The Commonwealths are the ‘Local Global Games’ July 24, 2022 The Commonwealth Games begin in Birmingham this week. It’s the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, so where better than England’s second city? They should, however, be taking place in Durban, which would have become the first African city to host the Games. The opening day would have been last week – on 18 July, Nelson Mandela’s birthday [...]
‘Sport and technology an inevitable crossover of present and future’ July 21, 2022 If you will insist on selling sport tickets that have to be scanned at the turnstile via your app, at least make sure that there’s enough 4G coverage for me to access mine. And don’t make the fallback an email proof of purchase when my mates – including the one who sorted our tickets – [...]
Owning it: Why triathlon’s new PTO Tour is giving equity to athletes like Alistair Brownlee July 20, 2022 Athletes including Britain’s Alistair Brownlee taking part in this weekend’s Canadian Open, the first event proper on triathlon’s new PTO Tour, will have an extra incentive to perform. Because as well as earning prize money they are also part-owners of the body running the tour, the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO). It means they stand to [...]
Women’s Euro 2022 ads: Which campaigns are the best… and worst? July 11, 2022 One of the biggest propellants of any sport is when major brands begin sponsoring events, such as Women’s Euro 2022. Not only does the additional revenue help grow the game, but the extra eyeballs that a big brand campaign can bring help to cement the sport in the public consciousness. But with great publicity comes [...]
Manchester City sign up crypto app OKX as training kit partner in eight-figure deal July 11, 2022 Cryptocurrency trading app OKX is to become Manchester City’s new training kit partner in a deal understood to be worth tens of millions of pounds per season. The eight-figure agreement is initially for one season and will see OKX replace Expo 2020 Dubai on the training shirts of both the men’s and women’s team. The [...]
Blurred lines: Athlete investors on rise as brands embrace new ways to partner with sport stars June 22, 2022 When Anthony Joshua and Dazn announced a new partnership last week, one of the most eye-catching aspects of the deal was that it involved the British heavyweight boxer acquiring a stake in the sports streaming platform. It was just the latest example of a prominent athlete cultivating a business portfolio to complement their sporting career. [...]
HSBC becomes Emma Raducanu’s eighth blue chip sponsor on eve of Wimbledon June 16, 2022 HSBC has become the latest blue chip brand to join British tennis star Emma Raducanu’s stable of sponsors. Raducanu, who shot to fame by winning the US Open in September, has agreed a four-year with the international banking group. “To partner with HSBC is so natural for me having grown up playing in the HSBC [...]
Aramco Team Series: Why the Saudi energy and chemical giant is backing women’s golf June 14, 2022 Aramco public affairs general manager Talal Al-Marri explains why the Saudi energy and chemicals giant became one of the biggest backers of women’s golf via the Aramco Team Series, and what the company looks for in a sports sponsorship. Q. How did you come to be title partners of the Aramco Team Series? A. We [...]
Major League Baseball to consider increasing number of London games to three or four May 13, 2022 Major League Baseball could increase the number of games per season that it stages in London after it stepped up its commitment to the capital. MLB made its UK debut in 2019 with a double header at the London Stadium that the competition’s chiefs deemed a great success. It confirmed this week that it is [...]
Ed Warner: The metaverse, Web3 and what it means for football club valuations May 5, 2022 In this week’s column, Ed Warner delves into the metaverse’s possible ramifications for the business of sport and considers the latest twists in the Chelsea sale saga. It was the shoes that put me in my place. Queuing to enter the SportsPro Live jamboree at The Oval last week, I scanned the footwear of my [...]