Business of Sport

This week, we’re delighted to welcome Marcos Galperin to the show. Marcos is the founder of Latin American e-commerce giant Mercado Libre. Last year, he bought the Miami Sharks, a Major League Rugby expansion franchise, combining a lifelong passion for the game with asset ownership in a high potential league and market. There are some crazy numbers in the world of sports valuations, and the opport...

This week, we are delighted to welcome Alexis Ohanian. Alexis has become a prolific sports asset owner and investor, with controlling stakes in the NWSL’s Angel City, TGL franchise Los Angeles Golf Club, and new athletics venture Athlos. Alongside his involvement in sport, Alexis is the Founder and General Partner of 776, an early stage venture capital firm with $970m AUM. He is also one of the co...

This week we’re delighted to welcome Brett Johnson to the show. Brett is the co-owner of Ipswich in the Premier League and Phoenix Rising and Rhode Island in the US. The rise of Ipswich since his group takeover is nothing short of ownership dreamland, seeing the club achieve back to back promotions from League One to the Premier League. But this is only the most recent success for Brett in footbal...

Carolyn is the co-owner and Governor of current NWSL champions Gotham FC. The NWSL is the flourishing women’s football, or soccer, league in the US. Much like the MLS, franchise slots for the league have become a coveted asset to own, with former Disney CEO Bob Iger reportedly paying $250m for Angel City last month.  Carolyn and her family’s ownership stake in Gotham was announced in 2023. Th...

This week we’re delighted to welcome Sean Fitzpatrick to the show. Sean was capped 92 times by New Zealand, 51 of those as captain. A World Cup winner and key member of one of the best rugby union teams, he is recognised as one of the greatest All Blacks of all time.  Sean is more than the sum of his rugby achievements. He has been an integral part of bringing the now famous All Black culture...

Today, we are delighted to welcome Alfonso Diaz, CEO of La Liga’s Real Mallorca. We’ve wanted to do a show featuring a Spanish club for a long time, and Mallorca is a truly unique club to do this with. From an ownership structure featuring legendary NBA All Stars Steve Nash and Steve Kerr, to mobilising not just a hugely passionate local island fanbase, but a booming tourist industry, Real Mallorc...

This week I’m delighted to welcome Paul McVeigh to the show. We spend a lot of time looking at sports away from performance reviews. When we focus on players or athletes, we want to know, who are the people and personalities behind the faces we become so familiar with, and how do they convert what they've learnt beyond sport? Footballers as intelligent, creative, innovative individuals is not some...

Jonathan is a board member at Tottenham. We’ve covered ownership, management, players, but what happens in the boardroom of football's biggest clubs? Brought in by Daniel Levy, and a lifelong fan with a background in investment and technology, Jonathan brings the breadth of experience and perspective that’s increasingly valuable in football. How much of a meeting is focused on business strategy an...

This week, we are delighted to welcome Matt Higgins to the show. Concisely explaining Matt’s career is a challenge. In the world of sport, he has been a managing executive at the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins in the NFL, founder of sports events and media company Relevent Sports, an early investor in the Drone Racing League.  In the business world, the story is equally impressive. The youn...

It’s the start of Euro 2024 this week. To celebrate, we are bringing you one of the stories of the tournament, before it’s even started. Georgia made history early in the year when they qualified for their first ever major tournament, an occasion which saw much of the population on the streets celebrating this longed for achievement. The team put together behind the scenes played a key role in ach...

This week we welcome Spurs defender Ben Davies to the show. One of the Premier League’s most experienced current players with nearly 300 top flight appearances for Tottenham and Swansea, he has also won 86 caps for Wales. But there is much more to Ben than just the footballer. We couldn’t go through this chat without getting the inside track on his 10 years at Spurs and winning trophies with his b...

Robbie Douek is CEO of Blast, one of the leading tournament providers in the ever present esports industry. I’m really excited to bring you this show. We have had more requests for an esports episode than any other over the past few months, and this industry is the epitome of modern entertainment meets traditional fandom.  Blast hosts events in some of the most popular games, like Counter-Str...

Today, we are delighted to welcome rugby union legend Sam Warburton to the show. At 22, Sam was made captain of Wales, becoming the 3rd youngest captain in their history. He oversaw one of the most successful periods in Welsh rugby, winning the 6 Nations twice including a historic Grand Slam in 2012, while also guiding them to a World Cup semi-final in 2011.  He also became the youngest capta...

This week's show is a very special one, as we welcome Lina Nielsen to the Business of Sport. Lina is a 400m hurdler for Great Britain. She was recently a member of the bronze winning relay team in the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, alongside her sister, and is about to compete in a series of qualifiers to reach this summer's Olympic Games in Paris.  But there is a unique addition to L...

This week, we are delighted to welcome Nico Rosberg to the show. Nico is a Formula One legend. He competed in 206 Grand Prix’s, with 23 wins, 30 pole’s, 57 podiums, and over 1500 championship points. Nico’s World Championship win when driving alongside childhood friend Lewis Hamilton for Mercedes is one of the most iconic in the history of the sport, and saw him follow in the footsteps of his fath...

This week, we are delighted to welcome Eni Aluko to the show. Categorizing Eni’s career is a hard one. Former professional footballer, media personality, investor, sporting executive. Eni has been a prominent figure in the sport for nearly 20 years. As a player, she most notably represented Chelsea and Juventus, while winning over 100 caps for England, playing a huge role in establishing the women...

This week, ahead of the Grand National on Saturday, we are delighted to welcome Nevin Truesdale to the show. Nevin is the CEO of The Jockey Club, the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the UK. It owns 15 of the country’s most famous racecourses, including Cheltenham and Aintree, as well as thoroughbred horse breeding farm ‘The National Stud’ and land management company ‘Jockey Club Es...

Today, we bring you a guest who's sending ripples through the sporting and political landscape. Aron D’Souza is the President of the Enhanced Games, the first pro-choice and pro-science alternative to the Olympics. A lawyer by trade, Aron led Peter Thiel’s infamous litigation against Gawker Media involving wrestler Hulk Hogan, a relationship that has led to the PayPal founder becoming one of the E...

Today, we are delighted to welcome Matthew Porter. Matthew is the CEO of the Professional Darts Corporation, more commonly known as the PDC, overseeing the sport of darts and it’s  iconic tournaments, including the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.  Since his appointment in 2008, Matthew has played an integral role in building out the darts calendar, introducing events such a...

Today, we are delighted to welcome David Buttress. David was the co-founder and CEO of Just Eat, launching the UK business in 2006 and taking it from startup to Europe’s largest technology stock market floatation in a decade in 2014. In the world of sport, David is the owner the of Welsh United Rugby Championship club, Dragons, as well as acting as Non Executive Director of the Welsh Rugby Union’s...

Today, we are delighted to welcome British Olympic legend Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill. An Olympic gold and silver medallist, European champion and 3x world champion, Jess competed at the highest level in the heptathlon for over a decade. Under the pressure and expectation that came with being the face of London 2012, Jess’s gold medal at the Games will forever be one of the most iconic moments in Brit...

Today, we are delighted to welcome Tom Beahon. Tom is the co-founder and co-CEO of Castore, the premium British sportswear brand which he runs with his brother Phil.  Having started his career as an aspiring professional footballer at Tranmere Rovers, Tom's love of sport and passion for business led him to setting up Castore with his brother. They currently produce the kits for the England Cricket...

Today we are delighted to welcome Manoj Badale. Manoj is the Co-owner of one of the Indian Premier League's most notable franchises, Rajasthan Royals. One of the founding members of the tournament in 2008, the Royals went on to win the first iteration, cementing a special place in franchise cricket history.  Since then, the IPL has become one of the most followed and valued sports leagues in...

Today, we are delighted to welcome Maheta Molango to the show. As Chief Executive of the PFA, Maheta has one of the biggest jobs in football, leading the union that represents 55,000 current and former professional players in the UK.  A former professional footballer for the likes of Atletico Madrid and Brighton, Maheta has been involved in all aspects of the game. Before taking up his curren...

Today, we are delighted to welcome Tom Cleverley. Tom is a former England, Manchester United, Everton and Watford midfielder. Tom played over 300 league games, winning the Premier League in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season with Manchester United in 2013. Having retired in the summer, Tom has taken his first steps into management, taking charge of Watford’s U18 team.  In today’s show, we discu...