Lire l'article original en français dans le magazine Le Fil #6
(EN) Sport is no longer the refined pastime invented by the British – it’s become a high-level spectacle where brands, media, investors, institutions, event organizers and athletes interact to create a dynamic, innovative and profitable ecosystem ruled by performance.
It’s also a lifestyle and healthy habit embraced by an increasing number of us. Let’s take an in-depth look at the world of sports business.
Sport, a golden business
The 2024 vintage of the sports economy was exceptional, boasting a global market for equipment worth more than $160 billion, sports betting approaching $242 billion, the sports nutrition sector estimated at $53 billion and a historic year for women’s sports with global revenue topping $1 billion for the first time. Credit where credit’s due. The Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games alone, backed by 84 partner companies including 14 IOC international sponsors, generated €1.7 billion in direct revenue on an operating budget estimated at €4.4 billion. More than 12 million tickets were sold for an attendance rate close to 95 percent. “The atmosphere and excitement around this immense event were incredible,” enthuses Nathalie Péchalat (PGE14), a leading name in figure skating and director of Club France during the Games. Another standout event of the year, the UEFA European Football Championship in Germany, drew 2,681,288 fans to the stadiums – a record turnout. “Despite changes in consumption habits, live events, experienced in the venues where athletes compete or watched on a screen, remain the driving force behind sports entertainment,” confirms David Labrune (PGE09), International Media Rights Director at France’s professional football league. And in the unrivaled arena of the French countryside, the 2025 Tour de France confirmed this opinion, as 1 million spectators lined the roads of the North of France for the first stage and 8.7 million viewers tuned in to France 2 for the final sprint up the Champs Élysées.
"live events, experienced in the venues where athletes compete or watched on a screen, remain the driving force behind sports entertainment"
Club France
David Labrune (PGE09)
Professional Football League
A playing field without borders
Riding in the slipstream of its big brother, the Women’s Tour de France – marked this year by the victory of France’s Pauline Ferrand Prévot – pushed TV audiences to new heights. “Our Tours de France are followed all over the world,” notes Arthur Azzolini (MSc16), Head of International Development & Strategy at Amaury Sport Organisation, which runs the event. “The men’s peloton last July included twenty-seven different nationalities.” In 2024, Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay became the first rider from sub-Saharan Africa to win a stage. And cycling keeps pushing into new territories. The ASO Singapore Criterium is a case in point, with Arthur noting that it “attracts leading riders and blends racing, public rides and a concert, a concept which has proved hugely successful.” Infront Sports & Media AG is one of the world leaders in this global sports industry. The company just secured exclusive broadcast rights for the Summer and Winter Olympic Games from 2026 to 2032 in 22 countries across Central and Southeast Asia. Julien Ternisien (PGE00), Senior Vice President Summer and Winter Sports at the Swiss firm, points out that “the sports sector still has regions to conquer – a number of Asian countries, plus India, the Near and Middle East and Africa. It’s also seeing the rise of new, highly sought after markets such as e-sport.” This was valued at under $2 billion in 2022, but is expected to exceed $12 billion by 2030!
In 2025, for the first time in its history, the final stage of the Tour de France passed through Montmartre.
“In 2018, we were the first Grand Slam tournament to branch out into e-sports with the ‘Roland-Garros eSeries by Renault’, which now attracts over half a million players worldwide,” recalls Alexis Dubernard (PGE24), Project Manager for International Development at the French Tennis Federation. The FFT aims to support the global growth of tennis and explore new avenues for its brand “through initiatives like our junior tournaments on clay (Roland-Garros Junior Series by Renault), in key markets such as Latin America and Asia, which serve as qualifiers for the Roland-Garros junior tournament in June.” Nicolas Julia (PGE11), founder of Sorare – a fantasy football game where virtual players represented by NFT cards can play matches – is already fully immersed in the future, with a unicorn startup now valued at $4.3 billion!
Which brings us neatly around to the larger-than-life world of football, the king of sports!
Arthur Azzolini (MSc16)
Amaury Sport Organisation
Julien Ternisien (PGE00)
Infront Sports & Media
Alexis Dubernard (PGE24)
French Tennis Federation
The mad, mad world of football sponsoring!
During the 2022-2023 season, the 20 richest football clubs in the world collectively earned more than €10.5 billion. And their biggest source of revenue was sponsorship, totaling €4.4 billion. Brands love football and want to be everywhere: on shirts, on screens, in stadiums – sometimes even lending their name to the stadiums or competitions themselves. Germany’s Bayern Munich plays at the Allianz Arena and in France, following on from UberEats, McDonald’s became the new official Premier League title sponsor, paying €30 million a year. Of course, sports apparel companies are also in the game, with Nike paying around €127 million a year to FC Barcelona, and Adidas €120 million to Real Madrid. Few sponsorship spaces are as valuable as the team shirt. Emirates has its logo on the Real Madrid kit for a staggering €420 million annually! Expensive, but visibility is guaranteed. Real Madrid is the most famous football club on the planet and Spanish sports daily AS has reported that since Kylian Mbappé joined the Merengue in summer 2024, an average of 7,000 shirts bearing his No. 9 are sold every day. Football stars now play a key role as economic influencers for their huge fan bases, with nearly 150 million people following Mbappé across the major social media platforms. In MLS, the United States’ top soccer league, Lionel Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami boosted sponsorship revenue by 13% and attracted 18 new partners.
Clubs as an emotional asset
Investors are also increasingly treating clubs as a highly lucrative asset; one that is built largely on emotion, namely the almost unbreakable bond between a club and its fans. So much so that FC Barcelona or Bayern Munich, for example, are owned by their supporters. Today’s owners of major football teams – mostly billionaires, multi-club owners, or investment funds – know how to play on that emotional chord. They hope to leverage the unmatched audiences of top-level football and a club’s global fan base to grow their business, boost their profile and enhance their image. Owned since 2011 by Qatar Sports Investments, a Qatari sovereign wealth fund, Paris Saint-Germain – which recently finally won the Champions League, the ultimate prize in European football – has become a powerful tool of soft power and international recognition for Qatar. To further boost revenue and audiences, European football authorities and club leaders dream of creating a continent-wide league bringing together the best clubs from England, Italy, Germany, Spain and France, similar to the franchise system used by the NBA, which features the same countrywide 30 US basketball clubs each year. A salary cap and balanced distribution of talent ensure fairness among franchises and maintain competitive balance. The quality of NBA games, featuring the world’s best players, translates into sold-out arenas and unparalleled media coverage.
Since 2023, the LDLC Arena in Lyon has been hosting LDLC ASVEL’s EuroLeague games.
The power of the screen
“The NBA’s broadcast rights total $76 billion for the next 11 years,” notes Gaëtan Müller (EMBA23), deputy president of the LDLC ASVEL basketball club and president of Sport Plus Conseil, a recognized specialist in sports event management. Gaëtan – who was ranked top of the Choiseul/L’Équipe list of sports-industry executives and entrepreneurs under 40 – also became the owner and president in June of the Rouen Dragons, the ice hockey team from his hometown. “Hockey is a really spectacular sport, that’s fast-paced, physical and highly technical. It’s extremely popular in the United States, Canada, Russia and Scandinavia and has strong potential for growth in Europe.” That growth depends on increased media exposure. The Synerglace Ligue Magnus (the French elite ice hockey championship) has just signed an agreement with Sport en France and BFM/RMC Sport, which will broadcast around thirty regular-season games from 2025/2026 free to air. All live games shown on these channels will start at 8:30 p.m. in an effort to boost their visibility. David Labrune, for his part, has good reason to be cheerful.
“The French football Premier League has quadrupled its international media revenue in just eight years.” he notes
While it’s still far from matching the global audience of the English Premier League, the French league is winning over more and more broadcasters – not only traditional television networks, Labrune says, but “streaming platforms and even sports betting operators.” The programming includes live match coverage, of course, but also the best goals, saves and dribbles – and plenty of good stories. “Sky Italia, Italy’s leading football channel, recently devoted one of its magazine shows to Stade Brestois, the Cinderella team of the 2024 Champions League. Japanese players at Stade de Reims share their ‘exotic’ day-to-day lives with fans back home, while others talk about their childhoods, hobbies and personal commitments.” Ultimately, the goal of France’s Professional Football League is to be associated with the very best of French excellence – “in the same way people think of luxury, gastronomy or even the Eiffel Tower,” David hopes.
Gaëtan Müller (EMBA23) has been the owner and president of the Dragons, Rouen’s ice hockey team, since the end of June.
Building a lasting bond with audiences and partners
“Broadcast rights have exploded since the start of the century,” explains Julien Ternisien, “and the content has diversified. Younger audiences in particular prefer short formats and the more lifestyle side of sport.” In simple terms, most of these TV rights fees are redistributed to the clubs, in proportion to their on-field performance. In French rugby, they account for around 20% of total revenue for professional teams. As Armand Claude (PGE22), marketing project manager at Lyon Olympique Universitaire Rugby – the fourth-largest budget in the Top 14 at around €35 million – explains, “Rugby relies not only on the quality of the spectacle it offers, but also on its values, namely teamwork, commitment and respect.” The LOU attracts over 18,000 spectators on average per match and can count on the financial backing of 400 partner companies. “We organize a wide range of activities and events before and after each game.” Rugby clubs also take a collective and almost family-oriented approach to how they operate. Their strength lies in their solidarity and their strong regional identity.
The LOU rugby team attracts over 18,000 spectators on average per match and boasts 400 partner companies.
Football, basketball, rugby, tennis and cycling – as well as Formula 1, golf, boxing and even athletics thanks to its many meetings – make up the bulk of sport-entertainment’s most visible disciplines. And, inevitably, they capture the lion’s share of revenue. The huge audiences drawn by the Olympic Games, as mentioned earlier, peak only once every four years, and the period between two editions can be financially challenging for the exceptional athletes who bring home so many medals for France, including judokas, fencers, kayakers and swimmers. Despite her two European championship titles, Nathalie Péchalat remembers “the ice shows we had to do just to make a living from our sport”. After ending her career in 2014, she became a television consultant and later, in 2020, president of the French Ice Sports Federation (FFSG), before taking on a new role this summer. “I’ve joined the teams at MCI France, a marketing and events agency based in Levallois-Perret, as Director of Business Development Strategy for the Sport Business Unit,” she explains. A true turning point in her career.
Gaëtan Müller (EMBA23)
LDLC ASVEL
Armand Claude (PGE22)
LOU Rugby
From watching to playing
The spectacle offered by elite athletes encourages young people to step into the world of competition, fueled by dreams of glory. After Léon Marchand’s exploits in the pool and the medal-winning performances of the Lebrun brothers in table tennis, their federations saw membership jump by 10% and 20% respectively. According to the 2024 FFEPGV1 and IPSOS barometer, 68% of the French population now engages in regular physical activity, up 14% since 2012. New forms of exercise are taking hold, such as Nordic walking, which now counts nearly one million regular enthusiasts in France, most of them seniors. As doctors keep telling us, sport is health! The appeal of “fun” formats, simple rules and the thrill of pushing limits is drawing ever more young people to GRIT2, obstacle courses and futsal, as well as the new Olympic sports of bouldering, rugby sevens and 3x3 basketball. Girls are joining in greater numbers as well – in 2024, the French Football Federation (FFF) counted 247,160 female license-holders, a 12% increase in just one year. The goal is to reach 500,000 by 2028. In 2020, U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe appeared on Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. The causes she champions include LGBTQ+ rights and equal pay for women and men in sport. Elite athletes often use their platform to push for change.
Will AI and data rule the future?
Whether as a spectacle or recreational activity for health, sport won’t escape the wave of technological acceleration. Generative AI and data are already reshaping its economy, affecting content production and management, sports betting, performance evaluation and the collection, analysis and use of fan data. Once this article is finished, its author is set to head out for a run, trading the keyboard for the trails, smartwatch on wrist. The market is expected to grow from $42.5 billion in 2025 to $92 billion by 2034, meaning the sports industry has a bright future ahead.
1- French Federation of Physical Education and Voluntary Gymnastics
2- 30-minute high-intensity strength training sessions
MSc in Sports at emlyon: training the future leaders of sports markets
Antoine Haincourt, emlyon business school “The soft skills of athletes – competitive spirit, endurance and leadership – are valuable assets in business, but they don’t alone constitute a recognized professional skill,” emphasizes Antoine Haincourt, course director of the MSc in Sports, Entertainment & Lifestyle at emlyon, launched in the fall of 2025. “To succeed at companies like Nike or Adidas, global giants in consumer goods, you need the ability to adapt their business models and brand strategies to different markets.” The MSc in SEL trains students to understand a sports ecosystem that is naturally diverse, “encompassing disciplines as varied as football, golf, triathlon or judo,” shaped by significant cultural differences across countries and by rapid evolution. “Sports practice is becoming more individualized, driven by connected devices and direct access to information. Participants are breaking free from institutions, just as employees are moving away from top-down structures. At the same time, sport goes beyond performance, with behind-the-scenes stories captivating audiences. The Netflix series Formula 1: Drive to Survive is a perfect example: you’re not driving a Formula 1 car, but you’re drawn into its universe. The result is a broader, more engaged audience.” Today, this audience is younger, more diverse and 40% female – a sign that sport, entertainment and lifestyle are increasingly converging, creating a whole new playground for tomorrow’s managers. |
Enthusiastic young alumni! Alexandre Schönberg (MSc23) is Sport Project Coordinator at the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). “It’s an incredible experience! The FIA supports 245 national automotive and sporting organizations around the world and helps them grow their activities. I work in a high-tech discipline that’s also strongly committed to corporate social responsibility.” The FIA aims to reach carbon neutrality by 2030, in line with the Paris Agreement. After four years as Sales Manager at PSG, Marie-Solène Favre d’Anne (MSc22) has joined the partnership development team at Scuderia Ferrari. “It’s a legendary brand that carries the same prestige as the world’s top luxury names, in an international environment. The F1 season spans 24 Grand Prix in 21 countries!” The prancing horse brand is looking to diversify its partnerships and attract new audiences. Among other initiatives, it has launched a collaboration with Lego, the first model of which is the 2025 single-seater, with 1,000 pieces to assemble! Alexandre Schönberg (MSc23)
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The new emlyon Sports Club The new community unites graduates and students with a shared interest in sports business. It is led by Philippe Sadeghian (PGE21) from the French Tennis Federation and Sabrine Maaroufi (PGE20), a sports and corporate law attorney, with support from Mickaël Romezy at emlyon. The club aims to connect alumni working in the sports sector and to support elite athletes in their career transitions. It organizes conferences, workshops and networking events to encourage exchanges and bring members closer to companies in the sports industry. High-level athletes, graduates of the MSc in Sports Industry Management, sports economy experts and members of student associations such as Raid Hannibal, the Ski Club, or the Crocodile Network Rugby are all invited to join this community dedicated to sports business enthusiasts.
Philippe Sadeghian (PGE21)
Sabrine Maaroufi (PGE20) |
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