What’s happened to sports this year?

COVID has been tough for sports. All the way from backyard cricket up to the cancelled Olympics. But sports have also been one of the first things to recover as footy, soccer and rounds of golf started to kick off as restrictions were lifted. Being the sport loving nation we are, we have all done our bit to ensure we can enjoy our sports at various levels.

So what sports have been popular with Beemers over the past couple of months? Who’s been paying their fees or paying back their teammates for equipment (or after match beverages)? Has football (or soccer) continued its rise in popularity over the last few months or has rugby union made a comeback? Or have we started spending money on less ‘mainstream’ and more socially distant sports like ‘marbles’ or ‘speedcubing’ or (It’s a thing- https://speedcubing.org.au/), ‘competitive tickling’ as we deal with isolation? Read on and find out...

So what’s the number one sport for Beemers in 2020? Surprisingly, it's golf! Payment descriptions this year with “Golf” have surged, because what better way to deal with social distancing than shouting a round of golf with you mate? It’s one of the safest ways to stay socially distanced, while at the same time getting out of the house and having a very long walk. It was also the first sport officially allowed in the covid period (somewhat politicised in Victoria). Whether you’re good at it or not is another matter. 

What about sports with bigger balls? “Footy” as a payment description has had 20% more spent on it compared to “Soccer” and has 10x more value than “rugby” as a description this year (which is probably generous given the current ratings of the sport). All three reflect the COVID lockdowns in Australia, with significant drops in February to May. Payments have of course started picking up again, with many descriptions featuring “registration” as well, which is great news for much needed local sporting clubs. “Footy” naturally has the highest dollars, because it’s a catch all for any code. 

Racquet sports like “Tennis” and “Badminton” have been a sport that has maintained a high amount of spend with Beemers this year. Tennis has more spend than “footy” and only dipped a bit in April. Badminton had the highest spend in March and has since leveled out in June. Tennis or Badminton is another sport where social distancing is a bit easier, so the high amount of payments make sense as it also was impacted less. 

The great news is Beemers have definitely been staying fit this year with the most spend going to “gym” as a description of over half a million dollars. Now this isn’t a sport, but clearly there have been a few people that have been paying back someone in their house for setting up those home gyms. A part of me is expecting to see a number of chiselled and ripped bodies when we’re all allowed to go to the beach again like last year. But I think reality is bodies could easily go in the other direction. Beemers have also been maintaining their zen in isolation with “yoga” getting close to $40K worth of payments. 

For the unique sports enthusiasts there has been 16 payments descriptions that feature “Marbles” as a description this year, 49 with “tickling” yet only 1 with “rubiks”  as a description. So still some way to go to be level with “footy”, “golf” or “tennis”. Whatever sport you’re participating in, whether it be watching or playing make sure you take care and ensure you’re adhering to proper protocol. If you need more information check out the Government information on sports here: https://www.ais.gov.au/health-wellbeing/covid-19

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