Navigating Sports Business

Ishwara Glassman Chrein - President of Chicago Fire FC - met up with AJ Maestas at the SBJ Thought Leaders retreat in Lake Tahoe. They discuss her strategies for content creation and monetization and how behind-the-scenes access can improve fan engagement.     They also talk about Ishwara's résumé before joining the Fire, and how her background outside of sports has prepared her for her current ro...

MLB Chief Strategy & Operations Officer Chris Marinak on the recent and upcoming innovations that will increase fan engagement and monetize league content.   He touches on the MLB Film Room and Rally products which seek to revolutionize the way we watch highlights and the way we consume live baseball. He also paints a picture of the next evolution of MLB fandom and how his team is working to creat...

Former Pac-12 Commissioner - Larry Scott - on the success of the conference's media deal, and what he would have done differently regarding the launch of the Pac-12 Network.   The Tier 1 media deal he negotiated increased annual revenue 3x from the prior deal, and also introduced a new structure that shared revenue equally between schools.   The Pac-12 Network project was not originally launched w...

Tod Leiweke - CEO of the Seattle Kraken - on the success that the Kraken have seen before even playing an NHL game. He also touches on the process behind selecting the team name, the importance of building a diverse organization, and how sports can act as a unifying force in a difficult time.   Listen to the full episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tod-leiweke-seattle-kraken/id1544...

Roger Valdiserri worked for the Notre Dame Athletics Department for 3 decades. Over the years, he witnessed some of the best games in college football history, and some of the greatest collegiate athletes of all time. He shares how he got Joe Theisman's entire family to change the pronunciation of their last name to rhyme with Heisman, and some of his other favorite stories from his time at ND. Li...

Buffalo Bills and Sabres Co-Owner Kim Pegula is the only female president in both the NFL and NHL. She shares her experiences and her thoughts on women in sports and what the industry can do to continue improving diversity and inclusion efforts. Listen to the full episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kim-pegula-buffalo-bills-sabres/id1544529117?i=1000518023316

Will the XFL ever make a comeback? In this highlight from our very first episode, Oliver Luck - former XFL Commissioner - explains what a potential competitor to the NFL or college football would need to get right in order to succeed. He also shares some of his favorite innovations that the XFL made in terms of football, broadcasting, and the business model of a professional league. Listen to the...

With decades of experience working for Nike, Adidas, and later Reebok, Sonny Vaccaro is one of the most significant figures in the history of sports marketing. His work played a large role in shaping the current marketing landscape in college athletics. Beyond that, his personal war with the NCAA, and his recruiting of Ed O'Bannon to the now famous Supreme Court case, had a direct impact on the im...

Azania Andrews - VP, Connections at Anheuser-Busch - on how their organizational culture and their "bias to action" allow them to react quickly to trends and to build nationally lauded marketing campaigns in sometimes only a few hours.  Listen to the full episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/azania-andrews-anheuser-busch/id1544529117?i=1000528841858

Episode recorded in June 2021, prior to the ending of Larry Scott's Commissioner term. Larry Scott - Former Commissioner of the Pac-12 - joins the show to talk about his experience leading a Power 5 conference, including his biggest successes and greatest challenges from the past 12 years on the job. He and AJ discuss the Pac-12 Network, the reality of NIL, and how we almost saw a Pac-16 super con...

Val Ackerman - Big East Commissioner - on why the name, image and likeness era is one of the most momentous junctures in NCAA history. When student-athletes are selecting a school to attend, they look for the best personal fit in terms of coaching staff, facilities, playing time, academics, proximity to home, and now NIL opportunities. Link to Full Episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/va...

Anheuser-Busch is well-known for some of the most innovative and exciting activations, advertisements, and marketing campaigns in sports. As VP of Connections, Azania Andrews has a hand in creating all of it. She explains how A-B is able to react quickly to trends that are relevant to consumers, how she helped make Michelob Ultra the #2 beer brand in the country, and why keeping fans connected at...

Matt Davis - Head of U.S. Sports Marketing at Anheuser-Busch - shares the biggest lessons he's learned about engaging sports fans, and why brands should aim to be part of the excitement surrounding the event, rather than a distraction. He also gives his advice for teams hoping to partner with Anheuser-Busch. Jeff Adams Ad Example : Link to full episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/matt-d...

Val Ackerman was the founding President of the WNBA. Now she draws on her years of experience as a professional basketball player, executive, and journalist in her role as Commissioner of the Big East. She joined the Big East in 2013 while the conference was reeling from the departure of 7 member schools. She discusses with AJ how her team overcame that challenge and compares the similarities to t...

Nick Kelly on the importance of getting access to decision-makers when pitching a brand like Anheuser-Busch, and why smaller properties should "stay local" when trying to make a deal happen. Listen to the full episode here .

This week AJ interviews Nick Kelly - President of Charlotte FC and former VP of Partnerships, Beer Culture & Community at AB InBev. They discuss what it has been like launching an MLS team during the COVID shutdown, the biggest lessons Nick learned in his transition from brand to property, and how soccer teams in the U.S. can engage with fans of international clubs.   Details: 1:55 - Transitioning...

Burke Magnus - President of Programming and Original Content for ESPN - discusses why building a community of sports fans might actually be more important than the quality of sports content, and how a mobile-based co-viewing platform could be the next big innovation in broadcasting. AJ Maestas details how international NBA fans who may never get the chance to attend a game in person could use augm...

Matt Davis - Head of U.S. Sports Marketing at Anheuser-Busch - joins the show with guest host Jeff Nelson. Matt shares what it was like to transition into a new role during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also discuss what makes A-B one of the largest and most successful brands in the sports industry, including their commitment to data and analytics, the importance of flexibility, and their process fo...

Phil Mickelson is changing the history of golf - at the age of 50 he won his sixth Major by claiming the 2021 PGA Championship title! Phil's longtime agent and former college coach Steve Loy shares how he recruited Phil to play for him at Arizona State, and how their relationship has evolved over the past three decades. Phil is one of the highest earning athletes of all time, with career endorseme...

Burke Magnus is often the person who decides what sports content we get to see on TV in his role as EVP, Programming and Original Content for ESPN. He and AJ discuss how he got to where he is today, what makes a good partner for ESPN, and why co-viewing might be the next big innovation in sports media.   Details: 1:45 - Burke's background 8:40 - The future of the CFP 13:25 - COVID-19's impact on E...

Justin Toman - Head of Sports Marketing for PepsiCo - discusses the factors he considers when planning a sponsorship campaign and selecting a partner. You can listen to the full interview on Navigating Sports Business, and check out our YouTube channel for more highlights.  Listen to the full episode: Here

Ray Anderson - VP for University Athletics and Athletic Director at Arizona State University - has a résumé unlike most other athletic directors. After finding success in the NFL as an agent and executive, he transitioned to the collegiate side in 2014. He and AJ discuss the differences between pro and collegiate sports, NIL, the Novus Innovation Corridor, and the $1 Million dollar donation that R...

PepsiCo is one of the most active brands in the world for investing in sponsorships. This week, Justin Toman - Head of Sports Marketing - discusses the strategies behind some of Pepsi's most iconic activations, the importance of aligning sponsorships with business objectives, and what Justin looks for in a potential partner. He is also a former world-class gymnast who competed in the Olympic trial...

When Kim Pegula - CEO and Owner of Pegula Sports & Entertainment - took on the role of President for both the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres, she became the first female president in NFL and NHL history. Kim and AJ talk about what it's like having a seat at the table for some of the most important conversations in professional sports. They also discuss the Bills' recent success, a possible new s...

No one knows more about the Pac-12 than Jon Wilner - journalist for Bay Area News Group whose Pac-12 Hotline column is syndicated throughout the West. He and AJ discuss what happens behind-the-scenes when a conference is choosing a new commissioner, how NIL will change college sports as we know them, and the relative importance of exposure versus money when negotiating a media deal. Jon is also a...