What a career in English cricket taught Ed Smith about sports leadership

The US Open just wrapped up three weeks that delivered US$108 million in prize money, record viewership on ESPN and the tournament's first American male finalist since 2006. However, the conversation was also dominated by rising ticket prices and a backlash over the unescapable presence of influencers.In this episode of the SportsPro Podcast, Sam Carp and Steve McCaskill take a look at the continued commercialisation of the tournament and consider how the event compares to tennis’ other Grand Slams.Also in this episode, the pair review the first edition of World Athletics’ Ultimate Championship and what it revealed about the governing body’s efforts to retain interest in the sport outside of the Olympics.There’s also time to look back on some of the major stories from the past week, including what LIV Golf’s bankruptcy filing reveals about the tour’s business model and news that Chelsea shareholders Todd Boehly and Mark Walter are on their way out of the club.

Sports organisations have spent years talking about data as the key to growth. But what if most are approaching it the wrong way? In the latest episode of our New Economics of Fandom miniseries, Chris Stone and Nick Meacham are joined by UEFA Chief of Marketing and Digital, CMDO, Roman Putsch to explore how one of the world's leading sports properties approaches fan engagement, first-party data and commercial growth. Putsch explains why UEFA views data as "crude oil, not gold", how the organisation measures audience quality rather than simply audience size, and why creating value for fans must come before collecting information from them. The conversation also explores sponsorship activation, media rights, and the capabilities sports organisations need to build for the future. The New Economics of Fandom is produced in partnership with Genius Sports and explores how sport's commercial future is being reshaped by technology, data and changing fan behaviour. Key Points:How are sports organisations are thinking about data the wrong way.How fan value creates data value, not the other way around.The best metrics for evaluating audience quality.Why "owning the fan" may be the wrong objective for sports organisations.How to build the capabilities needed for sport's next commercial era.

In the space of a few short years, Just Eat went from a sports sponsorship newcomer into a major partner for Uefa’s club and international competitions.The relationship spanned everything from the Champions League to the Women’s Euros, helping the newly-merged Just Eat spread its message across an entire continent and elevate it in a food delivery market increasingly dominated by global players.But how did the partnership come about, what did it achieve and how are these big ticket sponsorships activated?Marijn Luchtman, global head of sponsorships at Just Eat, explains how the deal evolved, why it was more than just a logo slap, and why the company is walking away after seven years.

Three promotions. A fanbase that's grown from 116,000 to 27.6 million in five years. Wrexham AFC director Sean Harvey sits down with SportsPro's CEO Nick Meacham to unpack what's actually driving the club now that the Hollywood novelty has worn off. Harvey walks through how Wrexham has built out a full executive structure to support its growth, including a CEO handling day-to-day operations and the deliberate tension between staying "different" and moving into football's mainstream. He breaks down the commercial engine behind the club: record sponsorship revenue from brands like United Airlines, Meta Quest and HP, why the US market is now the primary growth audience, and how family companies tied to the ownership group handle sponsorship inquiries directly. The conversation also covers the investment side - new capital from Apollo and private family offices, and what Harvey calls "the Wrexham effect" on other US buyers entering English football, plus his take on football's incoming independent regulator, visibility gains through AFL's streaming platform, and what the future of Ryan Reynolds and McElhenney's ownership actually looks like.

In this special live edition of the SportsPro podcast, recorded at SportsPro Investment Summit in London, SportsPro editor Steve McCaskill is joined by Bex Smith, founder and CEO of Crux Football, and Michael Broughton, co-founder and partner at Sports Investment Partners, to look at the rise of disruptor properties.They discuss disruptors as an investment asset and what separates a genuine opportunity from a money pit. What are the potential gaps in the market, business models and possible pitfalls?The panel also attempt to answer why investors are increasingly drawn towards creating new sports properties rather than backing existing ones, identify potential new revenue streams and suggest which disruptors have come closest to cracking the code. 

For decades, the sports industry has relied on broadcasters to fund growth, distribute content and monetise audiences. But what happens when that model starts to change?In this episode, SportsPro CEO Nick Meacham sits down with Mark Locke, CEO of Genius Sports, to explore how leagues, teams and technology companies are adapting to a new era of fan monetisation. Locke discusses Genius Sports' evolution from its betting roots into a global technology business, the company's acquisition of Legend, the growing role of AI and data ownership, and why he believes the next generation of sports growth will come from direct relationships with fans. The conversation also examines the changing economics of media rights, the company’s NFL partnership, gaming as a future distribution channel and what sports organisations need to do to thrive in a more personalised digital world.This is the first episode in SportsPro's New Economics of Fandom series, exploring how sport's commercial future is being rewritten. Key topics:Is the era of broadcast-driven sports growth coming to an end?What does the future of fan monetisation actually look like?Who will benefit most from AI in the sports industry?Why did Genius Sports spend up to US$1.2bn acquiring Legend?What might be the next billion-dollar revenue opportunity in sport?

Sport’s best content doesn’t happen by accident.Behind every viral clip, every campaign that cuts through, every piece of creative work that moves the needle commercially, there's a person, a team, and a strategy. But rarely does that person, team or strategy get the recognition or coverage they deserve.SportsPro and Greenfly’s recently launched Short-Form Showcase is designed to fill that void by amplifying the talent and teams behind the best short-form content being produced across the global sports industry.Unveiled in July, the Showcase recognises the human craft, creativity and collective effort that goes into creating content that stops the scroll and delivers commercial impact by celebrating the people who make it happen. This is not a ranking or an award – it’s a curated exhibition of best-in-class operators and a collection of their most memorable work.On this episode, SportsPro’s Michael Long is joined by Greenfly’s Gabby Vidal Castillo and Melissa Lawton, SailGP’s chief content officer and one of the 39 specialists named in the Showcase, to discuss the value and important of exceptional content operators, how strategy and insight guide the creative process, and where social-first sports content is heading next.To view the full Short-Form Showcase, visit Home - SportsPro x Greenfly - Short-Form Showcase

F1 has gone from 13 commercial partners a decade ago to around 33 today, from a paddock that barred drivers from posting on social media to an always-on content operation, and from a linear US broadcast deal with ESPN to a streaming partnership with Apple. Liam Parker, chief communications and corporate relations officer at F1, has a simple framing for all of it: none of it works unless the racing does. In this episode of the SportsPro Podcast, produced in collaboration with Mics Out from BlackBook Motorsport, Parker joins motorsport editor Cian Brittle to discuss what "redefining reach" means in the Apple era, how F1 decides when its global partner roster is full, and why he would swap the word Americanisation for modernisation. Recorded ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, the conversation also covers the collaborative fix to this season's new power unit regulations, fan activation work with Heineken and Lego, the markets F1 believes are underserved — India chief among them — and how the sport is contingency-planning the end of its season amid geopolitical uncertainty.

SportsPro speaks to Paceteq chief executive Alexander Bodo to learn how decades of data analytics and AI experience in motorsport can be harnessed by soccer to drive performance, aid recruitment, and drive further efficiencies on and off the pitch.Bodo explains why culture and technology has held back soccer in recent years, with a lack of unified data platforms and in-house skills among the barriers to adoption.However, there are signs that things are changing, with a generation of data-savvy coaches and players and game changing AI technologies ready to deliver a revolution in soccer analysis. 

Former England cricketer and national team selector Ed Smith talks to SportsPro about the changing nature of leadership.He explains how leaders must balance data driven decision making with human judgement and the need for human centric AI strategies.He also discusses the importance of building strong teams and the value of formal education in leadership.Ed Smith is the co-founder and director of the Institute of Sports Humanities.