Brand Beckham & Osaka's Jellyfish - has sport ever been so fashionable? - The Sports Agents

Jan 23, 2026

Charlie Eccleshare, Tennis correspondent for The Athletic, breaks down tennis fashion moments and player-brand relationships. He discusses Naomi Osaka’s theatrical jellyfish walkout and why tennis walkouts create perfect brand theatre. Conversation covers individual-sport style, tunnel fits, and how fashion moments turn athletes into cultural icons.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Tennis As Fashion Theatre

Tennis has long been a theatrical playground where fashion and sport naturally collide.
Naomi Osaka's jellyfish walkout is another milestone in a decades-long blending of style and storytelling.

ANECDOTE

Fashion Roots In Tennis Legends

Charlie traces tennis fashion back to Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Fred Perry's clothing line.
He notes modern players like Sharapova and the Williams sisters have pushed design and personal brands forward.

INSIGHT

Fashion As Personal Storytelling

Naomi's outfits act as storytelling and personal expression, not mere showmanship.
Her butterfly and jellyfish moments signal a considered creative identity beyond tennis results.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Everyone’s been talking about the Beckhams and Naomi Osaka this week. Hard to believe a family feud and a jellyfish outfit at the Australian Open have anything in common - but where Sir Alex Ferguson used to fight to keep David Beckham's focus on the pitch, sport is now embracing fashion like never before...

Lewis Hamilton and Serena Williams pictured at the Met Gala, Stella McCartney designing Arsenal kits, and the famous NBA Tunnel Walks.

Have we all grown up enough to appreciate that athletes having other interests doesn’t mean they aren’t distracted from getting the win? How much money does Naomi Osaka going viral as a jellyfish make for brands and athletes? And should more sports be using fashion to grow the game?

Gabby is joined by The Athletic's Tennis Correspondent, Charlie Eccleshare, and Mayowa Quadri, Football Culture Writer and Head of Brand at Versus.

Plus, we look back at the best bits of The Sports Agents this week: should managers like Oliver Glasner and clubs like Crystal Palace should accept their place in the football food chain? And is a female coach in the Premier League really the holy grail or not?

📩 Got a question? Send it here: https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7

💭 Tell us your thoughts in our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6

🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod

📱Follow us on socials:

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagents

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/

X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod

📥 Email: thesportsagents@global.com

Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides

Producer: Sophie Penney

Video Producer: Sam Trudgill

Social Media Editor: Calum Scotland

Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network

Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global

You can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".

👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents