The ROAR Podcast

The Washington Commanders didn't just negotiate a stadium deal with a city — they needed a federal bill passed to get there. Kirtan Mehta, the team's Chief External Affairs Officer, joins Caroline Valvardi to unpack one of the most complex real estate projects in American sports. A Northwestern grad who took an unlikely route through Harvard Law, two U.S. Senate offices, and an early-stage Robinho...

We're taking the week of the 4th of July off from new episodes, but we didn't want to leave you without something to listen to. We're re-running one of our favorite conversations from the season — Adam Grossman's interview with Alex Teodosi, Vice President of Corporate, Community, and Strategic Partnerships for the Chicago Sky. New episodes return next week. This conversation covers the rapid grow...

Most people still frame women's sports as a movement. Jason Wright runs a fund built on the opposite premise — that it's one of the most under-researched and undervalued asset classes in sports. In this episode, Caroline and Adam trace Wright's path from seven years as an NFL running back, through a labor lockout that became his first lesson in sports business, to McKinsey, the President's chair o...

Most sports executives inherit a brand. Amina Bulman is building one from zero. As Chief Revenue Officer of Boston Legacy FC, Amina is launching a professional women's soccer club in a city that already lives and breathes its teams — with no history to lean on, a fan base that doesn't exist yet, and a permanent home still under construction. In this episode, Adam Grossman traces her unlikely path...

This week it's just the three of us. Brice, Adam, and Caroline step out from behind the guest chair for a wide-ranging conversation on the stories moving sports business right now — and the single idea tying them together: compounding effects. One small change is almost never just one change. We start with Major League Baseball's quiet race to beat 7 PM, and why moving first pitch earlier is far m...

Adam Grossman sits down with  George Barrios  — former Chief Financial & Strategy Officer and Co-President of WWE, co-founder of ISOS Capital, board member and investor in Global Sport Group, and author of the new book  Sometimes Wrong, But Never in Doubt. George helped take WWE from a company worth less than a billion dollars to a valuation north of nine billion, architected its merger with U...

The conversation covers Everett Sands' career journey, Lendistry mission, partnerships in women's sports, Lendistry's role in capital deployment, connecting women's sports and community development, using data to evaluate partnerships, supporting small businesses in sports and entertainment districts, and leadership priorities. Key takeaways include mission-driven finance, access to capital, and i...

The conversation covers the rapid growth and evolution of the WNBA, the impact of this growth on the organization, the role and responsibilities of Alex Teodosi, strategic partnerships and community initiatives, changing conversations with brands, operational growth and evolution, the practice facility and business growth, adoption of data and analytics, and the use of AI-driven insights. The conv...

The conversation with Craig Sloan covers his journey in sports media, the evolution of local media, the seismic changes in sports media, and Playfly's involvement in college sports multimedia rights. It delves into the impact of non-traditional sports providers, changes in data usage, and the future of multimedia rights in college sports. The conversation delves into the impact of multimedia right...

In this episode, Caroline Valvardi interviews Jim Renne, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of AECOM's Sports Practice. They discuss the evolution of stadiums and arenas, the impact of transportation and mixed-use development, global insights and projects, favorite projects, and the use of data analytics in sports architecture. Takeaways Sports venues as community anchors Challenges in sp...

Chris Bevilacqua, a partner at Smash Sports, discusses the $5 billion annual deficit threatening the sustainability of college sports and the role of private capital, real estate, and artificial intelligence in reshaping the college sports model. The conversation also delves into the legislative process, media rights, and the impact of AI on college sports. Takeaways Private Capital Legislative Pr...

The podcast episode features Jordan Goldstein, Co-CEO of Gensler, discussing Gensler's impact and involvement in sports and entertainment districts. The conversation covers Gensler's background, expansion into sports and entertainment, employee ownership, evolution of sports districts, community impact, innovation, sustainability, technology integration, data analytics, future trends, and leadersh...

Discover how NBA veteran Scott Sonnenberg has helped craft one of the most innovative sports venues with cutting-edge technology, unique fan experiences, and impactful partnerships — all while harnessing data and AI to elevate the game. In this episode: Scott Sonnenberg's journey from the Chicago Bulls to Chief Commercial Officer of the LA Clippers. Key innovations at the Intuit Dome: seamless ent...

Craig Sloan, CEO of PlayFly Sports, discusses the evolution of sports media, the impact of non-traditional providers, and the seismic changes in the industry. He shares insights on the journey in sports media, the evolution of local media, and the role of multimedia rights in college sports. The conversation delves into the innovation in college sports sponsorship and media rights, the challenges...

This episode marks a significant transformation for the podcast, as it evolves from "Revenue Above Replacement" to the "Roar Podcast." The hosts, Brice Clinton, Adam Grossman, and new co-host Caroline Valvardi, discuss the podcast's new direction, focusing on sports real estate, mixed-use developments, and community impact. They explore how these elements are reshaping cities and communities globa...

Jamie Litoff is the Executive Director of Partnership Marketing for the Chicago Bulls, where she leads the team responsible for bringing the organization's corporate partnerships to life. In her nearly five years with the Bulls, Jamie has grown from Senior Manager to Executive Director — building out a restructured activation team and helping shape the franchise's approach to global partnerships,...

Hannah Berregaard is the Director of League Operations at Chicago Fire FC, where she oversees the operations and growth of the Chicagoland Indoor Soccer League — a youth indoor league acquired by the Fire in 2025 that serves approximately 14,000 players across roughly 1,000 club teams in the greater Chicago area. In this role, Hannah is responsible for the day-to-day logistics of the league, expan...

Joey Graziano is the Chief Business Officer of the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, where he leads the organization's commercial strategy, mixed-use real estate development, data and analytics initiatives, and fan experience innovation. Under his leadership, the Pacers organization is developing one of the most ambitious sports entertainment districts in the country — a 60-acre mixed-use developm...

Jason Sinnarajah joined the Royals in August 2023 as the Sr. Vice President, Chief Operating Officer. In this role, Jason oversees the business analytics, ticket operations, technology and stadium operations departments as well as the team’s relationship with its food and beverage and retail partners at Kauffman Stadium. In 2024, Jason led the revitalization of our concession experience on the Pla...

In this episode of the Revenue Above Replacement podcast, Brice and Adam dig into one of the most timely topics in sports business right now: prediction markets, and what Giannis Antetokounmpo’s recent equity stake in Kalshi might signal about where this space is headed. They start by breaking down what prediction markets actually are and how they differ from traditional sports betting. Instead of...

Adam Zimmerman is Senior Vice President of Marketing and Content of the Atlanta Braves and reports directly to the team’s President/CEO.   Over his tenure with the Braves, he has managed the team’s Business Intelligence, Marketing, Communications, Diversity Marketing, Digital, Community Relations, Creative, Alumni Affairs, Fan Experience and Growing the Game departments. He is responsible for stra...

Matt Powell is the CEO of Moroch, a Dallas-based full-service marketing and communications agency known for helping multi-location brands grow by blending data, insights, technology, and creativity at scale. Matt is an evangelist for new platforms and emerging technologies and someone who got his start in media and built his career by weaving paid, owned, and earned media into integrated strategie...

A.J. Edds is the Big Ten Conference's Vice President, football operations, moving into that position in July 2022, after previously serving as the conference’s assistant director (and later associate director), sports administration since arriving at the conference in October 2017. In his present capacity, Edds oversees the day-to-day operations associated with Big Ten football, as well as coordin...

In this episode, Adam Grossman sits down with Max Mitchell, a Northwestern MSA graduate student and teaching assistant, to unpack the findings from Max’s thesis research (and accompanying article) on NIL, the transfer portal, and player movement in college football. Using a novel, data-driven approach, Max challenges the popular narrative that NIL and transfers are chaotic and unsystematic. Instea...

Brandon Crone's career in sports spans nearly every level of the game, shaped by deep Indiana basketball roots and a people-first approach to leadership. A Butler University graduate, Brandon was a four-year scholarship basketball player for the Bulldogs before continuing his playing career professionally overseas. During three seasons in Europe, he competed in countries including France, Sweden,...