network that picks up K League rights for America, would be wise to produce a Match of the Day-esque show rounding up the best action. That way, Americans could enjoy the K League in a reasonable time slot. A highlights show would also give a better sense of what the league has to offer versus watching a single random match. Not so great for the gamblers, but they’re dedicated enough to watch live in the middle of the night anyway.
4. Why is South Korea able to play when other countries can’t?
–&nbsp; Planning, and a fair bit of luck, are why South Korea has fought off the virus so well. South Korea is a massive nation of more than 50 million people, and its density rate of <a href="http://kosis.kr/conts/nsportalStats/nsportalStats_0102Body.jsp?menuId=10&amp;NUM=">around 1,300 people per square mile</a> is among the highest in the world. Yet as of late April, South Korea had just 10,761 confirmed cases and only <a href="https://www.cdc.go.kr/board/board.es?mid=a20501000000&amp;bid=0015">246 deaths</a>. For context, Florida, with 21.5 million people, has suffered <a href="https://news.google.com/covid19/map?hl=en-US&amp;gl=US&amp;ceid=US:en">1,218 deaths</a>. <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjTwoq9hY_pAhXlMn0KHX4dCrUQFjAAegQIARAB&amp;url=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.littler.com%252Fpublication-press%252Fpublication%252Fsouth-korea-covid-19-coronavirus-employer-faqs&amp;usg=AOvVaw1pGhs1cBuNMX2PmQLGXTiR">According to</a> the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, South Korea’s per capita death rate is .47 while America’s is 16.43. 
– South Korea tested its people in far greater numbers far earlier than other major countries. As The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/world/asia/coronavirus-south-korea-flatten-curve.html">reported</a>, by late March South Korea’s per-capita testing rate was “more than 40 times that of the United States.” America has now <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-testing-per-capita-us-italy-south-korea-2020-4">surpassed</a> South Korea in per-capita testing but it is still dealing with rising infection rates in many parts of the United States while South Korea <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=newssearch&amp;cd=4&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiB_7_Ni4_pAhVCIzQIHWDsCFgQxfQBCD4wAw&amp;url=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.washingtontimes.com%252Fnews%252F2020%252Fapr%252F26%252Fsouth-korea-not-ready-to-declare-victory-in-corona%252F&amp;usg=AOvVaw1fm4wqMnKf-mKlRm70Nlie">now only</a> has a handful of new cases a day.
– South Korea also aggressively enacted contact tracing, which America’s <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/principles-contact-tracing.html">CDC says</a>, “is a key strategy for preventing further spread of COVID-19.” As The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/world/asia/coronavirus-south-korea-flatten-curve.html">described the system</a>, “South Koreans’ cellphones vibrate with emergency alerts whenever new cases are discovered in their districts. Websites and smartphone apps detail hour-by-hour, sometimes minute-by-minute, timelines of infected people’s travel.” But South Koreans, as writer James Taub <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/04/27/the-future-is-asian-but-not-chinese-coronavirus-pandemic-china-korea-singapore-taiwan/">points out</a> in Foreign Policy, “accept intrusions on their privacy that Western liberals might not.”
– Aside from <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjTwoq9hY_pAhXlMn0KHX4dCrUQFjAAegQIARAB&amp;url=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.littler.com%252Fpublication-press%252Fpublication%252Fsouth-korea-covid-19-coronavirus-employer-faqs&amp;usg=AOvVaw1pGhs1cBuNMX2PmQLGXTiR">stimulus payments</a> and supporting the wages of those furloughed, South Korea also took care of its citizens by <a href="https://www.boredpanda.com/south-korean-government-care-package/?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=organic&amp;utm_campaign=organic">mailing</a> care packages that included essentials like sanitizers and masks. But in America, many hard-hit states <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj6zpiBkY_pAhVNKDQIHeVsC6QQ0PADegQIARAN&amp;url=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.dispatch.com%252Fnews%252F20200428%252Fcoronavirus-in-ohio-dewine-does-about-face-on-face-masks-mdash-then-later-says-workers-must-wear-them&amp;usg=AOvVaw3J_MSUp7Xdew7ds6chdwmZ">like Ohio</a> are not requiring masks. This is despite the CDC stating that even simple cloth masks can prevent asymptomatic carriers from infecting others. The New York City’s Department of Heath agrees, “[p]eople who do not show symptoms may still be able to spread COVID-19. A face covering can help prevent you from spreading COVID-19 to other people, so you should wear one whenever you leave the home.” Professor George Gao, Director General of the Chinese Center for Disease Control, <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/not-wearing-masks-protect-against-coronavirus-big-mistake-top-chinese-scientist-says?mod=article_inline">put it bluntly</a> in Science magazine, “The big mistake in the U.S. and Europe, in my opinion, is that people aren’t wearing masks.”
Browse through these beginners guides to the many of the popular soccer leagues:
<h2>Soccer Beginner’s guides</h2>
•&nbsp;<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/beginners-guide-to-soccer-rules/">Beginner’s guide to soccer rules</a>
•&nbsp;<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/beginners-guide-superliga-argentina/">Beginner’s guide to Argentine Primera División</a>
•&nbsp;<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/beginners-guide-bundesliga/">Beginner’s guide to Bundesliga</a>
•&nbsp;<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/beginners-guide-championship/">Beginner’s guide to Championship</a>
•&nbsp;<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/beginners-guide-champions-league/">Beginner’s guide to Champions League</a>
•&nbsp;<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/beginners-guide-premier-league/">Beginner’s guide to English Premier League</a>
•&nbsp;Beginner’s guide to Korea’s K League
•&nbsp;<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/beginners-guide-la-liga/">Beginner’s guide to La Liga</a>
•&nbsp;<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/serie-a-beginners-guide/">Beginner’s guide to Serie A</a>
•&nbsp;<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/european-championship-beginners-guide/">Beginner’s guide to Euro 2020</a>
•&nbsp;<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/world-cup-beginners-guide/">Beginner’s guide to World Cup</a>
•&nbsp;<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/fa-cup-beginners-guide/">Beginner’s guide to FA Cup</a>
If you have any questions about the Korea League beginner’s guide, let us know in the comments section below.

Read our Korea League beginner's guide to learn more about South Korea's top soccer league, the famous clubs and the history.

Korea League beginner's guide - World Soccer Talk

Korea League beginner's guide

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F1’s boom in the US and its lessons for soccer leagues

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From FSN to Bally’s, names of networks aren’t sacred anymore

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Korea League beginner's guide