Opinion

Rick Burton, the David B. Falk Professor of Sport Management at Syracuse University and former Commissioner of Australia’s National Basketball League asks whether gambling’s relationship with sport could switch a fan’s affinity for a sport, team or player to one of 50-50 outcomes

Terrence Burns, executive vice-president, Global Sports at Engine Shop, ponders on whatever happened to the IOC’s Candidate Cities process and its apparent replacement by a more pragmatic approach

Ahead of the kick-off of the Rugby World Cup in Japan, Matt Vandrau, Group CEO of CSM, outlines what impact this edition of rugby’s showpiece event can have on the industry and beyond.

How much more valuable could the sports business become if user data could be better standardised, integrated and aggregated?

We’re still some way off financial sustainability but it is clear that this has been the year in which women’s football finally secured its rightful place in the spotlight.

As esports have exploded in China over the past decade, eFootball, now a category itself, is undergoing a meteoric rise in the mainland.

Sky Sport’s decision to share coverage of the Cricket World Cup with Channel 4 meant an additional 4.8 million are estimated to have watched the Cricket World Cup final. Ben Cronin, global head, Publicis Sport & Entertainment, interprets the viewing figures for a memorable Sunday of sport.

By Michael Andrew, vice-captain and co-owner of New York Breakers, a team in the new International Swimming League.

Ex-Synergy CEO Tim Crow argues that LA 2028's $2.5bn sponsorship revenue forecast - hailed as ambitious in the press - is in fact deeply conservative, and predicts that the final tally will break $4bn.

Tim Crow on how Tiger’s comeback win at Augusta has created yet another aspect for sport’s most multi-faceted personality – and brought Jack Nicklaus back into the picture.

The US Masters has become the go-to case study in marketing excellence. Richard Gillis provides an alternative list of pointers from the golf event.   

Richard Gillis on why we should avoid the trap of projecting a moral compass on to multinationals, or thinking that brands take a leading role in important societal issues.

Every so often, a moment changes the sports marketing world forever. Some moments happen behind closed doors, and only reveal their significance later. Others literally shake the world instantly. Another one of those moments might just have happened, in women’s football.

The rise of the Big Eventer is the sports business story of the last decade.

In the old sports business model, advertisers used to foot the bill for sports content. Now consumers are more likely to pay for the content but are still being bombarded with marketing messages. Richard Gillis asks if sponsorship would be better served by a more philanthropic approach.

I wasn’t surprised to see Guinness revealed in December 2018 as the new title sponsor of the Six Nations.