Gamechangers and Rainmakers: How Sport Became Big Business

Gamechangers and Rainmakers is the compelling story of sports marketing and the creation of a trillion-dollar global business.

Starting in the playing fields of Harrow, the book moves swiftly into the 1960s and on to 1980, by which time the Olympics had become toxic and English football was in trouble. We learn about the rainmakers who turned the fortunes of both around.

In 1984, sports marketing soared to new heights with the success of the LA Olympics, the NFL, Nike and the impact of Michael Jordan and Bernie Ecclestone. The book explores what happened next, with the launch of the Premier League, the Champions League and Sky. In the new millennium we discover how fans got hooked on videogames and online gambling, while emerging nations wanted to host leading sports events and overseas investors sought to buy football clubs. The author reveals how this firehose of money led to rogue behavior by some, and argues this is an industry that needs to reset if it wants to keep younger fans interested.

David Stubley spent the first decade of his career working in television at ITV and Channel 4. The last 25 years have been spent advising some of the world’s top brands and leading sports properties on how to unlock commercial value from sports marketing. He has helped negotiate more than ＄1bn of commercial deals with the likes of FIFA, UEFA, F1 and the Olympics. He serves on the board of multiple sport and media companies.