Fast Tracks and Dark Deals - the art of deal making in sport

Almost 50 years ago, Michael Payne—author of the newly published Fast Tracks and Dark Deals—and I both began our careers at the organisation that many of us later came to call “The University of Sport Marketing.” I joined as its first in-house legal counsel just as the business “caught the wave” that, from 1975 onwards, transformed the commercial fortunes of global sport. Sponsorship was the glue that held together the first collective global commercial rights programme: the “Intersoccer 4.” Originally developed for the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain, it quickly became a template adopted by many other sports.

That “University” was the pioneering joint venture between Patrick Nally of West Nally and the late Horst Dassler of adidas. The partnership ended somewhat acrimoniously in 1982, shortly before the World Cup, after which Horst founded International Sports and Leisure (ISL), the company that eventually collapsed in 2001.

Michael’s book charts his extraordinary lifelong career in sport and offers a ringside seat at some of the industry’s most influential organisations, both as an employee and advisor. Our own paths crossed early on, sharing an office and working on the first London Marathon.

By the mid-1990s, Rosemary Sarginson—first at Hollis and later through her own business, culminating in the UK Sponsorship Awards—was one of the first to recognise how partnerships between brands and rights holders were reshaping the sports industry. Today the Awards are embedded in that landscape. When Rosemary and I recently reconnected, we agreed that a review of Michael’s book could help the sponsorship community better understand the historical forces that created the immense value we now see in the industry.

Fast Tracks and Dark Deals spans 21 chapters and more than 600 pages, richly illustrated with photographs and images that bring its stories to life. It is, quite simply, unputdownable. At times the narrative feels closer to a spy thriller than a work of non-fiction. The anecdotes are remarkable: negotiations on Russian ski slopes; why doves stopped being released near the Olympic Flame; and a revealing aside about Bernie Ecclestone’s preferred watch brand.

Readers will come away with a far deeper understanding of how commercial programmes in sport have evolved, how client needs shaped those programmes, and—importantly—how lawyers can add meaningful value. They’ll also meet the remarkable characters who populate the world of high-stakes dealmaking. For me, one standout is Jack Ma of Alibaba, which became an Olympic partner in 2016.

The early chapters explore Michael’s Irish heritage and his youthful determination to become a professional skier—driving battered cars across Europe, wrestling uncooperative cows en route, and even taking part in a chaotic ski exhibition in London. They also recount how, in 1979, he finally secured a foothold at the “University.”

The story progresses to his move to ISL in 1982 and then to the IOC. Michael describes his IOC role as “conjuring, enhancing and protecting the magic of the Olympic Games.” He charts the evolution of the IOC’s commercial programme against a backdrop of seismic change—television fragmentation, the rise of digital media, and the Salt Lake City scandal.

His subsequent departure from the IOC and recruitment by Bernie Ecclestone usher in a new chapter, including the creation of the Singapore night race. Later chapters reflect on the scandals that have rocked global sport, with particularly valuable insights into the Russian doping crisis and its consequences, as well as the mega-deals that continue to reshape commercial valuations.

Michael also looks ahead. His reflections on the future of sport—from biometrics and technology to holographic presentation—are thought-provoking, as is his commentary on the evolution of modern pentathlon, which secured its place in the LA 2028 Games after significant reform.

For me, the pivotal point in the book is Michael’s appointment in 1989 as the first Marketing Director of the IOC after five years at ISL. His role in building, executing, and protecting the TOP programme—The Olympic Partner—was transformational. TOP became the primary income stream for the IOC and a model for rights-holder commercial programmes worldwide. The book reveals the politics, negotiating strategies and behind-the-scenes dynamics that shaped TOP, particularly Michael’s work with IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch and the ever-entertaining Canadian lawyer Dick Pound.

The chapters on Olympic bidding are especially compelling. Michael explains the opaque processes, the vulnerabilities to corruption, and the political theatre—from Salt Lake City to Barack Obama’s involvement in Chicago’s bid. He recounts Athens’ eventually successful Centennial pursuit and how a supposed outsider—Lillehammer—secured one of the most celebrated Winter Games of all.

One enduring lesson is this: while a competitive bidding process is essential to the Olympic movement, winning the bid is only the beginning of an extraordinarily challenging journey.

In conclusion, Fast Tracks and Dark Deals is a rich, absorbing account of the last 50 years of commercial sport—how it grew, who shaped it, and what may come next. For anyone working in sponsorship, marketing, sports governance, or sports law, it offers both education and entertainment in equal measure.