Legendary American football coach John Madden dies aged 85 December 29, 2021 American football coach and commentator John Madden has died at the age of 85. The death is unexpected and no cause of death has been released. Madden led the Raiders to their first victorious Super Bowl in 1977 before continuing as an NFL (National Football League) analyst post-retirement. The former coach then became the face [...]
Big Sport Quiz of 2021: How much do you remember? December 20, 2021 From teenagers sweeping to Grand Slam tennis titles to England reaching a major football final, an Olympic Games like no other and the introduction of a brand new cricket competition, it has been a hugely eventful year in sport. Off the field it has been just as transformative, with private equity and, increasingly, cryptocurrency and [...]
San Francisco 49ers in position to buy Leeds United in coming years December 6, 2021 The San Francisco 49ers could exercise a clause in their deal with Leeds United which could see them buy the Premier League club by 2024. The group that funds the NFL this year increased their stake in United to 37 per cent in January before acquiring another seven per cent last month. The deal would [...]
They may not have won Euro 2020 but Gareth Southgate and his England colleagues pulled off one of their most important victories long ago July 12, 2021 England may not have ended 55 years of hurt but reaching the Euro 2020 final was a further step in the right direction. There are many things you can attribute Gareth Southgate’s achievements as England manager to, from a willingness to change formation and a winning team, to putting his faith in youth or even [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Ukraine told to change Russia-baiting Euro 2020 kit; Germany muscles in on London NFL patch; beIN and Channel 4 bag rights deals June 10, 2021 Euro 2020 may not have started yet but it has already kicked off between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine tweaked the nose of Russia earlier this week when it revealed a Moscow-baiting new football kit, to be worn at Euro 2020. The yellow shirt features a map of Ukraine that includes Crimea, which Russia annexed in [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Taxman cometh for football (again); BT Sport; Simone Biles; social media boycott; and NHS x NFL draft April 29, 2021 HMRC has cashed in by increasing scrutiny of the football industry, so perhaps it should be no surprise that the taxman has begun a new crackdown on players and clubs. Investigations into footballers almost tripled in 2019-20, while those concerning clubs more than doubled. The result was an increase from £35m to £73m in tax [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Succession at Matchroom; PGA Tour’s $40m fame fund; taking knee banned at Tokyo 2020; India warms to The Hundred; NFL’s paint job April 23, 2021 It’s been a busy week for shifts in power at the top of sports organisations, splitting with old partners and signing megabucks new deals. Away from European football’s attempt to eat itself, Matchroom announced that founder Barry Hearn would be stepping down after 40 years at the helm. Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn is succeeding [...]
Athletes are driving the acceleration of sports investment – will we see European players follow the US trend for SPACs and NFTs? April 8, 2021 Barely a day goes by without another high-profile athlete being announced as an investor in a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), a tech start-up or launching their own non-fungible tokens (NFTs). While the Covid-19 pandemic has created major cash-flow problems for many elite teams and leagues, there is certainly no shortage of liquidity being channelled [...]
Exclusive: London set to host at least two NFL games from 2022 onwards March 30, 2021 NFL chiefs are set to approve plans guaranteeing London hosts at least two regular season games from the 2022 season onwards. According to internal documents seen by City A.M., NFL team owners will vote on proposals to host four international games a year – two in London, one in either Berlin or Munich and one [...]
Cutouts, twice-daily tests and no Budweiser adverts: How Super Bowl LV has had to adapt in a pandemic February 6, 2021 Some things about Super Bowl LV will be reassuringly familiar, like the star-spangled razzmatazz and Tom Brady. But Sunday’s game between last year’s winners the Kansas City Chiefs and Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers will also be different to the 54 previous editions. The NFL has had to adapt its season finale for the Covid-19 era, [...]