Richard Wright’s Post

Many people are waking up to the news that a judge in Florida has ruled the USASF’s claim to trademark the word “worlds” is not exclusive. This ruling comes ahead of the trial scheduled for September and full impact of this development is unknown. It would be unwise to speculate or gossip. Many in the All-Star Cheerleading community have always believed that there can only be one singular recognized “world” championship event. The recognition of the ICU by the IOC has always bolstered this claim. It is important to consider that the ICU World Championships may be the only true world event protected by its association with the IOC. Other “world” events in our sport have shifted to “cup” in their title… All-Star may be heading in a similar fate. In recent years USA Cheer has emerged as the official governing body for all facets of cheer in the USA. USASF has shifted in function and authority while still supporting the all-star community in many ways. As this preliminary ruling becomes more widely known- the commercial efforts/priorities of domestic event producers in the United States may dominate Twitter/X and all-star community groups but the REAL conversation should be redirected to a global issue that is far more pressing. Bear with me… - [ ] If the USASF is a membership organization and not a federation - [ ] And if this organization is the true host of the USASF/IASF world championships - [ ] And the “world championships” is not legally recognized (pending trial or appeal) as the official/sole/exclusive world championship - [ ] The argument that EPs worldwide who have been unable to secure bids to the USASF/IASF world championship due to the status of their relationship (or lack of relationship) with their national federation may not be valid or at the very least could also be contested. - [ ] The federation “relationship” might only be significant or matter for the ICU Championship and official sport business REAL leaders bring people together. They speak truth and they don’t leverage their authority for gain. It’s time to stop the playground politics that are rampant in our sport. *post continued in comments

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬: 𝐀 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐝𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐛𝐚𝐨 ⚽ ❤️🏆 In a world that constantly evolves, where the pursuit of success often overshadows the journey, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑜𝑓 Athletic Club 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒𝑠. After an unforgettable triumph—their first King's Cup in 40 years—the team has not just celebrated a victory but has reaffirmed the timeless importance of values in life. 💪 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐝𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐛𝐚𝐨 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤, 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩. These are not just buzzwords but the very foundation of their identity which is shared with the community. 🥇 This remarkable team teaches us that understanding where you come from is crucial, but so is knowing where you are headed. It’s about believing in and evolving shared values as we transition to new generations and future while maintaining the integrity of the old ones. 🎊 𝑌𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑑𝑎𝑦, 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑛 𝑢𝑛𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑓𝑒𝑙𝑡 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝐴𝑡ℎ𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝘊𝘭𝘶𝘣 𝑑𝑒 𝐵𝑖𝑙𝑏𝑎𝑜 𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐵𝑖𝑙𝑏𝑎𝑜, celebrating 🎉 🎉 🎉 not just as a team but as one. This spontaneous act of joy, a day before a planned celebration expected to draw over a million people to Bilbao—a town of just 350,000—illustrates the profound bond between the team and its community driven by shared values. ❤️ 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐝𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐛𝐚𝐨’𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥; 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞. It underscores the vital role of integrating values within a team, projecting them onto the community, and allowing them to evolve. In doing so, they not only achieve success but do it in a way that honors their roots and inspires the future. As we reflect on their victory, let's remember that values are what give success its worth. Let's carry this lesson forward, in sports, business, and life. 🔥 🔥 🔥 𝐀𝐮𝐩𝐚 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜! 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝! 🔝 🌍💪 #Values #AthleticDeBilbao #Leadership #Community

💡 When it’s more than a Sponsorship - Competitive sport would not be possible without financial support. Sponsors enable athletes to perform on an international level, especially in non-mainstream sports disciplines that often receive less media attention. 💭 Athletes in niche sports often face the difficult decision of whether to focus on their sport or professional careers, often with sport taking a backseat. 🤝 Join us as Pascal Roller OLY (PwC Deutschland Corporate Communications and part of the German National Basketball team at the Beijing 2008 Olympics), Kira Horn OLY (Part of the National Hockey team for Paris 2024), Christopher Rühr (Hockey Silver Medalist at Paris 2024), and Valentin Baus (Paralympic Table Tennis Silver Medalist at Paris 2024) discuss challenges in competing at the highest levels and how they’ve been supported by partners like Sporthilfe and PwC Deutschland, whose criteria for sponsorship go beyond visibility. 🎤 Moderated by Simon Horn, Communication Manager at Sporthilfe, this talk will dive deep into how sponsorships can truly make a difference beyond just financial support. #PwC #Sponsorship #Athletes #Sporthilfe

A new era begins today. In less than 12 hours, the first ball of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 will be bowled, marking the dawn of a bold new era for our sport. More than just a bigger and better tournament, this event marks the realization of an audacious dream. All too often, we celebrate sports events and praise superhuman performances; occasionally, we might also remember the people behind the scenes who have sacrificed a lot to make it happen, toiling night and day for months. Rarely, however, do we pause to thank those who set the vision and empowered the team to deliver it all in the first place. I doff my hat to our Board, who set us a challenge in November 2021 when they confirmed that the very first major event of our new cycle would be co-hosted in the US. Today, 928 days after that announcement, we are on the cusp of making history. We are ready to play World Cup matches in the USA, half of them in a 34,000-capacity venue that was merely a patch of green field only 100 days ago. It comes down to grit and determination, but above all, self-belief when you deliver such audacious goals. That’s what our Board has done – it gave us the confidence that we could do this. Sports administrators are easy targets. Sports, such as cricket, go beyond being mere sports. They are, as we never stop saying, a religion to diehard fans. With that undying love for the game comes unrelenting scrutiny of its administrators. Under that microscope, it is human tendency to see the flaws much more readily. Often, the right decisions tend not to be talked about much – they simply become an expectation. Viewed that way, it was easier for our Board to simply deliver the expected and not risk it all on a difficult decision. The easier way out would be to delay hosting in the USA until 2030, which was the other option. But would that have been the right call when our strategy called for the growth of the game, and the world’s biggest sports market was the obvious place to start for the second biggest sport in the world? Today, as the work of the last three years culminates in the start of an epic tournament that we will all hopefully remember for a long time, I look forward to it with gratitude in my heart for our Board that laid that strategic vision, backed it all the way, and allowed this audacious dream to become possible. Thanks for this #OutOfThisWorld vision!

People will remember your actions and character - not your victories. Congratulations to Spain for their victory in the Quarter Final of the European Championships. It was a thrilling match, and advancing to the next stage is a great achievement. However, amidst the celebration, there were two moments that stood out prominently during the game. Twice, a German player was down, unable to continue, and in both instances, Spain, in possession of the ball, chose not to kick it out of play. This is contrary to the unwritten code of sportsmanship that binds teams in moments of such uncertainty. Spain may go on to win the tournament, but these instances of perceived unfairness and unkindness will always linger in my memory. It's a vivid reminder that how we achieve success often carries more weight than the success itself. And this is not only true in sports, but also at work. In business, the pressure to excel, to get promoted, to hit targets, and to meet project timelines is immense. But we must remember that kindness and fairness should never be sacrificed for short-term gains. Our principles and values are what define us in the long run. It´s o.k., no it´s even necessary to be competitive. But let´s be the best not only in terms of achievements but also in how we achieve them. No matter how high the stakes are, we need to remain true to our beliefs and uphold the highest standards of integrity. Because at the end of the day, it's our actions and character that people will remember most. Anthony Carlson Bas Belfi Sander Huysmans #Integrity #BusinessEthics #Values #Leadership

Stay tuned on SportAccord 2024 Insights series⬇️ A core theme at the #SportAccord Plenary session was how the hosting of major sports events could drive economic and social progress at local and international level. Read more for important take-aways⬇️ #WhereSportMeets #Sportbusiness

What business can learn from sports and an awesome kid... There are some moments that capture everything that sports and noble sportsmanship stand for and that was the moment yesterday. It was given to us by Giannakis, a friend of PAOK FC, saying to Olympiacos FC goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis: “You are the best, I hope you win the Conference Cup”. PAOK had some chances but was disqualified from the quarterfinals. From a little one, we learned the truth once more. That Konstantinos Tzolakis is what he seems(!) and how important it is for the sports community for a Greek team to win a European title. And let that be the UEFA Conference League. The already degraded standard of Greek sports must rise higher for all of us involved. Clubs, Organisations, Companies. Let this be the spark that will inspire the rest of the professional football teams. In business, let's not forget that second or last place is temporary. The international success of a rival sets the bar higher for all of us, "if they can do it we can do it better, and we will". That should be the mindset that accompanies the "I wish you conquer it" statement. Because we will conquer the next one, so we will raise our level and our successes. This example should accompany all business groups, whether they are business sectors or groups of employees in the same company. A small child said it to a great 21-year-old soccer player who will play in the final. They can, we all can. Thank you Gazzetta.gr for the footage. #sports #sportsmanship #winners #mentality

"𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅-𝒂, 𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅-𝒂, 𝑾𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅-𝒂 ..." Like many businesses, Scotland (well the Scottish Football Association) will be conducting a review of its team's performance in Germany ... & will likely make some wholesale changes! Sport is relatively unique - #perception - that its performance, as a business, is often measured based on one tournament, or a season. Olympic sports work on 4-year cycle & at the end, have a 'whole-sport' review. In reality, the business of football (in Scotland) will have been under continual scrutiny, just like any other business. 𝗛𝗼𝘄𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿, 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀-𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀! And, tournaments are often the culmination of a long process of preparation - indeed a campaign. Scotland's exit from the 𝙀𝙪𝙧𝙤𝙨 will be seen as triggering a '𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙩 & 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙝 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬' yet in reality, it will have been a milestone planned for; it's likely though that the fall-out will be well-publicised. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘❗ Today's social media is awash with what the Scottish Football Association "𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅-𝒂, 𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅-𝒂, 𝑾𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅-𝒂 ..." done, remembering there are many folk with degrees in '𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩'. Perhaps we should be cognisant that behind all the conjecture & finger-pointing, there's 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘 behind all these decisions & I'm sure made decisions with the best of intent. Sport is very much a business, especially at the elite end of the industry. AND, there is no certainty. I often hear "𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 ... 𝙬𝙚'𝙧𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙦𝙪𝙚". I differ in opinion. It's about 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘 in business ... '𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩' in the public eye❗

FIFA Member Associations: Learning from Athletic Bilbao's Authenticity and Competitiveness In the dynamic world of football, where commercialisation and global reach often dominate the narrative, Athletic Bilbao stands out as a beacon of authenticity and unwavering commitment to its roots. As FIFA Member Associations seek to navigate the complexities of modern football, they can draw valuable lessons from Athletic Bilbao's unique approach. The Athletic Bilbao Model: A Brief Overview 1.  Basque Identity: Athletic Bilbao, based in the Basque region of Spain, has a strict policy of fielding only players of Basque origin. This commitment to regional identity has been a defining feature since the club's inception in 1898. While other clubs chase international stars, Athletic Bilbao remains rooted in its local community. 2.  Youth Development: The club invests heavily in its youth academy, Lezama. Rather than splurging on expensive transfers, Athletic Bilbao nurtures homegrown talent. This approach saves costs and fosters a sense of loyalty and belonging among players. 3. Competitive Success: Athletic Bilbao has achieved remarkable success despite its self-imposed restrictions. The club consistently competes in La Liga and Copa del Rey, often punching above its weight. Its passionate fan base rallies behind the team, celebrating victories as victories for Basque identity. Key Takeaways for FIFA Member Associations 1.  Embrace Authenticity: Member Associations should recognize the power of authenticity. Clubs like Athletic Bilbao prove that staying true to one's roots resonates with fans and creates a lasting legacy. Whether it's promoting local talent or preserving cultural heritage, authenticity matters. 2.  Invest in Youth Development: Rather than chasing expensive signings, focus on nurturing young talent. A robust youth system produces skilled players and instills loyalty and pride. Member Associations can prioritise youth academies and scouting networks. 3. Community Engagement: Athletic Bilbao actively engages with its community. Member Associations should involve fans, local businesses, and schools. Football is more than a game; it's a cultural force that binds people together. As FIFA Member Associations strive for excellence, they can learn from Athletic Bilbao's enduring success. Authenticity, youth development, and community engagement are not mere buzzwords—they are the cornerstones of sustainable football. By embracing these principles, Member Associations can create a legacy that transcends trophies and resonates with fans for generations to come. https://lnkd.in/d63cBqZD

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