"Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that" - Bill Shankly PROFUT – Brazil's Refinancing Programme for Sports Clubs It is a well-known fact that all the top football clubs in Brazil have enormous debts. For decades, the managers and club executives spent … Continue reading No Profit? Here’s PROFUT!
Ambush Marketing in Sports
Ambush marketing is incredible. What’s better is that when done properly, ambushers don’t need to break any laws to get a positive result. So what is Ambush Marketing and where does it come from? The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has zealously guarded its trademarks for decades, but if there was one tipping point, it happened … Continue reading Ambush Marketing in Sports
Puerto Rico: Sovereign Olympic Colony?
Athens, Greece, 2004 Carlos Arroyo pulls on his jersey as Puerto Rico seals the victory over the “Dream Team” United States Basketball team, a stunning upset considering Puerto Rico had not beaten Team USA Basketball before.“I thought Puerto Rico was part of the United States, why do they have their own team?” is a common … Continue reading Puerto Rico: Sovereign Olympic Colony?
VAR: Friend or foe?
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was introduced into the Laws of the Game in 2018, used in the World Cup and now in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Just over one year on from its official, controversial introduction, Lex Sportiva evaluates its success. Firstly, how does it work? VAR operates on a three-step … Continue reading VAR: Friend or foe?
The “Pyramid System”
Like many other markets, sports rely on a hierarchical structure of governance. It is the so-called “pyramid system”, a chain of command that dictates the rules and procedures within the sporting modality; the organisations on top determine how (almost) everything works, and, those below do what they’re told. To paint a clearer picture of the … Continue reading The “Pyramid System”
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