'Love the Fan, Win the Game' the new Monash podcast changing the playbook
Monash University
Why do sports brands thrive or fail? Monash Business School’s Associate Professor of Practice, Brigette McGuire has launched Love the Fan, Win the Game, a new Monash University podcast tackling the high-stakes world of sports business.
Now an award-winning educator with Monash Business School, Monash University alumna Associate Professor Brigette McGuire is a sports marketing executive, business strategist and media commentator with decades of lived experience bringing sport to fans.
She has worked on the tennis Australian Open across three decades, as an administrator through to senior management team roles as Director of Marketing.
A professional tennis coach, Associate Professor McGuire has commercialised global sponsorship broadcasts including Formula One, AFL, NRL and Cricket for the Nine Network and consulted to the Australian Sports Commission, Golf and Sailing Australia, the Melbourne Cricket Club and Sport Australia Hall of Fame to name a few.
Associate Professor McGuire draws on her deep industry experience to talk to a wide range of sporting leaders to reveal the hidden business mechanics behind the spectacle, from marketing and sponsorship, fan engagement and the social impact of sport in this multi-billion dollar industry, to the experiences of the players themselves.
The first episode of Love the Fan, Win the Game, kicks off with a legend of Australian sport, Pat Cash, a Wimbledon champion in 1987, two-time Davis Cup hero and two-time Australian Open Finalist, who reached a career high number four on the ATP World Rankings.
Pat Cash is renowned for his tenacious serve and volley game style, his trademark black and white checker headband, and famously inventing the tradition of climbing into the stands to celebrate victory with his team, cementing his status as a major cultural figure in Australia in the late 1980s.
In the podcast Pat Cash reveals how he learnt what the “missing link” was to helping him become the best tennis player he could be, describing an “intervention style” moment with family and coach.
“So the missing link and the puzzle was psychology, and I remember very clearly I didn't come up with the idea...the immediate thing I went to is, ‘they want to lock me up, they want me to be in a padded cell and put me in a straitjacket’. It's quite a reaction,” Cash said.
“I realised I needed some help…the focus wasn't on winning, though that was the ultimate goal; it was on becoming better at your craft, being able to deal with the pressure.”
The podcast delves into lesser known territory, including how as a junior player Pat was supported by some quiet investors who paved a path to Wimbledon previously out of reach to junior players.
Associate Professor Brigette McGuire said Pat Cash is an authentic champion. “His brand persona and personality are one and the same: tenacious, generous, with a microscopic attention to detail; in many ways he is a trailblazer,” Associate Professor McGuire said.
“He travelled to Europe to compete multiple times through the unique MATCH (Make a Tennis Champion Here) program, funded by Australian business people enabling him and other Australian juniors to experience the best competition in the world.
“(He) developed his own unique rock and roll tennis brand – brought to life through his signature checkered headband inspired by American rock band Cheap Trick, to celebrating his famous Wimbledon singles victory in 1987 with an etiquette breaking climb (Crocodile Dundee style) into the stands to celebrate with his family and team.
“With his passion for founding and supporting charities for decades to raise funds and awareness for important social impact issues, Pat Cash calls it as he sees it to create positive change.
“In a wide ranging conversation we take deep dives into how he needed to evolve and grow to win Wimbledon, as a 21-year-old father, and the importance of children having champions whose victories inspire them to dream and believe.
“What excites Pat Cash now? Sharing his wisdom and knowledge with others through social media and a series of books whose title is sure to make a memorable best seller."
While sport is full of emotion and drama, these days it's also data-driven and deeply commercial. In Australia alone, sport generates more than $50 billion a year. Every decision made behind the scenes now shapes how fans watch, feel and connect with the game.
The first episode in the series with former professional tennis player, Pat Cash is now live and available across all major platforms, including Spotify and Apple.
Podcast snippets available: Here
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