Wait, What? Sportsbiz Chat with DP & McGhee

DP & McGhee return from a week off and toss around a number of topics during the latest episode. David, knowing positive news for NY Jets fans is sometimes hard to come by kicks of the discussion by talking about the trade that brings Aaron Rodgers to Gang Green.  Spoiler alert, both hosts see the Jets as a playoff contender in the 2023 season. That can't bode well for J E T S Jets, Jets, Jets. Go...

The growth of bull riding as a major sports property has been nothing short of phenomenal. A lot of credit for that goes to Sean Gleason, the CEO of the Professional Bull Riders.  From creating not one, but two docuseries around the sport to selling franchises to the Team Series, Sean has been among the most innovative leaders in sports.  On this episode, Sean talks about PBR’s founding 30 years a...

After global travel and illness kept the dynamic duo apart for several weeks, DP & McGhee return in fine form to discuss the recently completed NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournament, Masters Golf and other sundry and various topics. Endeavor’s purchase of WWE to merge it with UFC gets a bit of the irreverent treatment the podcast promises, while IBM’s use of its Masters sponsorship to s...

This week’s guest is Julie Tyson, a Senior Vice President with the PGA TOUR with responsibility for Global Partnerships - Global Strategy and Innovation. Julie has held a variety of senior roles within the organization, so she’s well suited to talk about the recent changes and innovations the TOUR has implemented to increase fan engagement, viewership and ultimately participation in the sport. And...

With David on the PUP list due to a lost voice, Tim flies solo in this episode.  McGhee interviews Bill Sutton, a true industry legend. Bill talks about working with David Stern to launch the NBA’s TMBO (Team Marketing/Business Operations) group, his early days in the industry and advice that any person in the sports business can benefit from heeding. Dr. Sutton has created and led some amazing sp...

After taking a week off, DP & McGhee return with a conversation that runs the gamut across a variety of sports, and around the world. March Madness is top of mind for many US sports fans, so the hosts talk about everything from NIL to incoming president Charlie Baker to a big corporate sponsor returning. Of course, they also touch upon gambling and the grandaddy of college basketball betting,...

DP & McGhee mine a rich lode when they go back to two favorite subjects, LIV Golf and pickleball.  LIV Golf delivered less than stellar ratings on the CW, while pickeball landed a title sponsor with Vlasic pickles coming on board in one of the most obvious brand partnerships in history. After talking about some recent sponsorship news, the hosts welcome Bob Lynch, the founder and CEO of S...

As part of the ongoing Young Entrepreneur Series , DP & McGhee welcome Brendan Candon, CEO of SidelineSwap, an online platform for buying and selling sports equipment. Brendan takes us through lessons learned, the recent strategic investment by Dick’s Sporting Goods, and advice for would-be entrepreneurs. Before talking to Candon, the co-hosts talk about the highs and (mostly) lows of the NBA...

CEO of the Kraft Analytics Group (KAGR) and co-founder of the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, Jessica Gelman joins the show to talk about the growth and evolution of analytics in the sports business, on both the sporting and commercial side.  Gelman feels that the science of data analytics in sports is still in its very early stages of development and has only begun to scratch the surf...

DP & McGhee welcome Fordham University’s director of athletics, Edward Kull to the show. Ed talks about the challenges of running a program competing in a mid-major conference, how things like NIL have complicated an already complex job, and how programs like Fordham drive revenue, the lifeblood of college athletics. Given that it’s Super Bowl week, our hosts spent most of the up front portion...

We may be less than two weeks away from the Super Bowl, but the NASCAR season starts this weekend in Los Angeles, and F1 revs up in just over a month. So, DP and McGhee were excited to welcome Jonathan Gibson, EVP, Marketing and Business Development for the Penske Corporation to the #sportsbiz chat. Jonathan has had a long and storied career and he shared some of the wisdom he’s gained from workin...

DP & McGhee launch a new segment, the Young Entrepreneur Series and they couldn’t have asked for a better first guest than Daniel Hennes, co-founder and CEO of Engage. Daniel shares his journey of disrupting an industry that had been inefficient and often wrought with bad actors. Engage allows brands and athletes to connect creating opportunities for companies to utilize talent for appear...

Wait…What? welcomes three leading educators from three of the most prestigious sport management programs in America. Lisa Delpy Neirotti of George Washington University, David Hedlund of St. John’s, and Will Norton of the Isenberg School at UMass join the podcast to talk about sport management as an academic discipline. The distinguished group talks about the importance of real-world experience to...

DP & McGhee kick off Season 2 of the podcast talking about a host of topics. They open with a discussion about the College Football Playoffs and the Georgia Bulldog juggernaut.  After the dismantling of TCU, it would seem the expansion of the playoff field can’t come too soon. And keeping with the “kicking” theme, our hosts talk about the ongoing drama at US Soccer involving the US Men's...

DP & McGhee head into the holidays with a look backward on an extraordinary first season of Wait…What. DP opens the show by putting a bow on FIFA World Cup, talking about the thrilling finals and the legacy Qatar hoped to create vs. the one it may be left with.  McGhee then talks about the NCAA’s announcement that Massachusetts governor, Charlie Baker, has been selected to replace outgoin...

Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame member and ESPN analyst, Debbie Antonelli, joins the #sportsbiz chat to talk about the current college hoops season, NIL, Title IX, and the importance of putting the time in.  And if the NCAA ever calls, Debbie will be ready with her list of things she’d change in college athletics. After a several-week hiatus on the topic, DP & McGhee open this week's epis...

DP & McGhee go without a safety net (and without guest) as they take on a variety of topics during this episode of "Wait…What?" The hosts talk at length about the new College Football Playoff format that is scheduled to start in 2024, a few years earlier than originally planned.  They discuss the ramifications of a 12-team CFP field and how conferences may alter the way they choose their...

It’s the biggest event in global sports, so it’s no surprise that DP & McGhee covered the stories surrounding the US vs. Iran match in the FIFA World Cup. And because of our recording schedule, we didn’t have the result until we went back into the "studio" to interview our guest and record our closing segment. So, we were able to speak about the US moving on to the knockout stage. Not for the...

It’s evening in Doha as Aggregate Sports CEO and former Swansea City AFC COO, Chris Pearlman, joins DP & McGhee to provide his perspective on FIFA World Cup from on the ground in Qatar. Chris provides some unique and timely insight as a fan and sportsbiz executive. Before being joined by Chris, David and Tim talk about the happenings both on and off the pitch in Qatar. From the brave Iranian t...

DP & McGhee go full fan boy when they talk to three-time World Cup player, and Team USA captain Marcelo Balboa.  “Rambo” talks about his career in soccer from the fields of San Pedro, to the world stage, to the broadcast booth, and provides a great overview of what to expect from the tournament in Qatar. The story behind his famous bicycle kick goal while with the Colorado Rapids, arguabl...

With FIFA World Cup fast approaching, DP & McGhee are joined by FIFA Head of Partnership Marketing, Eduardo Solis, before he heads off to Qatar. One of the biggest spectacles in sports, World Cup delivers nearly a month of the world's most popular sport to millions of fans around the globe. Solis talks broadly about the beautiful game, including FIFA’s commitment to social causes, the gro...

As we move to the final stretch of the college football season, LEARFIELD Chief Revenue Officer John Brody joins the #sportsbiz chat to talk about the changing landscape of collegiate multi-media rights and the opportunities they provide brands.  Brody brings experience from a variety of senior-level roles at WWE, Major League Baseball, Wasserman and the NFL. DP & McGhee also talk about t...

With League of Legends Worlds 2022 heading toward the finals, DP & McGhee welcomed Dave Bialek, a sports industry veteran who made the jump to esports in 2016 and is now the president of Infinite Reality Entertainment and Co-founder and CEO of ReKTGlobal. Dave gives a tutorial on all things esports with a focus on how brands can best utilize esports and gaming to build relationships with custo...

With so much swirling around the college sports space, Pac-12 Networks Executive Vice President Steve Tseng joined DP & McGhee to talk about the current state of affairs in college athletics, and how the Pac-12 approaches securing and engaging its blue chip roster of partners. The show opens with a look at the success MLS has realized this season boasting solid growth in social engagement, vie...

On the Wait...What? #sportsbiz podcast we like to say we take a sometimes serious look at the sports business. The recent report from former Acting Attorney General, Sally Yates, detailing the abuses in the NWSL is one of those times. We talk about the path forward for a league that has had great success on the pitch and in securing league partners. Of course, we have some fun with the "...