ABSTRACT
Historically, sports news was part of leisure industry coverage at some financial newspapers. However, the increasing global importance of sports competitions and the multi-billion turnover generated around them led business journalists to cover it more closely. “We follow the money, not the ball” is the phrase internally used in the Financial Times newsroom to refer to their sports business coverage. This means a new approach that involves reporting financial stories behind the games such as transfers data, TV rights deals, sponsorships and other contracts regarding events, clubs and sportspeople. Sports business journalism has endured despite the COVID-19 pandemic not only in some financial newsrooms (Financial Times launched Scoreboard, its weekly premium newsletter and mini-brand covering the business side of sport) but also in specialist digital-only media outlets such as Sportico, which provides sports industry breaking news, data and insights. This growth also reinforces the work of other news organizations positioned at the intersection of sports and business, such as Forbes and Business Insider, and, more recently, Front Office Sports. The coverage of the business of sport is being redefined and expanded in the current media landscape through the use of data-driven techniques and visual journalism solutions developed by media labs and graphics departments in newsrooms. As most news operations are reshaping their business models, this coverage gives audiences more valued content and helps build subscriptions.
