Sportonomics

In this head-to-head debate, Jake and Tyler go toe-to-toe on whether AI belongs in sports creative work — arguing everything from copyright theft and job security to "cognitive debt" and the soul of what makes sports fandom human. Producer-turned-moderator, Gabby, keeps the conversation on track, lobbing sharp follow-up questions, stepping in to referee when things get heated, and ultima...

Two best friends who've known each other literally since before one of them was born — Sid Balaga and Suraj Peramanu of The 4th Quarter — join Tyler and Jake to talk about building a venture-backed sports business media company from a basement during knee surgery recovery. They break down what it actually looks like to raise capital as a content creator, why they believe sports business is the...

NFL content creator Matt King sits down with Tyler and Jake to pull back the curtain on one of the most relatable decisions in the creator economy: when — and how — to quit your day job. Matt walks through the exact mindset, numbers, and support system that led him to go all-in on content creation in November 2025, including the specific financial threshold he set for himself before making the lea...

What started as a late-night FaceTime from a friend at a chaotic hockey game in Breckenridge, Colorado turned into one of the most unexpected sports business stories you'll hear. Rick Batenburg — venture capitalist, cannabis entrepreneur, and self-described "Jackie Moon of Breckenridge" — built the Breckenridge Vipers from scratch eleven years ago with 35 people in the stands, purely because he wa...

Lawson McDonald, co-founder of The Hockey Guys, returns to Sportonomics for the first time since S1 E2. He pulls back the curtain on what six years in the creator economy actually looks like — plateauing views, compounding networks, and why brand deals keep coming even when the algorithm doesn't cooperate. The conversation takes a sharp turn into brand-building as Lawson breaks down how he&#39...

In this episode, Tyler and Jake sit down with Mark Franek — author of American Soccer Nation and semi-pro soccer veteran — to trace the remarkable and often overlooked 150-year history of soccer in the United States. Mark breaks down what makes MLS's single-entity, no-relegation structure both uniquely frustrating for soccer purists and genuinely necessary for survival in the American sports l...

From skipping to page 50 of Google and earning $50 a month to helping build one of the most dominant sports media companies on the internet, Tom Weingarten's journey at Overtime is a masterclass in finding opportunity where no one else is looking. In this episode, Tom pulls back the curtain on how Overtime built a decentralized network of 1,000 filmers worldwide, cracked the code on covering h...

Cole Nevins has been in the sports media space since he was eight years old; from blogging on an iPod Touch to building a high school creator network, running a content agency, and now leading creator partnerships at Yahoo Sports. In this episode, Tyler and Cole dig into the evolution of the sports creator economy, how making money online has fundamentally changed who becomes a creator, and why &q...

Jake Miller, co-founder of Arvelo Media, joins Tyler to unpack what it actually takes to build a personal brand as an athlete or public figure in 2026. They dig into the "it factor" — why some people are natural content creators and others simply aren't — and how to tell the difference before wasting everyone's time. The conversation wraps with a grounded take on AI: not as a thr...

Justin Leusner started making YouTube videos at age 10, built a 100-person student media company at Penn State, and recently pulled off visiting all 30 NBA arenas in 30 days — raising over $100,000 for Make-A-Wish along the way. In this episode, Justin opens up about the mental health lows that almost ended his creator career, the faith journey that brought him back, and the meticulous behind-the-...

Tyler and Jake are live in Louisville, Kentucky for the 152nd Kentucky Derby — and before the gates open, they're breaking down everything that makes this two-minute race a week-long American institution. From the fascinating origins of Churchill Downs and the "Run for the Roses" tradition to the mechanics of pari-mutuel betting and $5,000 mint julep cups, this episode covers the his...

Tyler and Jake sit down with Johann Kroll — a former Ohio State and minor league hockey player turned CFA and CFP — who now runs Hockey Wealth, a firm dedicated entirely to financial planning for professional hockey players. Johann breaks down the most common financial mistakes he sees players make, from chasing crypto and flashy restaurant investments to neglecting the boring-but-powerful fundame...

Have you ever wondered why some NFL stars build lasting business empires while others end up broke just years after their final game? In this episode, 11-year NFL veteran Justin Pugh discusses his transition from an offensive lineman to the Commissioner of the Italian Football League, where he is working to "plant the flag" for American football in Europe. We dive deep into the hidden reality of $...

Bear Mayer took a teenage need for gas money and turned it into Bruce Bolt, the premium brand that turned batting gloves from an afterthought into a high-end status symbol. This week, Tyler sits down with the founder to break down the grit required to prototype 18 versions of a single glove and the "hockey stick" growth that followed a viral media moment in a high school English class. T...

Cullen Honohan has transformed a self-taught passion for graphic design into All Hail BBall, one of the most compelling sports media brands in the industry. This week, Jake and Tyler sit down with the former agency director turned creator to break down the transition from cold DMing for freelance gigs to filming with future NBA lottery picks. They discuss the grit required to "escape the algo...

Jordan Rogers has worked inside one of the biggest brands in the world, and now helps others compete with it. This week, Jake and Tyler sit down with the former Nike brand leader turned creator and consultant to break down the shift from corporate marketing to the algorithm-driven era. They talk about why big companies struggle to adapt, how creators are building leverage faster than ever, and wha...

Most ring announcers spend decades waiting for their moment. Kody 'Big Mo' Mommaerts didn't wait for anything. Tyler and Jake sit down with Kody "Big Mo" Bigmo, one of combat sports' fastest-rising ring announcers, to unpack how a college football player from Colorado built a global career in the middle of the ring. They dig into how he speed-ran an industry where most an...

7-on-7 started as an offseason drill. Now it's becoming its own sport. This week, Tyler and Jake sit down with Ty Thomas, founder of My7on7, to unpack how a Minnesota startup grew from 150 kids to nearly 8,000 players — and what that growth means for the future of football development. They talk about the real difference between 7-on-7 and flag football, why high school coaches are still split...

🔗 WATCH THE FULL VIDEO: https://youtu.be/pbThK_e-yjg?si=c6DjHXh1i0m0kY6u Tyler spent 11 hours mic'd up at a youth hockey rink — and the parent interviews changed everything. After spending a full day together at a youth hockey rink, Tyler and Brandon sit down to unpack what came out of the day — especially the parent interviews, the money stress that quietly fuels rink-side tension, and how i...

Jack Settleman is nine years into building Snapback Sports — and it's starting to feel like a breakthrough moment. This week, Tyler and Jake sit down with the college football content creator to break down Season 2's numbers, unpack how he's approaching the newly-cleared NCAA jersey patch opportunity, and discuss what it looks like to scale a media brand while life gets more complicated. Plus, the...

Turnover chains started as a sideline celebration. Now they’re becoming a new category in sports merchandising. This week, Jake and Tyler sit down with James Helms, founder of PopChains, to unpack how a Houston startup is turning bold, customizable chains into marketing tools, fan collectibles, and digital engagement platforms. They talk about building U.S.-based manufacturing, landing partners li...

Joe Doerrer and Nolan Newberg didn’t set out to build a company — they just couldn’t stop making basketball content. This week, Jake and Tyler sit down with the duo behind Strictly B-Ball to break down how a childhood friendship turned into a full-fledged sports media business. They talk about the Vine-era grind, finding their voice on TikTok, pioneering voiceover storytelling in high school baske...

Max Browne is living in the overlap between two worlds that don’t fully trust each other yet: broadcasting and content creation. This week, Tyler sit down with the ACC Network analyst and former USC quarterback to talk about the “that’s cute” phase of being a creator, why digital fluency is becoming table stakes for on-air talent, and how owning your platform might be the most stable part of a not...

A frustrating catch-and-release moment sparked an idea that turned into a full-fledged fishing tech company. This week, Jake and Tyler sit down with Lawrence, founder of Fishtechy and creator of the Proofball, to talk about measuring fish without harming them, turning a physical product into a data-driven platform, and why fishing might be the next sport to see a true social-tech revolution. They...

Jack Appleby has spent 15 years building brands on the internet, and then used that same playbook to build two of his own. This week, Jake and Tyler sit down with the creator behind How to Hoop Forever and Future Social to talk about treating content like a business, why perspective matters more than information, and how Jack turned rec league basketball, storytelling, and strategy into sustainabl...