Here are the latest articles curated by Sports Geek Reads. Get these updates as a podcast by subscribing to Sports Geek Rapid Rundown.

Key Reads

Inside the $3.82 Billion Plan to Transform Indian Sport – 365247 Sports *

How India plans to rewire its entire sports system.

IN, Government Funding, High Performance, Sports Economy, Strategy

FIFA's World Cup sell-off: how the FIFA Forward Enterprise plan collapsed in a week – Insider Sport *

Inside the rapid fall of FIFA's $20B World Cup plan.

FIFA, World Cup, Governance, Investment Strategy, Sponsorship

SVG Executive Perspectives 2026: Industry Leaders Discuss Biz and Tech Trends for the Year Ahead – Sports Video Group

Executives outline where sports media and tech are heading.

Global, Strategy, Technology, Media, ExecutiveInsight

DAZN's Sports Strategy – 365247 Sports *

DAZN's shift from streamer to sports media infrastructure.

Global, Sports Media, Streaming, Rights, Strategy

Real Madrid Generated a Record $1.4 Billion in Revenue in 2025-26 – AS

What a $1.4B season tells us about club models.

EU, Football, Revenue, Commercial Strategy, Global Brands

Professional Sports

Inside the secretive AFL integrity unit and its most high-profile cases – The Sydney Morning Herald *

How the AFL's integrity unit manages crises and scandals.

AU, AFL, Governance, Policy, Investigations

Women's College Hoops Players Unite in Largest Athlete Union Effort Yet – ESPN

A landmark union push reshapes college sports power dynamics.

US, NCAA, Governance, AthleteRights, CommercialModel

SEC, Big Ten Support PCSA as Judge Issues NCAA Eligibility Injunction – Sportico

Eligibility injunction could reshape NCAA rosters and revenues.

NCAA, College Sports, Law, Eligibility, Governance

WNBA Viewership Up 12% and Attendance Up 13% at Midseason – Yahoo Sports

WNBA's growth spurt offers clear signals to sponsors.

US, WNBA, Ratings, Attendance, Sponsorship

Digital & Social

ADHD Weasel: 2,800 Subscribers in 23 Days (Full Breakdown) – Growth in Reverse *

A tactical breakdown of explosive newsletter growth via quizzes.

Global, Growth, Email, Digital Strategy, Case Study

Website Traffic Is Down. Here's Why Your CEO Might Be Worrying About the Wrong Number – Entrepreneur

Why sports orgs must graduate from raw traffic KPIs.

Global, Digital, Marketing, Data, Revenue

‘Production Wins, Man!': Men in Blazers' Founder Roger Bennett on Winning the FIFA World Cup as a Digital Media Brand – Sports Video Group

How a digital-first brand outkicked traditional World Cup broadcasters.

Global, DigitalMedia, ContentStrategy, Sponsorship, Football

Media & Entertainment

Tony Romo, CBS and the ‘Worst Contract in Media History' – The Athletic

What Romo's megadeal says about valuing broadcast talent.

US, Media-Rights, Broadcasting, Talent, NFL

NHL Launches Centralized Production Operation for Regional Broadcasts; Four Teams Aboard To Start – Sports Video Group *

NHL centralises production to cut costs and boost quality.

US, NHL, MediaRights, Production, Technology

Netflix Reportedly Paid $200 Million for 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup Rights in the U.S. and Canada – Yahoo Finance

Why Netflix is betting big on Women's World Cup rights.

US, Media Rights, Streaming, Women's Sport, Football

Geek Out

Marquee, an AI-Native Decision Layer for Professional Sports Organizations, Raised $6.5 Million – GlobeNewswire

New funding for an AI “brain” sitting across club data.

Global, Sports Tech, AI, Data, Clubs

AI

Harvard Business Review Warns AI ‘Workslop' Is Rotting Companies From the Inside – TNW

The risk of low-quality AI output flooding organisations.

Global, AI, Governance, Productivity, Risk

AI will make content infinite. Human taste will decide what matters. – TNW

In an infinite content world, curation becomes your edge.

Global, AI, Content, Media, Strategy

Make You Think

Queensland Unveils Victoria Park Legacy Plan Built Around Year-Round Sport and Events – Ministry of Sport

How Brisbane's Olympic legacy precinct aims for year-round impact.

AU, Olympics, Urban Development, Event Planning, Infrastructure

Why Japan has the world's best trains – Morning Brew

Lessons from Japanese rail for stadium and precinct planning.

JP, Infrastructure, Urban Development, Stadium Precincts, Strategy

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Featured image credit: Serg Stallone / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0), cropped and darkened by Sports Geek.