State of play: Inside story on the health of Australia’s major sports

For a country with just over 25 million people, there are now eight mainstream sports. Some say it is too many for them all to survive.

On and off the field, rugby is in a rough state. Picture: Hannah Peters/Getty Images

The Australian professional sporting landscape has never been more congested as rival codes fight not just for the hearts and minds of fans across the country, but the lucrative dollars of broadcasters and sponsors.

For a country with just over 25 million people there are now eight mainstream sports that are emerging as the key players in the sporting marketplace.

Some say it is too many for them all to survive.

Code Sports experts have conduct a national health check to see whether your sport is fit and healthy, overcoming recent battle wounds or, gulp, headed to the ICU.

After starting by examining the state of cricket, netball, rugby union and racing, our experts have turned the spotlight on AFL, NRL, football and basketball — check them all out below.

The Covid-19 pandemic and now a cost of living crisis has left several sports fighting to remain afloat, with multiple clubs either folding or facing a bleak future.

The introduction of streaming platforms has opened the door for alternative broadcast revenue, but as seen by the mass redundancies at the A-League headquarters this week it has not been the golden ticket to future growth some had envisaged.

And the rise of women’s professional sports has put further strain on finances, with some sports playing an aggressive game of catch up even if it means operating at a significant loss in the short term for long term gain.

Expansion and innovation remain hot topics of future plans, while some face the threat of major lawsuits as the world learns more and more about athlete safety forcing changes to fundamental aspects of sport.

Originally published as State of play: Inside story on the health of Australia’s major sports