Inside Track
Nick Tuppen | The future’s still bright for mass participation events
Nick Tuppen, chief executive of Infront-owned Threshold Sports, an organiser of sports challenge events, predicts the mass participation sector will thrive as society emerges from the Covid pandemic
Kevin McCullagh | Coping with disaster
With a curtailed Tokyo Olympics about to begin, it is clear there is a long road ahead out of the pandemic for the Asia-Pacific sports industry. Some admirable qualities traditionally associated with Japan could prove valuable along the way.
Eric Fisher | Women’s pro leagues hit key inflection point
SportBusiness' US editor looks at the meteoric business growth over the past year for several North American pro women's leagues and how they are closing the gap compared to their male counterparts
Nic Couchman | The evolution of sport as an investment asset class
Nic Couchman, head of sport at Charles Russell Speechlys, examines the ways sports rights-holders have worked with private equity houses and considers the key features of successful investment partnerships
Inspired or infringing? The fine margins for marketers seeking to win big at the Olympics
Alex Kelham, joint-head of the Sports Business Group at law firm Lewis Silkin, predicts how brands will seek to associate themselves with this year's Olympic Games through ambush marketing campaigns
Allen Soong | Restructuring will allow sports teams to recapture fans, dollars and their future
Allen Soong, partner at California-based financial consulting firm Paladin, explores the expanding opportunities for more nimble sports organizations in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic
Andy Dolich | Citius, Altius, Fortius and the future of the Olympic Games
Former NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL senior executive Andy Dolich discusses the state of the Olympic movement and the challenges it faces in the build up to the delayed Tokyo Olympics
Murray Barnett | How to make the right decisions when going ‘over the top’
Murray Barnett, a sports media and commercial expert formerly of F1, World Rugby and ESPN, and director of new OTT consultancy D2C Sport, says sports rights-holders needs to be wary of getting the wrong advice when developing a streaming service
Simon Bazalgette | Time for secondary ticketing to come in from the cold
Former Jockey Club chair Simon Bazalgette, who now runs specialist sports investment advisory and consultancy firm GVS, argues the secondary ticketing market is at a crossroads following the CMA’s refusal to sanction viagogo’s acquisition of StubHub
Sam Yardley | International sponsorship is the new major league frontier
Sam Yardley, executive vice-president, North America at Two Circles, explains why international fans are central to sponsorship growth for US major league teams
Catherine Forshaw | The legal repercussions of Osaka’s French Open withdrawal
Catherine Forshaw, solicitor at independent law firm Brabners, examines the legal implications for event organisers of Osaka’s decision not to do press during the recent Roland Garros tournament and her subsequent withdrawal citing mental health issues
Luca Ferrari | Does Uefa have the right to punish breakaway ESL clubs?
Luca Ferrari, head of the global sports practice for legal firm Withersworldwide, examines whether Uefa is within its legal right to punish the three clubs that have refused to repent their involvement in the breakaway European Super League
James Paul | Buying low: Why investment will continue to flow into football
James Paul, head of sport finance at Blackstar Capital, discusses why investors will be regarding European football with interest in the coming months – even with the flattening of the ESL project
Luca Massaro | Five steps to maximise post-Covid attendances
Luca Massaro, CEO of performance marketing agency WePlay, offers five marketing steps that will encourage fans back into stadiums once lockdown restrictions ease
Gareth Capon | What NBC’s push into Twitch means for the Olympics
Gareth Capon, chief executive of cloud video platform Grabyo, gives his assessment of the recent deal between NBCUniversal and Twitch to deliver a channel entirely devoted to the Olympics
Christian Mueller | Ensuring your content strategy caters to the whole house
The evolution of media consumption habits is presenting sports rights-holders with a dizzying array of new challenges. Dr. Christian Mueller, chief executive of Infront X, identifies the major changes content producers need to be aware of
Bo Pearl and Anna Alvarado | Are vaccine passports the ticket to packed live events?
Paul Hastings LLP attorney James "Bo" Pearl and law student Anna Alvarado explore the legal landscape around teams requiring Covid-19 vaccines to attend live events
Stephen Reid | Hybrid hospitality is the new norm for brands
Stephen Reid, managing director for Hill+Knowlton’s Sports Marketing, Entertainment, Culture and Sponsorship Team across the Middle East, Turkey, India and Africa, looks at the opportunities ahead for ‘hybrid’ hospitality activations