Sports Pundit Podcast Network

Ali Russell, Managing Director of Extreme H and veteran in sustainable motorsport, shares his journey from football to the thrilling world of racing. He dives into the innovative shift from electric to hydrogen-powered racing, emphasizing its potential to redefine sustainability. With insights on creating a mixed-gender racing format and the challenges behind founding Extreme E, Ali highlights the importance of using motorsport to raise climate awareness. His vision for Extreme H's World Cup format promises an exciting future for eco-friendly racing.

On today’s episode, Rich and Andy are joined by Tim Foster MBE, an Olympic champion who has successfully transitioned into leadership and education coaching within the business of sports.Now Head of Performance for the League Managers Association (LMA), Foster provides mentoring, advice, learning, development programmes, workshops, webinars, and all areas of support relevant to football managers, their wellbeing, career, professional and personal development.The discussion explores Foster’s journey of high performance, from his early days as an elite athlete to his gold medal win at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Tim delves into the mental and physical challenges of competing at the highest level, the importance of teamwork, and how those experiences have shaped his approach to coaching and leadership in the business of sports.Timestamps03:00 – Tim’s Early Rowing Career and Olympic Journey7:00 - Talent Identification and Evolution in Rowing17:00 Setting Goals and Maintaining Drive23:00 Reflecting on Transitioning from Athlete to Coach32:00 Working with Elite Football Managers36:00 - Cross Sport Learning and LeadershipAdditional LinksNo Stats All Star - New York Times ArticleGold Fever Full (2000) - BBC DocumentaryAbout The HostRich Buchanan is a human performance consultant with extensive experience at the highest levels of sport, including roles as Performance Director at Swansea City FC in the Premier League and consultant for DC United in Major League Soccer.With a background spanning coaching, physiotherapy, and strength and conditioning, Rich specialises in building multi-disciplinary teams that deliver resilient, high-performing support systems. Passionate about holistic performance, Rich is committed to evolving best practices and helping organisations sustain long-term success.Connect on LinkedInAbout Sports PunditSports Pundit is a community-driven platform for executives working in sport, built around content, events, and conversation. Through its weekly newsletter, social channels, WhatsApp groups, and podcast network, it connects industry leaders across the globe.At the heart of the platform is the Sports Pundit Podcast Network, a multi-show lineup created for sports executives, by sports executives. The network features six domain-specific podcasts spanning innovation, marketing, finance, performance, and media, alongside a conversational companion show, The Pitch. Together, they deliver insider perspectives that live up to Sports Pundit’s mission to be “The Voice of the Sports Industry.”Produced by OH SIXThe Sports Pundit Podcast is proudly produced by OH SIX, a content marketing agency specialising in producing digital and social-first content that connects. Trusted by Premier League clubs, F1 teams, and top brands, OH SIX deliver premium content end-to-end, from ideation, working with talent during production and platform specific content to reach audiences on screen.

Manny Brown, a veteran football content creator and founder of Under the Radar FC, shares insights on crafting gripping stories that resonate beyond mainstream media. He discusses the birth of his Sunday-league project and how it creates a loyal community around grassroots football. Manny highlights the challenges of being a creator, balancing personal life while managing an engaged audience. He also explores innovative formats that connect younger fans and the importance of humanizing athletes for a more relatable sports experience.

In the inaugural episode of The Pitch Podcast, Andy and Drew discuss the concept of creating this new show which is centered around ideas and innovations across the sports industry, as well as introducing the Sports Pundit Podcast Network. The conversation explores the idea of extending programming around sports events to create additional value, such as hosting conferences or tourism experiences. The discussion also delves into various opportunities for enhancing sports tourism and maximising the physical experience of attending sports events.Timestamps03:00 - The Evolution of the Sports Pundit Network06:00  - First Pitch: Formula One Business Summit and Expanding Sports Events with Additional Inventory15:00 - Sports as Tourism: Capturing Economic Value29:00 - Conclusion and Invitation for Listener ParticipationAboutVisit our website (sportspundit.co) to find previous episodes, dive into our newsletters, and connect with other execs both online via the WhatsApp Group and IRL via our social events.This episode was produced by OH SIX, specialists in sports and branded video content. They bring experience working with F1 teams, Premier League clubs, and some of the world’s top creators. 

On today’s episode, we visit one of my favourite conversations with Matthew Jafarian, Executive Vice President of Business Strategy at the Miami HEAT.Over the past eight years, Matthew has led one of the most ambitious digital transformations in American sports, overseeing the HEAT’s approach to data, technology, and strategy. But what really sets him apart is the fact that he hasn’t just transformed his own organisation, he’s also helping to reshape the entire industry.Matthew is also the co-founder of 601 Analytics, a data and analytics platform born inside the HEAT that’s now used by over 20% of the NBA, the league office, and teams across the NFL, NHL, NWSL, MLB, and (soon) MLS. From fan insights to ticketing to food and beverage optimisation, it’s become the operating system behind some of the smartest front offices in sport.In this conversation, we dig into how the role of data is evolving in sport, why teams need to start acting like the billion-dollar businesses they are, and what it means to build a company within a world-famous organisation.Timestamps01:00 - Matthew's Journey to Joining the HEAT03:00 - Digital Transformation and the Start of 601 Analytics 08:00 - Expanding to the Milwaukee Bucks14:00 - Balancing Roles and Responsibilities19:00 - Solving Industry Challenges24:00 Leveraging Consumer Profiles and Loyalty29:00 Expanding into Europe32:00 - Court Culture and Empowering Entrepreneurial Ventures35:00 - Approach to Investing and Sports Technology40:00 - Customer-Centric Growth Strategy42:00 - Closing Remarks and Future OpportunitiesAdditional Links⁠Miami Heat: the basketball team turned tech startup⁠⁠Miami Heat Tech Team Expands Data Services To NBA And Beyond⁠⁠Miami HEAT boosts season ticket sales by 30% and saves approximately $1 million on operations⁠⁠⁠Connect with Matthew on LinkedIn - ⁠Here⁠Connect with Andy on LinkedIn - ⁠Here⁠

This is the fifth episode in a series of 5 focused on #Performance and hosted by Rich Buchanan, a former Performance Director at Swansea City FC in the Premier League and Human Performance Consultant for DC United in the MLS. On today’s episode, Rich is joined by Alex Igual, Sport Technology and Partnership Manager at FIBA.FIBA is the world governing body for basketball that amongst many other things, is responsible for organising international competitions, establishing the rules and regulations of basketball and developing the game globally. Alex is right at the cutting edge where technological innovation impacts on court outcomes and FIBA’s business objectives.Connect with Rich on LinkedIn - HereConnect with Rich on LinkedIn - ⁠⁠Here⁠⁠#AdThis series is kindly supported by  award-winning sports technology and innovation company, Genius Sports.  Discover the new operating system for sport brought to you by the world leader in AI and sports data by visiting ⁠⁠⁠geniussports.com/perform/⁠⁠⁠

Today, we revisit a conversation with Em Heath, Global Brand Director at Rexona, a key player globally in Unilever’s personal care brand portfolio.Formerly a sponsor of Williams F1, the brand has taken a serious liking to women’s football - partnering with Man City and Chelsea, doing deals with players like Lauren James and Lucy Bronze, as well as playing a key role in activating around marquee properties like the Women’s World Cup and Women’s Euros, as part of Unilever’s broader partnerships with FIFA and UEFA.We explore this interest in women’s football and the nuances of activating across almost every area of the women’s game, the role that brands can play within women’s sport, and the intricacies of managing a global brand.Timestamps2:00 - Em's Journey4.30: - How Rexona Fits within Unilever Personal Care Portfolio8:00 - Activating Partnerships with UEFA and FIFA15:00 - Balancing Sports Partnerships with Other Areas of Marketing18:00 - Leveraging Ambassadors at Club Partners - like Lucy Bronze and Lauren James20:30 - What Attracted Rexona to Partner with Chelsea and Man City26:00 - Chicken and Egg Problem Surrounding Women's Sport29:00 - What is Rexona's Breaking Limits Program?34:00 - Meeting KPIs and Measuring ROI 40:00 - Evaluating New Partners - and why Rexona Stopped Sponsoring in Formula 145:00 - Looking Forward Additional Links⁠Rexona Partners with England Football Star Lucy Bronze to Inspire Girls to Move More⁠⁠ICC and Unilever announce groundbreaking partnership on International Women’s Day to strengthen the future of women’s cricket⁠Connect with Emily on LinkedIn - ⁠Here⁠Connect with Andy on LinkedIn - ⁠Here

This is the fourth episode in a series of 5 focused on #Performance and hosted by Rich Buchanan, a former Performance Director at Swansea City FC in the Premier League and Human Performance Consultant for DC United in the MLS. On today’s episode of the Sports Pundit Performance Podcast, Andy was joined by Spencer Jones of the Denver Nuggets.On a two-way contract with the Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League, Spencer has continually beat the odds. From being a last minute admission to Stanford to captaining the team for three seasons, and initially going undrafted, only to now find himself in the NBA. What is most interesting about Spencer is how he continually applies himself both on and off the court. This includes actively engaging with and investing in startups, particularly in the human performance space, as well as being one of very few NBA players active on LinkedIn. Filling in on this episode for Rich, Andy does his best to address the conversation from a performance lens, however, I also took an interest in how he thinks about investing and leveraging his position as a professional athlete. Timestamps4:00 - Spencer's Journey to the NBA7:00 - Leveraging Access and Opportunity 14:00 - Angel Investing in Sports and Health Tech 18:00 - Applying Off-Court Investments into On-Court Performance 23:00 - Maximising Sleep and Recovery 27:00 - Future AmbitionsAdditional LinksConnect with Spencer on LinkedIn - HereConnect with Rich on LinkedIn - Here#AdThis series is kindly supported by  award-winning sports technology and innovation company, Genius Sports.  Discover the new operating system for sport brought to you by the world leader in AI and sports data by visiting ⁠⁠⁠geniussports.com/perform/⁠⁠⁠

Dan Porter, CEO of Overtime, transforms how sports engage Gen-Z. He shares his journey from creating the viral game ‘Draw Something’ to leading a media powerhouse. Dan discusses Overtime's evolution into a league operator, emphasizing that young athletes are stars now, not just in the future. He delves into the impact of NIL on athlete branding and Overtime’s strategic partnerships with the NFL and ATP Tour. Tune in for insights on building an IP empire and the innovative landscape of modern sports!

Rowena Samarasinhe, founder of GENSport and a leading systems thinker in global sport, joins Leanne Bats to envision the future of women's sports following the Lionesses' historic success. They discuss the necessity for innovative approaches that diverge from traditional men's models, emphasizing unique storytelling and branding strategies. Topics include the contrast between US and UK models, challenges in investment, and the potential of under-the-radar women’s sports markets. Their conversation inspires a call to action for supporting and investing in the growth of women's athletics.