Wait, What? Sportsbiz Chat with DP & McGhee

DP & McGhee are joined by Mark Lazarus, Chairman of NBCUniversal Television & Streaming. Leading one of the world’s largest media companies, Mark is consistently ranked among the most influential people in the industry. NBC Sports' premier portfolio of properties serves as the backdrop for the far-reaching discussion and Mark shares his thoughts on a variety of subjects, including soccer’s...

On their latest episode, DP & McGhee are joined by Stephen Chriss, VP of Digital Commerce and Omni-Shopper Marketing at Campbell's, to talk about his over quarter-century career in partnerships.  Stephen talks about what it means to "play in culture" by being relevant to consumers and giving them a reason to put the product in the basket.  He also talks about his personal passion for...

When DP & McGhee’s guest cancels at the last minute due to unforeseen circumstances, your intrepid hosts are forced to adjust on the fly. And adjust they did.  Creating a veritable potpourri of #sportsbiz chat combined with a healthy dose of popular culture (Pop Culture is a relative concept, keep in mind). The show starts like most other episodes with a discussion ranging from the (Amazo...

DP & McGhee are joined by George Pyne, the founder and CEO of Bruin Capital, an investment and operating company specializing in working with capital partners and management teams to build best-in-class, global sports, media, entertainment, marketing, and technology companies. George has been at the center of some of the biggest stories in sports over the past 25 years, including the expl...

As we close the book on summer, our focus shifts to the big news coming out of college football (off to a roaring start, by the way), the approaching NFL season, and the changing of the guard at the US Open. DP & McGhee were honored to welcome Mike McCann, director of the Sports & Entertainment Law Institute at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law. In addition...

DP kicks off this episode talking about the recent successes (and a few failures) of Amazon in its quest to grow share and reach in live sports, while McGhee, the resident sports-card geek waxes (poetically?) about the recent sale of a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card. Before getting to their quick hits, DP & McGhee touch upon their favorite (or at least most-frequent) subject, LIV Golf.&n...

Ishwara Glassman Chrein, President of Business Operations for the Chicago Fire joins “Wait…What” to talk about things going on both off and on the pitch.  Among other topics, Ishwara discusses the future of soccer at Chicago's Soldier Field, the new Apple+ media deal with MLS, working for fans, and the importance of culture to an organization’s success. DP & McGhee start off the episode w...

On Episode 31, Wells Fargo Senior VP, Sponsorships and Brand Engagement, Pam Batalis, joins DP & McGhee to talk about her long and successful career across a number of organizations in the sports industry. Pam delivers a detailed look at the strategy behind Wells Fargo's sponsorships and the company's approach to activation. As a former star college basketball player, Pam talks about Titl...

Sweet is a leading NFT platform and marketplace, working with some of the world's leading brands and sports properties. On today’s episode, Sweet founder and CEO, Tom Mizzone talks about what NFTs are, how the utility they unlock can drive deeper consumer engagement, and the cool (pun intended) new program Sweet is launching with the NHL. DP & McGhee go around the horn touching on numerou...

How we view sports is in a constant state of change and on this episode of "Wait...What?" we direct the #sportsbiz chat to an emerging technology that will most certainly affect how we engage with live sports. Jed Corenthal, CMO of Phenix, a provider of real-time video solutions, joins the podcast to discuss the benefits of "real-time" streaming for fans and what we can expect in the future. While...

It may be Major League Baseball's All-Star Break, but given the spate of big news coming out of Major League Soccer, the #sportsbiz chat was thrilled to welcome Chris Schlosser, SVP – Emerging Ventures at MLS. Topics include the league's recent media rights deal with Apple, a data partnership with IMG Arena that has broad implications, and the continued growth and success of soccer in the US. As a...

With the Major League Baseball All-Star Game set for next week in Los Angeles, DP & McGhee welcome Adam Zimmerman, SVP of Marketing and Content for the defending World Series Champion Atlanta Braves to the chat to talk about the importance of fan engagement, thinking big, and how a digital experience is still “real”. A truly creative marketing leader, Adam relates some great stories about succ...

It's story time on the #sportsbiz chat. DP & McGhee are joined by sports PR expert and industry insider, Joe Favorito, to talk about sports communications. Joe shares some great tales from his storied career across college and professional sports. Trust us, these are stories you want to hear. Before getting into the most recent upheaval in collegiate sports, with an eye toward even more realig...

DP & McGhee open their 25th episode talking about MLB’s recent decision to allow clubs to sell sponsorships to CBD companies and whether we’ll see cannabis sponsors at any time in the future. They also talk about Naomi Osaka’s most recent success as a sports agent, and the PGA TOUR’s most recent response to LIV Golf (spoiler alert, a reconciliation doesn’t seem to be in the cards anytime soon)...

WNBA Commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, joins DP & McGhee to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX, its impact on her personally and professionally, the state of the league as it continues to grow, and the latest on the Brittney Griner situation. The hosts also discuss recent developments around LIV Golf and the spate of new sponsors across several leagues. They even work in a random ref...

The sport of Lacrosse gets headline billing in our latest episode as USA Lacrosse CEO Marc Riccio joins DP & McGhee to talk about the growth of the sport, the upcoming Women’s World Championships and the chances we’ll see lacrosse in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Once again, the show takes up the biggest story in golf since the development of the mashie niblick, LIV Golf. It has roiled t...

With just two weeks before NASCAR makes the leap from Fox Sports to NBC, DP & McGhee are joined by NASCAR on NBC commentator, Jeff Burton.  A 21-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series, Burton talks about the differences between when he raced and the experience his son Harrison is having as a Cup Series Driver today. He also talks in great depth about the importance of sponsors and how the d...

At the opening of every episode of "Wait...What?," it is stated that the podcast takes a “sometimes serious” look at the business of sports.  That was definitely the case this week as DP & McGhee discuss the sports world’s response to the horrible tragedy in Uvalde, TX.  As the show continues, your co-hosts talk about this past weekend's Indy 500 (raced in front of a capacity crowd a...

DP & McGhee cover a lot of ground in their 20th episode.  They start by discussing the upcoming NCAA Lacrosse Championships and segue into the historic agreement that guarantees pay equity in US Soccer.  They then discuss the recently completed PGA Championship and the sponsorship fallout for players choosing to play in the upcoming LIV Golf events. Seasoned sponsorship marketer, Mik...

DP & McGhee are joined on this episode by Donald Dell, the legendary sports marketer who was one of the industry’s true pioneers.  Dell talks about the evolution of the sports marketing industry from its beginnings over 50 years ago to the global business it has become, and drops a lot of knowledge about persistence, relationships and, yes, tennis. The hosts also talk about the latest new...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and we seek to shine a light on this important topic by welcoming Suraj Batheja, co-founder and COO of The Manifest Company. Suraj provides some excellent advice on how to practice mindfulness and the importance of taking care of your mental health. DP & McGhee open the chat on F1's continued success, including the success of the inaugural Crypto.com Miami...

DP & McGhee open the show talking about the future of the NCAA as it seeks to find its next leader following the recent announcement that current president, Mark Emmert, will be stepping down. The pair also discuss the size and scope of the sport of cricket as it continues to make inroads in the US, and after talking about the recently completed NFL draft and the success seen by the NHL's...

What can we say, we love alliteration. Ty Tumminia, former Commissioner of the Premier Hockey Federation, talks about her long and storied career in minor league baseball and women’s hockey, growing up in a baseball family and her bullish outlook on women's sports. DP & McGhee talk about the rapidly changing world of digital media, including the impact Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter might hav...

Howard Schacter, Chief Communications Officer for MariMed, a vertically integrated marijuana company, joins DP & McGhee to talk about the state of the cannabis industry. He also gives the real 411 on 4/20 and talks about some of the great campaigns he's executed over the course of his storied career. Tim and David also dish on the USFL, Jackie Robinson Day, the upcoming Chelsea sale and 70s st...

With the NBA playoffs tipping off this week, Peter Feigin, president of the defending champion, Milwaukee Bucks, joins DP & McGhee for this week’s episode. Feigin discusses how winning a championship has helped the Bucks build a global brand in countries like the Philippines. He also talks about the importance of speaking truth to power when it comes to issues of social justice and r...