What questions should we ask?
When was the last time you heard someone say, 'I don't know'?
Businesses are created to solve problems and saying 'I don't know' can sound weak. So, at any conference or in any meeting, there's a marked absence of doubt. We all want to be seen as the one with the answers, so certainty is the default tone of voice.
This tends to shape the worldview of the people who work in the sports business because the rush to be 'solutions oriented' is a trap.
We only ask questions for which we have an answer, a process which makes us complacent and leads to a narrowing of perspective, a closing off to new ideas and alternative ways of doing things. Put another way, if it was left to the sports business we'd never have discovered penicillin. Just saying.
So, what would happen then if we focused on asking better questions? (Good question)
I'm building a question pile and I'd love you to join in.
Send me yours and we'll start asking them to our podcast guests, namechecking you in the process.
Here’s about 80 to get us going:
Who runs better major events, dictators or democracies?
What are the levers and incentives at play during a major event bidding process?
With so much to gain and such a small voting constituency to be influenced, can it really be a transparent and honest process?
Does sportwashing work?
Am I right to blame media training for the rise of Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage?
There's a lot of people trying to use sport to save the world. But what are the limits of sport's influence? Wouldn't it help win the confidence of the public and corporate audiences, if sport was a bit more realistic, and held back on the over claims? Is this possible in a competitive rights market?
How does the money view sport? Can we ever believe that venture capital has any broader ambition than commercial returns?
What is the legacy of the last twenty years of sports marketing?
Does televised sport inspire kids to do sport, or watch more television?
Does anyone really believe that sports marketing can help solve the obesity crisis?
Is Xtinction Rebellion a PR problem for sports major events, or an existential threat?
How old is the average IOC member, and how many are men?
Why is change so slow?
When I stood on stage at Global Sports Week in Paris, I said that the sports business in 2020 feels like the music biz just before Napster. Was I right, or is sport different?
Who’s more valuable - 18 year old esport fan or 50 year old F1 fan?
Will OTT delivery always lag behind mainstream broadcasters?
If everyone has the tools to build an audience, what can an agency add?
Sports teams are already media companies: can they be tech companies too?
Will cricket fans love The Hundred?
Do sports fans just want faster horses?
Does televised sport prevent or encourage obesity?
Is there such a thing as an Olympic legacy?
Are sports stars role models? Are they pushing a message we want to buy?
Do sponsors have the moral authority to lecture sports governing bodies on ethics, transparency and governance?
Is the UEFA Champions League the only property which can reallyoffer a UEFA Champions League partnership model?
Which is older: An Olympic TV viewer or a Premier League season ticket holder?
Why does ParkRun work when other expensive community sports programmes fail?
Should betting ads be banned from half time?
Will the way we watch sports change the way we play?
Are robots the sports stars of tomorrow?
Is the car the next big rights growth market?
Which gets a better social ROI: love or hate?
Do fans really want to talk to brands on social media?
Have you ever been surprised by market research?
Which data point do you look for first?
How can holograms create new kinds of live event experience?
Will AI understand your fans better than you do – or than they do?
Will algorithms be used to build sporting formats?
How will micropayments change broadcast models?
When you gamify engagement, do you really have the fan's attention?
What does the new sporting map look like?
What’s the impact of archive culture and permanent nostalgia?
Does tech have a solution to concussion in rugby and the NFL?
How do you measure sponsorship?
Is esport sport?
Will advanced media and tech herald a global Olympics or render it redundant?
When will the matchday experience start in smart cities?
Can sport change attitudes to climate change, or is it greenwasher-in-chief?
Is there enough water to sustain golf as a pastime?
What viewing experiences will AR make possible?
Would you buy a virtual reality season ticket?
Is PSG’s Jordan partnership the future of destination sponsorship?
What happens when fans go off the grid?
How will ‘fast fashion’ change the merchandise business?
Where does sport fit in the Amazon ecosystem?
Is flexibility the future of sporting formats?
Is virtual advertising a fad or the future?
Will re-bundling be the future of digital broadcasting?
How will voice change brands’ conversations with fans?
Never mind the Netflix of sport: what will its Deliveroo be?
How can tech help sponsors make every sporting event become a festival?
Are performance-related sponsorships the future?
Will fans ever trust football clubs with their personal data?
How would you build a mobile-first sport?
Can sports sponsorship really be a force for good?
How will sport anticipate future health threats?
How does sport create its Marvel Universe?
What happens to sport when media giants collide?
How will influencers redraw the boundaries of fandom?
How do we reinvent long-form sport for the short-burst age?
Why hasn’t club rugby become more popular?
Is a global football league inevitable and will it change the value exchange between fans and clubs?
Are brands really ready for sport’s Asian century?
Never mind millennials: what’s sport’s plan for its enormous greying fanbase?
After KSI v Logan Paul, do sporting events still need sportspeople?
What’s the best way of developing environmentally beneficial habits in a football stadium?
Is sport missing out on offline opportunities?
Should you trust Nielsen’s numbers?
What is sport really selling?
Got any others?
Send them to me and I'll flag you in the podcast.
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