Navigating Sports Business

David Cutcliffe - Special Assistant to the Commissioner for Football Relations at the Southeastern Conference and college football veteran - shares his advice for aspiring athletic directors and the importance of the company you keep.   Listen to the full episode here: https://nvgt.com/podcast?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=026a19eb25ca6ea439a75e9009579b21   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

Mike Leach - Head Football Coach at Mississippi State - caught up with AJ Maestas while on a bike ride around the Florida Keys. Coach Leach was previously at Texas Tech and Washington State and is known for his animated interviews and his pioneering of the air raid offense. He gives his take on the state of Division I athletics and breaks down his plan for a 64-team College Football Playoff.    He also shares a novel idea for a two-tiered system that would allow football recruits to chose between becoming traditional student athletes, or professionals that can be signed, traded, and cut by coaches.    Details 5:00 - Mike’s idea for a new college football system 11:50 - Relating to college players  16:10 - Rapid Fire Questions   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren joins the show with AJ Maestas to discuss the rapidly evolving collegiate landscape. He also shares lessons he's learned over the course of a 30-year career across law, professional sports, and now college athletics. Details 3:45 - The state of college athletics 6:10 - The Big Life Series 11:10 - Changes to college athletics 20:00 - Kevin’s reputation in the press 22:30 - The professionalization of collegiate athletes 27:05 - Rapid Fire Questions For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/. AJ's conversation with the late Roger Valdiserri: https://nvgt.com/podcast/?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=1b442ef51a297a93127e7ad32dba776a

Nina King - Vice President / Director of Athletics at Duke University - on the need for NIL regulation and what the future holds for college athletics.    Listen to the full episode here: https://nvgt.com/podcast?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=4361a573b41e714c7af1fc46ad073408   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

Tim Leiweke - Chairman & CEO of Oak View Group - details some of his team's most exciting projects in the works. He and AJ discuss the new arena and entertainment district in Las Vegas, Moody Center in Austin, and plans for a dozen new arenas around the world.    Tim also shares the process that went into building Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, and the challenge of turning a historic landmark into a state of the art, carbon neutral arena.    Details: 3:30 - Tim’s brother, Tod Leiweke 6:30 - Building Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena) 13:00 - Climate Pledge Arena 30:10 - New OVG Projects (including Las Vegas) 51:40 - Dan Griffis and OVG Global Partnerships 58:15 - The entertainment industry’s impact on the climate 1:08:20 - Rapid Fire Questions   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.   You can find AJ's interview with Tim's brother, Tod Leiweke here: https://nvgt.com/podcast?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=59f0ef14b6b667427c867918556676b7

Sarah Hirshland - CEO of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee - breaks down how new sports and events are chosen by the IOC Olympic Programme Commission.   Driven by the ultimate goal of creating the best value for the games, the potential additions are evaluated on factors like popularity, participation rates, universality, and gender equality.   Listen to the full episode here: https://nvgt.com/podcast?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=5f0408bba0cd6dfb12c6327825d3178b For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

David Cutcliffe - Special Assistant to the Commissioner for Football Relations at the SEC, and former Duke Head Football Coach - sat down with Jeff Nelson on this week's episode. He shares his experience under former Duke AD Kevin White, reminisces on the challenges he faced trying to lead the team to success, and shares his experience with Peyton, Eli, and the whole Manning family.    Details: 2:15 - The special assistant to the commissioner role 10:40 - David’s background 23:45 - the Manning family 29:40 - Leaving Ole Miss & Advice for working in college sports 36:05 - The challenges of succeeding at basketball school like Duke 46:50 - Rapid Fire Questions   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

In recognition of last night's MLB All-Star Game, we're showcasing this highlight from MLB Chief Strategy & Operations Officer, Chris Marinak, on how Gen Z is redefining sports fandom, particularly when it comes to baseball.    He mentions the league's Play Ball campaign, which brought the Capital One PLAY BALL PARK to LA for All-Star Week, and is aimed at increasing youth baseball participation of all kinds.    Listen to the full episode here: https://nvgt.com/podcast/?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=2851a5f7dea5f6aea766ed8b766e71fd   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

Nina King - Vice President and Director of Athletics at Duke University - joins AJ Maestas to discuss finding a successor to the legendary Coach K in her first year as AD. She explains why Jon Scheyer was the best choice, and how Duke basketball is poised for continued success with him coaching the men's team, and Kara Lawson coaching the women's team. She also highlights the importance of Title IX, along with her thoughts on the future of college athletics.   Details: 1:35 - Title IX and diversity in college athletics 9:55 - Coach K 21:20 - The future of college athletics 33:05 - Sports Betting 36:40 - Rapid Fire Questions For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

Christy Hedgpeth – President of Playfly Sports Properties – and Michael Schreiber – Founder & CEO of Playfly - discuss the opportunities they can create for partners, as the largest independent national sales organization in sports.    Michael highlights their deal with Take 5 that encompassed 11 unique sports markets across MLB, the NBA, the NFL, and college sports, all in a single transaction.   Listen to the full episode here: https://nvgt.com/podcast?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=75d40cc2a6596091177ebc3da0c9f441   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.