Covid-19: All our latest coverage on the impact to the global sports industry
US CDC relaxes mask mandates, stadium capacities climb
More teams rapidly moving back toward full attendance protocols
Formula 1 cancels Turkey Grand Prix, adds second Austria race
Formula 1 has had to make further changes to its 2021 calendar as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, cancelling this year’s Turkish Grand Prix and adding a second race in Austria.
MLBPA files labor grievance regarding 2020 MLB season
Union seeking an estimated $500m in damages
TSC study: Sponsor brands want rights-holders to define their values
An international sponsorship industry survey has found that the vast majority of sponsors consider it important for sports properties to have clear values, but that rights-holders were less uniformly able…
Latest Video
Gaudenzi: “Linear programming wasn’t a good fit for tennis”
In the latest video interview from SportBusiness, ATP chairman, Andrea Gaudenzi, speaks to Europe editor Ben Cronin about plans to resume the international tennis tour in August and his vision to centralise…
Infront’s Bruno Marty – Smaller properties can flourish if they innovate and engage
Bruno Marty, senior vice-president of the ProSports unit at Infront, discusses the impact of sport's Covid-19 induced liquidity crisis, how properties can emerge stronger, the role of private equity i…
Youth sports in US look for reinvention, industry unity
LeagueApps president Jeremy Goldberg and Gators Baseball Academy partner Joe Lopez speak to SportBusiness US Editor Eric Fisher on the state of the $19bn American youth sports industry amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The second of a two-part series.
US youth sports industry grapples with heavy Covid-19 uncertainty
LeagueApps president Jeremy Goldberg and Gators Baseball Academy partner Joe Lopez speak to SportBusiness US Editor Eric Fisher on the state of the $19bn American youth sports industry amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The first of a two-part series.
Porto replaces Istanbul as Champions League final host
Uefa has today (Thursday) confirmed that Estádio do Dragão in Porto will become the new host of the 2020-21 Champions League final after overcoming the “many challenges” of moving its showpiece club event…
Spanish government approves return of fans to football, basketball
The Spanish government has announced that fans will be allowed to return to football and basketball games in a limited capacity, but only in regions of the country with low Covid-19 incidence rates
FFT sets out plan for fan attendance at Roland-Garros
French Tennis Federation (FFT) president Gilles Moretton has said the organisation’s decision to postpone this year’s French Open by a week has been justified, with a significant increase in spectators con…
ECB posts £16.1m loss for Covid-hit year
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has posted a loss of £16.1m (€18.8m/$22.8m) for the year ending January 31, 2021 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Latest Inside Track
Jared Melzer | The real power of sponsorships – driving social activism
Having led sponsorships for major B2C and B2B brands in the US, Jared Melzer shares his perspectives around sponsorships and Black Lives Matter
Mohit Lalvani | Public health a fruitful theme in search for sponsorship spend and ROI during Covid-19
Mohit Lalvani, founder and CEO of 1 Play Sports, the Singapore-based sports streaming services provider, identifies a potentially valuable avenue for sponsorship during the pandemic, that may resonate with the public and governments
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
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
Lars Haue-Pedersen | Hosting sector needs to reassert itself
Now is the time for rights-holders and cities to make the case for hosting sports events again, argues Lars Haue-Pedersen, head of BCW Sports
Sponsorship market dynamics favour premium sports brands in the pandemic
There is an expectation that sponsorship sales at premium sports properties tend to be more resilient during economic crises. Matthew Glendinning looks at whether big really has proven best during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Caradh O’Donovan | Athletes have not had adequate preparation for the Olympics
Irish athlete Caradh O'Donovan says many athletes have not had appropriate training and qualification opportunities for this year's Olympics, and should have had a bigger say in the organisation of the postponed event
“One big, complicated event” | Cricket Australia’s CEO on its toughest season
Cricket Australia's interim CEO Nick Hockley explains how his organisation had to adapt in order to deliver a full season of cricket in 2020-21. Kevin McCullagh reports.
MLB clubs relishing chance to sell tickets once again
After going a full year without being able to sell any tickets, MLB clubs are embracing the restart of fan attendance in local markets. Eric Fisher reports.
NHL’s Lake Tahoe games poised to become league’s most spectacular outdoor event
It took the NHL just a matter of seconds before deciding that Lake Tahoe would be the ideal spot for an outdoor tentpole event. The logistical challenges, however, have been significant, explains NHL chief content officer Steve Mayer.
Nick Sakiewicz | Why the NLL chose to sit this one out
National Lacrosse League commissioner Nick Sakiewicz explains why the league is continuing to halt its play amid the Covid-19 pandemic and is instead preparing to return in the fall.
Martyn Turze | Following your team during Covid-19
Martyn Turze, consumer research account director, Publicis Sport & Entertainment, has monitored the attitudes of the agency’s personnel to the live sports lockdown in the UK and uncovered 10 key areas of changed experience
Sampson Yimer | US sports fans at tension point on return to live events
Last weekend’s NFL Super Bowl highlighted the tension point between the return of fans to live sporting events and the dangers inherent in that return. Sampson Yimer, vice-president, sponsorship consulting at Momentum Worldwide, looks at the pros and cons, backed by the agency’s proprietary study on fan sentiment.
Brian Bolten | The rise of the collaborative
Brian Bolten, a 25-year sports and entertainment marketing veteran, discusses his vision for the future of service companies within the industry.
SportBusiness opens Middle East office in Dubai
SportBusiness Group, the leading provider of data, analysis, news and insight to the sports industry, has announced the next stage in its global expansion with the opening of an office in Dubai.
Szymanski: Relegation causes most of football’s financial problems, but I wouldn’t get rid of it
SportBusiness has conducted a series of interviews with senior figures from European football, asking them to define a ‘sustainable’ economic model for the game on the continent. In the fourth article in the series, football economist and author Stefan Szymanski argues a degree of financial instability is an inevitable part of European football.
Turner: Keeping the collective model is football’s biggest challenge
SportBusiness has conducted a series of interviews with senior figures from European football, asking them to define a ‘sustainable’ economic model for the game on the continent. In the third article in the series, Frank Dunne speaks to Stuart Turner who served as the Football Association’s head of broadcast, from 2004 to 2011, and commercial director, from 2011 to 2016.