When 1-Up Club was at its inception as the members of the executive were debating how the club should operate, who would be our target audience, what are our priorities, etc. It was a huge to-do list by any stretch of the imagination.
As an exec we are a pretty diverse group with different preferences when it comes to pop-culture, so naturally there were a few debates on what our target audience should be and what areas of pop-culture we should focus on.
The definition of pop-culture and what it includes was frequently debated (and no don’t worry this isn’t an assignment so no Merriam Webster definitions here).
One element of pop-culture I will always keep insisting on is sporting culture. So here’s my case:
1. Sports is everywhere.
From literature, to film, fashion, gaming, and the list goes on and on. If we actually pay attention we’d be surprised how much we reference sports in our daily lives. Now the ball is in your court if you decide to take note or not.
2. Have you ever lived through the World Cup?
Throughout the tournament the world is united in a generally friendly competition whether your country is represented or not. In the last World Cup the whole world was united with one thought: “Are we really living in a world where Italy doesn’t even qualify but Croatia comes in second?”
3. Its the gift that keeps on giving.
Whilst most of todays sports only evolved into their current form in the late 19th and early 20th century, sport has been an important part of popular culture for longer than most of us can remember. Sports have been around since at least the times of Ancient Greece.
Sports always finds a way to adapt to the time its in and evolve. Consider that since the dawn of the video game industry, sports have always played an important role. From early days of extra-terrestrial football players on the Atari 2600 to the recently released NBA 2k19, sports-based video games have quickly become some of the most popular titles within the industry.
Apart from that the business dimension to this pop-culture titan definitely assures us that sporting culture is here to stay.
To all those who are not too keen on sports: congratulations you probably have a more productive life than me. Thinking about it, the hours spent watching football, MMA, etc. Probably add up to a quarter of my lifetime by now. A valid criticism though it may be, we all have something we choose to devote ourselves to with no particular valid reason except for pleasure. However, no one can deny that sporting culture is a global pop-culture juggernaut.
