Business of Sport

England are still alive at the World Cup, but only just, and as the tournament properly gets going, Thomas Tuchel’s big selection calls are starting to look a little more uncomfortable. We’ll get into that, before heading to Wimbledon where Serena Williams’ return gave the tournament the talking point it probably needed, and the players’ prize money protest raises the obvious question: if you’re going to strike, are you actually prepared to hurt the event? We dive into one of sport’s great untouched properties in the Tour de France and the strange economics of cycling. Then we finish with AC Milan, RedBird, Ibrahimović, a huge debt refinancing, and whether one of Europe’s great clubs is actually a bigger mess than it looks and we have ourselves a breakdown.And if you’re wondering why we haven’t mentioned the England cricket disaster, don’t worry, that one is getting the full treatment over on Substack.

Disclaimer:
The content of this podcast is intended as commentary and opinion on matters of public interest in the sports industry. While we make every effort to ensure accuracy, figures, statistics, and financial data referenced may be based on publicly available estimates and could be subject to error or change. Nothing in this podcast should be taken as a statement of fact. If you believe any information is inaccurate, please contact us at ⁠⁠⁠charlie@20vc.com⁠⁠⁠ and we will endeavour to correct the record promptly.

We're delighted to also partner with the Global Institute Of Sport
⁠⁠⁠⁠https://gis.sport/BoS⁠⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe to our Substack for bonus content:
⁠⁠https://substack.com/@businessofsport⁠⁠

If you’re interested in partnering with the show, please reach out to us at
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bos@20vc.com⁠⁠

County cricket. This is long overdue. If we wanted to do this properly, the was really only one place to start, so I’m delighted to welcome Colin Graves to the show. Colin has held positions at the top of international and domestic cricket as Chair of the ECB and Yorkshire, a role he was re-elected to in 2024 as the club faces some of the biggest decisions in its storied history.
The stark reality is that county cricket needs to make more money, attract more fans, produce more content, open itself to new investment. The problem is that there are issues at both a macro and micro level that stop much of that from happening. Private vs member ownership, calendar positioning, fiscal management; how do counties create a business that does more than just survive. This is a compelling take from a man who knows what he’s talking about, and recognises this is highly emotive to many of you who will be listening. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. We’re delighted to welcome Colin to the Business of Sport

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

Airwallex
The intelligent financial platform for global businesses
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.airwallex.com/uk/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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

If you’re interested in partnering with the show, please reach out to us at
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bos@20vc.com

With two weeks of edge of your seat football, it’s fair to say that the World Cup is delivering on the pitch. But what about all the noise around tickets and pricing and non-football exploits that dominated the news pre-tournament? Time to check in on that, alongside Serena Williams incredible return to Wimbledon in the singles draw at 44, Ben Stokes being back in the fold for the final test with still no apparent accountability or clarity from all sides, and a big old deep dive in the crazy debt laden world of Manchester United as they add another $125m onto an already eye-watering repayment figure.

Disclaimer:
The content of this podcast is intended as commentary and opinion on matters of public interest in the sports industry. While we make every effort to ensure accuracy, figures, statistics, and financial data referenced may be based on publicly available estimates and could be subject to error or change. Nothing in this podcast should be taken as a statement of fact. If you believe any information is inaccurate, please contact us at ⁠⁠⁠charlie@20vc.com⁠⁠⁠ and we will endeavour to correct the record promptly.

We're delighted to also partner with the Global Institute Of Sport
⁠⁠⁠⁠https://gis.sport/BoS⁠⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe to our Substack for bonus content:
⁠⁠https://substack.com/@businessofsport⁠⁠

If you’re interested in partnering with the show, please reach out to us at
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bos@20vc.com⁠⁠

Today we’re delighted to welcome Monty Panesar to the show. A brilliant servant to English cricket, Monty played 50 Test matches for his country, took Sachin Tendulkar as his first Test wicket, became the first Sikh to play Test cricket for England, and of course pulled off The Great Escape with Jimmy Anderson in Cardiff in 2009, one of the great modern Ashes memories.
But what made Monty stand out was never just the wickets. It was the relationship with the fans, the joy he brought to the game, and the way he managed to humanise elite sport while playing at the very top. Now, as he puts it, the challenge is building a second innings that can be as successful as the first. That means media, coaching, speaking, business, brand, relevance, and understanding where cricket is heading as the game changes around franchise leagues, private investment, and the future of Test cricket. This is a brilliant look at life after elite sport, through one of cricket’s most recognisable and loved characters. We’re delighted to welcome Monty Panesar to the Business of Sport.

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

Airwallex
The intelligent financial platform for global businesses
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.airwallex.com/uk/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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

If you’re interested in partnering with the show, please reach out to us at
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bos@20vc.com

What a start to the World Cup. What was all the fuss about? As often happens, football seems to have taken over from the outside which is what everyone wanted to see, but we’ll give it another week before reviewing the ticketing and commercial delivery we couldn’t stop talking about in the run up. It is the turn of Burnley and Everton to take the limelight after the landmark £35m compensation ruling in Burnley’s favour. This is used a lot but it really does look like it has opened Pandora’s Box. Add to that an overdue look at SailGP and the world of sailing and we have ourselves a breakdown!

Disclaimer:
The content of this podcast is intended as commentary and opinion on matters of public interest in the sports industry. While we make every effort to ensure accuracy, figures, statistics, and financial data referenced may be based on publicly available estimates and could be subject to error or change. Nothing in this podcast should be taken as a statement of fact. If you believe any information is inaccurate, please contact us at ⁠⁠⁠charlie@20vc.com⁠⁠⁠ and we will endeavour to correct the record promptly.

We’re delighted to partner with Obelisk Sports Agency⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://obelisksports.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

We're delighted to also partner with the Global Institute Of Sport
⁠⁠⁠⁠https://gis.sport/BoS⁠⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe to our Substack for bonus content:
⁠⁠https://substack.com/@businessofsport⁠⁠

If you’re interested in partnering with the show, please reach out to us at
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bos@20vc.com⁠⁠