Formula One teams face battle to keep attracting lucrative sponsors as major revenue stream takes hit December 13, 2018 The sponsorship landscape has changed significantly for Formula One teams over the past decade or so and it has been a change for the worse for most involved. Revenue from sponsors has decreased by a quarter since 2007, falling from $1.01bn to $772.5m last season, according to data compiled by Formula Money. In fact, there [...]
Andy Warhol’s £6m selfie and how we can all now be famous for 15 minutes December 13, 2018 | City Talk One day in 1963, Andy Warhol walked into a New York photobooth and took what have become the world’s most famous selfies. One of these trailblazing self-portraits has just been sold at a Sotheby’s auction for just over £6m. These selfies perfectly suited Warhol’s vision of the pop art era of the late 1950s and [...]
3D printed sports shoes are more about your wallet than your feet December 13, 2018 | City Talk The race is on to bring 3D printed footwear to market. Adidas, Nike and Under Armour are some of the big names that have been working on delivering bespoke shoes to their customers. From the sounds of their marketing, you may be forgiven for believing that bespoke shoes are just a footstep away. But a [...]
Champions League talking points: Phil Jones and Paul Pogba with nights to forget, but Leroy Sane and Phil Foden shine December 12, 2018 In typical Jose Mourinho fashion, Manchester United’s manager hasn’t been shy lately in letting the public know about his side’s crippling injury problems. With Chris Smalling, Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw and Matteo Darmian all absent, it was Antonio Valencia, Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo across the back four against Valencia. It’s fair to [...]
Team Sky: Cycling behemoth will leave behind conflicted image of success tinged by “damaging scepticism” December 12, 2018 It’s no wonder some see Team Sky as cycling’s bad guys. Their bus is nicknamed the “Death Star”, their employees wear black and they have conquered all in their path through heavy investment. The shock announcement that their media giant benefactor will pull the plug on its sponsorship at the end of the 2019 season [...]
Can CVC Capital Partners’ £230m investment into Premiership Rugby save loss-making English clubs? December 12, 2018 It may not quite have got over the line at this week’s board meeting but CVC Capital Partners’ prospective acquisition of a minority stake in Premiership Rugby now seems to be a question of when, not if – and then, what will it mean for a domestic game ailing financially? The most significant immediate change [...]
Talking points: Tottenham and Liverpool hold their nerve to reach Champions League last 16 December 11, 2018 Tottenham are used to having their nerve questioned but tonight in Barcelona they recovered from an early setback, regained composure and seized a deserved place in the Champions League last 16 that had looked beyond them halfway through the group stage. When Ousmane Dembele capitalised on the inexperience of Kyle Walker-Peters – the third-choice right-back [...]
Is snooker set for a big break? Why Ronnie O’Sullivan’s quit threats can help the sport future-proof itself December 11, 2018 Ronnie O’Sullivan’s victory at the UK Championship could hardly have reflected his talent, personality and the state of snooker any better. The 43-year-old eased past Mark Allen 10-6 in the final at York Barbican on Sunday evening, before pouring a bottle of water over his head in celebration and giving some lively quotes about entertaining [...]
Does winning your Champions League group make any difference make any difference to how far a team goes? December 11, 2018 With qualification for the last 16 long since sewn up like the seasoned Champions League veterans that they are, Manchester City and Manchester United could be forgiven for viewing Wednesday’s final group games as an unwanted additional burden in the busiest month of the season. Yet Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho, with two winners’ medals [...]
The seven trends in the digital sport world to look out for in 2019 December 11, 2018 This has been a transformative year for the digital sport landscape, from tech giants Amazon and Facebook making major rights acquisitions to a rise in behind-the-scenes and self-authored content. Here, Charlie Beall of consultancy Seven League assesses the trends that dominated 2018 and look set to shape the next 12 months. 1. Athletes becoming media As [...]