Navigating Sports Business

Green Bay Packers CEO & President, Mark Murphy on the team's unique perspective as a publicly owned sports franchise. He also gives his thoughts on why the NFL has maintained its status as the country's most popular league. At the time of publishing, the Packers are 7-1 and are leading the NFC North. Listen to the full episode from March here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mark-murphy-green-bay-packers/id1544529117?i=1000514197920

Ryan DeVos joins Jeff Nelson to give us a behind-the-scenes look into the world of family business within professional sports. As the VP, Shareholder Engagement for the Orlando Magic, and a member of the team's ownership family, they discuss how Ryan has grown up with the team, from a young fan to a leading executive, and all of his career stops along the way. Details: 3:00 - The origin of the Orlando Magic 16:00 - Ryan's career path 22:40 - Magic Gaming / Esports 29:30 - Innovating as a franchise 35:45 - COVID-19 43:00 - Rapid Fire questions Ryan's Orlando Restaurant Recommendations: Hillstone Luke's Kitchen For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/

Greg Sankey - SEC Commissioner - on the conference's media deal with Disney and why money wasn't the main focus of the negotiations, despite the deal earning the SEC $300M per year for 15 football games and 8 basketball games. Listen to the full episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/greg-sankey-sec/id1544529117?i=1000503316099

Peter Feigin - President of the Milwaukee Bucks and Fiserv Forum - joins the show with guest host, Jeff Nelson. They discuss the aftermath of winning an NBA Championship, the plans for capitalizing on the momentum of the win, and how Giannis Antetokounmpo has impacted the team's international appeal. Details: 1:40 - The NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks 9:30 - 13-year-old Peter's dog-walking business 11:45 - Peter's journey to the Bucks 26:55 - The challenges of 2020 30:00 - The evolution of the Bucks 35:30 - Working with Adam Silver 38:25 - Career advice 40:00 - Hot topics in sports 43:30 - Rapid Fire Questions For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/

Gloria Nevarez - Commissioner of the West Coast Conference - on how the conference is integrating esports across all schools and the possibility of making it a varsity sport in the near future. With the rising popularity of esports around the world, there's an opportunity to capture the attention of new fans that wouldn't ordinarily be watching college sports. Listen to the full episode from March here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gloria-nevarez-west-coast-conference/id1544529117?i=1000512382754

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