Insider Sport’s Matchday Programme offers a personal look at what sporting moments and figures have inspired industry stakeholders. Through candid reflections, the programme delves into the stories behind the inspirations that have shaped their perspectives and fuelled their passion for sports.
In this edition, Dafydd Gwynn, Head of Media at Esports Charts and Streams Charts explored how sport is sometimes about more than winning finals. Gwynn highlights that the Brighton vs Hereford match, where a loss could have meant relegation and the potential folding of the club, showcases how moments of survival can be as significant as any trophy.
Which athlete do you think demonstrated the best winning mentality throughout their career?
In terms of winning mentality, I think it’s Rick Fox. Now I know this is a completely rogue shout, and if I wanted an easy answer I could have gone for Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant, especially if I wanted to stay in the NBA. But these guys were stars, it’s easy to have that winning mentality when you are the star of the show. I find someone like Rick Fox a better example of a winning mentality. He didn’t go out there and play for himself, he had a role to play and he played it to perfection for the betterment of his team. He played alongside some of the greatest offensive players in the world at that time, but his job was to be the solid defender the team needed. He stayed on the team when he was benched as well, that’s commitment.
Who was your childhood sports hero and why? Which of their sporting achievements had the biggest impact on you?
I think it’s hard for me to choose just one. For me growing up I never gravitated towards the greatest players in the world or those with the most achievements. Instead, I found players with unique characters a lot more interesting.
Ryan Babel is a great example, when he played for Liverpool I thought he was great – he was also the first player to be fined for using social media in the Premier League. It helped that my mum bought me a poster of him from a charity shop for 10p.
What sports team do you follow the closest? Is this a family team or local side etc, and what has been the biggest moment in your history of supporting this club?
I follow Brighton and Hove Albion as this is my local team and has been my whole life. My Dad was a Liverpool fan so I used to watch them on the TV occasionally, but he also took me to Brighton games and that’s where I found I enjoyed football the most. Some of my favourite players ever are Brighton players such as Kazenga LuaLua and Bobby Zamora. The biggest moment has got to be when we were promoted to the Premier League.
A second second for me is watching Wales in rugby, I’ve been to the Principality Stadium loads of times and it remains close to my heart.
Is there a team manager from any sport, whether that be football, rugby, NFL, NBA etc, who you think demonstrated the best leadership qualities?
That’s a great question. One of the most important leadership qualities for me is sticking by your players no matter what, and one moment I think that encapsulates that perfectly is when Harry Redknapp sat next to a young Frank Lampard and told reporters that he would “go right to the very top”. It was so genuine, and he was proved so right. I think when you show that much respect and belief in your players/team, they will play so much harder for you.
What sports tournament do you think consistently provides the biggest thrills? Which moment from this league stood out to you the most in recent memory?
This is an easy one for me. The Counter-Strike Majors. These are easily some of the most exciting tournaments in esports. The fact that a completely unknown entity could come through the open qualifiers, through the regional qualifiers, all the way through the Major itself to get on stage in front of a roaring crowd is something I think is incredible.
I’m a sucker for an underdog and Into the Breach at the BLASTtv Paris Major is just the best example of this. Doubted at every single stage and only knocked out by the eventual winners. The British fans that travelled out to Paris just added to that incredible experience.
If you could travel back in time to any historic sporting moment to watch it then and now, which would it be and why?
Brighton vs Hereford. A loss for Brighton would have meant falling out of the English football divisions and potentially mean that the club could have folded. So to go back and experience that moment with the Brighton fans would have been incredible. These moments are more exciting to me than a final, the passion that these fans displayed is just something you don’t see every day.
If you could go out for dinner with any sporting figure, current or historical, who would it be and what would you want to learn from them?
I’d go for dinner with an athlete who doesn’t usually do press and avoids the spotlight. I just think it would be interesting to pick their brain and hear about their experiences from them. Potentially Tim Duncan!
To read the last edition of the Matchday Programme, Daniel Underwood, Co-Founder of sports marketing agency YRDS, delved into the contrasting personalities of two tennis legends, click HERE.
