The Logical Mechanism and Practical Landscape of Digital Economy Driving the Upgrade of Sports Consumption Structure

Abstract

Against the backdrop of the deep convergence of the "Digital China" strategy and the construction of a "Leading Sports Nation," the digital economy, as a novel economic form, is becoming a key engine for promoting the high-quality development of the sports industry due to its high innovation, strong permeability, and broad coverage. The upgrading of the sports consumption structure is the core driving force for the development of the sports industry and an inevitable requirement to meet the people's growing needs for a better life. Abandoning the traditional quantitative empirical paradigm, this paper establishes a multi-dimensional analytical framework based on the production-consumption theory of Marxist political economy, the transaction cost theory of New Institutional Economics, and the two-sided market theory of platform economics. It systematically elucidates the intrinsic logical mechanism by which the digital economy drives the upgrading of sports consumption structure. The study finds that the digital economy operates through four logical mechanisms: technological empowerment breaking spatiotemporal constraints, transaction cost reduction optimizing resource allocation, long-tail demand excavation stimulating consumption potential, and data factor driving industrial value chain ascension. By exerting force on both the supply and demand sides, it promotes the transformation of sports consumption forms from physical to service-oriented, the transition of consumption levels from survival-based to development-and-enjoyment-based, and the upgrade of consumption patterns from single-mode to composite experience-oriented. Furthermore, the paper depicts the practical landscape of scene reconstruction, business format integration, and model innovation in sports consumption empowered by the digital economy through a panoramic scan. However, a review of reality reveals deep-seated dilemmas such as the digital divide restricting inclusiveness, data ethical risks eroding the foundation of trust, the "disconnection" between virtual and real integration, and a shortage of composite talents. Based on this, the paper proposes building a long-term mechanism for the digital economy to empower the upgrading of sports consumption structure by strengthening new digital infrastructure, constructing an agile governance system, deepening the virtual-real integration of the industry, and improving the talent cultivation mechanism, thereby providing theoretical support and practical direction for the modernization of the sports industry.