The global sports industry is worth over $500 billion, but cracks are beginning to show beneath the surface. Today’s sports ecosystem is dominated by aging fanbases, legacy monetization models, and an increasingly distracted younger generation.

In this episode of Untangling Web3, Tom Fleetham joins to break down the real opportunities for Web3 in sports—beyond hype and speculation. With years of experience at the intersection of sports, technology, and blockchain, Tom examines how loyalty, digital ownership, and new models of engagement could reshape the fan experience.

Key highlights:

• The disconnect between global reach and monetization: Major sports clubs often boast global fanbases in the hundreds of millions, yet the vast majority of those fans generate little to no revenue for the clubs. Ticketing and merchandise are limited in geographic scope, leaving international fans with few meaningful ways to engage or contribute financially. Web3 offers a solution: blockchain-based digital assets and memberships that allow fans worldwide to participate, own, and benefit from their loyalty in tangible ways.
• The long-term potential of tokenized ownership and governance: Tokenization can radically transform fan engagement by offering shared ownership models and governance rights. Tokenized assets, such as shares in a club or NFT-based voting rights, could unlock new revenue streams, deeper fan loyalty, and entirely new community-driven club models.
• Opportunities for decentralized prediction markets and fan-led ecosystems Blockchain-powered prediction markets present a viable entry point for Web3 sports applications. These systems could allow fans to create their own betting pools or fantasy systems, fostering a sense of ownership and skill-based engagement. More radically, a non-league team could go fully on-chain, leveraging Web3 tools for everything from tokenized ticketing to DAO-based decision-making.

Web3 offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rewire the sports industry from transactional relationships to participatory ecosystems.

By enabling real fan ownership, decentralized decision-making, and global monetization through digital assets, blockchain can deliver more than hype—it can bring long-term value to clubs and communities alike. To realize this future, both sports organizations and builders must think beyond short-term gains and commit to creating products and experiences that resonate with fans for the long haul.

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Learn more about Tom Fleetham and his podcast here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommyfleets/

https://linktr.ee/fanzon3

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This episode is sponsored by the VeChain foundation. Learn more about VeBetterDAO here:

https://vebetterdao.org/

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Learn more about Web3 at:

https://untanglingweb3.com/

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Untangling Web3 is brought to you by hosts Jack Davies and Alec Burns, with music by Daniel Paigge. Got a question or topic suggestion? Send us an email at [email protected].

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The views we express here are our own, and do not represent the views of our employers. Nothing discussed or stated in the show should be considered advice.