Business of Sport: UFC and AFL offer compelling case studies in sporting success

American UFC heavyweight Jon Jones. (Image: Getty)

Fri, 10 Mar 2023

There are two commercial sporting juggernauts that fascinate me – the Australian Football League (AFL) and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Both organisations have their dark side. The AFL has made an art form of hushing up or shutting down investigations into illegal supplement use by clubs and illicit drug behaviour, violent assaults and sex scandals among its players and officials*. The UFC is headed by Dana White whose latest stint in international headlines came after he and his wife were caught on video...

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