Navigating Sports Business

Ishwara Glassman Chrein - President of Chicago Fire FC - met up with AJ Maestas at the SBJ Thought Leaders retreat in Lake Tahoe. They discuss her strategies for content creation and monetization and how behind-the-scenes access can improve fan engagement.    They also talk about Ishwara's résumé before joining the Fire, and how her background outside of sports has prepared her for her current role.    Details:  2:00 - Ishwara’s Background  2:45 - Creating and monetizing content  7:20 - Chicago Fire  13:05 - Women in professional sports  22:00 - The future of MLS 26:35 - Sponsorship and The Fire’s Success  30:00 - Rapid Fire Questions  For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/

MLB Chief Strategy & Operations Officer Chris Marinak on the recent and upcoming innovations that will increase fan engagement and monetize league content.  He touches on the MLB Film Room and Rally products which seek to revolutionize the way we watch highlights and the way we consume live baseball. He also paints a picture of the next evolution of MLB fandom and how his team is working to create a personalized experience for every fan.  Listen to the full interview here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chris-marinak-mlb/id1544529117?i=1000508482520

Former Pac-12 Commissioner - Larry Scott - on the success of the conference's media deal, and what he would have done differently regarding the launch of the Pac-12 Network.  The Tier 1 media deal he negotiated increased annual revenue 3x from the prior deal, and also introduced a new structure that shared revenue equally between schools.  The Pac-12 Network project was not originally launched with profit in mind, but rather focused on exposure. The recruiting advantage of that exposure directly impacted the Pac-12's success across multiple sports, especially women's basketball.  Listen to the full interview with AJ Maestas here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/larry-scott-pac-12/id1544529117?i=1000530266825

Tod Leiweke - CEO of the Seattle Kraken - on the success that the Kraken have seen before even playing an NHL game. He also touches on the process behind selecting the team name, the importance of building a diverse organization, and how sports can act as a unifying force in a difficult time.   Listen to the full episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tod-leiweke-seattle-kraken/id1544529117?i=1000511411432

Roger Valdiserri worked for the Notre Dame Athletics Department for 3 decades. Over the years, he witnessed some of the best games in college football history, and some of the greatest collegiate athletes of all time. He shares how he got Joe Theisman's entire family to change the pronunciation of their last name to rhyme with Heisman, and some of his other favorite stories from his time at ND. Listen to the full episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/roger-valdiserri-notre-dame/id1544529117?i=1000504498184

Buffalo Bills and Sabres Co-Owner Kim Pegula is the only female president in both the NFL and NHL. She shares her experiences and her thoughts on women in sports and what the industry can do to continue improving diversity and inclusion efforts. Listen to the full episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kim-pegula-buffalo-bills-sabres/id1544529117?i=1000518023316

Will the XFL ever make a comeback? In this highlight from our very first episode, Oliver Luck - former XFL Commissioner - explains what a potential competitor to the NFL or college football would need to get right in order to succeed. He also shares some of his favorite innovations that the XFL made in terms of football, broadcasting, and the business model of a professional league. Listen to the full episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/oliver-luck-xfl-nfl-ncaa/id1544529117?i=1000502106835

With decades of experience working for Nike, Adidas, and later Reebok, Sonny Vaccaro is one of the most significant figures in the history of sports marketing. His work played a large role in shaping the current marketing landscape in college athletics. Beyond that, his personal war with the NCAA, and his recruiting of Ed O'Bannon to the now famous Supreme Court case, had a direct impact on the implementation of NIL rule changes in 2021. Details: 2:05 - Name, Image, Likeness 6:10 - Sonny & the NCAA 10:30 - Ed O’Bannon & the Supreme Court  13:35 -  The future of college athletics 19:00 - Injustice - in sports and in history 27:40 - Sonny’s marketing gameplan 44:00 - Sonny’s legacy There's a lot more to Sonny Vaccaro's story than we could fit into one podcast. Learn more in Sonny's documentary: Sole Man. For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/

Azania Andrews - VP, Connections at Anheuser-Busch - on how their organizational culture and their "bias to action" allow them to react quickly to trends and to build nationally lauded marketing campaigns in sometimes only a few hours.  Listen to the full episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/azania-andrews-anheuser-busch/id1544529117?i=1000528841858

Episode recorded in June 2021, prior to the ending of Larry Scott's Commissioner term. Larry Scott - Former Commissioner of the Pac-12 - joins the show to talk about his experience leading a Power 5 conference, including his biggest successes and greatest challenges from the past 12 years on the job. He and AJ discuss the Pac-12 Network, the reality of NIL, and how we almost saw a Pac-16 super conference in 2010 with the potential additions of Big 12 powerhouses like Texas and Oklahoma.   Details: 1:15 - Larry’s background 3:15 - Pac-12 Expansion 11:45 - TV deals & the Pac-12 Network 25:45 - Succeeding at Olympic sports AND football 33:05 - NIL 42:30 - What’s next for Larry Scott? 45:25 - Rapid Fire Questions For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/