Leaders Sport Business Podcast

Leaders' Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan dissect some of the stories of sports industry week.

They reflect on whether Friday’s Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson fight was a win for Netflix; the slightly mesmerising nature of the Vendee Globe app; and the social media trend towards Bluesky.

Then, in a conversation recorded at last week’s Leaders Sport Performance Summit in London, David chats to Peter Mattson, Red Bull’s Global Performance Director. He offers a glimpse inside the energy drinks giant’s Athlete Performance Center, the brand’s evolving culture and the dynamics of building a high performance athlete within a global marketing machine.

Leaders' Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan are out and about at this week’s Leaders Sport Performance Summit, looking out over The Oval cricket ground in central London.

They’re joined by astrophysicist Professor Carole Mundell, the Director of Science at the European Space Agency, fresh off a scintillating presentation on stage, for an outside-of-sport, out-of-this-world conversation on leadership and culture: making complex decisions, managing a multitude of stakeholders (a staff of 500 and perhaps as many as 46,000 people across ESA’s 22 member states), and clarity in communication. Plus what happens to black holes when they get indigestion and whether Pluto should feel hard done by for being downgraded to dwarf planet status.

There’s also time for a rifle through the sports industry stories of the week, including Whoopi Goldberg’s new sports network, Barcelona and Nike staying together and the Premier League’s continuing efforts to crack down on piracy.

Leaders' Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan give their verdict on the sports industry week, then introduce two power conversations from on stage at Leaders Week London.

First, Jess Smith, President of soon-to-launch WNBA team Golden State Valkyries sits down with Netball Super League Managing Director, Claire Nelson. Then former Arsenal CEO Vinai Venkatesham is in conversation with Esteve Calzada, the former City Football Group executive who is now CEO of PIF-owned Saudi Pro League leaders Al Hilal.

Brett Gosper, Head of NFL Europe & Asia-Pacific, takes a quick break from a very busy month of American football to join James Emmett on this week's episode.

He shares his top-line reflections from the 2024 London games, along with some impressive and record-breaking stats for the league; plus, what's immediately up next as the NFL touches down in Munich for its second foray to Germany, this weekend.  

Elsewhere on the show, Leaders' Strategic Account Manager Javan Odegah shares his reflections on the games, having been in attendance at Wembley when a record-breaking 86,651 crowd witnessed Jacksonville Jaguars beat the New England Patriots.

Welcome to episode two of model making, a new series from the Leaders Sport Business Podcast that analyses the flux across the global sports industry and asks whether we need a new commercial vision for sport.

Are the business models that have sustained professional sport for so long at breaking point? And what are the solutions that sport's most innovative thinkers are endorsing?

Big questions answered on-stage at Leaders Week London 2024 by Chicago Cubs and Marquee 360's Senior Vice President, Cale Vennum, and Viagogo's International Lead, Matt Drew. James Emmett, Leaders Editorial Director was in the moderator's chair to find out how ticketing can help unlock additional revenue streams and engagement.

Leaders' Editorial Director James Emmett and Content Director David Cushnan return to the studio, for some more reflections on Leaders Week London and to review the most notable stories of the sports industry week.

As IMG, On Location and Professional Bull Riders move from Endeavor to TKO ownership, they consider the corporate storytelling implications and ponder whether it's the precursor to further change.

They also discuss the WNBA’s upcoming collective bargaining negotiations, after the players’ decision to opt out of the current agreement early, as well as luxury brand Chanel’s decision to sponsor the annual university Boat Race along London’s River Thames.

In this episode, James Emmett and David Cushnan are joined by special guests, Richard Conway, Founder & Managing Partner at Spectacle Partners, and serial sports industry board member, Nic Coward, to review the action from a barnstorming return to Leaders Week London.

The team touch on a number of topics from Day 2 of The Summit at Allianz Stadium as well as the on-stage sessions, which featured Nikki Doucet, Chief Executive Officer, Women's Professional Leagues Ltd; Kealan Casey, Director of Brand Marketing, North America at BBC Studios; Declan Sharkey, Global Director and Senior Principal at Populous; and Mark Ashton, Chief Executive Officer at Ipswich Town FC.

James Emmett and David Cushnan reflect on a terrific opening day at The Summit from Allianz Stadium, which saw over 2,000 movers and shakers from across the global sports industry gather at the home of England Rugby.

The duo discuss a range of themes and talking points from on-stage sessions, which featured a stellar lineup of speakers across three stages. 

Alongside the dialogue, this episode contains short snippets of sessions and from around the venue, featuring Gerard Piqué, Kosmos; Sally Horrox, World Rugby, Mark Shapiro, Endeavor; Don Garber, Major League Soccer; Gareth Balch, Two Circles and England Cricketer Tammy Beaumont.

Welcome to model making, a new series from the Leaders Sport Business Podcast that analyses the flux across the global sports industry and asks, do we need a new commercial vision for sport? Are the business models that have sustained professional sport for so long at breaking point? And what are the solutions that sport's most innovative thinkers are endorsing?

Hosted by Leaders Editorial Director James Emmett and Viagogo's International Lead Matt Drew, the three-part series puts sport's traditional revenue streams under the microscope.

Where and why are media rights flatlining? Are sponsorship dollars under threat below the elite level? And are matchdays being maximised?

To help them make sense of the shifting sands around them, the pair are joined by three illustrious guests:

- John Skipper, formerly of ESPN and DAZN and the architect of some of the biggest rights deals in US TV history;

- Simon Denyer, serial founder and former leader of DAZN, current leader of PEAK, and board member on a number of global properties including the WTA;

- Zarah Al-Kudcy, the newly installed CRO at the Women's Professional League Ltd, and a commercial leader at Chelsea, Formula 1 and the ICC among many before that.

James Emmett and David Cushnan are joined by Leaders Managing Director, Laura McQueen, and Event Director, Hannah Redfern, to preview the annual sportsbiz extravaganza that is Leaders Week London.

It's a week filled with forums, think tanks, Awards and social get-togethers – taking place all day, all night, all week, right across the city. The week culminates with The Summit at Allianz Stadium: a place where you’ll find sport’s biggest names and the most progressive ideas shaping the industry, all in the company of 2000 attendees from all corners of the globe.

And ahead of all of that, the team share their top tips for maximizing on your time out of office, who to look out for on the speaker programme, and where to go if (surprisingly) you're yet to secure your event pass.