Changing the Game, Innovation in Sport

It's a cliche, I know. Yet, it's often repeated because its accurate.

I love the Deloitte Money League. I read it every year and have fun with it...but if it gives a cause for concern its because we judge clubs by their revenue.

The biggest concern I have with Women's Football? That they copy the economic model of the Men's game. Why?

You don't need to look further than the profit line in football for that answer. And if Profit is Sanity... where are we today?

As i point out in here there are some conundrums to solve, to collective bargaining to be done but if you can tap into what Formula 1 has done (not what you think) then perhaps the future is brighter than even I think.

PS - If Cash is King, listen to the end...because the current solution to cash is there.

I love the hot-take. We live in a world of it, and the headlines are great. Yet to take serious action you need to look beyond the surface.

We have become obsessed in sports with metrics that give us either a false sense of security or are portents of doom.

Today I discuss TV Ratings, the NFL and the lack of Digital understanding.

I am not a believer in Zero Sum, but in a changing world. TV numbers are important...and were once the only metric to judge on.

BUT when we look at the modern world, using this old world metric in isolation - which is done a lot - we are missing the real picture, and that's a mistake.

Sport is pretty unique.

When running due diligence we all obsess about the numbers, we think about business, returns, profiles and legal contracts.

But the raw product on the field matters, and if you don't under stand the culture of a club - in the Front Office, Boot Room, Training Ground - and yes the fan culture too - then you are in trouble.

No-one buys a sports team with bad intentions, no-one aims for a 'bad culture' but it's harder to figure out than it might seem.

But the results if you get it right...?

What is a good owner?

I don't think its very difficult to show a bad owner, but are there any good owners? Certainly as fans look at it...rarely!

Think Fenway Sport at Liverpool, turned around the club, won the title, the champions league, good manager appointments, good squad, redeveloped Anfield but a moment of madness and attacked.

In this episode i look at two clubs where on paper the owners have done everything you think would be defined as both the right thing and what fans want... but yet they are disliked if not reviled and wanted out.

What do you think makes for a good owner?

Nothing like a merger to kick the year off...

Maybe we should have seen this coming but ending an anti-trust lawsuit with a merger is an interesting new angle to things. Almost 'bernie-esque'.

What's for sure is that ESPN (and by that also Disney) is now going all in on the streaming product.

If this is the start of the year this one is going to be a lively one...

Happy New Year!

Great people, vision, dedication and resources.

Just some of the ingredients needed for success.

I got excited by Womens Sports- and Football in particular - back when i was introduced to it ahead of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.

The love affair has not ended and i have been an active Advisor and Supporter to Mercury 13 as part of that journey.

The news that the Sports Funds at Avenue Capital has invested is just one more step along the way.

The Rocket Ship is fueled for takeoff.

Big Ange - what's not to love. Confidence, attacking football a belief in doing things your own way.

Similar to what i see in most start up founders.

At the highest level though you need to be cognizant of what your competition are doing - or more importantly what the market perceives them to be doing.

Leaving Cole Palmer unmarked and in acres of space makes no sense.

Ignoring competitors and both the opportunities and threats they represent makes no sense either. Not every company out there you are taking on is useless...and a slide showing they are doesn't convince investors who will be digging deeper.

Be confident, focus on what you are doing and where you are headed, but be actively watching the competition or you may not last long enough to make your dreams come true.

Hold on to you hats, things are getting interesting.

Are the NFL worried about what is going on?

No not the changing media landscape - the NFL seems to have that one figured out better than anyone, but the revolution that is taking place in College Football.

The joke used to be that the players 'went to college for an education', but its now very clearly a professional league.

I ran out of time...as i just go to excited by it all. But here are some things I am trying to wrap my head around?

Will there need to be salary cap soon?

Do they have to attend class anymore?

Will players want to go to NFL?

How soon until the other sports are spun off as NCAA and FCS just incorporates a new professional league?

Genuinely i think this is a case study we are going to watch play out in real time with Billions being banded about...

What does Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat have to do with F1?

Sportico recently released its F1 Valuations, the season close is coming this weekend and we seen the likes of Stroll buy an F1 team for c$90m and now raising money at a purported $1.5bn (despite all his investment in the team that's a great run!)

What's the root cause of that increase - and yes scarcity is clearly one but in F1 that always been there.

How have the teams reacted and have they done anything to protect those valuations when the likes of Drive to Survive naturally come to the end of their cycle...

I remain positive on F1 but as i have discussed earlier this week i think there are more creative ways to generate and protect valuation.