World Cup advert review: Pepsi beats Coke as brands grapple with Qatar controversy November 8, 2022 Steve Howell of creative agency Dark Horses picks the best and worst World Cup adverts ahead of the month’s tournament in Qatar. ‘Tis the season with a World Cup unceremoniously stuffed in the middle like the turkey in a Pret Christmas sandwich. The 12 years since Qatar were awarded the tournament have been full of [...]
Ruck and maul stars: Rugby clubs bank on behind-the-scenes content to attract fans November 8, 2022 Matt Hardy on the rise of rugby clubs producing their own content as they look to attract new fans to the sport outside of the international arena. Gone are the days of sending season tickets out via carrier pigeon and releasing fixture lists through smoke signals, and here are the days of holograms, on-demand video [...]
Ed Warner: English football of all levels penetrating hyper-commercial US sport November 3, 2022 Does anyone in England call the Premier League the EPL? I ask because I had a random encounter at Heathrow last week with one of a group of five Crystal Palace fans headed to Selhurst Park for their “first EPL game”. The Ted Lasso effect maybe? I only hope they made it to the Clifton [...]
Ed Warner: Don’t criticise British Cycling for accepting sponsorship from Shell October 20, 2022 Disclaimer No1: I don’t think I’ve written anything in support of British Cycling down the years. Quite the opposite in fact. But I can’t bring myself to add my name to the lengthening petition that splutters in indignation about the governing body’s sponsorship deal with Shell. So, here’s a first for me. British Cycling’s eight-year [...]
Claressa Shields v Savannah Marshall and the rise and rise of women’s boxing October 13, 2022 The last time Savannah Marshall and Claressa Shields met in a boxing ring, they were both amateurs with no realistic prospect of making a good living from the sport. A decade on, the bitter rivals are due to renew hostilities at the top of the professional ranks on a historic occasion that promises to earn [...]
Tsunami of takeovers in sports swells deal values by record 433 per cent with private equity leading the pack October 11, 2022 The value of M&A and major stake-building in the sports industry has increased 433 per cent in the last year, rising from £1.8bn last year to £9.6bn this year, according to fresh data shared with City A.M. this morning. As more private equity, sovereign wealth funds and other institutional investors pursue deals in the sports [...]
Former Liverpool FC CEO says live sports needs to up its game to keep Gen Z’s attention October 11, 2022 Peter Moore knows a thing or two about making sport work as a business. After all, his time as the boss at videogame developer EA Sports coincided with the boom in online sports competition that still continues today. And his time running Liverpool FC saw the club win the Champions League and the Premier League, [...]
Hummel’s Denmark kit, the Qatar World Cup and what it means for sport sponsorship October 4, 2022 Sports industry expert Ben Peppi assesses Hummel’s controversial new Denmark kit for this year’s Qatar World Cup and what the ramifications may be for future sponsorships and commercial deals. The domino effect is in full motion. It started last summer when Cristiano Ronaldo advised people to “drink water” after removing two Coca-Cola bottles from view [...]
Harlequins stars Lend An Ear for portraits to support new mental health campaign September 29, 2022 Harlequins stars have posed for a series of intimate portraits in support of a new mental health campaign, Lend An Ear. Players and coaches from the London rugby club’s men’s, women’s, academy and wheelchair teams sat for a series of images which focus on their sometimes gnarled ears to promote better listening skills. England internationals [...]
Record crowds show women’s football is ready for bigger stadia, says WSL chair September 28, 2022 Women’s football is ready to move to bigger stadia as it redoubles efforts to become profitable, says Women’s Super League chair Dawn Airey, after the sport saw a series of record-breaking crowds. Last week’s new WSL high of 47,000 spectators for Arsenal’s north London derby with Tottenham Hotspur followed the Women’s Euro 2021 final attracting [...]