Nikita Mazepin: I lost my seat in Formula 1 because of ‘cancel culture against Russia’ April 7, 2022 Russian motor racing driver Nikita Mazepin says he is a victim of “cancel culture” following his sacking by Formula 1 team Haas. Mazepin lost his seat at the US outfit on the eve of the 2022 season when Haas cut all ties with Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine. Haas’s main sponsor [...]
Ed Warner: Trans debate has echoes of Semenya legal row but ‘meaningfulness’ may be buzzword April 7, 2022 It’s a pity Emily Bridges was blocked from competing in the National Omnium Championships in Derby last weekend. Yes, the cyclist would have been at the centre of an unsavoury media scrum, but we would have gathered one more valuable data point with which to try and balance the febrile debate about transgender women in [...]
World Cup TV guide: Which channel is showing England’s games at Qatar 2022? April 6, 2022 England’s opening match of the Qatar 2022 World Cup against Iran and a potential Home Nations clash with Wales or Scotland are to be shown on the BBC. ITV will show England’s other group fixture, a Friday night game against the USA, and will have first refusal on their last 16 and quarter-final games, should [...]
Liverpool FC NFT sale: Reds raise £1.1m but 95 per cent of digital artwork left unsold April 4, 2022 Liverpool have closed their controversial NFT sale after selling just over five per cent of the available digital artworks of players such as Mohamed Salah. In the biggest project of its kind from a Premier League football club, Liverpool partnered with Sotheby’s to sell up to 171,072 NFTs for $75 (£57) each – $12.8m (£9.8m) [...]
The Tiger Effect: Why Woods comeback at Augusta would be good news for TV companies March 31, 2022 The Tiger Effect – the boost to the business of golf that Woods has provided during his 26-year pro career – is the stuff of sports industry legend. Woods’ swift ascent to godlike status brought an influx of new sponsors to the game and sent prize money skyward. Key to this virtuous cycle was that [...]
Formula 1 announces night race on Las Vegas strip for 2023 calendar March 31, 2022 Las Vegas will return to the Formula 1 calendar next year when a night race takes place on the streets – including the famous strip – of the US city. F1 chiefs confirmed the long-anticipated agreement today and will act as co-promoters for the third American grand prix on the 2023 schedule. “Iconic Las Vegas [...]
Manchester United named top of the league for digital value generated by sports teams March 31, 2022 Manchester United generated the most digital value of any sports team in the world last year, according to a new report published today. The Digital Value of Fans 2022 report is based on social media performance and was created by audience platform Horizm, which works with leading teams in several sports. Despite a fourth consecutive [...]
Ed Warner: Commonwealth Games should consider dropping restrictive colonial ties March 31, 2022 This week, Ed Warner argues that the Commonwealth Games must adapt if it’s to survive, ponders English cricket’s leadership vacuum and hopes Russia remains in exile. Depending on your media outlet of choice, Wills and Kate’s Caribbean sojourn was either a triumph of charming diplomacy or another nail in the coffin of empire – as [...]
Tiger Woods tees up for competitive return at the Masters with Augusta practice round March 30, 2022 Tiger Woods has given the clearest indication yet that he hopes to enter the Masters next week by playing a practice round at Augusta National. Woods won the last of his 15 major titles at the Masters in 2019 but has not played a 72-hole tournament since a serious car crash last year. The 46-year-old [...]
Opinion: Crypto brands’ sporting land-grab is only just beginning March 29, 2022 As Lionel Messi and Fifa become the latest to do huge deals with cryptocurrency and blockchain-related brands, sports sponsorship expert Henry Nash of Octagon assesses the major new player in the market. I suspect I wasn’t alone in thinking the Nielsen 2022 Global Sports Marketing Report would be a story of Covid’s brutal impact on [...]