The Covid hiatus led to promises of major reforms in the sports industry, but has anything really changed? Five (and a bit) years on from the coronavirus pandemic, SportsPro's Cian Brittle, Elena Kouyoufa, Michael Long and Sam Carp reflect on how the sports industry has (and hasn’t) transformed since. From the rising tide of private equity and the emergence of newfangled fan engagement tools like NFTs to bubble tournaments and fake crowd noise, the team discuss what ideas have tested positive an...
May 08, 2025•30 min
With the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season in full swing, Subhayu Roy, director of CricViz in India, joins the podcast to lift the lid on how the Ellipse Data-owned cricket data and analytics provider is powering teams to success, delivering insights across everything from fan engagement to performance analysis. Talking points: Why the IPL is a commercial juggernaut The work CricViz does with the IPL and the difference it makes Trends and shifts in how IPL teams are leveraging data Effecti...
Apr 10, 2025•39 min
Zimbabwean Kirsty Coventry is the first woman and first African to be elected as president of the International Olympic Committee in its 130-year history. At 41, the former swimmer turned politician is also set to become the youngest person ever to hold perhaps the most influential position in global sport. In this episode, SportsPro’s Michael Long, Sam Carp and Ed Dixon reflect on the vote that saw Coventry, a former Olympic gold medallist in the pool, make history by defeating her rivals in a ...
Mar 27, 2025•35 min
To mark International Women's Day and shine a light on the barriers facing young girls in sport, SportsPro's Katie Preston and Elena Kouyoufa – co-hosts of the newly launched NEW ERA podcast – sit down with Stacie June, Global Head of Education & Advocacy at Dove, to explore how the personal care brand is tackling the dropout crisis. Last year, Dove was among 11 brands inducted into the Laureus Sport for Good Index , recognised for its efforts in driving positive impact through sport. Centra...
Mar 06, 2025•33 min
One year ahead of the 2026 Fifa World Cup and in what could be Lionel Messi’s final year in the league, the 2025 MLS season is now underway. As the competition celebrates its 30th year, Michael Long, Sam Carp and Josh Sim assess the commercial growth of the league, including its sponsorship portfolio, global following and broadcast partnership with Apple. Then, the trio reflect on the success of the NHL’s inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, which was a huge television hit in North America. ...
Feb 27, 2025•34 min
On this special episode recorded for SportsPro’s Impact Week, editorial director Michael Long is joined by Wayne Mumford, sports and leisure director at RSK Group. As one of the world’s leading sustainable engineering companies, RSK has built its sprawling business implementing sustainable solutions across a range of sectors, from water to energy - and now it’s turning its attention to sport. Mumford, a former commercial director in soccer, joins the show to discuss his personal experience of op...
Feb 20, 2025•37 min
SportsPro’s annual 20 ideas to invest in now spotlights the most noteworthy sports technology startups in the industry. In this tech special Sam Carp, Ed Dixon and Steve McCaskill break down this year’s list, discuss the findings from the tech investor roundtable, and there’s another quiz. The team also discuss why Football Manager 2025 has been cancelled and how the soccer management game is now directly influencing on-field performance and fan engagement, and there’s a bit of time to reflect o...
Feb 13, 2025•58 min
As anticipation builds for Super Bowl LIX, Sam Carp, Steve McCaskill and Josh Sim discuss what they’ll be looking out for when the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans this weekend. After a quickfire quiz to determine which of the two teams is winning the commercial battle off the field, the trio talk through the big business around the NFL’s championship game, what to expect from the broadcast on Fox, and the commercials already catching their eye. In part two of th...
Feb 06, 2025•54 min
With the Six Nations back on our screens this weekend, Ed Dixon, Michael Long and Sam Carp sit down to preview the tournament. The trio discuss the rumours around the tournament potentially switching to a pay-TV broadcaster in the UK, if a culture shift in rugby would mean more growth, and whether the sport can really crack the US market. There’s also time to unpick the latest goings on at Ineos amid continued unrest at Manchester United and an acrimonious split with sailing legend Ben Ainslie, ...
Jan 30, 2025•41 min
After seeing Donald Trump sworn in for a second term as president of the United States, Sam Carp, Michael Long and Ed Dixon consider what impact his return to the White House will have on sport. The trio reflect on the role team owners and other sporting personalities played in helping the 78-year-old win November's election before looking ahead to some of the major events set to take place under his watch, including the 2026 Fifa World Cup and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. As the PGA Tour and ...
Jan 23, 2025•33 min
New year, new leagues... Reviewing the TGL's debut and what to expect from Unrivaled There have barely been three weeks of 2025 but several new sports leagues have already been making their debut. In this episode, Sam Carp, Ed Dixon and Josh Sim discuss what they liked and what they didn't about the TGL's inaugural match and look ahead to the highly anticipated tip-off of three-on-three women's basketball league Unrivaled this weekend. Meanwhile, Josh shares the key takeaways from his interview ...
Jan 16, 2025•48 min
Michael Long, Sam Carp and Ed Dixon kick off 2025 by reviewing SportsPro’s list of Ten Influencers for the year ahead. With representatives from the worlds of sports media, women’s soccer, major events and more all featuring in the list, the trio discuss why these individuals are going to be shaping the sporting agenda in the coming months and how their influence will be felt across the industry. Find out more here 🔗 https://www.sportspro.com/insights/features/ten-influencers-2025-michele-kang-...
Jan 09, 2025•40 min
Chaos is the order of the day as SportsPro's annual Christmas quiz returns. There's a cameo from quizmaster George Breare as he oversees three rounds of sports-based questions to decide who comes out on top in the battle of the SportsPro editorial department, with Tom Bassam and Sam Carp teaming up to take on Steve McCaskill and Ed Dixon. Who wins? Tune in to find out.
Dec 19, 2024•37 min
Fifa's Club World Cup has a broadcaster, with DAZN paying $1 billion for the global rights to air the tournament next year. Tom Bassam is joined by SportsPro's Steve McCaskill and Ed Dixon to discuss whether it's time to take Gianni Infantino's pet project a bit more seriously. Also on the agenda are outgoing ICC chair Greg Barclay's less than kind comments about the state of cricket and the Bundesliga's resolved rights situation.
Dec 12, 2024•37 min
The WSL is already the leading women's domestic league in Europe, but it has bigger goals. Zarah Al-Kudcy joined the organisation from Chelsea as the top two tiers of the English women's game became independent of the FA under the leadership of Nikki Doucet. Al-Kudcy is the final guest in this series of How to Win, joining SportsPro CEO Nick Meacham and NorthStar Solutions Group CEO Chris Collins to explain how the WSL is being set up for success.
Dec 11, 2024•49 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Marina Storti is the CEO of WTA Ventures, the CVC-backed commercial arm of the WTA Tour. She was named as one of SportsPro’s ten influencers for 2024 and it’s fair to say she’s delivered, with the elite women’s tennis tour growing its revenues 24% this year. To reflect on that success and discuss the WTA Tour’s future, Sam Carp made the short trip to Storti’s office for an in-depth conversation.
Dec 05, 2024•37 min
Brighton are one of the most-admired football clubs in the business and one of the people who have helped oversee the Seagulls' dramatic rise is CEO Paul Barber. Working closely with data-obsessed owner Tony Bloom, Barber has overhauled Brighton's operations and got the club into a position off the field where they can rival the giants of the game on it. As one of the few with a key to Brighton's famously guarded black box of data, Barber is the ideal guest to join SportsPro CEO Nick Meacham and...
Dec 04, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 5
With the dust having settled on a lively week of industry conversation at SportsPro Madrid, here are Tom Bassam and Steve McCaskill’s thoughts on the state of the sports media business from the event. Sandwiched between takeaways from the onstage discussion is Steve’s interview with Anna Thompson, head of women’s sport at the BBC.
Nov 28, 2024•50 min
British Cycling is one of the jewels in the crown of UK Sport but has endured its struggles in recent years, both in terms of governance and commercially. Jon Dutton joined the NGB as CEO, having previously served in the same role at the delayed Rugby League World Cup 2021, and has set about re-establishing a high-performance culture at British Cycling. Given that experience, Dutton was the ideal guest to join SportsPro CEO and NorthStar Solutions Group CEO Chris Collins to discuss the delivery ...
Nov 27, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In a conversation recorded at SportsPro Madrid, Tom Bassam talks to Guy Laurent-Epstein, Uefa's marketing director, with their wide-ranging conversation covering Euro 2024, the revamped Champions League, the Conference League and the direction of the women's game.
Nov 21, 2024•47 min
You've acquired another company, now what? Two Circles has been on a buying spree this year, recently snapping up KORE and Spring Media in a pair of moves that significantly grew the sports marketing agency's global footprint. For the latest episode of How to Win, Two Circles CEO Gareth Balch joins SportsPro CEO Nick Meacham and Chris Collins, president and CEO of NorthStar Solutions Group, to forensically examine how to make a success of an acquisition. Over six instalments of this special seri...
Nov 20, 2024•51 min•Season 1Ep. 3
This isn't a podcast, this is a strategy meeting for an early-stage business that wants to has identified sport as a sector to spend its marketing budget in and sees social impact as the best way to build consumer affinity. This high-level meeting is led by SportsPro Podcast host Tom Bassam, with Katie Cross, the CEO of Pledgeball, and Gunnar Hagstrom, head of strategic partnerships at Laureus, also on the board.
Nov 14, 2024•35 min
The second episode of our new series on how to win in the business of sport sees the conversation turn to tech. Rachel Jacobson, Infinite Reality's CRO, and president of business ventures and partnerships, has done it. As president she built up the Drone Racing League to secure a $250m sale and know how to take a challenger through the glass ceiling with clever use of tech. In the second episode of How to Win, Jacobson discusses the secrets of her strategy with SportsPro CEO Nick Meacham and Chr...
Nov 13, 2024•34 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Tom Bassam is joined by a couple of sports venue experts as he sits down with Jonathan Nelson, global head of digital at Populous, and OnePlan founder and CEO, Paul Foster, to talk about the future of the space. Populous is the leading firm in sports and entertainment venue architecture, while OnePlan is a five-year old business specialising in digital twin technology - essentially AI-powered virtual representations of physical spaces - like football stadiums or event venues. Together, with AI t...
Nov 07, 2024•28 min
It all starts with a strategy but how do you make sure that plan is being realised to its fullest potential? In How to Win, a new six-part podcast series from SportsPro and strategy realisation specialist NorthStar Solutions Group, we hear from top leaders across the sports industry with the primary objective of uncovering what it really takes to win in their field. Episode one sees SportsPro CEO Nick Meacham and Chris Collins, president and CEO of NorthStar, welcome Bruin Capital CEO George Pyn...
Nov 06, 2024•43 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Want to learn from some of the best in the business? Here's something new from SportsPro... How to Win. This new six-part podcast series, in collaboration with our friends at Northstar Solutions Group, features some of the top industry leaders and hones in on how to successfully implement the strategies required to win in the business of sports. Launching on 6th November, episode one sees Bruin Capital CEO and founder George Pyne join SportsPro CEO Nick Meacham and Northstar CEO Chris Collins to...
Nov 04, 2024•36 sec•Season 1Ep. 1
An invitation to the T100 Triathlon World Tour stop-off in Ibiza was a bit too good to turn down, so SportsPro packed its bag and hopped on a plane. From on the ground in Ibiza Town, Tom Bassam brings you interviews with PTO CEO Sam Renouf and others to find out how this venture-backed new-ish sports property is doing things a little bit differently in a bid to take triathlon mainstream.
Oct 31, 2024•35 min
While the pay gap between the stars of the WSL and the Premier League remains large, the realities of life as a professional footballer are consistent - a short career at the top of your earning potential and a high risk of injury. To learn more about how the game is changing for the new generation of women’s pros, Tom Bassam is joined by a couple of specialists in the field, Arthur Fane from Miller Insurance’s specialist sports team and Sophie Barrington, who leads on sport and entertainment in...
Oct 30, 2024•33 min
SportsPro’s latest annual 50 Most Marketable Athletes list is out now and, as ever, throws up some fascinating names. Tom Bassam is joined by Sam Carp and Ed Dixon to discuss the rankings, powered by Northstar Solutions Group, while also analysing the trends that emerge from this years’s list. You can download an expanded list of the top 150 athletes, featuring a full statistical breakdown, here .
Oct 24, 2024•40 min
With the new NBA season upon us, Tom Bassam is joined by Josh Sim to talk about the differing trends in the US sports media market compared to Europe. There's also some discussion on the US major leagues' overseas endeavours, (25:54) with the NFL UK's general manager Henry Hodgson also dialling in to provide an update on the London games and more.
Oct 17, 2024•39 min
