Bloomberg Business of Sports

Scott Soshnick, Michael Barr and Eben Novy-Williams discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including LeBron James's comments about NFL owners having a slave mentality, and his Instagram posting of offensive music lyrics about Jews. James apologized for the posting, saying he didn't mean to offend anyone.  Also discussed is a look-ahead to the NFL playoff picture, which shows a...

Action Network Chief Executive Officer Patrick Keane joins Eben Novy-Williams and Scott Soshnick to discuss a host of issues related to the burgeoning business of sports gambling. Founded in 2017, the Action Network hopes to be the first stop for both serious and casual bettors as they seek to read about the industry, keep track of their wagers and develop new strategies. A former board member at...

Eben Novy-Williams and Scott Soshnick discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including the Bloomberg News report that said Boston Red Sox owner John Henry is contemplating an investment in Nascar. Henry already owns half of Roush Fenway Racing. Also discussed is the strategy being employed by what's known as New Fox, which is charting a new course after a blockbuster deal with...

Eben Novy-Williams and Scott Soshnick discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including New York Knicks Owner Jim Dolan’s recent comments about the possibility of selling the team. Dolan said that he’d received "feelers" in the $5 billion range, comments that sent MSG stock up early Monday morning. Also discussed is the conflicting comments from Phoenix about whether the city’s...

Player agent Leigh Steinberg joins Scott Soshnick, Michael Barr and Eben Novy-Williams to discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including how the industry has changed since he represented National Football League superstars like Troy Aikman and Steve Young. Steinberg also talks about how he prepares clients for life in professional sports, and how he approaches endorsement op...

Scott Soshnick, Michael Barr and Eben Novy-Williams discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including the outside report that blasted the USOC's handling of the gymnastics sex abuse case involving Larry Nassar. Also discussed is the American Athletic Conference's decision to ask its member schools to sign what's called a ``grant-of-rights'' agreement that theoretically would lo...

Scott Soshnick, Michael Barr and Eben Novy-Williams discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including Lance Armstrong's investment in Uber. An investment in a venture capital fund that bought into Uber has proved a lifeline for the disgraced cyclist. Armstrong's $100,000 investment has made him about $20 million, according to calculations by Bloomberg. Also discussed is Major L...

XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck joins Scott Soshnick, Michael Barr and Eben Novy-Williams to discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including what it has been like to build a professional sports league from scratch. The XFL earlier this week announced its cities and venues -- just a part of what it'll take to build a spring football league. Also discussed is the rebooted league's...

Scott Soshnick, Michael Barr and Eben Novy-Williams discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including Steph Curry’s new investment in Toronto-based startup SnapTravel. The two-time NBA MVP is looking to make 8-12 investments a year through his SC30 Inc., primarily in tech and media. Also discussed on the podcast is Home Court Capital’s $150 million fund that will invest in earl...

Scott Soshnick, Michael Barr and Eben Novy-Williams discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including the release and pending suspension of former Kansas City Chiefs star running back Kareem Hunt. A surveillance video released a few days ago shows Hunt pushing and kicking a young woman in a Cleveland hotel, and the fallout has draw comparisons to the NFL’s mishandling of a simi...

Former National Football League running back Robert Smith joins Scott Soshnick, Michael Barr and Eben Novy-Williams to discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including why he walked away from pro sports in what seemed like the prime of his career. Smith also talks about why players are reluctant to disclose outside interests to their coaches, who often times would prefer to ha...

Scott Soshnick, Michael Barr and Eben Novy-Williams discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including all the deals being signed by sports leagues in the gambling space. Among them are Major League Baseball's deal with MGM -- which already has contracts with the NBA and NHL -- and the NBA's data contract with Genius Sports and Sportradar. Also discussed is MLB's donation to the...

Scott Soshnick, Michael Barr and Eben Novy-Williams discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including the technical problems that affected the Tiger Woods-Phil Mickelson pay-per-view event. Turner said it would issue refunds for those who paid $19.99 to stream the match play event. Other carriers, including Comcast, Charter and Cox also said they would issue refunds. Also discu...

Chuck Baker, co-chair of the sports industry group at O'Melveny, joins Scott Soshnick, Michael Barr and Eben Novy-Williams to discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including how sports transactions have changed over the years. Baker also talks about the investment climate in sports, who is buying professional franchises and why they're doing it. Also discussed is why valuatio...

Scott Soshnick, Michael Barr and Eben Novy-Williams discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including the rising valuations of Major League Soccer teams. Atlanta United is, according to Forbes, worth a league-leading $330 million, followed by the LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders. Also discussed is the NCAA's reversal of its decision regarding an athlete whose parents disowned her...

Scott Soshnick, Michael Barr and Eben Novy-Williams discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including Jerry Jones's assertion that his Dallas Cowboys are worth $10 billion. Jones bought the team in 1989 for a then-record $150 million. Jones also said he'd never sell the NFL club. Also discussed is Major League Baseball's $5 billion extension with  Fox, netting owners a 36 perce...

University of Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick joins Scott Soshnick and Michael Barr to discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including this weekend's big game against Syracuse University at Yankee Stadium. Swarbrick also talks about the football team's independent status, its TV deal with NBC, and how the school is thinking about the future of content in a changin...

Scott Soshnick, Michael Barr and Eben Novy-Williams discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including the National Football League's decision to move Monday Night's game to Los Angeles from Mexico City after it was determined the field wasn't up to league standards. Also discussed is Calgary's vote against hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics, which continues a trend of cities opti...

Scott Soshnick, Michael Barr and Eben Novy-Williams discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including comments made by Bill James, who spearheaded the use of Sabermetrics in baseball. James, an adviser to the Boston Red Sox, suggested that players are commodities and that replacing all of them would make no difference in the game. Also discussed is Nascar’s intention of buying...

Rick Burton, the David B. Falk Endowed Professor of Sport Management at Syracuse University, joins Scott Soshnick, Michael Barr and Eben Novy-Williams to discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including the fiasco surrounding USA Gymnastics and what it's dissolution could mean for the athletes and broadcaster NBC. Also discussed are possible governance changes at the NCAA and...

Scott Soshnick, Michael Barr and Eben Novy-Williams discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including the U.S. Olympic Committee's moving to revoke USA Gymnastics' status as the governing body for the sport at the Olympic level. It's a move that comes in response to an organization that has seemingly botched its own restructuring after the Larry Nassar sex abuse scandal. Also t...

Scott Soshnick, Michael Barr and Eben Novy-Williams discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including the National Football League's new deal with Epic Games that allows Fortnite players to buy customized jerseys based on their favorite teams. The jerseys will cost about $15 of in-game currency. Also discussed is the decision by Fanatics to nix its deal with Nascar to sell merc...

Scott Soshnick, Michael Barr and Eben Novy-Williams discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including the New York Mets's decision to hire agent Brodie Van Wagenen as their new general manager. Prior to his hire, Van Wagenen represented a number of current Mets, including star pitcher Jacob deGrom, and there have been concerns about the conflict of interest. Also discussed is t...

Scott Soshnick, Michael Barr and Eben Novy-Williams discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including the rash of sports betting deals taking place. Among them are the National Hockey League, which, like the NBA, inked a partnership with MGM, and the Devils and 76ers struck a deal with Caesars. Also discussed is the University of Maryland's decision to retain its football coach...

Scott Soshnick, Michael Barr and Eben Novy-Williams discuss a host of issues related to the business of sports, including LA 2028 and the USOC's hiring of Legends (owned in part by the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys) to sell some $2.5 billion in corporate sponsorship. They also talk about the brewing feud between the family of Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen and the trust running the team. Bi...