Highlight Reel: Augusta National, The Masters of Pricing ⛳️
Plus, the launch of the Rugby Club World Cup and a snapshot from the second season of the Women's IPL...
Welcome to Sports Pundit, the sports business newsletter delivering insights from across the industry.
In today’s email;
Mastering Prices at Major Sporting Events ⛳️
The Launch of the Rugby Club World Cup 🏉
The Digital Performance of the Women’s IPL 🏏
Thanks to Josh for coming on the Podcast - and thanks to everyone who has listened and shared feedback!
Remember, if you’re in Manchester or Los Angeles, there are events happening on Wednesday (17th) - and in London on the 24th!
Happy Friday!
Andy 😊 🙏
The Highlight Reel is brought to you by the Global Institute of Sport!
The Global Institute of Sport is the leading destination for Master's degrees, executive education and professional qualifications in sport around the world.
They count world-famous stadiums and surrounding venues among their state-of-the-art campus facilities across the globe, including London's Wembley Stadium, Miami's DRV PNK Stadium and Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Ready to master the global sports industry? Enquire today about their in-person and online courses.
A PRICELESS PRACTISE
Augusta National, The Masters of Pricing ⛳️
Unlike other major tournaments, the Masters maintains a steadfast tradition of being held at Augusta National Golf Club without exception. Similarly unwavering are the menu offerings and their prices.
Pimento cheese and egg salad sandwiches, both revered classics, have graced Masters patrons since the 1930s, and (as of 2024) each can still be savoured for a mere $1.50.
This steadfast pricing policy reflects the Masters' commitment to accessibility, as event organisers have adamantly declined to increase prices over the years, ensuring affordability for all patrons - a strategy which Tim Crow (Sports & esports Business Leader & Advisor) believes should be given more focus by the industry.
What he said:
“Sport talks a lot about ‘fan engagement’ and ‘the fan experience’. A helluva lot. But in that type of conference panel, or podcast, or article, or LinkedIn post, you rarely see much, if any, talk about prices, do you? They’re invariably about ‘game-changing’ tech, or data. But they never are ‘game-changing’.
Let me tell you which bit of data is really game-changing, and which also happens to be most important to the fan and their experience of your event.Prices.
If sport - particularly Tier One sport - is honest with itself, it takes every opportunity it can to absolutely rinse its fans, particularly when comes it to F&B and merch.
If you’ve been to a Tier One sporting event in the last ten years, you’ll know what I mean. The F&B and merch prices are eye-watering, and it’s getting worse.
And all this at a time when sport’s most precious commodity, the fans, are facing cost of living pressures they haven’t faced in a generation.
Want to massively improve your fan experience scores, and make your event really loved? I mean, REALLY loved.
Take a lesson from The Masters. Put the fan first.”
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HIGHLIGHTS
Premier League clubs have voted unanimously to adopt rules that will cap spending on players, as part of a reform to profitability and sustainability rules ⚽️
Riot Games' president of publishing Ryan Crosby has been named the next CEO of the World Surf League 🏄♂️
Birmingham City's owners have acquired a site to build a new 'Sports Quarter' with 62,000-capacity stadium, training facilities, community facilities and a mixed-use commercial and entertainment space 🏟️
ESPN personality Pat McAfee has entered a team to play in The Soccer Tournament (TST), a $1 million 7v7 event happening in June in Cary, North Carolina ⚽️
London Lions women create history by winning the EuroCup, becoming first British team do so male or female 🏀
Following in the footsteps of Patrick Mahomes, Erling Haaland, Central Cee and many more, YouTuber ISHOWSPEED has signed a deal with KSI and Logan Paul-backed PRIME.
CALENDAR CHALLENGES
Rugby Club World Cup Raises Questions 🏉
Rugby will introduce a Club World Cup starting in 2028.
After extensive deliberations, clubs have finally agreed on the competition's schedule, with matches likely to be held across four weekends in June.
As a result, the Super Rugby season in the Southern Hemisphere is expected to kick off earlier. Meanwhile in the Northern Hemisphere, the tournament will supplant the Champions Cup knockout phase in 2028, with the group stages serving as qualifiers.
The proposition is exciting, but it does also raise some questions for Ben Cisneros (Associate at Morgan Sports Law).
What he said:
“As a rugby fan, I like the sound of it, as a new marquee event to look forward to between World Cups and Lions Tours.
Commercially, it is bound to attract interest and, if it succeeds, [it] could have a positive impact on clubs’ finances and thus the market for player services.
As ever, though, questions should be asked about the demands being placed on players (given the congested season) and the environmental impact (given the inevitable air travel involved).”
FURTHER READING
A Digital Performance Snapshot of the Women’s IPL By Shivani Laddha 🏏
Football's fan future: Virtual attendance, broadcast concessions and a touch of AI By Sam Sadi (CEO, LiveScore), The Drum ⚽️
Pioneering a Digital Future for Triathlon By Michael Dhulst, Supertri 🏊
Secondary, Tertiary Markets Investing Billions in Stadium Construction Projects By JohnWallStreet 🏟️
Travis Scott Teams Up With Mitchell & Ness For NCAA-inspired Capsule By Subomi, Bigger Than Sports 🌵
Talent Talks with Murray Barnett By Dan Maisey, Talent Talks Podcast 🎙️
THE PODCAST
Want to hear more from my conversation with Josh?
We discuss why Puka Nacua was only picked up in the 5th Round, going from pallet to player tracking with Zebra Technologies, the evolution of data collection, and the opportunities for data application, from scouting and coaching, to broadcast and betting.
Listen to the full podcast via the link below - and I’d love to hear what you think!👇
The Sports Pundit Social Club (SPSC) is designed to bring together a diverse collective of executives, founders, investors and athletes from across the sports industry.
This month, we’ve got three events coming up in Manchester (Weds 17th), Los Angeles (Weds 17th), and London (Weds 24th) with each acting as a happy hour, following on from highly attended conferences in each city.
RSVP for Manchester (Wednesday 17th April) 👉 Here
RSVP for Los Angeles (Wednesday 17th April) 👉 Here
RSVP for London (Wednesday 24th April) 👉 Here
Please note: Sports Pundit has no official affiliation with Ticketing Business Summit, CAA World Congress of Sport, or SportsPro Live.
JOB BOARD
People Executive - The Premier League (London, UK)
Digital Content Planning & Strategy Manager - Formula 1 (London, UK)
Director, Strategy, IMG Media - Endeavor (London, UK)
Head of Marketing, Global Channels (Golf/Basketball) - DAZN (London, UK)
Director of Content - NY/NJ Gotham FC (New York, UK)
Do you have a job you’d like to promote to the amazing readers of this newsletter? Email me 📩
The Highlight Reel is brought to you by the Global Institute of Sport!
The Global Institute of Sport is the leading destination for Master's degrees, executive education and professional qualifications in sport around the world.
They count world-famous stadiums and surrounding venues among their state-of-the-art campus facilities across the globe, including London's Wembley Stadium, Miami's DRV PNK Stadium and Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Ready to master the global sports industry? Enquire today about their in-person and online courses.
Not yet a subscriber? Join over 2,000 sports business leaders, from Formula 1 to the Premier League, that read Sports Pundit every week to get impactful industry insights.
Next month I’ll be heading over to New York as we relaunch the the Social Club in collaboration with Maxwell, a social club set in the heart of Tribeca.
I’m really excited to come out and meet as many of you as possible so please RSVP early and feel free to drop me a note if you’re around.
RSVP for New York (Wednesday 22nd May) 👉 Here
RSVP for London (Thursday 30th May) 👉 Here