Month: July 2015

This week’s sports industry reading list

Posted on by David Cushnan

Every week – just about – you’ll find the best writing on the global sports industry – be it on sponsorship, event organisation, politics, people or broadcast rights – right here. Tell your friends, colleagues and contacts. There’ll be a combination of mainstream press coverage of the business of sport, pieces from specialist sports titles and a smattering from the sports industry trade media. To business:

The big three stories of the week

This week’s sports industry must-reads

  • The New York Yankees have a flag crew stationed at Yankee Stadium and their job is far more complex than you might think, as this piece from the New York Times’ Billy Witz neatly explains: http://tinyurl.com/ooppkxb
  • SportsPro’s sailing week included this fascinating piece on funding a Vendée Globe campaign, written by James Emmett and centring on Jerseyman Phil Sharp: http://tinyurl.com/pkmugzu
  • I really enjoyed this Guardian piece by Les Carpenter on the downright odd Korean Basketball League US draft, which took place recently in Las Vegas: http://tinyurl.com/of439se
  • Also in the New York Times this week, Michael Powell examined the use of public funds by the billionaire owners of major league teams in the United States: http://tinyurl.com/np3rp9h
  • ESPN’s sports business expert Darren Rovell took a look at the numbers behind daily fantasy sports explosion in the US, in the week when DraftKings secured US$300 million in new financing: http://tinyurl.com/prrw5cy
  • And finally, ahead of Friday’s International Olympic Committee vote to decide whether Beijing or Almaty will host the 2022 winter Olympic Games, an excellent scene-setter from Steve Wilson of the Associated Press: http://tinyurl.com/od3uqkd

That’s a wrap: there’ll be another batch of terrific sports industry-related writing next week. In the meantime, do drop me a line with feedback, good, bad or even indifferent, at davidcushnan@gmail.com or on Twitter @DavidCushnan

This week’s sports industry reading list – 17/7/15

Posted on by David Cushnan

It’s a great time of year: Wimbledon, the Tour de France, the Open Championship and even, for those who prefer the thwack of willow on leather, an Ashes Series. There’s plenty going on in the business of sport, too; here’s where I pick out the best writing of the week on sports politics, broadcasting, event organisation and sponsorship – anything, in fact, that has relevance for the global sports industry. To business:

The big three stories of the week

This week’s sports industry must-reads

  • Derek Thompson of The Atlantic put together this fascinating piece on ESPN’s digital strategy – or as Thompson puts it, plans for a ‘post-TV’ world. It’s an in-depth and important read for anyone considering their own digi-strategy (and, let’s face it, that’s just about everyone): http://tinyurl.com/nd3k2s8
  • Remember Don King? He’s still promoting bouts, but he’s now very much on boxing’s fringes. Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix wrote tracked him down for this oddly poignant piece: http://tinyurl.com/njqnt27
  • Sid Lowe spent the day with Joann Laporta, as the former FC Barcelona president hit the campaign trail in his quest to become the, er, president of FC Barcelona. It’s a fascinating read: http://tinyurl.com/pg7nz8x
  • There’s a great book (well, a book) in the sports events that never happened, the bids that never got beyond the snazzy renderings and PowerPoint presentations. Philip Barker of Inside the Games looked back this week at Britain’s failed Olympic bids and how they came to shape London 2012: http://tinyurl.com/q7gkgnl

That’s your lot. There’ll be more next week – in the meantime, do feel free to comment/share/like/dislike: davidcushnan@gmail.com or on Twitter: @davidcushnan

This week’s sports industry reading list – 10/7/15

Posted on by David Cushnan

The endlessly-interesting global sports industry has served up another week of talking points and so here’s my weekly showcase of the best writing about the business of sport – as always, the following have been hand-picked from a combination of mainstream media sources, specialist titles and the industry trade press. To business:

The big three stories of the week

This week’s sports industry must-reads

  • The Ashes began on Wednesday and as the BBC’s Tom Fordyce points out it’s ten years since the last live cricket was broadcast free-to-air in the UK. This in-depth piece charts the impact of that on all aspects of English cricket: http://tinyurl.com/oudbgle
  • Monday marked the tenth anniversary of the announcement that London would stage the 2012 Olympic Games, leading to an inevitable flurry of legacy pieces. This, from the Guardian’s Owen Gibson, was the pick: http://tinyurl.com/ndm3nuf
  • Given the Spurs/NFL tie-up, Sports Illustrated’s MMQB site picked a good moment to run a Europe Week, looking at American Football’s past, present and future on the continent. Some interesting reminiscences on the World League here from Andrew Brandt: http://tinyurl.com/nv2zdrf
  • SportsPro’s Adam Nelson had a sit-down with Ary Graça, the colourful president of the FIVB, world volleyball’s governing body. Graça is always good value and his thoughts on beach volleyball’s growth, the current world championships in the Netherlands and the London Olympic legacy for beach volleyball are well worth a look: http://tinyurl.com/oyr428v
  • And finally, in an exciting change of format for this blog, not a must-read, but a must-watch. I’ve been a bit underwhelmed by one or two of GoPro’s early forays into professional sport, but its Tour de France partnership with Velon, the group of cycling’s top teams, has delivered some superb footage (such as this and this) in the first week, offering a genuinely new perspective on life in the peloton. GoPro is doing exactly what it should be: enhancing the viewer experience and showing us things the live broadcast cameras can’t (yet).

I think that’s everything just about covered. Do swing by next week – in the meantime, comments, (mild) criticism and praise are accepted here: davidcushnan@gmail.com or on Twitter: @davidcushnan

This week’s sports industry reading list – 3/7/15

Posted on by David Cushnan

Time for the reading list: here you’ll find the best writing of the week on the global business of sport. To business:

The big three stories of the week

This week’s sports industry must-reads

  • The cover story from this month’s SportsPro is well worth a read on the eve of the Tour de France. Editorial director James Emmett interviewed Oleg Tinkov, the money man behind Alberto Contador’s cycling team: http://tinyurl.com/p44o9he
  • Christopher Clarey of the New York Times examined IMG’s role in the world of tennis – as talent agent, as event owner – and how it’s changed since the arrival of WME: http://tinyurl.com/pfjglt4
  • Around the Rings’ Ed Hula put together this well-rounded piece on the Olympic ambitions of Baku, in the aftermath of its staging of the European Games – is it ready for a 2024 bid?: http://tinyurl.com/nql6n4q

That’s the best of the week on the business of sport. Thanks for taking a look and do drop by next week. Email: davidcushnan@gmail.com; Twitter: @davidcushnan