sport

This week’s sports industry reading list

Posted on by David Cushnan

Here comes another sports industry reading list, brought to you by [INSERT YOUR COMPANY’S NAME HERE – analytics available on request]. This is where I summarise the best of the week’s writing on the global business of sport, from sponsorship to media rights, politics to marketing and lots in between – anything, indeed, that I think might be even halfway relevant for someone working in the industry or just keen to dig into how sport is organised and funded. It’s been a busy week – it was great to bump in to one or two reading list superfans at SportsPro Live in London on Wednesday and Thursday – and there’s a bumper selection below, so let’s crack on. To business:

This week’s sports industry must-reads:

  • In a week in which the England & Wales Cricket Board added some more meat to the bones of its plan to launch a city-based Twenty20 tournament, this fascinating in-depth piece by David Hopps for ESPN CricInfo examines an uncertain future for one of England’s great cricketing counties, Yorkshire.
  • The NFL has confirmed that the Oakland Raiders are to move to Las Vegas. There’s been a slew of interesting pieces since Monday’s vote by the league’s owners, not least this, from ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, which suggests that this may be the relocation that ends the NFL’s multi-billion dollar era of new stadiums.
  • SportBusiness International editor Ben Cronin sat down with IAAF president Lord Sebastian Coe at the recent Leaders conference in New York. Plenty to discuss, as you’d expect; this is a piece well worth your time.

That’s this week’s reading list: standby for more next week, and in the meantime do feel free to drop me a line – davidcushnan@gmail.com – or share widely on Twitter. Until next time.

This week’s sports industry reading list

Posted on by David Cushnan

Welcome along – and make no mistake, everyone’s welcome here – to the sports industry reading list, my weekly guide to the best and most interesting writing on the global business of sport. Whether sport’s your business or you’re just keen to know more about how it’s funded and organised, I’m almost certain you’ll find something below you’ll want to click on. As usual, there’s a mix of analysis, longer-form features, profiles and interviews selected from a variety of sources: newspapers websites, specialist sport sites and sports trade media publications to name a few. Those are my terms and conditions. To business:

This week’s sports industry must-reads:

  • As Formula One was ringing the executive changes, Nascar was confirming major format changes designed to ensure every part of every race has implications for the overall championship and to insert natural advertising breaks for broadcast networks Fox and NBC. Respected Nascar journalist Jeff Gluck’s piece, on his newly-launched blog, is well worth a read to get up to speed.
  • A superb history, put together by John Ourand and the team at Sports Business Journal, of one of the more controversial innovations in sports broadcasting: Fox’s short-lived NHL glowing puck.

As always, you can get in touch via email – davidcushnan@gmail.com – or on Twitter. I’ll be back here next week to point you in the direction of more reading material; hope you will be too.

 

This week’s sports industry reading list

Posted on by David Cushnan

A new year seems like a neat moment to resurrect the sports industry reading list, a guide to the most interesting and relevant writing on the global business of sport. Let’s see if we can make this a more regular thing in 2017. As with previous installments, what follows are pieces I’ve recently read, a combination of longform features, profiles, punchy opinions, blog posts and interviews. Hopefully it’s a handy little resource if sport is your industry, or you’re simply interested in peeling back the curtains to see how professional sport is organised and financed. And that’s really all you need to know: without further ado, to business:

This week’s sports industry must-reads

  • Inevitably the past week or so has seen a glut of annual reviews (not to mention the obligatory ‘things to look out for in 2017′ pieces) across all sorts of different areas of sport but I’d recommend sparing the time to read Inside the Games’ senior reporter Nick Butler’s personal reflections on a fairly remarkable 12 months in sports politics.
  • eSports. The mere mention of it will either make you glaze over, shrug a slightly weary shrug or sit up bolt upright, visibly intrigued. Whatever your take, competitive gaming has become virtually – see what I did there – impossible for the sports industry to ignore. To ensure you’re up to speed for 2017, Joe Favorito and Maurice Eisenmann have pieced together this handy primer on eSports’ current challenges and talking points.
  • Sports Illustrated’s Pete Thamel went behind the scenes with the Ohio State and Clemson digital media teams ahead of the Fiesta Bowl, for this fascinating piece on the huge investments the major college football programmes are making in content and distribution – and what it means for recruitment.
  • A punchy piece here by Oliver Owen on the promising new Sport500 site – where each article is made up of no more than 500 words – as one or two murmurings emerge about the direction in which Formula One’s new owners might be looking to take the sport.
  • This is a tasty piece – sorry – by Rory Smith of the New York Times on Liverpool FC’s approach to nutrition, underlining, as if we needed it underlining, the levels of investment and attention to detail required at all the world’s major sports organisations.

That’s all for now. I’ll try to make these  as weekly as I can in 2017. In the meantime, all feedback is warmly received at davidcushnan@gmail.com – and you can find me on Twitter @DavidCushnan. Happy New Year.

This week’s sports industry reading list

Posted on by David Cushnan

Welcome to the latest edition of the sports industry reading list, my regular handpicked selection of the most interesting, relevant writing on the global business of sport. As usual, the list includes profiles, interviews, features and analysis from a range of online publishers – newspapers, magazines, specialist sport sites, the sports industry trade media and blogs. Those are, loosely speaking, the rules so let’s get started. To business:

This week’s sports industry must-reads

  • The NFL regular season begins on Thursday and it’s a decade since Roger Goodell was appointed commissioner. His tenure has not been without significant controversy but he has also presided over a period of sustained growth for the league. The Associated Press has put together these two excellent summaries – here’s Barry Wilner on Goodell’s reign to date and the future challenges he faces.
  •  We’re fast-approaching conference season in the UK sports industry and connectivity, linked to enhancing the fan experience, will again inevitably be a central theme. On the eve of the new NFL season TechRepublic’s Teena Maddox delivered this fascinating long read – including plenty of interesting facts and figures – on how the league’s stadiums are being prepared for the online age.
  • eSports will also be high on the agenda at a number of conferences over the next few weeks – the sports industry seems utterly beguiled – and Leaders, now under the editorial command of James Emmett, has produced a refreshing take on a sport – sport? – growing in prominence but not without sizeable challenges.
  • The Paralympic Games begin on Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro and Jacob Steinberg has written a superb scene-setter for the Guardian, with the background on the troubled build-up and the hope that, ultimately, it’ll be the sport that makes the headlines.
  • Tumultuous times in Formula One, with speculation swirling around the Monza paddock (and then, some time later, the internet) that  a buyout of the sport is imminent. At times like these, Joe Saward’s post-race notebook, over on his blog, is essential reading. Here’s his punchy Italian Grand Prix edition from Monday morning.
  • The US Open looks a bit different this year, with all sorts of improvements designed to improve the spectator experience. The New York Times’ Sarah Lyall examined the on-site changes last week, speaking to fans, players and executives for this excellent piece.
  • And finally, slotting into our popular ‘not-directly-about-the-sportsbiz-but-nonetheless-quite-interesting-and-pretty-relevant’ section, the Boston Globe’s Ty Burr provides a reminder that it’s not just sport that’s facing the challenge of a fragmenting media world and intense competition for eyeballs.

As always, all feedback’s welcome on Twitter – @DavidCushnan – or via email: davidcushnan@gmail.com

Until next time.

This week’s sports industry reading list

Posted on by David Cushnan

Immediately post-Olympics is one of those moments when the business of sport temporarily becomes a topic of mainstream interest and coverage: How much is this gold medalist now worth? Just how big (or otherwise) were those TV ratings? How much did the Games really cost Rio? And how much money does the silly swimmer from America actually stand to lose? The results are not always pretty (or accurate). Fear not, though, sports industry expert, because this blog has attempted over the last couple of weeks to be even more selective than usual  over in choosing only pieces of the highest quality. So here goes: as usual, what you’ll see below is a mix of work published by newspapers, online publishers, the sports business trade press and specialist sports outlets. To business:

This week’s sports industry must-reads

  • Profiles of ESPN captain John Skipper are not uncommon but they’re mostly well worth reading, particularly at a time when the self-styled ‘Worldwide Leader in Sports’ is grappling with the big challenges of media fragmentation and changing consumption habits. This, by Rick Maese of the Washington Post, paints a fascinating picture of one of sport’s most powerful executives.
  • In the age where great storytelling and good content, distributed effectively, are seen as the keys to unlocking greater value for rights holders and brands across sport, I thought this was a particularly interesting and relevant piece – Joseph Lichterman, writing for Nieman Lab, looks at the strategy being employed by one Mexican sports media outlet.

That’s all for now. More soon. In the meantime, feel free to get in touch either via email – davidcushnan@gmail.com – or on Twitter.

 

 

This week’s sports industry reading list

Posted on by David Cushnan

It’s time. A major multi-sport global gathering, packed full of fascinating stories, inspiring huge debate and intrigue every time, is finally upon us once again. That’s right, it’s time for another edition of the sports industry reading list, your regular handpicked selection of interesting, relevant and sometimes mission-critical pieces on the global business of sport. In this week when the Olympic Games also start, to business:

This week’s sports industry must-reads

  • Rio 2016 is finally upon us and my goodness it’s been quite the journey since Jacques Rogge announced, some seven years ago, South America would host its first Games. Back then, as editor of SportsPro, I asked Michael Payne, the IOC’s former marketing director and a noted Olympic consultant, to write the story of a winning bid that he had played a part in. I happened across the piece again this week, reprinted in its unedited form on Payne’s website, and it’s well worth a read for some essential background on the genesis of Rio’s Games.
  • Is Stan Kroenke really sport’s most powerful man? I’m not sure, but with big investments in the Premier League and NFL he’s well worth a Daily Mail profile. This, written by Matt Barlow, contains lots of interesting little nuggets about an elusive yet clearly highly ambitious sports investor.
  • Barely a week now goes by without some sort of significant investment in sport by a Chinese firm or individual and frankly it’s becoming tricky to keep up with the number of European football clubs that are being fuelled by Chinese yuan. On his China Sports Insider blog Mark Dreyer, who has been based in the country for many years, has reprinted a fascinating recent interview he gave to Sky Sports on the subject of Chinese takeovers.

That’s all for now. As always, feedback is welcomed via email – davidcushnan@gmail.com – or on Twitter: @DavidCushnan. Until next time, enjoy the Games.

 

 

This week’s sports industry reading list

Posted on by David Cushnan

Tumultuous times at the top of world sport and, with the Olympic Games less than 10 days away and the reverberations of the IOC’s decision not to impose a blanket ban on Russian athletes still registering on the controversy-ometer, there’s doubtless more to come. It’ll come as no surprise, then, that this week’s sports industry reading list is mostly Olympic-flavoured.

As usual, what follows is a mix of the best and most interesting sports business-related features, profiles, interviews and analysis – if sport’s your business, I’d politely suggest it’s well worth reading on.

This week’s sports industry must-reads

  • Richard Deitsch’s weekly sports media round-up is always essential reading and his latest edition features a fascinating round-table with half a dozen journalists heading to Rio 2016 – pretty much all the key issues are covered, from doping to to stress levels.
  • As the dust settles on the UFC’s acquisition by WME | IMG, is kickboxing poised to be the next big thing in the fightsports world? The Daily Telegraph’s Gareth A. Davies has taken a look. It’s well worth your time.

And there we have it, another reading list safely in the (virtual) books. As always, do let me know if it works for you via email – davidcushnan@gmail.com – or on Twitter. And don’t forget to tell your friends/colleagues/clients/grandma about it.

This week’s sports industry reading list

Posted on by David Cushnan

Welcome along to the latest sports industry reading list, a semi-regular guide to the best in recent writing on the global business of sport. Recent events around the world – Brexit and the dramatic political fallout in the UK, Thursday’s atrocity in Nice and Friday’s astounding, concerning events in Turkey are but three – provide the latest stark reminders of the insignificance of sport. Frankly, at times like these, there are far more important things to be reading about than the sports industry. And yet, as those of us who love it are all too aware, sport is escapism and, at its best, wonderful entertainment – it’s worth considering that just in the last week we’ve seen perhaps the most bizarre Tour de France stage of all time and perhaps one of the highest quality final round duels in golf history. Yes, sport matters – a bit. So it may seem more trivial than ever, but onwards – to business – with this week’s reading list.

This week’s sports industry must-reads

  • Here’s superb examination (tucked neatly behind Autosport’s paywall) of two different Formula One independent team business models, featuring Williams and Force India, by Dieter Rencken:
  • The final countdown to Rio 2016 is well underway and you’ll be all too aware it’s turned into something of a perfect storm for organisers, with health concerns, high-profile athlete withdrawals, political and economic instability and doping dominating the headlines. BBC sports editor Dan Roan has put together a typically sharp summary of where the Games stand with a couple of weeks to go.
  • Talking of the Olympics, should they have a permanent home? A provocative column here, written by former Olympian Derek Boosey for Inside the Games, offers ample food for thought.
  • And here’s one for Olympic history buffs: Jack Todd has written a superbly detailed piece, published as part of the excellent Guardian Cities website, on Montreal’s hosting of the 1978 Games and the financial calamity that followed.
  • Last week saw the annual lull in the US sports calendar, a couple of days when no major professional sport had events scheduled. Sports communications veteran Joe Favorito wrote this fun piece on which sports ought to be looking to fill the gap.

That’s all for now. As always, all feedback’s welcome via email – davidcushnan@gmail.com – or on Twitter, where you’ll find me @DavidCushnan

This week’s sports industry reading list

Posted on by David Cushnan

Thanks for stopping by – or stumbling across – the sports industry reading list, your one-stop, hopefully handy guide to the best, most interesting and most useful recent writing about the global business of sport. As usual, I’ve selected a mix of interviews, profiles and analysis from a variety of sources – newspaper websites, specialist sport outlets and the sports industry trade press. Ready? Set? To business:

This week’s sports industry must-reads

  • The Olympic Games are but a month away. Like many, NBC have been preparing for Rio 2016 for years and this Ad Week interview with Jon Miller, NBC Olympics’ chief marketing officer, is a useful guide to the network’s promotional plans for the next few weeks. A.J. Katz asks the questions.
  • Kevin Durant’s announcement (made, as is the way in the modern world, via Derek Jeter’s Player’s Tribune website) that he’s joining the Golden State Warriors has understandably made waves. This interesting Sports Techie analysis of the motives behind the move posits the theory that the draw of Silicon Valley was magnetic.
  • Fitting neatly into this list’s occasional ‘not directly sports business-related but perhaps relevant for anyone whose business is sport’ category, here’s a fascinating piece from The Drum on The Pool, an online outlet aimed at professional women. Katie McQuater’s piece is well worth your time, especially if content creation’s your game (which it almost certainly is).
  • And a ‘sports industry must-listen’ to round things off. Adam Parsons’ Wake Up to Money programme on BBC Radio 5 Live has spawned a sports business spin-off – and an accompanying podcast. The first edition features, amongst others, British Olympic Association chief executive Bill Sweeney.

As always, all feedback is welcome. You can get in touch by emailing davidcushnan@gmail.com or on Twitter, @DavidCushnan.

This week’s sports industry reading list

Posted on by David Cushnan

Time for another sports industry reading list, my handpicked selection of the best recent online content relating to the global business of sport. As usual, you’ll find below a mix of pieces from newspaper websites, dedicated sports business publications, blogs and sport-specific websites – and as usual the list includes profiles, features, analysis and, this week, even a couple of audio treats. To business:

This week’s sports industry must-reads

  • Just before last week’s decision by the IAAF to uphold the suspension of Russia’s track and field athletes, the Guardian’s Owen Gibson published this excellent profile of Lord Sebastian Coe and the daunting challenge of what Coe insists is his final major role in sport.

All feedback on what you’ve read or what you’re about to read is, as ever, welcome, either via email – davidcushnan@gmail.com – or on Twitter or LinkedIn. Until next time.