Sports events must decide between purists and entertaining newbies June 26, 2025 With Britain in the height of its summer sporting season, Ed Warner debates how organisers must balance pleasing purists with enticing new fans. “Does anyone talk about The Season anymore? The social whirl of the Lord’s Test, Queen’s, Royal Ascot and then finally Wimbledon? I may have missed others…” I replied to this Sport inc. [...]
Grand Slam Track stumble shows odds stacked against sport’s disruptors June 19, 2025 Michael Johnson’s decision to scrap the last of his four Grand Slam Track events will have pained the wannabe disruptor who has been a persistent critic of the track and field establishment. It will be no comfort to the former superstar to learn that a new study of British broadcast trends shows increased viewing of [...]
Athletes on OnlyFans: It’s time for an adult conversation about funding June 5, 2025 Should athletes be allowed to boost their meagre Lottery funding by performing on OnlyFans, like British canoeist Kurts Adams Rozentals? It’s time for a grown-up discussion, says Ed Warner. How far would you go to fulfil your Olympic dream? Pre-dawn, pre-school training sessions; eschewing a student lifestyle to get a solid night’s sleep with no [...]
The Enhanced Games sporting experiment will prove short-lived May 29, 2025 The Enhanced Games aims to shake up sport by allowing performance enhancing substances, but Ed Warner argues the concept will be short-lived. Man dives into a pool wearing a full racing bodysuit. Swims a single length of front crawl. Alone. Is rewarded with $1m for breaking the world record. Could this be the dullest clip [...]
The FA Cup is still magic – and now this Crystal Palace fan can die happy May 22, 2025 Long-suffering Crystal Palace fan Ed Warner savours his team’s moment in the sun, praises the FA for retaining the cup’s essential magic, and hopes his team don’t get too used to it… Toss a coin six times. The odds of it coming up heads every time is 1:64. Enter the FA Cup in the third [...]
India-Pakistan, England cricket chiefs and sport’s moral compass May 15, 2025 The ECB will be grateful that it has not yet had cause to reach for its moral compass in the India-Pakistan conflict, writes Ed Warner. I was in Paris at the 2022 Wheelchair Rugby Euros when Russia invaded Ukraine. The very next day’s results show Russia beating Poland 1-0. This in a sport in which [...]
What price do you put on London 2040 Olympics and 2029 athletics meet? May 8, 2025 Ed Warner writes on the 2040 London Olympics and 2029 World Athletics Championships ambitions and what price you can put on the impact such events have. For London 2012 and London 2017 read London 2040 and London 2029. Plans are afoot to persuade the IOC and World Athletics to return their flagship events to Britain’s [...]
Ed Warner: Why our review calls for the RFU Council to be disbanded April 30, 2025 A review has called for the RFU Council to be disbanded. City AM columnist Ed Warner, who was part of the review panel, explains its conclusions. A number of readers have asked why I’ve been silent on the turmoil within English rugby in recent months. Resignation of the chair of the RFU; a special EGM [...]
London Marathon has never been more popular so why not make it bigger? April 24, 2025 The ballot for entry to the 2026 London Marathon opens tomorrow and closes next Friday. Over 840,000 entered the draw for this weekend’s race. Strip out places bought for fundraising runners by charities as well as club slots and age-graded, guaranteed entries, and the odds of ballot success were just one in 50. Rarity value [...]
Don’t be dazzled by the hype around The Hundred April 17, 2025 Ed Warner looks at the start of the County Championship season and whether an upcoming ECB review could see new influence from Hundred investors. The ice cream van was doing a steady trade, even at £4 for a Magnum. Made the twenty quid ticket feel especially good value. Around 2,500 people basked in the April [...]
