Outlines - a podcast about sport, stories and the media

Outlines - a podcast about sport, stories and the media

By Outlines - a podcast about sport, stories and the mediaSports
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Outlines - a podcast about sport, stories and the media episodes

  • S1 Ep19: Michael Payne: a personal history of the sports business
    Olympic and sports marketing veteran Michael Payne discusses his new memoir Fast Tracks and Dark Deals – an account not just of his own five-decades but also the characters, creativity and occasional chaos that helped form the modern sports industry. 
    He reflects on the origins and impact of once-radical media and sponsorship innovations like the IOC’s TOP sponsorship programme, explains how the Olympics’ commercial transformation was rooted in its capacity for storytelling, and shares his thoughts on where the sports business goes next. 
    Fast Tracks and Dark Deals is available on 17th November 2025 – find out more here.

    Outlines is a 26 Forty original and is presented, produced and edited by Eoin Connolly.

    Instagram: @outlines_podcast
    Threads:     @outlines_podcast
    Bluesky:     @outlinespodcast.bsky.social
    TikTok:     @outlines.podcast

    Theme music from Upbeat: Crush - Kaleidoscope
    50 min
  • S1 Ep18: Amar Singh: creativity and changing spaces in commercial storytelling
    MKTG senior vice president of content and creative Amar Singh – host of The Sports Marketeer podcast and a longtime former journalist – talks about how brands and sponsors are approaching stories to in an ever-changing sports media ecosystem. 

    He discusses the receptiveness of fans to commercial messaging, explains how organisations can build better creative processes, and reflects on sending beers to the goalkeeping victims of Lionel Messi.

    Outlines is a 26 Forty original and is presented, produced and edited by Eoin Connolly.

    Instagram: @outlines_podcast
    Threads:     @outlines_podcast
    Bluesky:     @outlinespodcast.bsky.social
    TikTok:     @outlines.podcast

    Theme music from Upbeat: Crush - Kaleidoscope

    56 min
  • S1 Ep17: Conor Niland: The Racket and the reality of life as a tennis pro
    Former tennis player Conor Niland talks through his William Hill Sports Book of the Year-winning memoir The Racket – a fond yet bracing account of life just outside the game’s global elite.
    The one-time world number 129 explains why he decided to tell the story of his career, and how it became emblematic of the grinding experiences of his peers on the Futures and Challenger tours.

    He also explores the sports that served as touchstones for the book, his creative partnership with Irish journalist Gavin Cooney, and ideas about the athlete voice.

    Outlines is a 26 Forty original and is presented, produced and edited by Eoin Connolly.

    Instagram: @outlines_podcast
    Threads:     @outlines_podcast
    Bluesky:     @outlinespodcast.bsky.social
    TikTok:     @outlines.podcast

    Theme music from Upbeat: Crush - Kaleidoscope

    52 min
  • S1 Ep16: David Squires: drawing on the heart and chaos of football
    Cartoonist David Squires reflects on over a decade spent chronicling football’s charms, excesses and breakout characters. 
    He talks about his distinctive, often absurd and sometimes poignant work, which has appeared in The Guardian, 11 Freunde and L’Equipe, and why modern football is such fertile terrain for illustrated satire. 

    He also discusses his process, his plans for the future, and his artistic debt to Billy the Fish.
    Outlines is a 26 Forty original and is presented, produced and edited by Eoin Connolly.

    Instagram: @outlines_podcast
    Threads: @outlines_podcast
    Bluesky: @outlinespodcast.bsky.social
    TikTok: @outlines.podcast

    Theme music from Upbeat: Crush - Kaleidoscope   
    49 min
  • S1 Ep15: Jenny Simmons: stories, mindset, and the game beyond Nike
    MANON founder Jenny Simmons lays out the journey that took her from a position as a communications director at Nike to a new role as a mindset coach.
    She explains how MANON moved from a women’s football content project to a career coaching platform for Black and brown women in the industry, and explores the role of stories in understanding professional identities. 

    She also reflects on her time at Nike – including the arrival of the Jordan Brand into football with Paris Saint-Germain – and talks through some of the concepts and practicalities behind storytelling at the level of a globally recognised brand.

    Outlines is a 26 Forty original and is presented, produced and edited by Eoin Connolly.

    Instagram: @outlines_podcast
    Threads: @outlines_podcast
    Bluesky: @outlinespodcast.bsky.social
    TikTok: @outlines.podcast

    Theme music from Upbeat: Crush - Kaleidoscope   
    1 hr 5 min
  • S1 Ep14: Joey D’Urso: how football shirts explain the world
    Joey D’Urso – senior data journalist for The Times and The Sunday Times – explores how football kits became tools of influence and communication in his debut book, More Than A Shirt: How Football Shirts Explain Global Politics, Money and Power. 
    He talks their journey from emblems of allegiance to symbols of globalising culture and commerce, the complex relationships they create between fans and brands, the growing role of nation states, and what it means for a football shirts to be fashionable. 
    Outlines is a 26 Forty original and is presented, produced and edited by Eoin Connolly.

    Instagram: @outlines_podcast
    Threads: @outlines_podcast
    Bluesky: @outlinespodcast.bsky.social
    TikTok: @outlines.podcast

    Theme music from Upbeat: Crush - Kaleidoscope
    1 hr 1 min
  • S1 Ep13: Sam Diss: clubs, fans, culture and brands
    Writer and strategist Sam Diss discusses the ever-broader range of commercial storytelling modes and outlets in football, as clubs and brands lean into the experiences of their fan communities.

    The former head of content at Mundial magazine also explores the art of the athlete profile and reflects on The English Disease - his award-winning podcast series about football violence, male anger and generations of societal alienation.

    Outlines is a 26 Forty original and is presented, produced and edited by Eoin Connolly.

    Instagram: @outlines_podcast
    Threads: @outlines_podcast
    Bluesky: @outlinespodcast.bsky.social
    TikTok: @outlines.podcast

    Theme music from Upbeat: Crush - Kaleidoscope   
    1 hr 11 min
  • S1 Ep12: John McKenna: the story of V11 and the making of great sports docs
    Noah Media Group co-founder and CEO talks through the company’s approach to crafting its celebrated sports documentaries – including the headline-making Football’s Financial Shame: The Story of the V11. 
    He details the production of the film – which was aired on the BBC in September and follows a group of former Premier League stars allegedly brought to ruin by their own advisers – and how the Noah team handled its complexity and sensitivity.
    And he also teases the upcoming I’m Carl Lewis and shares his thoughts on the state of the sports documentary space in 2025.
    Outlines is a 26 Forty original and is presented, produced and edited by Eoin Connolly.

    Instagram: @outlines_podcast
    Threads: @outlines_podcast
    Bluesky: @outlinespodcast.bsky.social
    TikTok: @outlines.podcast

    Theme music from Upbeat: Crush - Kaleidoscope   
    56 min
  • S1 Ep11: Jonathan Wilson: the power and glory of the World Cup story
    Acclaimed football writer and historian Jonathan Wilson introduces his new book - The Power and the Glory: A New History of the World Cup.

    He explores the unique attraction of the tournament on a personal and global level, its social and geopolitical impact on a changing world, and the potential effects of its latest format on how its story is told.

    And he talks the relationship between football's past and its present - and why the game is on the cusp of a seismic shift.

    Outlines is a 26 Forty original and is presented, produced and edited by Eoin Connolly.

    Instagram: @outlines_podcast
    Threads: @outlines_podcast
    Bluesky: @outlinespodcast.bsky.social
    TikTok: @outlines.podcast

    Theme music from Upbeat: Crush - Kaleidoscope   
    1 hr 21 min
  • S1 Ep10: Jordan Jarrett-Bryan: distinctive angles and diverse perspectives
    Channel 4 News sports reporter Jordan Jarrett-Bryan talks about inclusion and sports storytelling, from editorial decision-making to the framing of the Paralympic conversation.
    He delves into the specific relationship between TV news correspondents and their audience, explains how his Blakademik production company is generating new opportunities and fresh ideas, reflects on his move into lecturing, and introduces his own new podcast: Jordan Jarrett-Bryan’s The World’s Coolest Disabled.  
    Outlines is a 26 Forty original and is presented, produced and edited by Eoin Connolly.

    Instagram: @outlines_podcast
    Threads: @outlines_podcast
    Bluesky: @outlinespodcast.bsky.social
    TikTok: @outlines.podcast

    Theme music from Upbeat: Crush - Kaleidoscope
    1 hr 4 min

About Outlines - a podcast about sport, stories and the media

From the publisher's feed

Eoin Connolly talks about sport and storytelling with a range of journalists and authors, broadcasters, filmmakers, executives, innovative creators and campaigners.