Welcome to issue #010 of Contemporary Football, your inside look at how the game really works behind the scenes.
Monday to Friday, you’ll uncover a new perspective on football business, and sometimes a deeper story that sharpens your thinking and gives you an edge in the beautiful game.
If you need support on your football journey, just write me.
Hey everyone,
When Ted Leonsis talks, you listen.
Owner of the Washington Wizards, Capitals, and Mystics, he’s one of the few who truly understand what modern sports ownership means.
And he’s right:
Sports organizations today are no longer just teams.
They’re multi-platform businesses — built and run like tech companies — at the intersection of sports, technology, and media.
That single sentence explains where the next decade of football is heading.
From Teams to Platforms
The old model:
A club sells tickets, sponsorships, and TV rights.
Fans consume.
Value flows one way.
The new model:
A club owns the fan relationship across multiple channels.
Data connects stadium, content, and commerce.
Fans don’t just consume, they participate.
That’s what Leonsis has built with Monumental Sports & Entertainment.
He united his teams, venues, and media network under one structure, one ecosystem.
The result?
Every touchpoint feeds the next:
Ticket buyers become media viewers.
Media viewers become merchandise customers.
Sponsors reach fans through multiple formats: live, digital, and social.
It’s not just vertical integration.
It’s emotional integration.
What Football Can Learn
Imagine if a European club thought like Leonsis:
Team → the product
Stadium → the experience hub
Media channels → distribution
Community → data and loyalty flywheel
The winners of the next era won’t be those who spend the most on players.
They’ll be the ones who own the attention loop.
Football clubs love to say they’re “global brands.”
But very few operate like one.
Leonsis is showing that sports properties can behave like media-tech companies, building ecosystems where every fan interaction creates value.
My Take
Owning a football club in 2030 will be more like running a startup than running a team.
You’ll need people who understand product, storytelling, and user experience as much as tactics and transfers.
The ones who adapt will print money and culture.
The rest will keep selling tickets and wonder why others are growing faster.
Have a great weekend.
See you on Monday,
Federico