In our latest staff Q&A, we find out about Danny Guest, Product Director
What moment of sporting resilience has stayed with you the most?
David Beckham, coming back after his red card in France ’98. Got his head down, applied himself and got his rewards at the end of the 1999 season.
Did you collect anything growing up – stickers, kits, memorabilia?
I have an awesome collection of ticket stubs built out over the years, until print-at-home & e-tickets came along and ruined my fun.
Which team do you support, and how did that connection start?
Bristol Rovers. I remember watching them hammer Bristol City 4-0 when I was 10 years old and thinking what a wonderful choice of team I’d made…
What’s the most emotional match or moment you’ve experienced as a fan?
The ‘champagne’ super over in the 2019 Cricket World Cup final was insane. Moments like that make you quite thankful you were never really very good because it’s hard to understand how those guys stood up to the pressure. I’m saving up for the Jack Russell painting from that day and now only about £124k away from buying it! https://www.chrisbeetles.com/artwork/34895/world-cup-winners
Have you ever travelled far or done something wild to watch a game?
I took a trip out to New York to catch a Yankees game at Yankee stadium in 2008 before they knocked it down. Following Bristol Rovers doesn’t lend itself to exotic road trips, although I have been to Blackpool away a few times.
Is there a sports manager or coach whose leadership style you admire?
Eddie Jones for his energy and work ethic & Gareth Southgate for the way he built an environment everyone (apart from Ben White) wanted to be part of.
What’s your favourite sports tournament and why?
It’s not Christmas until the Darts World Championships starts. My kids enjoy it, the scenes in the crowd are great and it’s top quality sport too. I took my uncle who’s a huge darts fan a few years ago and he was mortified nobody was paying attention to the matches.
What’s a sporting moment that gave you goosebumps?
A few years ago my son was mascot for Rovers vs Scunthorpe on the final day of the season. We needed to better Northampton’s result or outscore them by 5 if both teams won. Northampton were winning 3-1 when the magic began. Aided by the ‘League 2 cheat code’ Elliott Anderson on loan from Newcastle we scored 5 in the second half & won 7-0. Hard to imagine topping that day.
What sport would you love to try but never have?
I quite fancy having a crack at winning the Kentucky Derby or the Melbourne Cup. As a Gloucestershire lad I should have probably said the Cheltenham Gold Cup but I’m not sure I’ve got the courage to try racing over fences.
Have you ever played sport competitively? If so, what did it teach you about performance, pressure, or teamwork?
Pretty much everything I know about performance and teamwork comes from sport. I learned that doing ‘extras’ is what unlocks rewards down the line. I learned the value of consistency, turning up and putting a shift in, even when conditions aren’t always perfect. And I learnt that success is rarely individual. Often the best thing you can do is whatever’s needed to support a teammate.
How do you think data and analytics are reshaping the way fans interact with sport?
They’re reshaping sports in so many ways. In our industry we’re seeing new stats and betting markets popping up all the time, bettors have more insight available to them to help them make informed decisions and mates down the pub have more evidence to support their arguments. From a supplier perspective I don’t think anyone’s properly cracked delivering a fully-engaging experience built around data and analytics but watch this space!
How does your current role align with your passion for sport?
I spend all my spare time either taking my kids to sport, playing sport or watching sport so getting to spend my work days talking about it and influencing how fans consume sports data is a privilege. At Podium there’s a huge horse racing heritage running throughout everything we do so plenty of nice connections to old memories for me. Then there’s the 40+ other sports from Football to Cricket to NASCAR for me to get stuck into.
Connect with Danny: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drguest/
