I still remember the room. A long board table, the quiet tension that fills the air before a big presentation. I walked in holding a tube that carried months of imagination, sketches, and conversations inside it. It contained the concept for a new Volleyball World Championship trophy — the first redesign in the sport’s modern history. I placed the renderings on the table. For a moment there was silence. Then the questions began. “Why do we need to invest in a trophy when the

On a daily basis, we are exposed to nearly 5,000 brands —from the moment the alarm rings on our smartphone in the morning to the toothbrush we use at night. As consumers, our decisions are often logical: based on price, quality, or functionality . But when it comes to sport, the rules change. Here, our choices are rarely rational. We don’t pick a favorite team or athlete by comparing prices or features. We support them with our hearts—driven by emotions, traditions, family ti

Recent Olympics and reflections on my own sporting career have led me to ponder a burning question: Where exactly do champions come from?...