SINGAPORE – It was a cool 23 deg C at the Gillette Stadium when the words “Time for hydration break” flashed across a large LED display during Norway and Iraq’s FIFA World Cup group stage clash on June 16.

Boos rang around the stadium in response to FIFA’s mandatory three-minute hydration breaks, which were introduced for the first time at a World Cup to help players cope with the heat of the North American summer.

The breaks, which occurred once in each half, became one of the tournament’s most contentious talking points.

Critics argued that they disrupted the flow of the game, while others saw them as an attempt to create additional advertising opportunities for broadcasters.

The financial incentives were significant. A BBC report estimated that advertising during hydration breaks could generate more than US$250 million (S$320 million) in the United States alone.

While hydration breaks were presented as a measure for player welfare, the substantial advertising revenue they created illustrates how commercial powers can influence decisions that alter the game itself, raising questions about the growing role of financial interests in shaping the future of sport.

The rapidly growing business of sport

Over the last few decades, commercialisation has turned sports into a multibillion-dollar industry. Revenues have grown exponentially through broadcasting rights, sponsorships, merchandising, licensing and digital media, while the value of elite clubs, leagues and franchises has soared.

According to management consulting firm Kearney, revenue in the global sports market was valued at US$417 billion in 2025 and is predicted to reach an estimated US$602 billion by 2030.

Philip Phua, a lecturer at the National Institute of Education’s Physical Education and Sports Science department, identified two distinct phases in the transformation of the sports industry over the last 20 years.

He said: “In the early 2000s, there was a shift in the revenue models of entities from a gate-takings and simple sponsorship model to a media-centric one, where sports leagues are producers of 24/7 content.

“The past decade has seen a slightly more fragmented digital landscape when it comes to media rights, with the rise of over-the-top and direct-to-consumer (DTC) streaming services, like the NBA (National Basketball Association) League Pass.”

Clubs are no longer simply sporting institutions but global brands, stadiums have evolved into multi-purpose entertainment destinations and athletes are valuable commercial assets.

Even competitions that have historically struggled for commercial attention, particularly women’s sports, have experienced rapid growth, unlocking more revenue opportunities.

Deloitte predicts that global revenues in women’s elite sports will reach at least US$3 billion for the first time in 2026, a 25 per cent increase from the US$2.4 billion value generated in 2025.

Football and basketball are expected to remain the top revenue-generating women’s sports globally in 2026.

The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) set a single-season attendance record in 2025 with 13 franchises welcoming more than 2.5 million fans over 226 games while also delivering record-breaking viewership numbers over the season.

The average WNBA team was valued at US$425 million in 2026 – a 58 per cent increase from the previous year’s annual average – with the Golden State Valkyries being the league’s most valuable franchise, worth US$850 million. In comparison, the average NBA men’s team is worth upwards of US$5 billion.

Jennifer Haskel, knowledge and insights lead in the Deloitte Sports Business Group, said: “The global women’s sports market is undergoing a profound transformation, attracting new audiences and creating a powerful, unique identity.”

She added: “However, it is important to recognise that it is still early days. Building a sustainable cultural and economic identity requires strategic investment, patience and innovation.”

Fighting for a slice of the attention economy

Sport today sits at the intersection of culture, entertainment and commerce.

Global sports media rights are projected to exceed US$67 billion in 2026 and competition now extends far beyond traditional television networks.

In 2024, the NBA signed an 11-year media rights deal – which includes the rights to the WNBA – with Disney, NBC and Amazon Prime Video, worth US$76 billion.

Phua noted that sporting organisations compete not only with rival sports but also with platforms such as Netflix and TikTok for consumer attention, which has changed how sport is presented.

He said: “Prominent examples would be F1’s Drive To Survive and tennis’ Break Point series that allow for sporting entities to use human drama, rivalries and behind-the-scenes events to set narratives that in turn drive audiences to the live broadcasts to see how these resolve.”

Launched in 2019, Drive To Survive expanded Formula One’s audience and pushed it further into mainstream entertainment, attracting younger fans and new sponsors.

The same model has been replicated across various sports, with tennis, golf, cycling and rugby also getting their own documentary series on Netflix.

The World Cup’s biggest winners were not measured solely by goals or trophies but also by the personalities that captured hearts.

Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo’s emotional revelation about the loss of his unborn son during the tournament drew widespread support for him from fans and players of all nationalities, while Norway striker Erling Haaland’s prolific scoring record and offbeat pursuits, including appearing in a Chinese herbal drink advertisement, made him one of football’s most talked-about figures online.

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha also became one of the tournament’s breakout personalities, with his standout performances during his nation’s run to the knockout stage driving his Instagram following from 50,000 to over 29 million within weeks.

Elite athletes have also become brands in their own right, with several reaching billionaire status.

Former F1 driver Michael Schumacher was the first to cross that mark more than two decades ago, and others have followed, including football’s five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo and NBA star LeBron James.

Phua said: “Top-tier athletes are leveraging their personal reach to build substantial business portfolios, moving away from being passive brand ambassadors to becoming venture capitalists and content network founders in their own right.”

Leagues now maintain constant fan engagement through documentaries, podcasts, YouTube videos, behind-the-scenes content and social media clips.

Football leagues such as the Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and, more recently, the English Premier League (EPL) have all expanded their DTC strategies, seeking to own their relationships with fans rather than outsource them entirely to broadcasters.

The trade-offs of commercialisation

Fans can enjoy more sporting action than ever before, as increasingly packed calendars reflect not only the ambition to grow competitions globally but also the commercial value of creating more events.

Yet, as commercial priorities play a greater role in influencing kick-off times, tournament formats and scheduling decisions, the costs are becoming harder to ignore.

The 2026 World Cup featured 48 teams for the first time, up from 32 in the previous seven editions, increasing the number of matches from 64 to 104.

Just days ago, FIFA president Gianni Infantino told Swiss media outlet Bluewin that the governing body could increase the number of teams to 64 at the 2030 World Cup.

Tennis has expanded the field and lengthened many of its 1000-level events – the highest tier of tournaments below the Grand Slams and season-ending Finals – from one week to 12 days.

Top players on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour are also obliged to compete in all four Grand Slams, 10 WTA 1000 tournaments and six WTA 500 events, with the punishment for missing them ranging from ranking-point deductions to fines.

At the start of the 2026 season, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka accused the tennis authorities of failing to prioritise player welfare over what she called an “insane” tennis season, adding that she was prepared to be fined for missing mandatory tournaments.

The four-time Grand Slam champion from Belarus said: “That’s not good for all of us as you see so many players getting injured and also the balls are quite heavy, so it’s a lot of struggle for all of us.”

Fans have also begun to feel the effects. Rising ticket prices and multiple streaming subscriptions have made elite sport increasingly expensive to follow.

Official prices for group-stage games at the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada, were initially set at up to US$575 a ticket, more than twice the cost of the most expensive group stage ?ticket (US$220) in 2022.

The dynamic pricing system adopted by FIFA in 2026, which let prices move with demand, pushed first-round resale tickets above US$1,000.

Commercialisation has also widened inequalities within sport itself, with enormous financial resources available to teams backed by sovereign wealth funds and wealthy investors, creating an increasingly unequal competitive landscape.

“Massive institutional capital flows disproportionately to elite ‘super clubs’, widening the financial chasm and leaving smaller clubs or grassroots institutions functionally frozen out and unable to compete,” said Phua.

But when commercial incentives challenge some of sport’s foundational principles, they can sometimes invite pushback, as a failed proposal for a European Super League of 12 comprising European football’s richest clubs demonstrated.

State investment has also placed sportwashing – the use of sport to improve a nation’s international image despite concerns over its human rights record – under the spotlight.

Saudi Arabia’s extensive investment across football, golf and F1 has become one of the most prominent examples.

What can be done to safeguard sport?

Commercialisation itself is not inherently harmful; it has financed many of sport’s successes and the challenge is ensuring that these commercial incentives remain aligned with the values that made sport worth investing in the first place.

Phua noted that the empowering of strong player associations and unions is crucial to improving athletes’ welfare.

He said: “Giving athletes a collective voice ensures they can effectively negotiate for better working conditions, such as necessary rest periods and adequate support structures, particularly as the sporting calendar becomes increasingly congested, or stakeholders with high vested interest have competing values.”

For example, in June, FIFA and global players’ union FIFPRO signed a landmark memorandum of understanding establishing a Global Social Dialogue Platform through which FIFA, clubs, leagues and player representatives can negotiate decisions on player welfare.

Some governing bodies and organisations have taken steps to safeguard their sports.

To preserve competitive balance, cost caps were introduced for F1 in 2021, while the richest league in the world, the American National Football League, redistributes national broadcasting revenue equally among its 32 teams to maintain parity.

Some governments have also sought to protect accessibility. The United Kingdom’s Listed Events regime ensures competitions such as the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games remain available on free-to-air television because of their national significance.

In Singapore, Mediacorp made 28 matches from the 2026 World Cup free-to-air.

Phua stressed the importance of preserving the fan experience, saying: “Ultimately, the objective is to welcome commercial opportunities while ensuring the sport remains inclusive and deeply connected to the communities that support it.”

Singapore’s unique relationship with sport commercialisation

Each year in September and October, F1 fever descends on Singapore as the Marina Bay area transforms into a vibrant hub of racing, entertainment and nightlife.

Since its inaugural edition in 2008, the three-day spectacle has consistently drawn huge crowds, with a record attendance of 302,000 in 2022.

Rather than producing globally dominant sports leagues or franchises of its own, Singapore has carved out a niche as a host, organiser and consumer of international sporting events.

F1 is just one example. Over the years, the Republic has staged a string of marquee events, including the first-ever Youth Olympic Games in 2010, the 2025 World Aquatics Championships, the WTA Finals from 2014 to 2018 and golf’s HSBC Women’s World Championship.

Phua said: “Singapore’s relationship with sports commercialisation is uniquely state-led, operating primarily as a premium facilitator and landlord rather than an exporter of sporting products.

“While this helps with place branding, where we offer a lucrative option for sports properties to visit the nation, one question that naturally emerges is how these could lead to organic trickle-down effects for the local sporting scene.”

Singapore’s strengths in governance, infrastructure and connectivity position it to become a regional hub for sports media, technology, event management and commercial partnerships.

Several international sporting organisations have also established their Asian offices here, including the NBA and the EPL.

However, these do not automatically translate into meaningful benefits for the local sporting ecosystem.

While F1 regularly attracts packed grandstands, not every major event enjoys the same level of public interest, highlighting broader questions about Singapore’s sporting culture.

Phua noted that Singapore’s challenge is avoiding what he described as a “hollow” sporting culture, where international brands dominate public attention at the expense of local competitions, teams and athletes.

He said one possible solution could be to leverage the presence of top sporting entities during their visits to Singapore as an avenue for local integration.

For example, when English Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur came to the Republic for a pre-season tour in 2023, they took on local club Lion City Sailors, who replaced AS Roma after the Serie A team withdrew from the event.

He said: “These allow local representation, and, more importantly, provide an attention funnel where people are attracted to the high-profile entity as an ‘anchor asset’, but could eventually convert to becoming Sailors fans.”