This is Moneyball

Starting a sports team from scratch and taking them to glory: it sounds like something out of a computer game rather than real life.

This week, assistant editor Lee Boyce and broadcaster Georgie Frost are joined by a man who recently helped start a new basketball team in Britain – the London City Royals.

Just how do you go about starting a whole new team – or franchise – and get them off the ground? Jon Sawyer, who has an impressive CV holding senior positions at Disney, Hilton and Pret reveals all.

Playing basketball in Britain is immensely popular, so can the basketball league here grow in stature? And will we ever seen the next big player in the NBA come from these shores?

How does funding and TV rights work, what does it take to run a sports team day-to-day and can professional basketball help kids avoid the dangers of gang life?

Match-fixing in sport. It is a subject that makes fans boil with anger and ask: just how and why would any professional do it? Aren't they already paid enough for a job many of us would love to do?

In the This is Moneyball season 3 opener, assistant editor Lee Boyce and broadcaster Georgie Frost tackle this tricky subject and are joined by someone who was swept up in the madness.

Centre-back Moses Swaibu – a former Crystal Palace youth player – became one of the first names on the team sheet for Lincoln City in the late-2000s.

However, he became embroiled in match-fixing as he slipped down to semi-professional level.

For the first time, Moses candidly tells his story, how it unfolded, his regret and why a stint in jail helped him realise that he needed to make sure young players aren't tempted to make the same mistakes.

Forget Blackbeard and the stealing of Spanish treasure fleets, when you think of piracy these days it might well be football that's flying the Jolly Roger.

It's big business too. Think of football channel beoutQ, which pirates content from Qatar-based giant beIN Sports and beams it to homes across Saudi Arabia.  

This week on This is Moneyball, Georgie Frost is joined by LawinSport's Sean Cottrell and the Associated Press' Global Sports Correspondent Rob Harris. 

They discuss the impact of piracy on the future of football, how the rules of the game off the pitch are becoming more important and impacting the jobs of journalists, whether fans can still be called fans and not just consumers, and what can be done to encourage investment in women's sport.

Social media use among sports stars has seen some of them become more than just a player – they are icons with a global following of millions who post their life off the pitch, as well as on it. 

They can publish messages, photographs and videos with a few taps and a click which will be seen across the world.

Is Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and the like a good use of time for footballers and other sporting icons – or do they have the potential to damage the reputation of both player and club?

That's what broadcaster Georgie Frost and assistant editor Lee Boyce discuss this week, alongside expert Ehsen Shah.

He is managing director of B-Engaged Ltd and runs the social media accounts of more than 20 footballers, including Arsenal star Héctor Bellerín - who has 3million Instagram followers and 1.7million Twitter followers.  

He discusses what makes good social media use, developing four pillars needed to make a difference and why it isn't about the money.

We also talk about the abuse players may receive, how much a post can be worth to a brand and the future of technology use with sportspeople.

This week sees the start of the European Men's Hockey Championships and one man that will be there is GB vice-captain David Ames.

But it hasn't all been smooth sailing, with David swapping Ireland for Team GB and having to wait three years to be able to do so.

He speaks to broadcaster Georgie Frost and assistant editor Lee Boyce and reveals all on his life as a pro-hockey player.

He candidly says he will stop playing after the Tokyo 2020 games, why funding worries are always on the back of players' minds and why – aged 30 – he doesn't have a pension.

GB Hockey itself was bankrupt at one point, but is on the up, fuelled by the women's gold medal at Rio 2016 and the game having its highest ever participation numbers.  So what is next for the sport?

This time next year, Team GB will be competing at Tokyo 2020 and hoping to surpass its record tally from Rio 2016.

But how tough is it to get funding in the first place and how much hard work goes into that dash to the podium?

That's the topic this week as broadcaster Georgie Frost and assistant editor Lee Boyce are joined in the studio by boxing medal hopeful Jordan Reynolds and a man who has been there, done that: Amir Khan.

Amir gives Jordan top career advice in a sport where getting sponsorship could be the difference between making it, and not.

Jordan reveals how he was once homeless and also had a job as a baggage handler at Luton Airport before boxing changed his life.

He tells us how he was funded, his love for dancing helps him in the ring, why battling amateurs from around the world has helped his development, the importance of the boxing centre he has created in Luton… and his belief it should be taught at school.

He also gives Georgie and Lee a boxing lesson and why he would never flash the cash like a certain Floyd Mayweather.

Football transfer deadline day. It conjures images of countdown clocks, TV presenters talking a mile-a-minute, sports reporters outside training grounds and microphones through Harry Redknapp's car window... 

But what goes on behind the scenes? How does a transfer actually happen – from start to finish? How many of the rumours actually have any truth in them? 

This week, broadcaster Georgie Frost and assistant editor Lee Boyce are joined by sports lawyer and author of Done Deal, Daniel Geey.

We ask some of the key questions: Who holds the balance of power? Are agents really just greedy money grabbers? How much work goes on behind the scenes that we don’t see? How do you value players?

And why can't Zinedine Zidane just get rid of Gareth Bale? 

Aaron Wan-Bissaka for example has joined Manchester United for £50million. Has that huge sum now just become a normal fee for good players, not exceptional ones – and where does it end?

We also talk about how social media is shaping the modern day footballer – and what Brexit could actually mean for the Premier League in England.

We are entering the final week of the Tour de France, billed by one expert as the most exciting since 1989 – but how do the finances stack up and why is the team structure so unique?

That's the question broadcaster Georgie Frost and assistant editor Lee Boyce ask, with help from deputy editor – and superfan – Adrian Lowery, and sports journalist and co-host of The Cycling Podcast, Richard Moore.

The latter joins us from Nimes, France, as he is on the road covering the event – and we delve into the economics of hosting a stage, sponsoring a team and what it takes to win.

We also cover doping, Team Ineos, the lack of Mark Cavendish and Chris Froome, television rights and whether we will ever see a women's version of the event.

Adrian also explains why the romance and heroics of some of the riders throughout the 116-year old race keep him coming back for more.

And when it comes to two wheels, Team GB had a stellar 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics. How are we shaping up for Tokyo 2020, and has Team GB cycling peaked?

In recent weeks, we've seen Rafa Benitez become boss of Dalian Yifang and Marko Arnautović join Shanghai SIPG in the China Super League.

What is behind the moves – and is it just about the money? That's the question broadcaster Georgie Frost and This is Money assistant editor Lee Boyce tackle this week as they look east.

We lift the lid on the Chinese Super League, how it works, where the money is coming from and ask what impact it is having on the game here, and in Europe.

We have also seen an increase in Chinese investment in European clubs – while Espanyol saw a major uplift in fans after signing Chinese winger Wu Lei.

But despite the major investment, the Chinese national team is not exactly high in the world rankings – could that all be about to change?

What's going on at Silverstone and why was its place on the Formula One calendar in doubt? That's the question assistant editor Lee Boyce and broadcaster Georgie Frost tackle this week.

It looks like the future of the F1 race in Northamptonshire has been secured – but what's behind the economics of the iconic track and its owners?

We are joined this week by former British F1 driver Mark Blundell – 1992 Le Mans winner and three-time F1 podium finisher.

He gives us his views on Silverstone, how technology has changed the face of motor racing substantially since the 1990s and why – aged 53 – he decided to get back behind the wheel, competitively.

We look into the Silverstone contract, new races for 2020, the threat of a London Grand Prix, why it is important to the economy – and the impact paid-for TV is having on sport.