Podcasts from This is Moneyball related to Entertainment / Review - Sport

Starting a sports team from scratch and taking them to glory: it sounds like something out of a computer game rather than real life. This week, assistant editor Lee Boyce and broadcaster Georgie Frost are joined by a man who recently helped start a new basketball team in Britain – the London City Royals. Just how do you go about starting a whole new team – or franchise – and get them off the ground? Jon Sawyer, who has an impressive CV holding senior positions at Disney, Hilton and Pret reveals all. Playing basketball in Britain is immensely popular, so can the basketball league here grow in stature? And will we ever seen the next big player in the NBA come from these shores? How does funding and TV rights work, what does it take to run a sports team day-to-day and can professional basketball help kids avoid the dangers of gang life?

It is a subject that makes fans boil with anger and ask: just how and why would any professional do it? Aren't they already paid enough for a job many of us would love to do? In the This is Moneyball season 3 opener, assistant editor Lee Boyce and broadcaster Georgie Frost tackle this tricky subject and are joined by someone who was swept up in the madness. Centre-back Moses Swaibu – a former Crystal Palace youth player – became one of the first names on the team sheet for Lincoln City in the late-2000s. However, he became embroiled in match-fixing as he slipped down to semi-professional level. For the first time, Moses candidly tells his story, how it unfolded, his regret and why a stint in jail helped him realise that he needed to make sure young players aren't tempted to make the same mistakes.

Social media use among sports stars has seen some of them become more than just a player – they are icons with a global following of millions who post their life off the pitch, as well as on it. Is Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and the like a good use of time for footballers and other sporting icons – or do they have the potential to damage the reputation of both player and club? That's what broadcaster Georgie Frost and assistant editor Lee Boyce discuss this week, alongside expert Ehsen Shah. He is managing director of B-Engaged Ltd and runs the social media accounts of more than 20 footballers, including Arsenal star Héctor Bellerín - who has 3million Instagram followers and 1.7million Twitter followers. He discusses what makes good social media use, developing four pillars needed to make a difference and why it isn't about the money. We also talk about the abuse players may receive, how much a post can be worth to a brand and the future of technology use with sportspeople.

The football season is back with bang but what happened off the pitch in the summer when it comes to money created major talking points. Assistant editor Lee Boyce and broadcaster Georgie Frost pick six of the financial hot topics when it comes to football from the last few months to give their thoughts and opinions. This includes £1.4billion being spent in the summer transfer window, with half of Premier League clubs breaking their individual player transfer record – so who got the best deal? We've got confirmation of Wayne Rooney heading back to England, but why have the financials caused controversy? Bolton Wanderers and Bury are on the brink. What has happened, will they be saved and is Financial Fair Play working? Elsewhere, the Forbes rich list of sports clubs makes for interesting reading, the Chinese cash influence grows and women's football received a huge surge of interest meaning more money.

Welcome to This is MoneyBall, the podcast about what happens off the pitch. As it’s the European Championships this week, Georgie Frost and Lee Boyce go back to school – and talk about hockey. On last week's episode, the pair explored one year to the Tokyo Olympics from the boxing perspective. The view from Team GB hockey, however, is somewhat different: saved from a position of bankruptcy to being recognised as one of the best-run governing bodies in British sport. Could other sports take a lesson from hockey? Plus, what is it like to be a pro in a marginal sport, not awash with cash? And how hard is it to switch countries that you represent?

This is MoneyBall, the podcast about what happens off the pitch –with Georgie Frost and Lee Boyce. On today's episode, the duo are talking football transfers with sports lawyer and author of Done Deal, Daniel Geey. We ask some of the key questions: Who holds the balance of power? Are agents really just greedy money grabbers? How much work goes on behind the scenes that we don’t see? How do you value players? And why can't Zinedine Zidane just get rid of Gareth Bale? Aaron Wan-Bissaka for example has joined Manchester United for £50million. Has that huge sum now just become a normal fee for good players, not exceptional ones – and where does it end? We also talk about how social media is shaping the modern day footballer – and what Brexit could actually mean for the Premier League in England.

This is MoneyBall, the show about what happens off the pitch – with Georgie Frost and Lee Boyce. In this episode, the duo are getting on their bikes and heading across the channel to talk about the most famous cycling race in the world: the Tour de France. They’ll discuss its history, the light and the dark, what makes it so enduring, whether money does do all the talking, and gender equality. Plus, they'll be looking at the state of British cycling ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

This is MoneyBall, the podcast about what happens off the pitch – with Georgie Frost and Lee Boyce. In this episode, the pair head East: to China! They take a look at the latest moves by Rafa Benitez and Marko Arnautovic, and ask: is it all about the money or are we missing a trick when it comes to football in China? They lift the lid on the Chinese Super League – how it works, where the money is coming from – and ask what impact this could have on the game over here. Plus, what influence does politics have right now, and will that amp up in future?

What's going on at Silverstone and why was its place on the Formula One calendar in doubt? That's the question assistant editor Lee Boyce and broadcaster Georgie Frost tackle this week. It looks like the future of the F1 race in Northamptonshire has been secured – but what's behind the economics of the iconic track and its owners? We are joined this week by former British F1 driver Mark Blundell – 1992 Le Mans winner and three-time F1 podium finisher. He gives us his views on Silverstone, how technology has changed the face of motor racing substantially since the 1990s and why – aged 53 – he decided to get back behind the wheel, competitively. We look into the Silverstone contract, new races for 2020, the threat of a London Grand Prix, why it is important to the economy – and the impact paid-for TV is having on sport.

Welcome to This is MoneyBall, the podcast about what happens off the pitch – with Georgie Frost and Lee Boyce. While transfer speculation continues to dominate the back pages, the duo are focusing on something far more important than who plays for your club…who owns it! Leicester Tigers are the latest professional team to be put up for sale – CEO Simon Cohen talks to This is Moneyball. But how do you sell a sports club? How do you value one? What are the regulations around new owners? And how does it impact the fans?