Bloomberg Business of Sports

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber discusses a host of topics related to the business of the U.S.’s top soccer league, including the mushrooming valuations of franchises and the decision to expand by another two clubs. Garber also answers, as Deadspin asked in an August article, whether MLS is a Ponzi Scheme. The commissioner also talks about implications of the U.S. men’s team missing th...

Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott discusses a host of topics related to the business of college athletics, including the effect the Department of Justice's bribery investigation is having throughout the NCAA and its member institutions. Scott also talks about his push to rebrand a conference whose membership includes UCLA, USC and Stanford. He also touches on the changing media landscape -- like the...

American Gaming Association President and Chief Executive Officer Geoff Freeman discusses the status, outlook and implications for federally regulated, legalized sports betting in the U.S. Freeman discusses the upcoming case before the Supreme Court, the timeline for sports betting and why the U.S. sports leagues and television networks seem to have embraced the idea. He also talks about how much...

Golden State Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts discusses an array of topics related to the defending National Basketball Association champions, including the team's plan for a new arena in San Francisco (the Chase Center), and what the franchise is worth today. Welts, who oversees all business-related activity for the team, also discusses how the business and basketball sid...

If anyone is privy to the inner workings of the National Football League it's sports industry consultant Marc Ganis, who regularly advises Commissioner Roger Goodell and the 32 owners on an array of business matters. Ganis talks about a number of issues related to the business of the NFL, including whether Roger Goodell is in jeopardy of losing his job because of a squabble with Dallas Cowboys own...

Former National Football League player and union President Domonique Foxworth discusses a host of topics related to the business of the game, including President Trump's criticism of the league and its commissioner, Roger Goodell, who thus far hasn't mandated that players stand for the National Anthem. A graduate of Harvard Business School, Foxworth also recounts lessons learned at the bargaining...

Houston Astros owner Jim Crane discusses a host of topics surrounding baseball, including his team’s trip to the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Crane, who played baseball at Central Missouri State University, also talks about mushrooming team valuations, his club’s focus on data analytics, globalization, the rise of digital media and how the Astros have helped Houston to recover in...

Former All-Star Keith Hernandez, a postseason analyst for Fox Sports, discusses a host of topics related to Major League Baseball, including the  mental effect of being traded for the first time and how the New York Yankees would be better served by dropping Aaron Judge in the lineup. The former New York Mets' first baseman also discusses his beloved plasma television, baseball's attempts to win m...

Newly minted Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta talks about a host of topics related to his record-setting $2.2 billion purchase of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, including why --  for this asset -- he disregarded EBITDA. He also talks about the synergies with his other business interests, the promise of legalized sports betting and why he’d be willing to sell a tiny piece of the team to pop supers...

Former Duke University basketball player and ESPN analyst Jay Bilas discusses the most recent college basketball scandal, including whether hall of famer and Louisville coach Rick Pitino should lose his job. Bilas talks about how college sports has mushroomed into a multibillion-dollar industry that doesn't allow its players to share in the revenue that they help to generate. He also touches on ho...

Apollo's Josh Harris and Blackstone's David Blitzer this week established Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, a holding company that'll guide their sports investments. The man in charge at HBSE is Chief Executive Officer Scott O'Neil, who talks about a host of topics, including cable television and new media, what presiding over ``Linsanity'' taught him and whether the Philadelphia 76ers st...

New England Patriots President Jonathan Kraft talks about the business of the National Football League, including whether owners are concerned about declining television ratings. The chairman of the league's digital committee, Kraft discusses how Amazon, Facebook, Yahoo, Twitter and other companies are disrupting the traditional media model and what it means for the bottom line. The son of Robert...

Laura Froelich, global head of sports partnerships at Twitter, covers a host of topics, including her global search for content -- and the accompanying frequent flyer miles. She also discusses  Twitter's portfolio of sports assets, how the company monetizes sports and whether the platform is a friend or foe to linear TV. Froelich also talks about social media's place in enhancing traditional sport...

National Football League Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice discusses a host of topics, including what he calls the league's mismanagement of player discipline for members like Tom Brady and Ezekiel Elliott. Smith also talks about the league's declining television audience, whether there's too much football on TV and, of course, the issue of head trauma and player safety. He also tou...

Boston Red Sox Chief Executive Officer Sam Kennedy talks about the business behind the Major League Baseball team, including how management has sought to make historic Fenway Park not only more welcoming, but profitable. He also discusses the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry and how the baseball team fits into owner John Henry's global sports and entertainment holdings: Liverpool FC, the New England Sports...

Tony Clark, the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, talks about Players Weekend, during which his membership will wear nicknames on the back of their jerseys. They'll sport alternate jerseys inspired by youth league designs. MLB has also allowed the players to wear custom-designed flashy equipment that shows personality in the sport's latest attempt to reach and co...

UFC President Dana White says the Aug. 26 megafight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor will smash records in revenue and viewership. White also discusses the league's next television contract, which may include a nontraditional broadcast partner such as Facebook or Amazon. White took over as president of UFC when his friend Lorenzo Fertitta bought the company in 2001 for $2 million. The c...

Andre Iguodala of the NBA's Golden State Warriors talks about how professional athletes are more than ever seeking to become successful investors off the field or court. A number of active athletes have taken their cues from retired jocks like Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, who both joined the ownership ranks. Iguodala also discusses how playing near Silicon Valley has helped him to become an i...

Casey Wasserman, chairman of the bid group that brought the 2028 Olympics to Los Angeles, addresses the International Olympic Committee's changing approach to awarding the Games. He also addresses a host of financial issues surrounding the Olympics, including how L.A.'s existing infrastructure will prevent the kinds of white elephants and exploding spending that has marred previous bids. He also t...

FC Barcelona President Josep Bartomeu discusses how the club is trying to gain traction in the U.S., buoyed by stars like Lionel Messi and Neymar, whom reports say may leave Spain for Paris Saint-Germain F.C. Bartomeu, who took over in 2014, has held a number of positions at Barcelona, including the top post in the club’s handball and basketball sections. Prior to that, Major League Soccer Deputy...

Houston Rockets Chief Executive Officer Tad Brown addresses his role overseeing the sale of the National Basketball Association franchise owned by Les Alexander. Brown says there's been a groundswell of interest from around the globe, including China, where thanks to former All-Star Yao Ming, the Rockets are the most popular NBA team. Brown says it took Yao about 60 seconds to call after hearing t...

Hal Steinbrenner, managing general partner of the New York Yankees, talks about the meteoric rise of rookie right fielder Aaron Judge, dubbed the face of baseball after his standout performance in the Home Run Derby. Steinbrenner also addresses the team's change in philosophy from parting with prospects for short-term gain to developing a minor-league system aimed at sustained success. He also dis...

Bob Bowman, Major League Baseball's president of business and media, talks about the changing landscape of the game's audience, the challenge of courting millennials and how the league's experiment with a pay-one-price monthly pass seems to be working. He also talks about baseball's technology arm and why he can't get a decent meal in his office.  Bowman is charged with overseeing revenue-generati...

Turner Sports President David Levy talks about the future of sports media, including escalating rights fees and extracting value from live, unscripted events like sports. He discusses television's future in a world where cord-cutters, cord-shavers and cord-nevers consume content -- including sports -- on their on mobile phones and tablets. Levy also addresses the Mayweather-McGregor fight and the...

Stan Kasten, president and chief executive of the Los Angeles Dodgers, speaks with Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams (filling in for Michael Barr) about the Dodgers brand, his outlook on sports and technology and when, oh, when, will fans around L.A. be able to watch their Dodgers on TV. Kasten, part of the Guggenheim-led group that bought the Dodgers in 2012, was previously president of the W...