SportsPro Podcast

It’s Sustainability Week at SportsPro so Tom Bassam digs into the meaning of sport for purpose with SailGP’s chief purpose officer, Fiona Morgan, before George Breare talks to the team at Ottawa Tourism to find out why the Canadian capital prioritises events that deliver both a community and commercial benefit. Talking points: Fiona Morgan on the role of sport for purpose (3:26) Ottawa Tourism's approach to events with social benefits (24:54)

George Breare and Tom Bassam are joined by soccer finance expert Kieran Maguire to discuss the Premier League's decision to refer Manchester CIty to an independent commission over alleged breaches of the financial rules that govern English soccer's top flight. Talking points: The Manchester City affair (2:02) The Super Bowl ratings (36:58) DAZN's US$1bn deal for NFL Game Pass (44:39) Under the radar stories (48:30) 

George Breare and Tom Bassam are joined by SportsPro's resident American and community lead Chris Stone to interrogate the forever booming business of the Super Bowl. The NFL title game continues to wrack up gaudy numbers and 2022 edition looks like it is going to be no different. Talking points: The media outlook for this year's Super Bowl (2:53) How has the NFL made the game so big? (7:13) The commercial business of the Super Bowl and what's new this year (18:42) Star power or lack thereof (26:16) The economic impact of hosting the Super Bowl (36:18)

Regular SportsPro Podcast hosts George Breare and Tom Bassam are joined by technology editor Steve McCaskill to talk about the latest Ideas to Invest in Now list, profiling the 20 startups who made it, while also looking at the trends behind their inclusion. Talking points: How is the list put together? (1:41) Diving into the 2023 Ideas to Invest in (4:32) Does the sports industry move too slowly when it comes to innovation? (10:25) The role of in-house tech teams and incubators (15:58) The trends that run through this year's list (21:25) The increasing value of data and its ownership (28:40) Looking forward to next year's Ideas to Invest In (34:15) What are the risks for sports in over-embracing technology? (37:39)

Mindprober CEO Pedro Almeida joins the pod to explain how its platform analyses consumers’ physiological and behavioral responses to media content in real time.

SportsPro's George Breare is joined by Tom Bassam to hit a quick industry news wrap covering job cuts in tech sector, LIV Golf's US rights deal with the CW Network and the advances being made in influencer boxing by KSI's Misfits brand. Then, in part two, Edmonton Events director Cindy Medynski joins the show to talk about the Canadian city is taking a new approach to event hosting. Talking points: Big tech, big cuts and the impact on sport (1:20) LIV Golf arrives on US TV via the CW Network (6:45) KSI's Misfits, DAZN and athlete influencers (12:59) Interview: What Edmonton has to offer as an event host (18:51)

Tom Bassam is joined by Allie Dinsmore, vice president, strategy and new business development at the Professional Fighters League; Sahaj Shah, product and UX/UI designer, Areto Labs; and Charlie Sizer, global partnerships manager at DAZN - all members of the 2022/23 SportsPro NEW ERA cohort - to discuss what the year has in store for women's sport, as well as women in the industry. Talking points: Personal backstories (1:25) The NEW ERA experience so far (5:44) Things to look forward to in women's sport in 2023 (9:00) Building the profile of female athletes through original content (15:51) Why this could be the year that women's properties are properly valued (18:46) How important is it to have figures like Julie Uhrman leading the way? (26:52) Why the business of women's sport doesn't have to be the same as men's (31:20) Equality goals for the industry in 2023 (37:21) Personal new year's resolutions (41:46)

SportsPro's George Breare and Tom Bassam are joined by PA Media chief sports reporter Jamie Gardner to reflect on Qatar 2022, before editorial director Michael Long unpacks his feature on a World Cup that has loomed large over much of his journalistic career. Part one talking points: View from on the ground in Doha (2:11) Fifa control and the fairness of media scrutiny (7:16) How successful was the tournament? (11:39) Qatar 2022 as a template for wannabe nation builders (16:21) Press freedom at Qatar 2022 and the social impact of the World Cup (24:34) Part two (30:03): How Qatar 2022 has dominated the last 12 years (31:42) Industry sentiment on the World Cup (33:33) Was this a line in the sand for major event hosting? (38:26)

Regular hosts George Breare and Tom Bassam are joined by features editor Sam Carp to unpick SportsPro's annual list of ten industry influencers who will shape the sporting year, while also finding time to gaze into the crystal ball to predict the major business narratives of the next 12 months. Talking points: What does it take to make the ten influencers list? (3:00) The role of Women's World Cup COO Jane Fernandez (5:01) How Julie Uhrman is changing the NWSL (12:41) Rory McIlroy... the saviour of golf? (19:42) Is James DeLorenzo set to lead Apple into a bigger role in sports media? (28:24) Sam Carp's predictions for sponsorship in 2023 (38:26) Tom Bassam explains why Warner Bros Discovery is going to dominate the sports media space this year (43:55)

For the last SportsPro Podcast of the year, George Breare and Tom Bassam are joined by features editor Sam Carp, technology editor Steve McCaskill and community lead Chris Stone for a festive, sports business-themed quiz. Round one - A year in news (2:50) Round two - SportsPro long reads (22:15) Round three - Who said what? (42:49)