thirst traps, POVs, and the future of sports + creator fandom

Big congrats to the US for coming in at the top of the Olympic standings. Bigger congrats to Tom Daley and the rest of the athlete/creator world that just had their lives changed more by TikTok and YouTube than any type of Olympic medal.

As the Olympics wrapped up, we found some critical Gen Z insights that reveal the intersection of sports and culture for Gen Z.

a quick poll 📊

On August 1st, 2021, we asked 1819 members of The Loop (our community of Gen Z'ers) if they have been watching the Tokyo Olympics. Here's what they said:

a quick review

• only 13% of gen z were not interested in the Olympics. so what were the other 87% up to?

  • 31% were watching live

  • 40% were watching clips and highlights

  • 16% weren't watching but wanted to (as of Aug 1, a mid-Olympic Snapshot)

The clips and highlights? They were mostly on YouTube and TikTok. Over 15B views on Olympics-related videos on TikTok show quite a massive audience. But it also shows, in combination with our poll results, how Gen Z viewing habits and preferences are changing.

so, how are they changing?

1. A new Olympic POV

   • Gen Z'ers are getting scoops inside the lives of Olympic athletes like never before. For gen z, these superhuman athletes just got a little bit more human.

     Noah Schnapp, a TikTok star with 19M followers

2. The Olympic thirst trap 👅

   • It almost seems like half of Gen Z watched for the pure attractiveness of the Olympians. Between Tinder Passports and these popular videos, athletes that leveraged their creative power during the games saw a huge spike in traffic. From guys obsessing over a 400M women’s runner, to girls going crazy for an American sprinter, to the women’s skateboarders, it seems the pandemic had a ~ different ~ kind of effect, too. Oh, and then there’s Tom. Tom Daley.

     Tom showing off his “knitting skills”

     The results of Tom showing off his “knitting skills” (via SocialBlade)

3. Gen Z athletes means more than just young athletes

   • We saw Simone Biles withdraw from events to address her mental health, we saw athletes strike anime poses after their performances, and we saw Gen Z language take the stage (sheeeeeeeesh).

what’s the takeaway? what do I need to know??

Interest is not the problem for Gen Z. It’s understanding how to capture and engage it. The Olympics is not losing its intrigue, its tradition, or its prestige. But if it doesn’t adapt to the changing behaviors of Gen Z, viewership will continue to drop. So what can a major biannual international event like this do to keep Gen Z’ers engaged?

• Feature more narrations and collaborations with influencers and internet stars. we’d rather watch Snoop Dog and Kevin Hart commentate than the NBC announcers (this actually happened).

• Create a more convenient viewing experience. Meet Gen Z’ers on the platforms we’re on, like letting us watch live events through TikTok or Twitch.

• Evolve events with evolving sports. An ESports Olympic event would be the most-watched event ever, hands down.

Our takeaway at GenZ Designs? The Olympics were a defining moment for TikTok as a platform. The entire world came together in one place to get a POV never before experienced in the Olympic games 125-year history. It showed us that the intersection between sports, creators, and fandom sits directly on this platform.

Until next time… :)