The bosses of Electronic Arts have just trousered a historic $55 billion deal. For the uninitiated, EA is the outfit behind Madden NFL and EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA). On its own, that number is jaw-dropping. In context, it’s just another brick in Saudi Arabia’s ever-expanding sports empire.
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The World Championships in Tokyo might be remembered for medals and records, but one of its most important legacies should be how it manages its officials.
Straight from the ‘Captain Cock-up’ playbook of the 1993 Grand National, the Tokyo marathon saw a false start. This was unprecedented and ridiculous, over 43km it would have made no competitive difference.
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Hit 50 and people start referring to the next decade as ‘sniper’s alley’, the implication being that if something bad is going to get you, it’ll take the shot then. Apple, ever the opportunist, has clearly clocked this, and its latest watch comes with a new trick: passive hypertension detection.
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Who remembers the days when quality cotton was the gold standard of sports kit?
Your parents preached the benefits of natural fabrics and we believed them…right until it rained. 10 minutes later and lo, your bodyweight doubled and your kit had all the charm of a bath towel drenched in cold water.
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Sports tech is having a moment … apparel has finally joined the party.
It may surprise some, but while broadcast, fan engagement, and performance tech have raced ahead, apparel and footwear have been dragging its heels.
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Keep Stifling Stars and Sport Loses its Voice.
When Boris Johnson was Mayor of London, his press office told me that he’d taken the view that media training Bo-Jo would be like taking the fizz out of the champagne. Let people see the real man and enjoy him for what he is. It worked. While that strategy might not have commuted to the Prime Minister’s office, Boris was a wildly popular mayor.
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Sport has never been more visible, more valuable, or more in demand. Global calendars are brimming with new tournaments, expanded formats, and international fixtures that attract record crowds and digital audiences in the billions
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Once upon a time, celebrities wanted yachts, vineyards, and a pied-à-terre in Paris. Now they want a football club in Wales, a rugby team in the English Midlands, or the women’s equivalent of the Yankees.
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Every conversation I had last Monday started with the Lionesses’ win. The nation loved it. But if you wandered beyond the match reports and into the comments section… well, let’s just say there are a lot of angry men on the internet.
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A few weeks ago, I wrote about groundhopping – that curious pastime where football fans behave less like loyal supporters and more like tourists with a bucket list. It’s all very engaging, they visit new towns, sample new pies and sing new chants … but it’s not football. It’s trainspotting for the cool crowd.
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