The hard road from disruptor to respected sports brand
The Enhanced Games and LIV Golf are two sporting properties with a shared challenge: getting attention and earning legitimacy are entirely different games.
When 34-year-old American swimmer Cody Miller won his second race at the inaugural Enhanced Games in Las Vegas on Sunday, his winnings were as big a talking point as his performance.
"Half a million dollars in one night of swimming, the biggest prize pool we've ever seen in the sport," intoned the official commentary. "A good night in Vegas," Miller agreed in an interview with a host, looking dazed. He proceeded to offer public thanks to "our CEO" Maximillian Martin, the event's co-founder, who responded by bounding down from the stands to congratulate him.
Scenes like this would seem surreal at many sporting events, but not at the Enhanced Games. Backed by tech billionaire Peter Thiel, the contest promises to push the boundaries of athleticism and earning potential but has been widely condemned by sports bodies and athletes long before it got off the ground.
Meanwhile, another ambitious capital-focused competition is flagging. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) pulled the plug on its funding for LIV Golf, the perennially troubled league that has both rattled and polarised the world of golf since it emerged in 2022.
The tumultuous experience of both competitions to date could be seen as an inevitable part of the journey for 'disruptors'. Neither has hidden its desire to challenge the stuffiness of the sporting establishment.
