Michael Payne: a personal history of the sports business

Olympic and sports marketing veteran Michael Payne discusses his new memoir Fast Tracks and Dark Deals – an account not just of his own five-decades but also the characters, creativity and occasional chaos that helped form the modern sports industry. 

He reflects on the origins and impact of once-radical media and sponsorship innovations like the IOC’s TOP sponsorship programme, explains how the Olympics’ commercial transformation was rooted in its capacity for storytelling, and shares his thoughts on where the sports business goes next. 

Fast Tracks and Dark Deals is available on 17th November 2025 – find out more here.

Outlines is a 26 Forty original and is presented, produced and edited by Eoin Connolly.

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