French football’s financial crisis: Why Ligue 1’s €3bn deal with Mediapro collapsed and what it means for the Premier League January 8, 2021 Lille OSC are flying high in Ligue 1, into the latter stages of the Europa League — and €125m in debt. This season, financial turmoil off the pitch is tainting the French football club’s on-field success. Last month, Lille’s major creditors JP Morgan and Elliott Management forced the club’s embattled owner Gerard Lopez to sell [...]
Sportradar tap fintech veteran to chair global board January 7, 2021 Betting services company Sportradar have raided the world of fintech for the new head of their global board. Jeff Yabuki, who oversaw fifteen years of growth at Nasdaq-listed Fiserv, will take on the role immediately. Fiserv tripled its revenue over the period and delivered nearly 1000 per cent returns to shareholders. Sportradar now employes more [...]
21 Premier League players to watch in 2021 based on quantitative analysis January 2, 2021 Who are the Premier League players to watch in 2021? Using quantitative analysis derived from investment banking, Matthew Belford and Jack Morris of Carteret Analytics have drawn up a shortlist for City A.M. that includes one player from each club plus the single most outstanding prospect. Arsenal: Gabriel Magalhaes (Carteret Rating: 239.5) Brazilian centre-back Gabriel, [...]
What to expect from sports technology in 2021 January 1, 2021 After the sporting chasm that was 2020, things are definitely looking up in 2021. In prospect are Olympics and Paralympic Games, football’s European Championship and the return of a plethora of iconic annual fixtures, such as Wimbledon, Royal Ascot and The Open. But as we embrace the new normal of live sport next year, what [...]
Sports law in 2021: Data disputes, the evolution of esports, all eyes on Premier League TV rights, and rules tighten for clubs and agents December 31, 2020 While there may not have been as much action on the pitch in 2020, this year has been an eventful one for sports lawyers off the pitch to say the least. Coronavirus has acted as a magnifying glass, intensifying the financial and legal pressures that those in the sports ecosystem face. But how is 2021 [...]
Three things to expect from the business of sport in 2021 December 30, 2020 What does next year hold for sport in a commercial sense? Here, Neil Hopkins, global head of strategy at M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment, gazes into his crystal ball. Grounds for optimism Fans are back. Not many of them, but they are back. With vaccination under way, at some point in 2021 the tentative trickle of [...]
Sportspeople have never had so much power. In 2021 they will continue to change the way they are defined December 29, 2020 The coronavirus pandemic has been the dominant theme of 2020 for the entire global population and its impact on the world of sport – its events, competitions, clubs and athletes – has been equally transformative. But, as Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote states, out of adversity comes opportunity. And as we look ahead to the sporting [...]
Why women’s sport will hit £1bn and the tech tools trusted by pros will go overground in 2021 December 28, 2020 Paul Lee, global head of technology, media and telecommunications research at Deloitte, forecasts two major growth areas for sport in 2021. Women’s sports Deloitte predicts that revenue from women’s elite sports will be almost £1bn in 2021. The start of the 2021-22 season will kick off a record period for women’s sport attendance, TV audiences [...]
Major League Cricket: Silicon Valley and Bollywood’s grand plan to make America fall in love with T20 December 23, 2020 People don’t tend to associate the game of cricket with the United States. The world’s second most popular sport has an estimated global following of 2.5bn, yet has struggled to attract an audience in the US, where American football, baseball, and basketball dominate the live sport broadcasting schedule. But a group of investors that includes [...]
The Big Sport Quiz of 2020: How well were you following the action this year? December 22, 2020 Roll up, roll up: it’s City A.M.’s Big Sport Quiz of 2020! Yes, a lot of it was severely disrupted and most of it happened without fans present, but there was still plenty of vintage sport and some intriguing storylines to follow. So test your knowledge on our selection of questions covering all major sports [...]