The DataPOWA view on the most important talking points in the worlds of sport sponsorship, digital & AI.
PROJECT BIG PICTURE – LEADING CLUBS’ PLANS TO RESHAPE GAME SPARKS ANGER
The Premier League and the English Football League are in open conflict after plans advocating fundamental reform of the game were made public. Project Big Picture is the name given to a proposal devised by Liverpool and Manchester United but, crucially, approved by the Football League in which big clubs would get control over the running of the top flight in return for redistributing greater funding down the football pyramid.
For more on this story, head to The Guardian
HOW THE NBA CONQUERED COVID-19
The fact that COVID-19 is a small part of the current NBA conversation is a testament to the success of the NBA bubble. Nearing the end of the season, there have been no outbreaks of COVID-19 among NBA players, no interruptions since the bubble began. COVID-19 has been handled so thoroughly by the NBA that its largest COVID-related stories have involved individual behaviours that didn’t lead to any actual outbreaks, but potentially put others at risk. For instance, Houston Rockets forward Danuel House’s removal from the bubble for breaking bubble rules.
For more on this story, head to TheUndefeated
MEET EVERTON & VILLA’S SPONSOR CAZOO
The new Premier League shirt sponsor topping the table with Everton and Aston Villa. Cazoo founder and CEO Alex Chesterman explains why now was the right time for the online car retailer to sponsor two Premier League clubs, and outlines how Everton and Villa are already reaping the benefits of partnering with a non-betting brand.
For more on this story, head to SportsProMedia
BUILDING THE FOOTBALL STRUCTURE IN INDIA
Sukhvinder Singh is a unique sports professional in India. He has a deep understanding of Indian football at the grassroots level, having played in various national championships growing up. Armed with an MBA degree, he pursued his passion for football at both the corporate level with Nike and in the administrative domain with the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
For more on this story, head to SportsKeeda
SPORT & TOBACCO – A RELATIONSHIP THAT HAS TURNED TO ASHES
In his book Football, The Golden Age, John Tennant collects “extraordinary images from 1900 to 1985”. One of them, photographer unknown, shows Ipswich Town players in January 1939 relaxing in the team bath after losing 2-1 at home to Aston Villa in an FA Cup third round replay. Of the nine pictured, three have cigarettes hanging from their mouths. Fast forward to our current sporting times. Footballers, among other sportsmen, are still to be pictured with cigarettes in their mouths. But these images find their way onto the pages or websites of newspapers and magazines under headlines with – apparently – shocked responses.
For more on this story, head to InsideTheGames
ROLAND GARROS THE PERFECT VENUE FOR NADAL TO EQUAL RECORD
In his astonishing straight-sets bludgeoning of Novak Djokovic on Sunday, Rafael Nadal unlocked many surreal achievements. He now owns 13 Roland Garros titles, 15 years after his first outing.
For more on this story, head to The Guardian
GOOD SHOUT
FORBES: Kathrine Switzer Talks Boston Marathon, 1967 And Now
UNOFFICIALPARTNER: Timo Lumme Podcast
YAHOO! FINANCE: E-sports industry now worth $1.1bn
FORBES: TikTok Sponsors NASCAR Xfinity Series Racer Ryan Vargas
9TO5GOOGLE: Google celebrates Lakers NBA Finals win with purple and gold fireworks