Death of Football Focus is a signal for every brand at the World Cup May 1, 2026 Brands will spend fortunes on this summer’s World Cup but they should heed the BBC’s warning when scrapping Football Focus, writes Amar Singh. I grew up with Football Focus. Saturday lunchtime, Bob Wilson in a grey suit, grainy footage of some Division Two ground in the rain. It was the traditional seat-warmer for a weekend [...]
Winning Champions Cup players should get mega cash bonuses May 1, 2026 Sometimes I think Investec Champions Cup matches with something on the line could do with even more jeopardy. Bordeaux Begles, Bath Rugby, Leinster and RC Toulon will battle it out this weekend across the Atlantic and Aviva Stadiums. But what if there was a briefcase full of cash pitchside for the winners of each of [...]
Sabastian Sawe and the need for clean sporting heroes we can believe in April 30, 2026 Trust in performances like Sabastian Sawe’s at the London Marathon is the cornerstone of sport’s success, writes Ed Warner. The modern sports economy is anchored in belief: belief that the successes we celebrate are genuine, hard-earned, and comparable across eras. Without this belief records lose meaning, fans become disillusioned, sponsors turn tail and there is [...]
Italy and UK risk driving Formula 1 away with misguided tax raids April 26, 2026 Italy’s latest attempt to claw back tax from Formula 1 drivers and teams is being framed as a crackdown on evasion. In reality, it looks far more like a system struggling to keep up with the modern sport it is trying to regulate. Authorities are reportedly looking to audit teams and drivers retrospectively between 2020 [...]
Brands, think you’ve missed out on the London Marathon? Think again April 25, 2026 It’s that time of the year again. Everyone is posting on their social media about long runs and training plans as the London Marathon rolls into town. It’s a once-a-year (or potentially twice) opportunity for brands to get involved in a day that many will remember for a lifetime. Brands often assume that if they’re [...]
NFL Draft: Premier League and Europe should adopt US system April 23, 2026 Veteran US sport agent Leigh Steinberg says European sport can learn a thing or two from the NFL Draft Manchester City’s winning four Premier League titles in the last five years is actually deeply problematic because when outcomes become predictable, fan engagement suffers. When the same clubs dominate year after year, the entire league’s commercial [...]
Copilot coaching: Can AI train me to run the London Marathon better? April 23, 2026 Ed Warner has swapped relentless pavement-pounding for AI prompts in the hope of training smarter – and less – for Sunday’s London Marathon. I’m getting my excuses in early. What began as my AI-generated, pared-back London Marathon training programme has – due to entirely unforeseeable circumstances – become the skimpiest of prep for this weekend’s [...]
Enhanced Games, Lance Armstrong and the truth about why we hate doping April 19, 2026 There is an irony in the fact that sponsors and broadcasters won’t touch the Enhanced Games, explains Matt Readman. Last month it was announced that the 2026 Winter Olympic Games was the first Olympiad in 28 years to have zero failed drugs tests. The “cleanest Games for a generation” is a big moment for an [...]
What next for LIV Golf and Newcastle United after Saudi PIF strategy shift? April 18, 2026 With Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund updating its strategy, what next for the PIF-owned Newcastle United and LIV Golf? Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund last week published the latest iteration of its Vision strategy, which will cover the remainder of the decade. The strategy’s publication had been expected for some time. When the last planning [...]
Rory McIlroy, Gout Gout and the search for sport’s elusive heroes April 16, 2026 Rory McIlroy’s back-to-back Masters triumphs have triggered the inevitable mythologising. Destiny fulfilled, demons banished after previous heartbreak, a journey not only completed but now extended. If he was merely the Hero of Hollywood before (that’s Hollywood, County Down not Los Angeles), to many the golfer has now donned the mantle of universal sporting hero along [...]