Opinion

SportBusiness' US editor looks at the achievements the big-box retail chain has accomplished in the face of a pandemic and stiff competition

Thomas 'Hal' Robson-Kanu, professional footballer and founder of UK-based vegan drinks company The Turmeric Co., appeals to governing bodies to rethink the sports sponsorship model by adopting healthier and more purposeful brand partnerships.

Lars Haue-Pedersen, head of BCW Sports, looks at whether the IOC and IPC should consider the radical step of merging the Olympic and Paralympics Games to fully embrace the meaning of the new, expanded Olympic motto of: "Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together"

Seth I. Kirby, lecturer in sport and leisure management in the School of Science and Technology at Nottingham Trent University, discusses the impact of climate change and the blistering summer heat on Tokyo 2020, and asks whether there is any hope that future Games organisers will take the crisis seriously

Richard Williams, a gambling and regulatory partner at Keystone Law, discusses the possible future relationship between gambling advertising and sports sponsorship.

Neil Gane of The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment says the IOC's newly-amended motto contains a message for sport in the fight against video content piracy - the industry must act in concert if it is to defeat the growing threat.

Jonny Murch, chief executive of the Redtorch digital agency, says international federations and NOCs did well to gain large numbers of new followers during the recent Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but numbers are meaningless unless these audiences can be understood, retained and built upon.

Lars Rensing, chief executive of blockchain services provider Protokol, outlines the ways sports rights-holders can create NFT offerings that appeal to genuine fans rather than opportunistic crypto collectors

Dan Gaunt, general manager of dedicated sponsorship valuation agency Turnstile, explains why PSG’s signing of Lionel Messi will pay the club back more through the acquisition of new fans than short-term commercial gains.

George Gilmore, business director at global integrated sports marketing agency rEvolution, looks at athlete activism and discusses how he believes it should be managed from a commercial perspective by sponsors and the athletes themselves.

Despite the challenges, Tokyo 2020 delivered on the Olympic promise of uniting people around the world through sport, says Kathryn Rhodes associate director, business development, at CSM Asia.

Former Oakland A's president and veteran sports industry executive Andy Dolich explores the Major League Baseball club's long-running pursuit of a new facility

Adam Karg, director at the Sport Innovation Research Group, Swinburne University of Technology, picks out some of the most valuable lessons for sports organisations from the past year's disruption

Jon Tonberg, director of technical solutions and delivery for digital transformation business Kin + Carta, argues that Covid-19 has prompted some innovative technological adaptations from sports right-holders which have mostly been to the benefit of fans

The Olympics has always been a stage for nations to set out grand political ambitions, for better or worse. Tokyo 2020 will be no different, says Professor Simon Chadwick.

Alex Charkham, chief strategy officer at the Fuse marketing agency, predicts the UK will receive more than its normal share of global marketing spend as it emerges faster from lockdown than other economies – and this represents a big opportunity for sport