Navigating Sports Business

Mid-American Conference Commissioner, Jon Steinbrecher, gives us the G5 perspective on all of the hot topics we're seeing in college sports.    Jon has been a conference Commissioner since 1994, making him the second longest-tenured Commissioner at the FBS level. He has been in the room when major decisions have been made regarding NIL, the-time transfer exception, CFP expansion, and more. He and AJ Maestas discuss all of the above, as well as talking about what makes the MAC such a fun and unique conference.    Details 1:30 - The state of college athletics 9:15 - #MACtion & Fly the Flag 17:40 - NIL & the future of the NCAA 30:20 - Sports betting in college sports 36:15 - CFP Expansion 42:45 - Rapid Fire Questions   Check out MAC's Fly The Flag campaign.    For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/   

  In honor of Super Bowl LVI and Tom Brady's retirement, we're featuring a highlight from our interview with Justin Toman, Head of Sports Marketing for PepsiCo.    Justin highlights the brand's strategy around the Super Bowl and why they chose Pepsi as the sponsor of the halftime show rather than the other brands in their portfolio. He also shares the story of how he won the University of Michigan's Male Athlete of the Year award over Tom Brady in 1999.    Listen to the full interview released on 4-28-21 with AJ Maestas here: https://nvgt.com/podcast?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=70fb32b2f9f7d365e52223245852545d   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/

  George Kliavkoff - Commissioner of the Pac-12 - joins AJ Maestas to discuss the major trends in college athletics like CFP expansion, NIL, and potential football rule changes.   George talks about how his career outside of college athletics has prepared him for his new role, and what that transition has been like so far. He also explains why he's so optimistic about his conference's future.    Details: 1:28 - The transition from fan to commissioner 8:45 - CFP expansion and football rule changes  12:05 - NIL & broader changes to the NCAA 32:10 - Future of the Pac-12 44:30 - The Alliance (Pac-12, ACC, and Big 10) 50:00 - Rapid Fire Questions   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/ 

Ariel Kelman - Oracle's EVP & Chief Marketing Officer - on how he selected Red Bull Racing as a partner, and how he uses that partnership to showcase Oracle's technology.    Listen to the full interview released on 12-21-21 with Jeff Nelson here: https://nvgt.com/podcast?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=199f4dff26be0bba46c7db9b60685730   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/

Chris Overholt - President and CEO of OverActive Media - on the rise of esports and gaming, and what it means for the future of sports fandom.    Chris and AJ discuss how OAM's esports model reflects traditional sports properties that own and operate teams in multiple leagues. They also examine how brands can use esports to authentically reach younger generations.    Details: 2:00 Chris Overholt's background  6:30 OAM: A media company for the 21st century 19:40 How traditional sports properties reach an esports audience 23:45 The future of esports fandom 34:45 Crypto, gambling, and emerging trends 39:35 Rapid Fire Questions     For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/ 

Gene Smith - Director of Athletics at Ohio State - shares his thoughts on expanding the CFP to 8 or 12 teams.  He highlights the opportunity that expansion would provide for teams that often don't have a realistic chance to make the top 4, while also acknowledging the risk of devaluing the lower level bowl games for fans - in the same way that the NCAA basketball tournament devalues conference tournaments.  Listen to the full interview released on 12-8-21 with AJ Maestas here: https://nvgt.com/podcast?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=d0c53ae36b6339643c529a0f6571effd   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/  For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/

Xavier Gutierrez - President, CEO, & Alternate Governor of the Arizona Coyotes - on his career path from finance, to politics, to the NHL. He shares his experience as the league's first Latino president, and how he plans to market the Coyotes to the Latino community.    He and AJ also discuss the team's commitment to Arizona, including their 2-billion dollar arena development plan in Tempe.    Details: 1:55 - Being the first Latino president in the NHL 9:55 - Xavier’s background in finance and politics  26:15 - The Coyotes and sports betting, given they own a casino 28:45 - Building a new arena  35:35 - The Coyotes commitment to Arizona  38:10 - Coyotes business practices  44:30 - Rapid Fire Questions    For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/ 

Julie Uhrman - Co-Founder and President of Angel City FC - on launching the club in the crowded LA sports marketplace, and the vision that she and the team share that helps them stand out from the crowd.  Listen to the full episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/julie-uhrman-angel-city-fc/id1544529117?i=1000542940127   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/ 

Oracle is one of the most respected brands in sports marketing. Ariel Kelman - EVP and Chief Marketing Officer - joins the show to highlight his strategy for utilizing sports sponsorships that tell a story.   He shares why Oracle's partnership with Red Bull Racing is a perfect platform to highlight the ways that their technology are utilized by the team. When meeting with potential partners, he always looks for tech-focused organizations that would be utilizing Oracle's services whether or not there was a sponsorship deal in place.    Details 2:20 - Red Bull Racing/F1 9:25 - Premier League 16:25 - Ariel’s background  27:00 - Transitioning during COVID-19 33:05  - How to make a deal with Oracle 35:30 - Metaverse 40:20 - Rapid Fire Questions   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/ 

Amiel Sawdaye - SVP & Assistant GM for the Arizona Diamondbacks - discusses how a team can enter a rebuilding phase without tanking for draft picks. He also talks about how his team can be competitive despite having roughly half the payroll of the other teams in the NL West.    Listen to the full interview here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/amiel-sawdaye-arizona-diamondbacks/id1544529117?i=1000541332980   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/