Features
Football’s New Balancing Act
SportBusiness International spoke to sportswear manufacturer New Balance to find out its plans to become the number three player in football.
In the Fast Lane
Michael Johnson is one of history’s most decorated athletes, with four Olympic and eight World Championship gold medals. He now runs Michael Johnson Performance (MJP), and has launched a new line of travel bags with luxury goods brand Dom Reilly.
Nature versus Nurture
The redevelopment of the French Open’s iconic Roland Garros tennis complex has attracted significant opposition. Elisha Chauhan spoke to FFT (French Tennis Federation) Director General Gilbert Ysern about ending a challenging tête-à-tête with environmental opposition.
Just The Job
A new partnership between the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and DICK’s will see Team USA athletes working at the sporting goods retailer’s outlets across the country.
Comment: April 2015
Kevin Roberts: It's time federation presidents thrived in the spotlight.
The Leader: Ian Ritchie
Ian Ritchie, CEO of the English RFU (Rugby Football Union), on stamping out ticket touts and succeeding where the 2012 London Olympics failed
Bandwidth Bandwagon
The matchday experience and in-venue atmosphere are among the most valuable assets sports teams have at their disposal. Why, then, are so few taking full advantage of it asks Adrian Pennington, author of new report Towards the Connected Stadium.
Fight of the Century
Could next month’s long-awaited bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao be the last major boxing mega-event for a generation? Elisha Chauhan reports.
Asian Invasion?
The IPL (Indian Premier League) has been hosted in two countries away from its homelands in its short history. Now there is the real prospect of it having a permanent international presence. Elisha Chauhan reports.
Case Study 3: Hockey
Change can bring uncertainty and insecurity, forcing them to go face-to-face with realities they’d prefer to ignore. Kevin Roberts looked at how change was approached by the FIH (International Hockey Federation).
Case Study 2: Basketball
The most successful federations have looked to bring in influential executives with experience outside the federation space. Kevin Roberts looked at the approach of FIBA (the International Basketball Federation).
Case Study 1: Volleyball
Kevin Roberts spoke to FIVB (International Volleyball Federation) Secretary General Fernando Lima about why a culture of innovation looks set to be the hallmark of Dr. Ary Graça’s presidency.
Federation or Brand?
Is the importance of an international federation’s brand too often neglected? Salvador Ramirez, managing director of JTA Design, spoke to Kevin Roberts.
Modern-Day Mechanics
What are the major challenges facing international federations (IFs) in 2015, and what can they do to achieve better decision-making and more transparent governance? Kevin Roberts takes a look.
New Professional Era
Kevin Roberts went deep into the world of IFs, identifying the major challenges they face in their day-to-day running, and picking out examples of best practice from the last 12 months. Which IFs are succeeding – and which aren’t – in areas such as governance and transparency, marketing and communications, innovation and global expansion?
Levine’s Machine
Owen Evans went to the New York headquarters of CAA (Creative Artists Agency) to meet sports chief Mike Levine and discuss ferocious competition in the agency space, and how he and co-head Howard Nuchow have turned the subsidiary into much more than the talent business it is known for.
Big Debate: Global Fanbases
Do major sports teams actually know how many fans they have globally?
Jumping Hurdles
At the end of this month, the sporting vision of the FEI (International Equestrian Federation)’s new leadership duo will be revealed. Matt Cutler got an exclusive preview of the future direction they would like to take the sport.