The Sports Columnist

Founder & CEO, The Sports Columnist

Chandana Shankar

Chandana Shankar is the founder and CEO of The Sports Columnist. She writes about the money, deals and decisions behind sport, with a close eye on India’s growing sports economy, and writes The Dugout, a free Monday newsletter.

Magazine-style banner reading “The fastest money” beside slanted photo panels of a USA women’s basketball player, India’s women cricketers celebrating, and Brazil’s women footballers cheering

Women’s sports valuations are soaring. Here’s why investors are betting on women’s leagues

2 Nov 2026 · 5 min read

Magazine-style banner reading “The athlete owners” with black-and-white portraits of LeBron James, Virat Kohli and Cristiano Ronaldo

From Kohli to LeBron: why the biggest stars now want equity, not just endorsements

1 Nov 2026 · 4 min read

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Fewer, bigger broadcasters: what media mergers mean for the price of sport

1 Nov 2026 · 5 min read

NBA prediction markets: monthly trading on Kalshi and Polymarket rose from under $5 billion to $24 billion

NBA prediction markets: why the league signed Kalshi and Polymarket, and why India went the other way

1 Nov 2026 · 6 min read

“Quiet auction. Big question.” with a WOMEN’S CRICKET · WPL tag

WPL auction 2027: a ₹8 crore auction in under an hour. What it says about the women’s game

31 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

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Brands and Marketing

Nike made a running shoe just for India. Here’s why the ₹3,795 price tag matters

30 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

Visa sports sponsorship: how Visa turns sponsorship rights into business for itself and its partner banks

Brands and Marketing

Visa sports sponsorship: how Visa turns sponsorship rights into business

30 Oct 2026 · 5 min read

Virat Kohli in a white shirt

Virat Kohli’s one8 has merged into Agilitas. Why his stake has more than tripled

30 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

Banner reading “India’s biggest IPO. Sport’s biggest pipe.” with Akash, Anant and Isha Ambani beside a bronze bull statue, and a stock ticker showing the Jio Platforms IPO figures

Jio Platforms is now listed. What does it mean for Indian sport?

29 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

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Cricket Australia Hits Record A$601 Million Revenue. The Bigger Story Is What Comes Next

29 Oct 2026 · 6 min read

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Allianz Secures LA28 Beach Arena Naming Rights. Why Olympic Sponsorship Is Changing

29 Oct 2026 · 6 min read

Sevens Football in Kerala goes live on the SportVot app for the 2026 season

SportVot and Sevens Football: how Kerala's grassroots game is going live

28 Oct 2026 · 5 min read

Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi with the headline "118 runs in 6 overs", India's powerplay record against New Zealand

India powerplay record: how Abhishek Sharma and a 15-year-old rewrote T20 cricket

28 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

Cinematic banner: an unlit sports torch resting on wet cobblestones in front of an old red-brick mill at night, with a feasibility report stamped £7M and the headline “The North wants the Games”.

UK Olympic bid: why the North of England wants the Games, and what £7 million buys

28 Oct 2026 · 6 min read

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NBA Europe: which cities get a team, and why bidders are paying $1 billion

28 Oct 2026 · 6 min read

Cinematic banner: a single golf ball on a dark, empty tee under a spotlight, with the headline "When the money stops" and a court docket card reading Chapter 11, deadline 30 October.

LIV Golf bankruptcy: the $5 billion lesson in what happens when the money stops

27 Oct 2026 · 6 min read

McDonald’s and FIFA World Cup sponsorship banner featuring the headline “Why Is McDonald’s Leaving FIFA?”, a football, fries, the World Cup trophy, and the phrase “I’m NOT lovin’ it”, exploring the end of a 32-year partnership and its implications for sports business.

McDonald’s FIFA sponsorship ends after 32 years. What went wrong?

27 Oct 2026 · 6 min read

Infographic of the highest-paid athletes of all time, led by Cristiano Ronaldo with $2.09 billion in career earnings

The billion-dollar club: how the 10 highest-paid athletes of all time made their money

27 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

IPL media rights banner by The Sports Columnist with the IPL trophy and a chart of rights values levelling off at a projected $5.4bn

IPL media rights: is the money machine slowing down?

26 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

Kimi Antonelli beside a P1 pit board after his United States Grand Prix win, one race from the F1 title

Motorsport Business

Andrea Kimi Antonelli wins the US Grand Prix: the business of Mercedes' teenage bet

26 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

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Ahmedabad Will Host the 2029 Weightlifting Worlds. What Does India Gain?

26 Oct 2026 · 5 min read

Barcelona Spotify Partnership: Can a Shirt Sell Culture?

25 Oct 2026 · 6 min read

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Netflix World Cup deal: why streamers want live sport

25 Oct 2026 · 5 min read

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MS Dhoni is entering esports. Why Captain Cool is betting on gaming

24 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

Banner reading “The jersey plays. The state sells.” with a cricket team in red and yellow walking past Hampi’s Stone Chariot at sunset, and a luggage tag reading “Karnataka Tourism × Karnataka Cricket”

Karnataka is using cricket to market tourism

24 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

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Bengaluru’s sports tech startups: can local innovation reach professional sport?

24 Oct 2026 · 6 min read

Banner reading “One ticket. Many marketplaces.” with a glowing season ticket on a night-time football field, connected by lines to four marketplace cards

The NFL is changing the game for ticket resale

24 Oct 2026 · 5 min read

Isuzu’s Rugby World Cup sponsorship isn’t really about logos

23 Oct 2026 · 5 min read

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Nike is back in Indian cricket. Why Mumbai Indians?

23 Oct 2026 · 5 min read

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The business behind the 10-second sports highlight

23 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

Banner reading “Now streaming. Now the audience?” with a broadcast camera on a floodlit football pitch, its screen showing a recording light and a question mark for viewers

Indian women’s football has a streaming partner. Can it build an audience?

23 Oct 2026 · 5 min read

Banner reading “The car races. The software sells.” with a black F1 car in a dark pit garage and a callout from a laptop showing supplier payments in four currencies marked paid

Why a fintech company wants to be in the F1 paddock

23 Oct 2026 · 5 min read

The Sports Columnist banner showing a framed Castore match shirt next to a pinned receipt listing Castore's £334.6 million sales, £30.8 million EBITDA and £40.3 million net loss

Castore's sale talks: can sponsorship build a profitable sportswear brand?

22 Oct 2026 · 6 min read

The Sports Columnist banner showing a stadium LED board with the International Dance League's $15 million Series A deal details under dance stage lights

International Dance League raises $15 million: the business behind the beat

22 Oct 2026 · 5 min read

The Sports Columnist banner on the RCB sale showing a FOR SALE sign with a red SOLD sticker and a ₹16,660 CRORE board, planted on a cricket pitch beside the stumps in a floodlit stadium, with the headline "RCB is sold. The fans aren't."

RCB sale: what an IPL team is really worth at ₹16,660 crore

22 Oct 2026 · 6 min read

The Sports Columnist banner on women's sports sponsorship showing a football on top of rising stacks of gold coins on a floodlit pitch, with the headline "Women's sport is good business" on women's sports sponsorship for the Indian Women's League

Women's sports sponsorship in India: why Lxme backed the IWL

21 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

The Sports Columnist banner on World Series tickets showing a Game 1 ticket with the cheapest seat at $2,809, up 165% in one week

World Series tickets now cost more than the Super Bowl. Here is why

20 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

Collage banner reading “AI can pick the team. What’s left for humans in sport?” with a torn team sheet listing roles filled by humans and AI

AI can pick the team, call the offside and write the match report. What’s left for humans in sport?

20 Oct 2026 · 6 min read

Collage banner reading “Jemimah Rodrigues is the face of Switzerland in India” with a photo of Jemimah Rodrigues in front of halftone Swiss mountains and a boarding-pass sticker

Jemimah Rodrigues is now the face of Switzerland in India. Here’s why that matters for Indian sport

20 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

Collage banner reading “How to build a career in sports business in India” with a torn application checklist of six steps and a “No jersey required” sticker

How to build a career in sports business in India, even if you’ve never played professionally

20 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

The Sports Columnist banner on the F1 title race showing driver cards with team-colour helmets for the top six, Antonelli 102 points clear and six rounds to go

Motorsport Business

F1 title race: six winners, six rounds and one business story

20 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

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Motorsport Business

F1 is returning to Africa. Why is the Indian Grand Prix still missing?

19 Oct 2026 · 5 min read

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₹50 crore per event: can India turn international sports events into an industry?

19 Oct 2026 · 5 min read

Banner reading “The para sport sponsorship gap nobody talks about” with a chart showing a tall medals bar and a much shorter sponsorship bar

The para sport sponsorship gap nobody talks about

19 Oct 2026 · 5 min read

Banner reading “Free football, millions of viewers: is the ISL’s YouTube bet working?” with a football-shaped play button and rings of dots spreading outward

Free football, millions of viewers: is the ISL’s YouTube bet working?

19 Oct 2026 · 6 min read

Surrogate advertising in IPL: how Budweiser 0.0 joined five teams

18 Oct 2026 · 5 min read

The Sports Columnist banner reading "You don't need to play sport to work in sport" with a list of 8 sports industry careers

Sports industry careers: the athlete is only the part you can see

18 Oct 2026 · 6 min read

Banner reading “Medals honoured. Now build the system behind the second scoreboard.” on a dark background

India won 85 Asian Games medals. Now it needs to win the second scoreboard.

17 Oct 2026 · 5 min read

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Nike is building a campus in India. What does it mean for Indian sports brands?

17 Oct 2026 · 5 min read

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Your club plays once a week. It publishes every day.

16 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

Boldfit raised ₹400 crore. Can a homegrown brand win India’s fitness market?

16 Oct 2026 · 5 min read

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India wants the 2036 Olympics. Is its sports ecosystem ready?

15 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

Why a goalless draw is still a good day for the business of sport” on a dark abstract background

Why a Goalless Draw Is Still Good for the Business of Sport

14 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

Virat Kohli joins LinkedIn. A big moment for India’s sportspreneurs.

14 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Who is Indian sports business really for?” on a dark abstract background

Who is Indian sports business really for?

13 Oct 2026 · 4 min read