News
Simon Chadwick: a professor merging economics, geopolitics and sports
Simon Chadwick is a professor at SKEMA Business School. He teaches the links between geopolitics, economics and the world of sports. He is regularly interviewed by the international media and has published articles in prestigious magazines such as Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Newsweek and Time magazine. Let's take a look at the subject of his research.
A specialist in the relationship between sports, geopolitics and economics, Simon Chadwick holds a PhD in Sport Sponsorship from the University of Leeds. "I have been studying sports relations, particularly between Europe and Asia, for the past 15 years. In particular, I look at how sponsorship, marketing and sports can interact with the commercial, political and geographical interests of sporting entities.
For this, Paris-Saint-Germain is the perfect example that could illustrate the subject of my research," says Simon Chadwick. As a renowned researcher, Simon Chadwick scrutinises the visible and less visible changes in the sports industry and takes a close look at the relationship between old European sports institutions, which blend sport and tradition, and the modern aspirations of states in the Middle East or Asia.
Sponsorship developments at the heart of Prof. Chadwick's work
Beyond the interactions between geopolitics and sport, the lecturer-researcher examines the ways in which sport is financed, and more specifically, major sporting competitions (UEFA Champion's League for example), through sponsorship. "Earlier, we had sponsors such as Coca Cola and McDonald's, but today new players have appeared, such as cryptocurrencies or Gazprom, UEFA's partner.
Sponsoring brands no longer sell to individual consumers but to governments. This is particularly true of Gazprom," says Simon Chadwick. And he adds: "What interests me is to see what the great dependencies between certain companies, certain countries and sports can be.
"Sporting opportunities"
Although Prof. Chadwick is very interested in the old European nations and their sports clubs, the researcher has not forgotten the newcomers on the international sports scene. Long kept out of the media spotlight, which reports on the sporting prowess of Europe's top football teams or Formula 1 teams, some countries have decided to change gear and adopt a more aggressive stance. "These countries are investing massively in what I call 'sporting opportunities', such as golf or motor sports for Saudi Arabia or esport for South Korea," he explains.
Sport as an accelerator of innovation
In addition to the geopolitical and economic implications for the world of sport, Simon Chadwick studies the positive impact of sport on industries. "We see, for example, that motorsport, and in particular Formula E (a motor racing championship involving electric cars), is challenging industries to develop batteries that are faster to recharge. Sport can and should be an accelerator of innovation.
