Sam Torrance: The golf year in review, from Superman Bryson DeChambeau to doyen of commentary Peter Alliss December 21, 2020 This has been a strange year and that has been true in golf as well. We all hope that normality can resume in every respect in 2021, and that tournaments will not have to be postponed or cancelled again. In the circumstances, the European Tour deserves great credit for putting measures in place to resume [...]
Triller: Mike Tyson, Snoop Dogg and the TikTok rivalling video app’s big plans to shake up sports broadcasting December 18, 2020 Three weeks ago in Los Angeles, a 54-year-old Mike Tyson fought a 51-year-old Roy Jones Jr in a boxing match that was unusual not only for the age of its participants. Former undisputed world heavyweight champion Tyson showed glimpses of his old power and speed as the judges surprisingly scored the eight-round contest as a [...]
The City A.M. Punter Podcast EP:31 Ascot, Haydock & Hong Kong December 18, 2020 There’s some great jumps action this weekend at Ascot & Haydock, where the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle is the feature at the Berkshire course. Trainer Emma Lavelle is our guest, discussing the chances of Paisley Park who runs on Saturday afternoon at Ascot. City AM racing editor Bill Esdaile previews the best of the [...]
Jamie Peacock: Rugby league great on the importance of mindset, ultramarathons, Rob Burrow, and accepting the risk of dementia December 18, 2020 “I was never the most physically talented player,” says Jamie Peacock. It is a remarkable statement from someone who stands 6ft 5in, became a titan of rugby league and won the game’s Man of Steel award. But it reflects Peacock’s conviction that mentality and character are everything. “My ability to get the best out of [...]
EFL clubs urged to sue government after being cut out of £300m bailout December 17, 2020 English Football League (EFL) clubs should unite and sue the government for excluding them from its sport bailout, says one owner. The Sports Winter Survival Package last month issued £300m of emergency funding to offset the financial impact of Covid-19. Rugby union received £135m and horse racing £40m, but the only funding for football was [...]
The Week in Sportbiz: Premier League toasts beIN deal; banker set to buy Lille; breakaways boosted; Australian Open delay; and Griezmann bins Huawei December 17, 2020 Christmas cheer has arrived early at the Premier League after it agreed a new $500m deal with beIN Sports. The contract, which gives beIN exclusive broadcast rights in 24 countries across the Middle East and North Africa, is effectively a three-year extension to their deal for 2019-22. It comes as a boost to the Premier [...]
Rangers, Hummel and JD Sports probed by competition watchdog over replica kit pricing December 16, 2020 Scottish football club Rangers are being probed by the UK competition watchdog over the pricing of their replica kits. The Competition and Markets Authority is also investigating Rangers’ former kit maker Hummel and retailers JD Sports and Greaves Sports. The CMA said it’s probe centred on “suspected anti-competitive behaviour in relation to the price at [...]
What the tech happened to sport in 2020? December 16, 2020 Comparing the lack of sport with the other crises witnessed this year would be disingenuous. Still, an awful lot of people had large holes in their lives when live sport went off air in 2020. Some entities filled the gap fast, most notably motorsport, in no small part thanks to its embracing of esports. For [...]
The Best Fifa Football Awards 2020: Does Lionel Messi deserve to retain his Best Men’s Player crown? December 15, 2020 The Best Fifa Football Awards 2020 take place this week to honour the top performers of last season. Lionel Messi will be hoping to retain his Best Fifa Men’s Player title in the face of competition from his perennial rival Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski. So who really was the best in 2019-20? Using quantitative [...]
Hong Kong Racing Tips: Lor’s Runner looks sure to go well December 15, 2020 SCORES Of Fun, after two near misses at the Valley in the last month, is guaranteed to be popular with racegoers to make it third time lucky, especially with Joao Moreira aboard, in the Elgin Handicap (2.50pm) over six-furlongs. With Moreira’s arch-rival Zac Purton riding High Rise Soldier, another with a string of near misses [...]