SportsPro Podcast

Eoin Connolly and SportsPro digital editor Tom Bassam return to reflect on another busy week of industry developments.  Sports bodies cover more difficult ground in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the Premier League reviewing its media rights options and gymnastics up in arms over an ugly podium protest from Ivan Kuliak.  Then the conversation turns to baseball, as MLB drifts deeper into a season-delaying lockout. There is a discussion about supporting women in the sports business, and time for two stories going under the radar: a new phase for Brand Beckham, and another stab at soccer’s Super League. 

Many sports organisations are on the journey from being administrators or event businesses to media enterprises, which creates a host of knock-on impacts for acquiring and nurturing talent.  For the latest Playbook Podcast, Matt Rogan is joined by HR expert and strategic advisor Charlotte Hignett for a broad discussion on creating optimal workplace cultures. Hignett, who was people director EY Lane4 for 12 years, explains how businesses can best secure the right personnel and then ensure they develop in their roles. The conversation also covers retaining key staff, organisational design, the skills required for board-level HR leaders and managing generational tensions.

Associated Press global sports correspondent Rob Harris and Professor Simon Chadwick, global professor of sport at Emlyon Business School, join Eoin Connolly to reflect on sport’s reaction to Russia’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine. They discuss the sanctions meted out so far, including bans for Russian teams from international and continental club soccer, and what lies ahead for federations looking to unravel close relationships with Vladimir Putin’s regime. They also talk about the complexity of withdrawing oligarch investment, as Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich considers his options, and ask whether global sports structures need to be rebuilt to hold off autocratic influence. And a favour to ask - the SportsPro Podcast has been nominated for a Sports Podcast Award. If you like what you hear, please vote for us in the Best Sports Business Podcast category here. Please note that you will have to register first.

Eoin Connolly is joined by Sky Sports director of football Gary Hughes and Tony Stevens, head of public and community relations at Tottenham Hotspur, to discuss the Game Zero project and sustainability beyond campaigns. They explain what went into putting on September’s net zero carbon fixture between Spurs and Chelsea and how it was intended to create a public forum on climate change. They also reveal what comes next for their respective organisations in broadcasting and events, and how everything from purchasing to policy to partnerships will be affected by the need to pursue a greener future. And more good news! The SportsPro Podcast has been nominated for a Sports Podcast Award. If you like what you hear, please vote for us in the Best Sports Business Podcast category here. Please note that you will have to register first.

SportsPro digital editor Tom Bassam and industry consultant Giles Morgan join Eoin Connolly to review another week of compelling sports business news. They reflect on a potentially decisive blow for the backers of a Saudi-funded breakaway golf series (01:47), and the inflammatory comments of Phil Mickelson. Then they look at the latest money movements in rugby union (18:00) as Silver Lake completes its New Zealand deal and South Africa are linked with a move to the Six Nations Championship. There’s also time for reports of a bidding race for the Premier League NFT licence (34:40) and a few stories drifting under the radar (45:55). And more good news! The SportsPro Podcast has been nominated for a Sports Podcast Award. If you like what you hear, please vote for us in the Best Sports Business Podcast category here. Please note that you will have to register first.

Discussing race used to be something that sports organisations avoided at all costs but thankfully in recent years things have moved on a little, even if the conversation is far from finished. For the latest Playbook Podcast, Matt Rogan welcomes Sonny Peart, co-founder of Black Trail Runners, on to the show to look at the relationship between sport and race. Peart explains how his charity took a data-informed approach to responsibly demonstrate the problem and quickly break down any bias in the running community - while explaining how this method can be applied more broadly. The conversation also covers why it is important to avoid the ‘low cost and easy’ approach to creating awareness around implicit and explicit racial prejudice in the sports industry - and how to prioritise action and impact to create genuine change. Finally, Peart outlines how senior leaders can champion change by educating themselves and others, placing critical emphasis on the importance of business leaders taking personal accountability for making this happen. And more good news! The SportsPro Podcast has been nominated for a Sports Podcast Award. If you like what you hear, please vote for us in the Best Sports Business Podcast category here. Please note that you will have to register first.

The latest SportsPro Podcast sees Eoin Connolly joined by digital editor Tom Bassam and deputy editor Sam Carp to roundup of some of the big stories in the sports industry over the last week. After a catch up on some of the headlines coming out of the Super Bowl, including some gaudy numbers to complete a bounce-back year for the National Football League (NFL), discussion moves to reports regarding the success of the Premier League's overseas broadcast rights sales operation. The episode then dives into the narratives coming out of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, including the troubling doping revelations around Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva. Then Bassam and Carp pick out a couple of 'under-the-radar' stories from the last seven days they think are worthy of a bit more attention. And more good news! The SportsPro Podcast has been nominated for a Sports Podcast Award. If you like what you hear, please vote for us in the Best Sports Business Podcast category here. Please note that you will have to register first.

Alan Gilpin, chief executive of World Rugby, tells Eoin Connolly about the changing responsibilities of the global governing body. They run through the latest on discussions with commercial investors and the role venture capital and private equity firms might play in the growth of the game. They also talk about vital consultations on player safety and welfare, as well as the prospects for women’s rugby ahead of this year’s World Cup. And Alan lays out the far-reaching Environmental Sustainability Plan 2030, which aims to dramatically cut World Rugby’s carbon emissions and build better choices into all of its activities. And more good news! The SportsPro Podcast has been nominated for a Sports Podcast Award. If you like what you hear, please vote for us in the Best Sports Business Podcast category here. Please note that you will have to register first.

As SoFi Stadium gets ready for Super Bowl LVI, Eoin Connolly is joined by Sportico sports business reporter Eben Novy-Williams and CNBC’s Jabari Young to run through the big stories in a busy period for the NFL. They look at the themes surrounding the big game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals, then cover topics ranging from former Miami Dolphins’ head coach Brian Flores’ potentially incendiary class action lawsuit on racial discrimination, to the mooted sale of the Denver Broncos, the league’s regional strategy, the Washington Commanders rebrand and the retirement of Tom Brady.   And more good news! The SportsPro Podcast has been nominated for a Sports Podcast Award. If you like what you hear, please vote for us in the Best Sports Business Podcast category here. Please note that you will have to register first.

The latest episode of the Playbook Podcast sees host Matt Rogan delve into an area that established businesses confront almost daily – managing change. To take on the task, Rogan chats to Alexandra Willis, communications and marketing director for the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC). The Wimbledon tennis Grand Slam has always embraced change and Willis lifts the lid on the process for managing this. The conversation covers internal communication, as well as putting in systems to maximise co-creation, plus how to actively and intentionally enable people to contribute. Rogan and Willis also explore how the different elements of an organisation can be structured to embrace change - both formally and informally – as well as ensuring you have the right people in place to cope during periods of transition. And more good news! The SportsPro Podcast has been nominated for a Sports Podcast Award. If you like what you hear, please vote for us in the Best Sports Business Podcast category here. Please note that you will have to register first.