SportsPro Podcast

In another podcast from the SportsPro Insider Series of virtual events, SportsPro managing director Nick Meacham talks to Albachiara founder Roger Mitchell and Kyle Bunch, the VP managing director of Global Sports Venture Studio at R/GA Ventures, about the fundamentals of the sports tech startup space.   They discuss what startups can do to identify the right investors and why people and knowledge matter, how to assess valuations, why founders should focus on solutions more than products, why 2021 could be a huge year in the space after the challenges of 2020, which emerging sectors to watch, and much more. 

The curtain should have just come down on this year’s Wimbledon Championships, but instead SW19 was left empty with the event falling foul of the coronavirus pandemic.  This week, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly welcomes the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s (AELTC) commercial and media director, Mick Desmond, and Alexandra Willis, head of communications, content and digital, to find out about the work done in response to the tournament’s cancellation.  With plans already underway for 2021, the three discuss what this year has meant for the AELTC and the wider game, as well as ways to find opportunity in such testing times. Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In what was scheduled to be the week of the 149th Open Championship, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly speaks to Malcolm Booth, director of sales and marketing at golf's R&A. They discuss the unique Open for the Ages project, which will collate archive footage and historical data of the greatest players of all time to create a broadcast event to replace the pandemic-hit major. Booth also talks about the R&A's operations in 2020, running the AIG Women's British Open next month, and the prospects for golf sponsorship in the year ahead.

As Test match cricket returns to England this week, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly welcomes Daily Telegraph journalist Tim Wigmore to discuss the new future facing cricket after its enforced hiatus. (02:23) Eoin then speaks to Steve Elworthy, the former South Africa international and current director of special projects at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), to hear how the national governing body worked to get the game back on and what lies ahead for the rest of the year and into 2021. (30:59) Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

SportsPro deputy editor Sam Carp talks to Johanna Faries, the commissioner of the Call of Duty League.  They discuss the challenges of building a franchise esports competition from one of the most popular video game series of all time, what Faries' has brought to the job from her years at the National Football League (NFL), and what has been learned from working through the Covid-19 pandemic.  And, as the only female commissioner of an esports league, Faries also talks about the path ahead for women in the sports industry.   Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Ahead of the rescheduled Formula One season, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly is joined by Peter Jones, business director of BlackBook Motorsport, to talk through what we can expect from a very different Formula One season in 2020. Discussion also turns to the wider implications facing series promoters and teams off the back of Covid-19. (01:36) Then, deputy editor Sam Carp speaks to Frank Arthofer, Formula One’s global head of digital media and licensing, to find out how the sport has adapted its digital strategy during lockdown to ensure continued growth this season and further ahead. (32:48) Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In the latest cut from the SportsPro Insider Series, WWE executive vice president and global head of sales and partnerships John Brody tells SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly about how the leading force in sports entertainment works with its sponsors. They discuss the adaptations made for closed door events, including WrestleMania, how WWE superstars play their part, and how the organisation's unique audience and approach to storytelling creates distinctive opportunities.

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and editorial director Michael Long welcome Matt Rogan, SportsPro’s senior contributor and co-founder of the data agency Two Circles, for the latest podcast. In this episode, the three look at what industry organisations can do to run better businesses during the coronavirus crisis and what action should be taken to best prepare for an uncertain future.   Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In another podcast showcasing the best of the SportsPro Insider Series, Dustin Godsey, chief marketing officer at the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks, talks about the team's digital content strategy and how technology has shaped the fan experience at the Fiserv Forum. He also lays out plans for the BucksPlay content hub, explains the strategic shift that followed the Covid-19 shutdown, and shares his thoughts on what an NBA game might look like with no fans in the arena.

The police killing of George Floyd has sparked passionate protests and debate over race, but also an appetite to ask some difficult questions regarding racism and inequality.  This week, Leon Mann, the founder of the Black Collective of Media in Sport (BCOMS), joins SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly on the latest podcast. Mann, who set up BCOMS to address the under-representation of black people in the industry, discusses what can be done within the sports sector to change its approach to diversity in order to ensure greater representation, as well as translating messages of support into tangible progress.  Music: Surf Inspector by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4447-surf-inspector License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/