Perspectives and Research
How to read a sport economy number
Revenue, spending, value added, valuation, impact. Five measures that are often mixed, and the six rules the Forum applies to every figure it publishes.
Five measures describe the sport economy, and they are often confused: revenue, consumer spending, value added, valuation and economic impact. Each answers a different question, and they cannot be added together.
The six rules the Forum applies
- Name the measure.
- Give the publisher, the year and the place.
- Never add numbers from different studies or measures.
- Say what an audience figure measures.
- A sponsorship fee is "not disclosed" unless a source states it.
- A number that cannot be traced is not said.
These rules apply to this site, to every document of the Forum and to every session on stage.
Sources and further reading
- World Economic Forum with Oliver Wyman, Sports for People and Planet (January 2026)
- Eurostat, sport statistics
Photograph: Pexels, licensed. No person shown is connected with the Forum.
