UP Live at Arsenal ON SALE NOW; The Web3 Brainstorm; UPcoin; The joy of an academic catfight; Women and EA; Baroness Sue Campbell; The top of p/e; Cinched; TikTok for news; From Halifax to Love Island
Overthinking the sports business, for money
ANNOUNCING…UNOFFICIAL PARTNER LIVE
In Unofficial Partnership with…Arsenal FC
The rumour’s true…UP Live tickets go on sale today.
When: Wednesday 21st September at 5.30pm
Where: The Emirates Stadium, London
What: The Unofficial Partner Web3 Brainstorm
Ticket Price: £50+VAT*
* Note, we floated the idea of an event a few weeks ago and asked the UP Newsletter audience to register interest. This got a big response and those people have been given first dibs at tickets.
Subtext, if you want to come along you should buy a ticket sooner rather than later, as there’s limited space.
Why:
Learn something.
Ask good questions.
Get beyond the sports business bubble.
Have an entertaining evening.
No boring sales pitches.
What it will be like:
Like a conference session. But good.
Conceit: The UPcoin Brainstorm
We - Unofficial Partner - want to make a billion quid in web3.
Reality: We’re a couple of chancers who’ve heard all the words - NFTs, Tokens, Crypto, DeFi, etc - and are launching our own version (UPcoin) to our dedicated and gullible community of listeners.
But we don't know anything about it, so we need advice.
This mechanic drives the session forward.
The guests’ role is to put us right on the opportunities available and the mistakes we should avoid.
The UP Billion Dollar Brainstorm at Leaders London was very well received and is the model for this one.
Stage set up - Three chairs facing each other.
Audience in the round, drink and crisps in hand.
Rotating guests.
Audience members who want to contribute are invited to take a chair.
Issues arising:
Some questions to be thinking about before you come.
WTF is Web3 anyway? What’s utopia look like? Do you know your fungibles from your non-fungibles?
What can we steal? What’s happening in other entertainment verticals, like fashion, art, music and other sectors.
We need to talk about money. Why is the investment community so excited about web3 and blockchain? Subtext: Sean wants to launch an UP DAO, but doesn’t know what it means.
What if…fan engagement went beyond stunts? What does utility really mean in the context of NFTs and tokens, and is what punters want compatible with what a football club can deliver without jeopardising sporting integrity?
We’re thinking about how to manufacture a thrilling finale, along the lines of ‘UPcoin…who wants some?’ I’m hoping this idea will evolve over the next ten weeks.
We’ll announce guests and other elements over the coming weeks.
We’re indebted to Alex Cowell and his brilliant team at Sponsorworks for their help.
They’re industry leading specialists in sponsorship event and ticketing management software for big brands and rights holders.
So if you’re planning an event, get in touch and we’ll point you their way.
Braves talk: When sports economists collide
What happened? A good story by Daniel Libit on Sportico, about academic research and conflict of interest.
Short version: it’s a catfight between professors, which is always entertaining.
Why do we care? Academic studies are often used to legitimise economic impact claims for big sports stadium builds or major event hosting bids.
This allows politicians and property developers to push through expensive and lucrative white elephant projects at the expense of taxpayers.
Andrew Zimbalist is a sports economist whose 1997 book Sports, Jobs and Taxes gets quoted liberally, and he’s parlayed that in to a consultant for hire gig.
But he’s under attack for conflict of interest after writing a report in support of the new Atlanta Braves stadium, whilst being paid by…the Atlanta Braves.
His report undermines a previous one on the same venture, by rival sports economist JC Bradbury, who then went apeshit.
Bradbury argues that there is something acutely problematic with an economist who studies stadium financing being paid by a team to provide a public report on its venue.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the sports academia jungle…
6 Questions
1. Was that the top of private equity?
AYNE’s Roger Mitchell called the top of the p/e market this week, which if true has big implications for the sport sector globally.
The trigger was CalPERS, America’s biggest pension fund, selling off $6billion of its p/e stakes at a 10% discount.
2. Will brands continue to pay billions for nothing?
Nick Manning backs up what Dr Augustine Fou has being saying for years, and particularly on UP129 - How Adtech Ruined The Internet
Given the difficulties of measuring audience they have simply defaulted to looking at the cost of buying audience units without knowing whether an audience has actually been delivered. There surely can’t be any other industry where huge sums of money are wasted on buying nothing. Any impressions that aren’t real or aren’t viewed are the very definition of ‘nothing’, yet billions of dollars are lost to them.
3. How should news respond to TikTok?
Ofcom confirms TikTok is the fastest growing news source for UK adults
The response of MSM news outlets has obvious echoes of sport’s Gen Z question.
Good thread by Sophia Smith Galer here.
See also, Formats Unpacked: The Live Blog genre
4. Why doesn't Ian Thompson rate Cinch’s sponsorship strategy?
5. When will EA put a woman on the cover?
EA’s last FIFA game iteration (FIFA22) will include women’s football for the first time. The FIFA license is famously over and this is a nice PR line to distract attention from trickier questions.
Hear EA Sport’s answer to the women question on UP201
6. Will you get your replica kit in time for the start of the season?
It’s looking like a no. Most of it is in a container somewhere between here and China. File under ‘Unprecedented challenges’.
The company you keep
We’ll take Daniel’s iPhone line-up.
The Job: Head of Commercial, Turnstile
(Full Time, London)
The Blurb: Apply your business development & commercial skillset to a high growth sponsorship valuation agency that is rapidly disrupting the global sport & entertainment industry. Clients include Formula 1, UEFA, World Rugby, the ICC, Arsenal, Manchester City & the All Blacks. You’ll be working closely with senior leaders in the business to accelerate the agency’s growth trajectory by harnessing existing client relationships and building new ones. We’re seeking somebody with a strong network across the global sport & entertainment industry who is passionate about growth and innovation.
The Link: For more details about the role and how to apply: https://www.turnstilegroup.com/careers. Applications close Sunday 7th August.
Overheard on WhatsUP
Inside the Unofficial Partner private network.
