About Paladin Brookes: Smarter Sport and Entertainment
Where strategy meets performance.
Paladin Brookes: Smarter Sport & Entertainment unpacks how data, creativity and commercial intelligence drive value across the global sports and entertainment economy.
Hosted by Tony Paladin and Hannah Brookes, each episode distils real-world projects into actionable insight for brands, investors, and operators shaping what’s next.
Sponsorship ROI: Selling the Dream or Proving the Value?
Can you actually measure the return on investment from sports sponsorship?
In this episode of Paladin & Brookes: Smarter Sport & Entertainment, Tony Paladin and Hannah Brookes unpack one of the biggest questions facing brands, rights holders and agencies: how do you prove that sponsorship actually delivers value?
We discuss ROI and ROSI (Return on Sponsorship Investment), the difference between brand exposure and commercial return, who should be accountable for performance, and why selling the dream is no longer enough.
Marketing may buy into the opportunity. Finance still wants the numbers.
We explore:
Can sponsorship ROI actually be measured?
Marketing activity vs sales channel
What brands should expect from rights holders
Why exposure alone isn't enough
Measuring media, hospitality, activation and commercial value
The importance of accountability on both sides
Why long-term partnerships need measurable outcomes
Ultimately, sponsorship needs to move beyond badging and passive exposure towards partnerships that create genuine value for both sides.
Paladin & Brookes: Smarter Sport & Entertainment
#SportsBusiness #Sponsorship #SportsMarketing #SponsorshipROI #CommercialPartnerships
10 Mar 2026
From Moments to Systems: AI, Community & the Future of Sports Business | Daniel Ross (SBS)
In this episode, Tony Paladin sits down with Daniel Ross, co-founder of Sports Business Syndicate (SBS), to unpack why sport is shifting from one-off “moments” to durable systems.
We cover:
Why networking in sport is broken (high noise, low continuity)
How SBS evolved from WhatsApp to Telegram, and what sits underneath it
The role of AI in making communities more efficient and more valuable
Why sophisticated sponsorship is moving from badge-placement to co-created platforms
What “smart operators” are doing right now, and what to avoid
Daniel’s core thesis is simple: the winners will build compounding ecosystems, not transactional activity.
27 Feb 2026
Two Hours to Weigh In. Four Years to Prepare.
Most people see the Olympics.
They don’t see the decade underneath it.
In this episode of the Paladin Brookes Global Sports & Entertainment Podcast, Tony Paladin sits down with Olympic finalists Kirsten McCann and Ursula Grobler to unpack what elite lightweight rowing actually demands:
Starting a sport at 26 and still making an Olympic final
Managing bodyweight with a two-hour weigh-in window
Training for four years for one race
Building a high-performance partnership built on clarity, not ego
And what happens when the Olympic programme removes your event entirely
Lightweight rowing has now been dropped from the Games.
For athletes who built careers around it; that’s not a headline - it’s a shift in identity.
This is a candid conversation about discipline, standards, delayed gratification and what elite sport teaches you long after the medal ceremony ends.
If you’re building anything that requires patience, resilience and long-term commitment, this episode is worth your time.
1 Feb 2026
Professional, Amateur, or Pretending? Navigating Sport’s Identity Crisis
In this episode, Hannah Brookes and Tony Paladin tackle a growing issue across global sport: an identity crisis driven by blurred lines between professional and amateur status, misunderstood funding models, and unchecked ego.
They unpack what it actually means to be a professional athlete, why many sports organisations operate with professional aspirations but amateur structures, and how this disconnect creates friction when it comes to sponsorship, governance, and growth.
The conversation challenges the assumption that sponsorship is a form of donation, exploring instead its transactional nature and the responsibility sports organisations have to deliver value in return for funding. From community sport to Olympic-level competition, they examine how legacy mindsets, entitlement, and performative professionalism can block progress.
This episode is a candid discussion for rights-holders, administrators, athletes, and sponsors who want to understand why some sports struggle to scale, and what needs to change if they’re serious about sustainability, credibility, and long-term funding.
17 Jan 2026
Did 2025 Break Sports Sponsorships?
In this episode, Hannah Brookes and Tony Paladin take a hard look at the state of sports sponsorship and ask a simple question: did 2025 break it?
As budgets tightened and expectations rose, many traditional sponsorship models stopped delivering real value.
Brands paid more, received less and relationships were replaced by transactional logo placements.
This conversation explores why sponsorship is fundamentally changing, how AI is reshaping decision-making (and where it falls short), and why authenticity, financial literacy and storytelling now matter more than reach or impressions.
They unpack the shifting power dynamic between brands and rights-holders, the growing influence of CFO-led decision making, and why long-term partnerships are replacing short-term marketing plays heading into 2026.
This episode is for brand leaders, rights-holders, and decision-makers who want partnerships that actually perform commercially, strategically and reputationally.
6 Jan 2026
Kirsten Rudgeley — Winning Blitz Golf, Beating the Field, and Why Fast-Format Golf Works
Kirsten Rudgeley joins Tony Paladin after winning the opening event of the 2026 Blitz Golf Australia Series in Perth.
In this episode, Kirsten breaks down what it takes to win in a mixed-field, no-handicap format, competing head-to-head against male professionals and coming out on top.
She reflects on her journey on the Ladies European Tour, the mentality required to perform under knockout pressure and why Blitz Golf’s short-format, high-energy model is attracting new audiences to the game.
The conversation also covers:• Competing on equal footing in elite sport• The mindset shift required for fast, unforgiving formats• Why Blitz Golf feels more like a sporting festival than a traditional tournament• What the evolution of women’s sport means heading into 2026
A candid, athlete-led perspective on where modern golf, and modern sport, is heading.
29 Dec 2025
Women in Sport: Progress or Performance Theatre?
In this episode, Tony Paladin and Hannah Brookes examine the current state of women in sport and business, asking whether the industry is experiencing genuine progress or simply performance theatre.
The conversation explores the ecosystem of female participation, the role brands play in shaping outcomes, and the long-term damage caused by discounting women’s sport. They also unpack the psychological impact of undervaluation, the complexities of integration, and why sustainability matters more than short-term signalling.
This episode is a practical discussion for brands, rights-holders, and operators who want to move beyond optics and build meaningful, long-term partnerships in women’s sport.
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