Business of Sport

Matt Richards is a double Olympic Champion and silver medallist in the pool, winning a historic back to back relay title and falling agonisingly short of individual gold in the 200m freestyle (2 hundredths of a second to be precise). And that won’t be the end of it; LA28 is firmly in his sights.
At the age of 23, he has achieved more than most will in their whole career. You would think as an Olympic gold medallist, the world opens up to, and in some ways it does. But as he describes, these are athletes surviving on tiny salaries, reliant on sponsorship and external funding, all competing for the same dollars. So Matt decided to do something about it. He’s now not only an elite swimmer, but also a business owner looking to empower more athletes with the control over their revenue generating opportunities. I have put a link below to check out the platform. A special guy with a huge amount still to come. We loved this and I hope you do too. We’re delighted to welcome Matt to the Business of Sport.

Olympic Gold & The Reality Behind It:
Winning gold in Tokyo at 18 and why it did not feel how he expected.

The brutal 0.02 second Olympic silver in Paris and how he reset overnight.

What actually changes after you become Olympic champion and how fast the buzz fades.

The Money Behind Olympic Sport:
£28,000 lottery funding and what swimmers really earn.

Why most Team GB athletes make nothing outside sponsorship.

The three month Olympic window to monetize success without harming performance.

Building a Business While Chasing Gold:
Launching Sponsor while competing at the highest level.

Why athletes must see themselves as marketing assets.

Balancing brand building, training, and the risk of distraction.

Pressure, Process & The LA 2028 Target:
Calling himself Olympic champion at eight years old.

The Olympic Village chaos, illness, and racing through adversity.

Turning silver into fuel as he targets individual gold in LA.

A huge thank you to our amazing partners on the show: 

Gemini Sports
We empower the most confident sports organisations on Earth https://geminisports.ai/

Slate
The complete content creation platform for social teams https://slateteams.com/

Seat Unique
Discover your next premium experience  https://wgl.io/s10it7

AND check out Sponza, Matt’s business to revolutionise sponsorship for athletes & brands https://sponza.co.uk/

This week it’s a balance of fact and hypothetical. The deep dive into Leicester’s concerning situation last week received an amazing response, and with it many requests to look at what would happen if the ever shortening odds of Spurs inconceivably going down paid out. So that’s what we’ll do! It was Charlie’s turn to suffer from the sniffles so bare with him; he’s still his usual self don’t worry. Add to this a look at how much money it takes to win an Olympic gold and the concerning events surrounding Vinicius Jr and alleged racist abuse he received during this week’s Champions League tie against Benfica, and we have ourselves a Breakdown.

After numerous shows with players from Wales, New Zealand, South Africa, France, we have ourselves an England international. And what a way to kick off the red rose association.
Anthony Watson is one of the game’s biggest names over the last decade. He broke onto the scene young, played over 50 times for England, a double British & Irish Lion, and retired by 30. Injury prevented him from achieving even more, but as you will hear it also opened up other opportunities for him. From losing his way when first dealing with life in the spotlight, to university and masters degrees with a big future to look forward to, this is an incredible insight into how the world of elite sport can deliver big success both on and off the pitch. We’re delighted to welcome Anthony to Business of Sport.

Retirement, Injury & Identity:
Why long injury spells prepared Anthony for the reality of retirement.

The shock of going from England international to silence overnight.

The unhealthy obsession with recovery and performance that followed.

Building purpose beyond rugby through media, business and new ventures.

Eddie Jones, England & Elite Standards:
Why Eddie Jones was a better man manager than people realise.

The detail and intensity required to succeed in the England environment.

What really went wrong at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

The Business of Rugby & Innovation:
Why the Premiership needs radical innovation beyond the pitch.

The reality of salary caps, squad depth and financial sustainability.

R360, disruption and why rugby cannot afford to stand still.

Player Welfare, Superstars & Growth:
Why growing the game cannot come at the expense of player health.

The tension between protecting athletes and building global appeal.

Whether rugby relies too heavily on its biggest names.

A huge thank you to our amazing partners on the show: 

Gemini Sports
We empower the most confident sports organisations on Earth https://geminisports.ai/

Slate
The complete content creation platform for social teams https://slateteams.com/

Seat Unique
Discover your next premium experience  https://wgl.io/s10it7

What a show we have for you this week. Leicester’s points deduction for breaching financial regulations is a big problem, but is there something far worse going on? In short, Charlie expertly takes us through how a football club goes bankrupt. Add to that the Glazer’s IPL ambitions and some excellent conversation on whether NBA Europe will get off the ground (which includes some excellent statements for those of you out there who love a good comms strategy as much as we do) and we have ourselves a Breakdown. Oh, and don’t worry, the most requested topic of the week featuring some questionable antics of male ski jumpers looking to gain more lift to travel further is covered in detail too. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, that will soon change.

It’s a return to the chair for one of our greatest guests, and what a time to do it. When Claire Williams came to see you in 2024 she delivered an account of Williams and the recent sale that few had heard. Today, we look forward. As the new season approaches, teams have had to deal with some of the biggest regulatory changes in the sport’s history. Are we about to see F1 flipped on its head? 
Without the pressure of having to be across every detail expected when Team Principal, Claire can take a breath and look at the sport from a different lens. Today, we, and hopefully you, are the benefiters of that. From how to prepare a car from scratch to why she thinks George Russell would be great in a McLaren (incredibly juicy we know), the educated eye once again casts a view of what could be the most dramatic F1 season on record. We’re delighted to welcome Claire to the Business of Sport.

On today's show we discuss:

Regulation Changes, Cost Caps and Competitive Balance:
How sweeping technical regulation changes can reset the grid overnight.

Why interpretation of rules and strength of engineering teams matter more than budget alone.

How the cost cap has fundamentally changed the survival prospects of smaller teams.

Drivers, Risk and the Harsh Reality of Performance:
Why being a second driver at certain teams can be the hardest job in the sport.

Making brutal decisions on drivers and why timing matters more than patience.

How pressure, risk and scrutiny have intensified in the modern F1 era.

Growth, New Teams and Protecting the Sport:
Why Formula One is cautious about expansion despite having the money to support more teams.

The balance between growth, dilution and protecting long term value.

What adding new teams really means for competitive integrity.

Stepping Away and Looking Back:
Why leaving Williams was not a choice and how perspective changes with time.

Missing the sport while recognising the toll it takes on life outside racing.

Why Formula One will always be part of who she is, even from the outside.

A huge thank you to our amazing partners on the show: 
Gemini Sports
We empower the most confident sports organisations on Earth https://geminisports.ai/
Slate
The complete content creation platform for social teams https://slateteams.com/
Seat Unique
Discover your next premium experience businessofsport.seatunique.com