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Pro boxing can learn lessons from Tyson and Triller’s opportunism
The slow-moving, divided nature of top-level professional boxing has left the sport’s highest echelons more vulnerable to the Covid-19 shutdown. Tyson vs. Jones Jr. proves that a little flexibility can go a long way. Callum McCarthy reports.
How can the sports business in Asia respond to a de-globalised world?
How will global sports industries adapt to the likely prospect of a more inward looking world? And can cancelled events easily win back the hearts of fans in Asia? SportBusiness asks three experts on the region for their thoughts.
Terrence Burns | When a game is more than a game
Terence Burns remembers how a game of table tennis thawed relations between the US and China and shows how the Olympic Games can provide an antidote to an increasingly polarized world.
Pro Football Hall of Fame looks to overcome $5m hit with “Super Bowl-like” event in 2021
Pro Football Hall of Fame president David Baker tells SportBusiness how the iconic facility in Canton, Ohio, is looking to overcome calling off Hall of Fame Game and postponing its centennial enshrinement ceremony this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic
Adelaide adopts holistic approach to maximise sporting opportunities
South Australia’s major city has gone to considerable efforts to boost the impact of sporting events that grab the imagination. Bradley Rial investigates.
WHO says large sports crowds this year “unrealistic”
The World Health Organisation said it is "unrealistic" to expect large numbers of spectators to attend sports events this year in countries still affected by "community-level transmission" of Covid-19
Round-Up: Olympics ‘to go ahead amid pandemic’, Tencent pushes for games streaming merger, PKL teams ‘reject Star offer’, and more
Next year's Tokyo Olympics will take place even if the Covid-19 pandemic is still underway, said Toshiro Muto, chief executive of the Games' organising committee
USTA reduces US Open prize money in wake of Covid-19
The winners of this year's US Open singles and doubles competitions will receive less money than in 2019 due to the financial effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic
Bundesliga clubs agree on guidelines for safe spectator return
The German Football League (DFL) has agreed on a set of guidelines for the possible return of spectators to stadiums for Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga matches
Former agent and translator aims to create Asian basketball’s ‘Champions League’
SportBusiness speaks to Matt Beyer, the chief executive of the East Asia Super League about his plans for the competition and his background working as a translator for Yi Jianlian in the NBA
The inside view as China sacrifices international sports events
The Chinese government recently said the country will not be hosting most of its planned international sports events this year, putting a number of major events in doubt. SportBusiness asked three local industry insiders for their thoughts on the potential for disruption.
Abu Dhabi to use UFC ‘Fight Island’ as a pilot project for sealed spectator events
Abu Dhabi is using UFC's 'Fight Island' as a pilot project to determine if it can expand the event's 'safety bubble' model to include spectators. SportBusiness speaks to Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, executive director of tourism and marketing for the city's Department of Culture and Tourism.
Protracted return for professional sport in China
Tom King looks at how China is getting its sporting calendar back on track, and how the global health crisis has affected some of the weaker industry players in the country.
UFC Fight Island: Stringent testing underpins Abu Dhabi event
The Abu Dhabi government has turned the majority of Yas Island into a ten-square-mile safe zone just for the UFC, with each of the 2,500 people on site being tested for Covid-19 on five separate occasions during their stay.
United Soccer League ready to lay down “bold” marker with local market strategy
USL executive vice president Court Jeske speaks to SportBusiness about the opportunities and challenges of the USL Championship's return in home venues amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
#Sport4Recovery aims to unite stakeholders and push for sport’s safe return
Last month, the Infront agency announced the launch of its new initiative, #Sport4Recovery. Adam Nelson speaks to some of the founding partners of the programme about how the scheme aims to highlight the social and health benefits of sport as well as the economic ones.
Cricket beyond Covid | Connor, McCrum and Gould on the potential for a Women’s IPL
In the final part of our Cricket beyond Covid virtual roundtable, Clare Connor, managing director of women's cricket at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), Jake Lush McCrum, chief operating officer…
Asia-Pacific industry reacts to the award of the 2023 Women’s World Cup
Asia-Pacific sports industry insiders react to the award of the 2023 Fifa Women's World Cup to Australia and New Zealand.
Cricket Beyond Covid | Connor, Gould and McCrum on the postponement of The Hundred
In part 2 of our cricket roundtable interview with Clare Connor, managing director of Women's cricket at the ECB, Jake Lush McCrum, chief operations officer for the Rajasthan Royals and Richard Gould,…
Jon Tibbs: Olympic federations proving adept at imagining the new normal
Jon Tibbs, founder and chairman of sports communications agency, Jon Tibbs Associates, thinks some of the good habits and innovative thinking Olympic federations have adopted during the Covid-19 lockdown could endure long after the crisis.
Cricket beyond Covid | Connor, Gould and McCrum on dealing with the pandemic
In part 1 of a three-part interview, Matthew Williams speaks with managing director of women's cricket at the ECB, Clare Connor, Rajasthan Royals chief operating officer Jake Lush McCrum and Surrey County…
Major sporting events to bear scars of Covid-19 pandemic “for a decade”
Major sporting events are likely to bear the scars of the Covid-19 pandemic for the majority of the coming decade, though in the long-term the sector should recover to full health, experts believe.
Japanese sport sets out on the long road back
Japan’s biggest domestic sports league, Nippon Professional Baseball, commenced its 2020 season on June 19 following a three-month delay due to Covid-19.
Joe Carr | Take an unfortunate situation and create opportunity
Action sports media company Thrill One Sports & Entertainment launched in January, just ahead of the pandemic which brought most live sport to a grinding halt. Chief executive Joe Carr tells SportBusiness how Covid-19 impacted on the new company’s event business and how its creative digital strategy has served to increase reach and deepen engagement with fans.
“Nothing should be off the table” | Commonwealth Games’ Grevemberg on major events after the pandemic
The CGF's chief executive tells Adam Nelson that collaboration and innovation will be crucial as events owners and organisers look to navigate the post-Covid-19 landscape.
Singapore focuses on return on investment as city’s Covid-19 recovery plan gathers pace
Singapore’s biggest annual sporting event, the Formula 1 Grand Prix, has become a casualty of the pandemic, but as a regional hub for major sports agencies and with a track record of hosting major events, ‘destination Singapore’ is preparing to welcome back sport with a cost-conscious approach.
“It’s like having a Summer Olympics” | Orlando prepares for the arrival of NBA and MLS
Florida city ready to capitalize on its position as the epicenter of professional sports in the US this summer to rejuvenate its tourism industry and secure major sporting events. Bob Williams reports
“There’s going to be a strong trend towards localisation” | Andrew Messick, Ironman
Ironman Group chief executive Andrew Messick talks about the three steps the world's largest mass participation business has taken to minimise commercial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.