Is a franchise model the only way to save rugby union? June 15, 2025 Despite various approaches to the same question as to whether rugby can find a stable commercial footing, various rugby factions seem to be coming to the same conclusion: are franchises the answer? Franchise sport can be hit and miss; in the US NFL and NBA franchises are seeing valuations north of $5bn. In the Indian [...]
Pubs and bars to watch the Club World Cup in London June 14, 2025 The Club World Cup kicks off this evening (well, at 1am tomorrow morning) with 32 teams looking to win a trophy few really wanted to fight for a couple of months ago. But it is a great chance for Londoners to have a late night drink and watch some random clubs, including Manchester City and [...]
US Open prize money 2025: Golf’s most lucrative major freezes payouts June 13, 2025 Organisers of this week’s US Open, the third men’s golf major of the year, have taken the unusual step of not increasing prize money for 2025. But before you reach for a tiny violin, it’s worth remembering that the US Open remains the most lucrative of the four majors with total prize money of $21.5 [...]
Bath favourites for Premiership title but you cannot write off Cheika June 13, 2025 Saturday’s sell-out Premiership final between Bath Rugby and Leicester Tigers feels like something from the 90s, when these two – alongside Wasps – were the powerhouses of English ovalball. But looking at the two squads set to clash at the 82,000-capacity Allianz Stadium in Twickenham this weekend, they couldn’t be any further from those teams [...]
Robot and Joy can Spring Wong into the winners’ circle June 13, 2025 BEWARE of the weather which is going to play an important part in proceedings when racing gets underway at Sha Tin in Hong Kong on Saturday with an 11-race card including two races on the all-weather surface. The forecast is dreadful, with heavy showers throughout the day and likely thunderstorms during the action. Young seven-pound [...]
Lightweight Energia to reach the Stars under Teetan June 13, 2025 WITH so many imponderables to weigh up due to rain, surface conditions, and likely track bias – suiting gallopers up with the early pace or finishing strongly – and there is going to be plenty of head-scratching from Hong Kong form students. Maybe ‘patience’ is the key word and to wait for the finale when [...]
Florian Wirtz: Liverpool agree British record transfer fee of £116m June 13, 2025 Liverpool have agreed the signing of Germany midfielder Florian Wirtz for a potential British record transfer fee of £116m. The Premier League champions will pay Bayer Leverkusen a minimum of £100m for the 22-year-old but that amount could increase to £116m if Wirtz meets certain performance targets. If Liverpool pay the maximum amount it would [...]
Airbnb gets into bed with Fifa with last-minute Club World Cup deal June 13, 2025 Fifa has signed up Airbnb as a last-minute commercial partner for the Club World Cup, which starts tomorrow in the US. Airbnb will offer “official fan accommodation” as part of a three-year deal with Fifa that also includes next summer’s men’s World Cup, which the US is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico, and the 2027 [...]
Johnson-backed Grand Slam Track cancels remainder of season June 13, 2025 Grand Slam Track, the privately backed track and field circuit fronted by former Olympian Michael Johnson, has cancelled its final event. Having hosted events in Kingston, Miami and Philadelphia, the final leg in Los Angeles was cancelled on Thursday. The competition offered $100,000 to winners at each event in a bid to raise the profile [...]
Does the Women’s Super League need a salary cap or other cost controls? June 13, 2025 Does the Women’s Super League need a salary cap? That was the question posed this week by no less an authority than Deloitte’s Sports Business Group upon the release of its 34th Annual Review of Football Finance. The report contained plenty of positive updates on the finances of WSL teams: aggregate revenue grew 36 per [...]