Sports Business Radio Podcast

Tina Thompson (@IAmTinaThompson), who played 17 years in the WNBA and won 4 WNBA titles with the Houston Comets, joins Brian Berger to discuss her remarkable career, her upcoming Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction, equal pay for women, her current role as Associate Head Basketball Coach at the University of Texas and her childhood friendship with NBA coach David Fizdale growing up in Los Angeles. We also reflect on the 14th anniversary of Sports Business Radio and look back on some of our favorite interviews, including a spontaneous guitar performance on our show by tennis legend John McEnroe. Follow us on Twitter @SBRadio and on Instagram @SportsBusinessRadio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Bartelstein, Founder & CEO of Priority Sports (@PrioritySports) joins us to discuss his work with clients that range from NBA stars Gordon Hayward and Bradley Beal to NFL star Kirk Cousins (who just signed a landmark fully guaranteed FA deal with the Minnesota Vikings) to NFL HOF'er Kurt Warner and Golden State Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr. Priority Sports led all agencies last summer with $354.6 million negotiated for nine different NBA players. Bartelstein discusses his agency, the upcoming summer of free agency in the NBA, whether or not Cousins' contract will pave the way for guaranteed NFL contracts in the future and offers his advice on how to conduct a successful negotiation. Blake Lawrence (@Blake_Lawrence), CEO of Opendorse (@Opendorse) also joins this week's show to discuss his company's innovative work with helping athletes build their brands on social media and then monetizing their social media platforms. Opendorse has deals with the NFLPA and LPGA amongst others to assist athletes. Follow us on Twitter @SBRadio and on Instagram @SportsBusinessRadio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick Cicero (@NickCicero), Founder & CEO of Delmondo (@Delmondo) joins us to discuss how his company is assisting clients like NASCAR & the Miami Dolphins with providing analytics around their social media and ultimately helping their clients monetize their social content and develop content for a targeted audience. Delmondo’s social video analytics measures the performance and engagement of videos on multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, Facebook Live, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Cicero also discusses the recent deals between MLB and Facebook and MLS and Twitter that will see games aired live on those platforms. Brian Berger and Executive Producer Bryan Griggs also discuss the NCAA's Tournament's Selection Show on TBS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bonnie Bernstein (@BonnieBernstein), longtime sportscaster & journalist who has worked for ESPN/ABC, CBS and Campus Insiders and is also the Founder of Walk Swiftly Productions, joins Brian Berger to discuss her career, being a trailblazer for women sportscasters, #MeToo, the recipe for effective storytelling and sideline reporting and picking the right projects as an entrepreneur. Bernstein also discusses the panel she will be moderating at the Sports PR Summit on May 22 at The Players' Tribune in New York City - "Navigating PR in the Zero Tolerance Era". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jon Wertheim (@Jon_Wertheim), Sports Illustrated Executive Editor and 60 Minutes Reporter joins Brian Berger on Sports Business Radio to discuss his latest investigative piece for Sports Illustrated -"Inside the Corrosive Workplace Culture of the Dallas Mavericks". The story follows Wertheim's piece on Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson's inappropriate behavior in the workplace that led to Richardson putting his NFL team up for sale. Berger and Wertheim discuss the "locker room culture" that exists in sports team front offices, how the NBA may punish the Mavericks and why teams don't spend more time vetting their CEO's while forensically investigating their next draft pick. Berger and Wertheim also discuss the FBI's investigation into college basketball and the fallout that may occur from those findings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick Sakiewicz (@NLLCommish), Commissioner of the National Lacrosse League joins Brian Berger to discuss the NLL's growth including franchise values, player salaries, influx of influential team owners, focus on digital media to reach the league's targeted demo and the fact that lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in North America. Sakiewicz also discusses his previous role as head of business operations for Major League Soccer and his personal career path that has taken him to the NLL Commissioner role. Also on Sports Business Radio this week, we also discuss the heavy activity at the NBA trade deadline as well as the opening of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sports Business Radio host Brian Berger and Executive Producer Bryan Griggs recap Super Bowl LII. We discuss the game itself, our top Super Bowl commercials, the Pepsi halftime show with Justin Timberlake, the big winners and losers in Las Vegas and the futures for the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots organizations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justin Forsett (@JForsett), NFL Pro Bowl RB with the Baltimore Ravens and several other teams over a 9-year NFL career joins us to discuss the company he co-founded, Shower Pill (@ShowerPill), and his big pitch on ABC's Shark Tank. Forsett discusses the lengthy process to get in front of the Sharks on ABC's hit TV show, the results of the pitch and the idea behind starting Shower Pill with 2 former football teammates from Cal. Forsett also discusses the value of building business relationships during an athlete's playing career, saving money while you're earning as a pro athlete and using the spotlight and platform as a pro athlete to impact positive change in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peter O'Reilly (@Ploreilly), Senior Vice President of Events for the NFL joins us to discuss the planning and logistics around the Super Bowl. O'Reilly is responsible for the execution of all NFL events run by the league office, including the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, NFL Draft, NFL Kickoff, NFL International Series and league business meetings. O'Reilly discusses everything from preparing U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis for Super Bowl LII on February 4th to planning the entertainment within the game (Pepsi halftime performance by Justin Timberlake) and the multitude of events around the game itself such as the Super Bowl Experience. O'Reilly also discusses his background that led him to the job planning the biggest annual sporting event in the United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeremy Darlow (@JeremyDarlow), Author of the book "Athletes Are Brands Too" (follow-up book to "Brands Win Championships") and former Director of Marketing for adidas football and baseball, joins Brian Berger to discuss his new book. Darlow discusses how athletes can capitalize on the spotlight while they have it to build their brand via social media platforms and extend their relevance beyond their playing career. From developing the right positioning statement to how often to post on your social media platforms, Darlow offers helpful strategies in this interview and in his book. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices