Tao of Sports Podcast

Deandra Duggans is working to merge the gap between brand and fans, by invoking a new sense of what that relationship means in the digital and traditional media world. Duggans shares about her time in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens, trying to play music that the players like, but also that the fanbase will accept. Duggans then talks about her move out to Las Vegas, helping the Aces at a time wh...

As NAATSO time in Las Vegas hits, it's a visit with Justin Rogers, who oversees the revenue generation aspects of Boise State Athletics as "Resource Development." While that title is a bit new on the landscape, the role features many old school interests such as ticket sales, marketing and gift development. Rogers shares his viewpoint of capturing the elusive fan as athletic department revenue gen...

Andrew Rubinstein left the world of professional sports and group ticket sales to join the ranks of the annual fund at a remote university with Division I hockey in the state of Michigan. Rubinstein shares his choices, how he interacts with potential and current donors using technology such as Zoom, and embraces the idea that there's a longer play at stake when speaking to someone about the school...

It's been more than a minute since Garrett Nolan came on the podcast, way back in 2015 on Ep. 449. Nolan was a working stiff for one arena back then, but is now on his own, helping various platforms and partners achieve their revenue goals through his expertise. Nolan talks about his journey from being employed by one venue to his own independent consultancy, which includes concerts, casinos and c...

Craig Cugno has had his work cut out for him, because as much as he wants to have two winning college basketball teams, it means that he has to work that much harder to get their off-site arenas filled up each, eight times a year. Good problems to have. Cugno discusses his start in minor league baseball, selling minor league hockey, then going to the University of Rhode Island athletics, before th...

It's been over 11 years since Paul Fruitman came on the podcast. The Canadian sports executive has ventured from ticket sales to corporate to now looking at brand insights for the sports space. Fruitman talks about what changed and what hasn't since that time, and how everything matters now to a brand, less on what is in the stadium, but what eyeballs exist outside of it.

Kyle has had three stints with the Phoenix Suns, first as an intern, then as a group sales rep, then finally, back to take the lead of the organization's overall ticket sales strategy, now as Senior Vice President of Ticket Sales & Service. Kyle shares his vision of how the Suns have managed to do the impossible, create a 133-game sell-out streak off of the backs of the pandemic, and create one of...

The last time that Troy talked to Joe, they were at the 2016 NACDA Conference. Troy was at UC Davis and Joe was at Holy Cross. Now, both are no longer in college athletics, which has changed drastically in that time. Joe made his way out to the southwest, working at both Surprise Stadium, the Cactus League home of the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers, and now at Insignia Events, owned by the A...

Rob Yowell has the entry of naming rights explode during his time in the industry, and has adopted the ability to sell new brands on the world of sports. Yowell has spent his time over the last few years helping groups such as bitcoin gain entry into the sports world space. Yowell covers some of the ins and outs of that industry segment, along with the role of sport tourism boards in order to attr...

Mike Dellosa grew up in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, rising to the role of Vice Presiden to Ticket Sales. So when it came to the pandemic, he did something drastic, throwing out the playbook entirely on how to sell tickets to fans. Dellosa felt that desperate times called for desperate measures, and he did whatever it took, by forcing in a different membership model than was witnessed at...

Matt Slatus returns to the podcast, now as President & General Manager of Camelback Ranch, the Cactus League home of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox. Slatus talks about the decade separation between his podcast guesting adventures, how he took a General Manager job at the Ballpark at The Palm Beaches (Houston Astros & Washington Nationals home), and all of the ins/outs of running a t...

Kathy Burrows has been a guest and friend of the podcast for over a decade. So its fitting that she be the first guest since 2019, when the podcast was last updated. Things have changed in the industry, for the better, as the phone crusher model seems to be dead or dying. Kathy talks about what she has learned, especially by asking those buyers what is being done right or wrong to sell them, and h...

Stagefront's Mike Guiffre co-hosts this podcast with Troy, discussing various components of searching for the hidden fan. In this episode, data is discussed, along with what that data actually means, in a constructive conversation toward driving revenue in different ways. Including the Don Cherry firing.

Sarah Uhran has taken the concept of personal branding for athletes and turned it on its head. Uhran represents a new type of dynamic that showcases not only the athlete brand from what the public sees, but also the consistent advisor role of ensuring athlete success in their personal or professional interactions with others. Uhran discusses how she has helped guide athletes toward the best decisi...

Chris Spano ties various components of the primary and secondary ticket markets together, working for MLB, NFL and NHL teams, along with working at StubHub. Now, at the American Hockey League, Spano discusses some of the ways that the secondary ticket market can even help minor league hockey survive and thrive in a constant push for new inventory sales to the open market. Spano also talks about wa...

Graham Oliphant has helped the growth of rugby in the United States and the United Kingdom, creating a strategic planning effort that other sport organizations have begun to follow. Oliphant talks about the impact of Major League Rugby in America, which has launched successfully with the Seattle Seawolves beginning a sellout streak and developing a winning format for other MLR teams to follow as e...

Jim Sweeney is just getting started in a period when most people are looking at retirement. Sweeny serves as an international board member and the head of FIMBA USA (Federation of International Masters Basketball Association). The International Olympic Committee calls FIMBA the best senior sports federation in the world. Sweeney talks about how FIMBA hosted its 15th world championship in 2017 in I...

The BMW Championship represents a unique challenge for Jeff Lapsansky, since he has to sell tickets to a PGA Tour event that moves every other year to a different city. Lapsansky discusses some of the ways that he drives ticket sales and marketing for the event, as well as ensures that pricing maximizes the possibility of a return for the non-profit organization running the BMW Championship. Twitt...

The weather doesn't stop a great ticket sales staff from selling. John Markiewicz shares his knowledge about selling in cold weather for baseball and hot weather for hockey. Markiewicz talks about his strategy in driving group ticket sales for Chicago White Sox games in April where the temperature is a high of 8 degrees, and selling hockey in Florida, where it is always hot out, and yet, the goal...

As if it couldn't get confusing enough, Troy King comes on the podcast to share a funny episode at the 2018 National Sports Forum regarding Troy Kirby, Troy Tutt and Troy Kirby and one confused gentleman who said "Hi Troy" when all three turned around at once. King talks about his time at Churchill Downs, selling over 70 events beyond the Oaks & Derby. King shares his experiences in selling horse...

Zach Dayton returns to the podcast after nearly four years since his original one (Ep. 328). Dayton talks about his transition from Pace University, a D2 school, to Fairfield University, which is Division 1. Dayton shares his insight into bringing not only fresh ideas, but also ways to help implement those ideas beyond the presentation stage with traditionalists in a group. Twitter: @Zach_Dayton

Fresh off her departure of a second stint with the Corvallis Knights, former COO Holly Marie Jones shares her insight into the West Coast League baseball franchise's brand, and how she was able to enhance it through merchandise, ticket sales and concessions. Jones discusses how the presence of the mascot, along with a sidekick, helped boost the Knights' community efforts as well as shaping the ove...

Back in 2010, if Dominic Laico had been able to get his work done for a secondary market reseller on time, the entire resale market would have never been revolutionized. Laico would launch AutoProcessor in 2011, with the set goal of mass uploading e-tickets to all secondary distribution channels at once. Laico compares notes on what the market was before and after his company was formed, as well a...

Glenn Wong has had a continual front-row seat to the evolving world of sports law education, citing his enrollment in one of the first sports-focused legal classes in the country. After a long tenure at U-Mass, Wong is helping broaden the sports legal education on the west coast at Arizona State University. Wong discusses various components of sports law; from NCAA issues and FBI probes to potenti...

The biggest dog in the fight is sometimes a little yapper. That's what El Paso Chihuahuas' general manager Brad Taylor discusses as he joins the podcast, covering exactly how the MiLB team has created one of the hottest merchandise brands across the country. Taylor talks about perception versus reality with the El Paso, Texas/Juarez, Mexico marketplace, as well as how the El Paso Chihuahuas' masco...