Introduction

Today, marketing has become part of nearly every business. Through marketing, businesses and companies are able to engage with their consumers, which allows them to increase sales and their brand’s identity (Emeritus, 2022). A major part of marketing is reaching your target audience. In order for companies to understand who exactly their target audience is, big data begins to play a huge role. Data such as advertisement engagement, sales, audience demographics, and more help businesses understand how to market their brand better.

With all this data being collected on individuals to better understand what meets their needs and wants, there is an ethical line that must be drawn. Of course, data is essential and almost unavoidable for an effective marketing campaign, but this data should not breach a user’s privacy rights. Later in this chapter, the topic of ethically right and wrong uses of data used for marketing will be analyzed.

In this chapter, the importance of big data used specifically for sports marketing will be discussed. Sports marketing is an industry that relies heavily on data analysis to help understand consumer behavior and drive better business decisions. Data overall has become a key component in sports marketing, as it helps teams, leagues, and sponsors identify key trends, understand audience demographics, and make informed decisions about marketing strategy.