The ROAR Podcast

Ken Belson covers the business of professional sports, focusing on the teams, personalities, and complex issues that shape America’s most popular form of entertainment — from finances and stadium development to medical issues and major lawsuits. He rejoined The New York Times Business section in 2023 after 14 years in Sports, where he primarily covered the N.F.L. His earlier reporting at the Times...

In the fifth season premiere of Revenue Above Replacement, Adam and Brice reflect on five years of conversations at the intersection of sports, business, and innovation. From the early discussions on COVID-19’s impact to today’s debates around AI, real estate, and media disruption, the duo explores how the sports industry has transformed — and where it’s heading next. They kick off the episode wit...

In this season finale of the Revenue Above Replacement podcast, hosts Brice and Adam reflect on a dynamic year of conversations across the sports business landscape. From the rise of sports-anchored mixed-use developments and the evolving role of private capital to the explosive growth in women's sports and new monetization strategies for content creators, the episode dives into key themes that de...

CJ O’Brien is the co-owner of the Chicago Union, a professional ultimate frisbee team competing in the Ultimate Frisbee Association. A lifelong athlete with roots in football, CJ discovered ultimate frisbee while attending the University of Illinois, where he became a standout player and competed at the national level. After college, he entered the consulting world but remained closely tied to the...

Jason Hartlund is the Chief Commercial Officer for the Buffalo Bills, where he leads the team’s commercial strategy, including corporate partnerships, premium seating, media sales, and all revenue-generating initiatives tied to the new Highmark Stadium. With over two decades of experience in the sports and entertainment industry, Jason brings a deep understanding of how to drive fan engagement, bu...

Keith Friedenberg serves as Chief Analytics & Insights Officer of Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. which owns and operates Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), William Morris Endeavor (WME), IMG, 160over90, On Location, and OpenBet/IMG Arena. Keith is founder of Endeavor Analytics, LLC, a global knowledge and insights company that provides strategic consultin...

On this episode of the Revenue Above Replacement Podcast, Adam and Brice take a break from the great guests and dive deep into Adam’s newest venture, ROAR (Revenue Over and Above Replacement). Built from insights gained through his past experiences at Block Six Analytics and Excel Sports Management, Adam shares his innovative approach to breaking down industry silos across technology, advisory ser...

Katie Morgan is the Vice President of Business Analytics and Ticket Strategy for the Texas Rangers. Katie has held various positions beginning as an Inside Sales Representative, transitioning in the CRM & Database Manager, and now as the Vice President of Business Analytics and Ticket Strategy. Prior to her time with the Rangers, she played college basketball and spent a year coaching. Katie l...

Luka Dukich is the Vice President of Content for the Chicago Bulls, where he leads the teams responsible for content strategy, creation, and distribution - including video, design, social media, international content and digital partnerships. With more than 45 million fans across social platforms, the Bulls are one of the most followed sports teams in the U.S., and Luka’s team plays a central role...

Back for a second time, Katie Krall is an adjunct lecturer at Northwestern in the Master’s of Sports Administration Program teaching “Sports Business: Finance, Accounting, and Economics,” “Sports Organizations: Leadership Theory and Application,” and “Sports Performance and Front Office Operations” and at Medill where she teaches “Sports Marketing.” Katie was previously the Senior Product Manager...

Kern Egan is the founder and CEO of Multiplier, an agency that shapes culture to build brands. Multiplier manages the cultural marketing initiatives for a roster of world-class brands, including Bridgestone, Caterpillar, Chase Sapphire, Invisalign, JP Morgan Payments, On Running, PitchBook, Winnebago, and Wyndham Hotels, among others. Multiplier Ventures is a limited partner in Sapphire Sport Vent...

Nick Bernabe is the Assistant General Manager with the Gwinnett Stripers, the AAA affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Nick’s path through baseball has been nothing short of fascinating—from his beginnings with the Arizona Fall League, described as one of baseball’s best-kept secrets, through impactful experiences internationally in the Dominican Republic, and roles with prestigious organizations incl...

Mark Cuban sold a 72.3% ownership stake of the Dallas Mavericks to the Adelson family in December of 2023. While a substantial amount of money, the $3.5 billion that Cuban reportedly secured from the Adelsons potentially undervalued the team. When asked why Cuban sold the team when he did and for a “discounted” price, Cuban stated, “And so you see other teams in all sports…talking about doing real...

Mike Walsh is the Senior Director of NIL Partnerships and Strategy at ONIT Athlete, a leading company reshaping the NIL landscape through innovative partnerships and collectible trading cards. Mike brings a wealth of experience, having spent over a decade in collegiate athletics, notably at Boise State, where he was instrumental in building one of the nation's most successful NIL programs. Mike's...

Lindsay Barnett founded Playground Productions after she spent close to a decade teaching second grade in a Chicago Public School in addition to manufacturing educational products. She gained national attention, as a semi-finalist on Live with Kelly and Ryan’s Top Teacher Search. Now, she has curated a slate of IP in the children's space and collaborates directly with authors and writers to ensure...

Jenny Haskel is a former Division One soccer player at Northwestern University whose lifelong commitment to athletics informs her professional approach and growth mindset. Currently Jenny is the Knowledge and Insights Lead at Deloitte Sports Business group. In her role she works with investors, governing bodies, national associations, clubs and other sports organizations around the globe driving v...

John Brody is a Board Member, Consultant, and Advisor to various Private Equity firms, brands, agencies, and start-ups. Prior to his current role John was the Chief Revenue Officer for Learfield who is a leading media, data, and technology services company with an unparalleled footprint in college sports and live events. In his illustrious career John has held roles with the WWE, The National Foot...

Jordan Pink is the Strategic Development Manager at Tradable Bits - a role he recently evolved into. Tradable Bits is a fan data company that provides partners with tools to acquire, analyze and activate data. Prior to his time at Tradable Bits Jordan was an account executive at Canuck Sports and Entertainment. Jordan did his undergraduate work at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canad...

Jeff McDaniel is responsible for Basketball Operations at Superior Sports and also a member of the board of directors. Superior Sports is a boutique athlete representation agency. Superior provides a holistic approach to building athletes brands while supporting on-court development. They focus on college athletes and provide NIL Marketing & Collective Negotiation, Professional Contract Negoti...

Mike Morris is a seasoned technology leader whose impressive career has taken him from rigorous software engineering at EDS to consulting at PwC and transformative roles in sports technology. Mike notably served as the Chief Technology Officer at Major League Baseball, where he played a critical role in driving the analytics revolution, centralizing MLB systems, and launching MLB Advanced Media an...

John Brody is a Board Member, Consultant, and Advisor to various Private Equity firms, brands, agencies, and start-ups. Prior to his current role John was the Chief Revenue Officer for Learfield who is a leading media, data, and technology services company with an unparalleled footprint in college sports and live events. In his illustrious career John has held roles with the WWE, The National Foot...

Jared Banner is the Assistant General Manager of the Chicago Cubs - a role he assumed in 2023 after being promoted from his role as President of Player development. Jared originally joined the Cubs in 2021 as the Vice President of Special Projects after serving as the Executive Director of Player Development with the New York Mets for two seasons. Prior to his time with the Mets, Jared spent 11 ye...

Adam and Brice are back for another season of the Revenue Above Replacement podcast. This week the guys discuss what they have been up to during their hiatus, hit on some of the biggest sports business topics of the past few months, and look ahead to this season and the great guests that are in store. New episodes every Wednesday and those great guests start again next week.

Sam Noffs is the Vice President of Sales and Strategy at Champro. Sam has nearly 20 years of experience in sales. He began his career as an assistant buyer at The May Department Stores shortly before it was acquired and folded into Macy’s, where he grew into a buying and merchandise planning role. After his time at Macy’s, his career took off as he joined Nike, where he spent nearly 14 years flyin...

This week Adam and Brice take a break for the excellent guests this season and discuss the current state of sports and sports business. In the discussion Adam and Brice focus on the pending NBA Media Rights deal and the launch of the new Chicago Sports Network along with the implications of both for fans, teams, leagues, and the content providers. The guys will be back next week with more great gu...