Horse racing must embrace innovation to build a prosperous future – and this is the perfect time to start March 8, 2021 British horse racing is facing financial challenges and, as with many sports, has suffered a heavy toll during the pandemic. As the country’s second biggest spectator sport, the exclusion of racegoers has cost around £300m, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) estimates. A review of the Betting Levy is seen as one way of addressing Covid-19-induced [...]
Trevor Steven: Steven Gerrard has instilled his winning mentality to reinvigorate Rangers and Scottish football March 8, 2021 I saw it at close quarters when I played opposite Steven Gerrard in a Rangers v Liverpool legends match. The death stare, as Peter Crouch calls it. The fire in his eyes. It was a friendly match, but Gerrard was still clattering into Alex Rae. He is so driven, so hungry. And instilling some of [...]
WandaVision S1E9: Can the finale live up to the hype? March 5, 2021 *** WARNING: This review contains spoilers for all episodes of WandaVision *** So we arrive at the finale of WandaVision. If you’ve been following the series, or these reviews, then you’ll know that the previous episode has caught you up with everything you need to know. We’ve found out the identity of Agatha (Kathryn Hahn), [...]
Why Bruno Fernandes, Gabriel Jesus and Jadon Sancho might be forced to sit out the next international break March 5, 2021 Football’s international break is on the horizon, but for some players these 2022 World Cup qualifying matches might as well not be happening at all. The UK’s requirement that those travelling to certain countries quarantine for 10 days on their return has made some Premier League clubs reluctant to release players. But the situation could [...]
The football club of the future? How Lewes FC’s principles have started to pay off – and their aim of becoming the world’s most owned team March 5, 2021 They take pride in doing things differently at Lewes FC, the small football club with big ideas. From the beach huts that act as hospitality boxes at the Dripping Pan, their distinctive ground with the sunken pitch, to the prosecco served at matches and the pop-culture inspired posters that advertise fixtures, the East Sussex outfit [...]
Coming 2 America: Eddie Murphy sequel is past its best March 4, 2021 COVID may have scuppered many studios’ plans, but Paramount Pictures made the best of unforeseen circumstances, selling many titles to streaming services including comedy sequel Coming 2 America. The follow up to the 1988 Eddie Murphy hit was purchased by Amazon for a reported $125m, believed to be a record for streaming rights. A sequel [...]
Freelance creatives could fall through cracks of Rishi budget March 4, 2021 This week Rishi Sunak announced his investment-led recovery budget, pledging an additional £408m stimulus package for the culture sector. This is fantastic news for a creative sector particularly vulnerable to the impact of the COVID pandemic. The government has divided this relief package into three parts: £300m for the Cultural Recovery Fund (supporting cultural organisations [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Formula 1 takes the pain; Budweiser buys NBA rights; watch every PGA Tour shot; World Rugby’s bad timing; squash, the great survivor March 4, 2021 “Our goal was to try and take the pain in 2020,” Greg Maffei, president of Formula 1 owners Liberty Media, told investors this week. Maffei can consider that mission accomplished after Liberty laid bare the devastating effect of the pandemic on F1’s finances last year. F1 slipped from a $17m profit in 2019 to a [...]
Barcelona and Real Madrid handed multi-million tax bills as European Court of Justice issues ‘definitive’ verdict in state aid case March 4, 2021 Barcelona and Real Madrid must pay millions of Euros in extra tax after the European Court of Justice found they benefited from state aid. The verdict from the European Union’s top court settles a long-running legal battle involving four of Spain’s leading football clubs. Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna are the other teams facing bills for [...]
The Dissident examines Saudi murder of Jamal Khashoggi March 4, 2021 On 2 October 2018, Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by agents of the Saudi Arabian government at their consulate in Istanbul. The assassination sent shockwaves around the world, as it came to discover the unthinkable act of a government brazenly killing a writer known for his criticisms of them. What this meant for [...]