SportsPro Podcast

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly talks to Sanjay Bhandari, the chair of English soccer’s anti-discrimination charity, Kick It Out.    They reflect on the widespread social media boycott with which UK sport began the month of May, how that protest came together and its realistic goals. The discussion covers how racist, sexist and other abuse has become so prevalent for some users of those pl...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly is joined by Hattie Park, sustainability manager at the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), and Matthew Campelli, founder and editor of the Sustainability Report and director of sustainability at Touchline, to discuss how sport can meet the ‘triple-bottom line’ of social, environmental and economic impact. They talk about the challenges and benefits of wor...

SportsPro senior contributor Matt Rogan is joined by the hugely experienced sports and gaming executive Peter Moore: veteran of Reebok, Sega of America, Microsoft, EA Sports, and former chief executive of Liverpool FC; now working with Unity Technologies, and as an adviser to new owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny at soccer club Wrexham AFC.   In a wide-ranging conversation, Peter explores the...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and digital editor Tom Bassam are joined by Minal Modha, principal analyst and consumer research lead at Ampere Analysis, to review day two of SportsPro Live 2021.   The broadcast sector dominates the agenda, with Tom recapping his interview with DAZN co-CEO James Rushton, after an eventful year for the global streaming service, and the trio discussing Disco...

In the first of two live specials, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and deputy editor Sam Carp are joined by Seven League consulting partner Charlie Beall to recap day one of SportsPro Live 2021. They listen in on clips featuring England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Tom Harrison, Milwaukee Bucks EVP of business operations Raven Jemison and Matchroom Sport's Eddie Hearn, and...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly speaks to Sarah Lewis, the long-serving former secretary general of the International Ski Federation (FIS) who is now running for the presidency of the organisation.  Lewis outlines what has shaped her candidacy and her attitudes to leadership since her shock dismissal from the FIS last October, and what has influenced her thoughts on the future of snow spor...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly brings in managing director Nick Meacham, deputy editor Sam Carp, New York Times global sports reporter Tariq Panja and The Athletic football news reporter Matt Slater to recap the rapid rise and fall of European soccer’s Super League.  They try to piece together a dramatic but ultimately catastrophic launch and communications plan; ask whether the project w...

SportsPro senior contributor Matt Rogan returns to talk to Tracey Greaves, chief commercial officer and chief executive of Kinrara at the Goodwood Group. They discuss the unique challenges of leading the commercial fortunes of a wide array of businesses within the historic organisation, balancing tradition with innovation for an iconic brand and building a premium experience that delivers on custo...

In a session from the most recent event in the SportsPro Insider Series, Women's Tennis Association (WTA) president Micky Lawler and Danita Johnson, president of business operations at Major League Soccer's (MLS) DC United, tell CNN Sport's Amanda Davies about their experience as women leading sports organisations. They discuss the pathways that have taken them into their respective positions and...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly talks to Louise Johnson, UK and EMEA chief executive at sports and entertainment marketing agency Fuse, about Covid-era challenges in sponsorship and the future shape of the sector.  They discuss brand plans and expectations as fans begin their return to live events, the balance between physical and digital activations in the years ahead, the launch of right...

On the eve of the 2021 Masters at Augusta, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly speaks to BBC Sport golf correspondent Iain Carter and industry veteran Giles Morgan about the prospect of an elite world tour in the game. On the agenda: the incentives for the PGA Tour and European Tour in greater collaboration, the opportunity in combining with women’s golf, the spectre of the Premier Golf League...

SportsPro senior contributor Matt Rogan talks to John Deadman, director of sport and co-curricular activity at Dr Challoner’s School, about how sport is shaping young people and vice versa.   John explains what went into building a culture of success, and what success really means, at the UK’s leading state-funded sports school of the past year. They also discuss what comes next: the lasting value...

SportsPro editor-at-large Eoin Connolly talks to Al Guido, president of the San Francisco 49ers. They discuss the implications of the NFL’s massive new set of broadcast rights deals, how the 49ers have adapted to pandemic restrictions and what they have planned for the return of fans, the job of turning Levi’s Stadium into a mass vaccination site, the lessons learned through their minority stake i...

SportsPro editor-at-large Eoin Connolly talks to Timo Lumme, the managing director of television and marketing services at the International Olympic Committee.    They discuss the adaptations made to pull the Games together for Tokyo 2020, the significance of a stable hosting schedule for the next decade, how the IOC’s TOP global sponsorship programme has been regenerated in recent years, digital...

Ahead of the new Formula One season, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly sits down with the BlackBook Motorsport's executive director Peter Jones and staff writer Georgina Yeomans to preview the upcoming campaign. Then (34.01), Yeomans in on the line with Ellie Norman, Formula One's director of marketing and communications, to hear what the series is doing to engage with younger fans, where im...

SportsPro senior contributor Matt Rogan talks to Jim Donald, the hugely experienced production director behind London's New Year's Eve fireworks display and a host of opening ceremonies and tech launches.  The discuss the creativity, communication and deep collaboration that goes into delivering complex events, when you need to consider everything from the weather to the realities of flying drones...

With the NFL's new multi-billion dollar rights deals dominating the sports business headlines, SportsPro digital editor Tom Bassam speaks to Patrick Crakes, principal of Crakes Media Consulting and Fox Sports' former senior vice president programming, research and content strategy. In a comprehensive roundup, Crakes gives experts insight into what the contracts mean for the NFL and the wider US br...

In this episode, The New York Times’ global sports reporter Tariq Panja returns to the podcast alongside SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly. The two look at the latest goings on for the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics and Euro 2020, as well as what the state of play is for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Uefa and wider sport.    Then (41.48), Eoin speaks to Daniel Heal, partner and glob...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly talks to Carsten Thode, founder and chief executive of the radical event startup Aphetor.   They discuss the insights about the traditional sports rights model that inspired this “gonzo journalism version of the X-Games”, how the “innovator’s dilemma” makes it harder for sport to break out of its commercial conventions, the value of building your own audienc...

In a new entry from the SportsPro Insider Series, editorial director Michael Long talks to Courtside VC partner Deepen Parekh, Drive by DraftKings managing partner and chief executive Meredith McPherron and Elevate president Chip Bowers about the sports tech ideas to invest in now.    They discuss the sports tech trends to watch, and be wary of, in 2021, as well as how the pandemic has changed the...

SportsPro senior contributor Matt Rogan talks to Emily Frazer, managing director of Matchroom Multi-Sport, about the confidence, collaboration and adaptability it takes to make things work inside one of the world’s pre-eminent sports promoters.   They discuss how the multi-sport project has developed out of the Matchroom Sport stable, preparing teams for the unexpected at home and abroad, and how...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly returns to recap the second day of the SportsPro OTT Summit USA.    ESPN’s Burke Magnus and the PGA Tour’s Rick Anderson lay out the state of the union for SportsPro managing director Nick Meacham (2.18), and Verimatrix chief revenue officer Lu Bolden (20.20) talks to Eoin about how security solutions can keep up with an ever-wider range of integrated digita...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly presents selected highlights from the first day of the SportsPro OTT Summit USA.   He shares part of his interview on the virtual stage with UFC chief operating officer Lawrence Epstein (2.50) about the MMA promoter’s media strategy, and talks to Jean Macher, the business development director for SaaS Solutions at platinum partner Harmonic (17.59), about sup...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly speaks to Jordan Gardner, chairman and co-owner of Danish Superliga soccer club FC Helsingor, about the dynamics of investment into the European game.    Gardner explains where he sees the opportunities in the sport, what he has learned in Denmark and through smaller investments in Championship team Swansea City and League of Ireland team Dundalk, his owners...

With SportsPro's OTT Summit USA taking place next week, editor at large Eoin Connolly and digital editor Tom Bassam highlight some of the sessions to look out for, as well as discussing some of the more intriguing current trends from the world of over-the-top (OTT) broadcasting. Then (24.01), Eoin is on the line with Akamai's director of industry and product marketing for EMEA, Ian Munford, to hea...