In the Spider’s Web: The Internet and Competitive Advantage in Global Sport

We have identified technology as a shaping factor at the nexus of alternative global sport futures, and as such it is a pivotal driver of sport’s global evolution. Although the impacts of a range of technologies are reviewed and integrated into other chapters, it is the Internet which is the focus of this chapter. As the World Wide Web spreads, the sport product is proving the stickiest of gossamer. However, the search for competitive advantage via the Internet has changed radically, even in the last 12 months. A dose of reality has brought many well-resourced Internet-based initiatives to their knees. Does this mean that the Internet is not capable of delivering on our expectations of a business revolution? We will argue that despite the Internet disasters of the last two years it remains, at the very least, an essential sport business tool, and at the most, a radically innovative platform for interactive sport experiences. Perhaps most importantly, we will insist that the sport business is amongst the best placed of industries to capitalise upon the opportunities for competitive advantage that the Internet offers.