The Sports Entrepreneurs Podcast by Marcus Luer

Ken Hershman, former Showtime Sports and then HBO Sports President involved in some of the biggest Boxing events over the past 25 years.  Great stories from his 25 years at those networks and beyond from Mike Tyson to Don King and Mayweather vs Pacquiao.  And his latest project and role as CEO of the Clash Basketball Pro League.     Key Highlights Lawyer by training, started in investment banking side – Viacom client, moved to Showtime as in-house lawyer Showtime, premium cable channel in movie space, moving into Boxing (following HBO’s footsteps) Broadened offering into Inside NFL, NASCAR show, Strike Force, the Franchise (MLB), Structure of PPV deals in the early days, what really ends up with the Promoter and Fighter First Mayweather vs Pacquiao, record revenues for a fight at the time, big numbers Challenges with scheduling and frequency of fights vs big one-off events Moving from Showtime after 18 years to HBO Sports HBO Sports role and focus (eventually moving out of sports, both Showtime and HBO) Riyadh Season and Influencer Boxing discussion (entertainment vs sports), talent building crucial Stories from Mike Tyson & Don King era – Tyson/Lewis – HBO/Showtime – another bite His favorite fights and Don King stories Beyond the Pay TV business in his career, Champion Gaming lessons and now Managing Director of CTH Advisors New project – launched Clash Basketball Pro League – www.clashbasketball.com , role as CEO   About Widely known in the television sports world for his 30+ year career, Ken is an award-winning and innovative sports television programming executive. Ken is currently Vice Chairman of Champion Gaming, a sports wagering data, analytics and content company whose holdings include leading sports wagering brands EdjSports and Football Outsiders. Ken's background includes significant tenure at leading media companies in a variety of senior management roles, including serving as President, HBO Sports, where he supervised award winning shows such as Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Hard Knocks, 24/7 and the acclaimed boxing franchises World Championship Boxing, Boxing After Dark and HBO PPV. Ken also brings with him a sophisticated legal background with corporate, finance and securities experience both as an associate at Shearman & Sterling, as well as in-house counsel at Showtime Networks Inc., and sits on advisory boards for a number of companies in the sports, technology and entertainment industries. Ken is a graduate of Fordham University School of Law, where he was a member of the International Law Journal. He received his Bachelor of Science degree, with distinction, from The George Washington University, where he was selected Phi Beta Kappa.   Follow us on our social sites for the latest updates Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportsentrepreneurs/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcusluerpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sports-entrepreneurs Website: https://marcusluer.com Podcast: https://marcusluer.com/podcast To get in touch, please email us at podcast@marcusluer.com Feel Good by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyaden Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_feel-good Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/bvgIqqRStcQ

Lalit Modi, the founder of the IPL, the final episode uncovers how it all went wrong at the end.  From threats to his life, assassination attempts, to being banned for life and having to leave the country.  One final amazing episode to wrap up our four part series on how Lalit created the IPL.   Key Highlights Breaking new grounds and records in first two seasons, drama around the tender for two new team franchises Billion dollar Net worth threshold to bid for new teams – lobbying to lower threshold by various groups Minimum bid price, US 225 million per team -  Bids over 300 mil coming in for teams Sahara agreement signed quickly,  issue with winning consortium for second team (Lalit’s suspicious with certain shareholders) Sunanda Pushkar (since then passed away), the unknown women in the deal?  Next call by Congress party leader Sashi Tharoor….. Lalit being forced to sign the agreement for second team under duress Next day news, Sashi Tharoor marrying Sunanda Pushkar – Lalit blows the whistle with a tweet Indian Parliament and political uproar follows – pressure on Lalit to resign, suspension while third season is wrapping up Ravi Pujari, known Indian gangster, death threats to Lalit life, assassination attempts in South Africa and Thailand Years of investigations and charges against him, nothing ever found of wrong doing BCCI suspend him, later life ban without a proper inquiry Chhota Shakeel & Dawood Ibrahim – incredible recordings and interviews with them Illegal betting – still a big issue today   Kochi team defaulted eventually as he predicted – Sahara also defaulted when billionaire owner went to jail Interim teams were brought in for two seasons before new auction -  new teams franchise fees around USD 800 mil per team Obvious question, after all this, how do you feel about what happened and you achieved?  Was it worth it? What keeps Lalit busy now – final thoughts   About Globally recognized leader, Executive Director of Modi Enterprises, with business interests across nearly every industry vertical. Built a billion-dollar brand in less than a year, launched a revolution to Indian broadcast entertainment, and negotiated partnerships with ESPN, Disney, Google, Ten Sports, B4U, Fashion TV, Voyages TV, Buena Vista Television, United Artists, Marvel, Nike and others. International business strategist who catalyzes transformation and change by capitalizing on unmet demand in domestic and overseas markets. Embraces technology and creates opportunities to enrich lives, create sustainable revenue, and optimize productivity through integration of emerging platforms in social and digital. An entrepreneur at heart with a phenomenal ability to connect people and ideas into revenue-generating enterprises, an active member of the board for one of the oldest and most successful industrial conglomerates in India, and the thought- leader behind radical change in India’s leading Cricket administration, the BCCI. Recognized by Time, Sports Illustrated, Business Week, Forbes, Business Standard, and other influential global media outlets for launch of the Indian Premier League (IPL), one of world’s most popular Cricket organizations. Was Awarded ‘Indian of the Century” by India Today in Forbes nominated Modi as “Rainmaker of the Century” Against extensive political and economic challenges, brought IPL to South Africa, and sustained the same phenomenal levels of viewership and attendance despite the move. Columbia University and Stanford University Both did case studies on Modi, which are still being taught in Universities across the world. Created billions dollar opportunities, and played an integral role in shaping the cultural direction of Modern India as visionary behind transformational changes in broadcast, sports, entertainment, and consumer products.   Follow us on our social sites for the latest updates Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportsentrepreneurs/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcusluerpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sports-entrepreneurs Website: https://marcusluer.com Podcast: https://marcusluer.com/podcast To get in touch, please email us at podcast@marcusluer.com Feel Good by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyaden Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_feel-good Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/bvgIqqRStcQ  

In our 3rd episode with Lalit Modi, we will dive deep into the crazy 2nd Season of the IPL (which was held in South Africa) and as a bonus discuss the stories behind the creation of the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20), including the Mumbai Terrorist attacks.  As always fascinating stories and some never before heard details.   Key Highlights Year 2 of the IPL – what happened and why Media rights re-negotiations and big win for IPL Newscorp enters frame NDTV deal  and how Sony ended up with the rights again Indian elections, national security risk and what happens next Finding a new host country – enter South Africa (one year before them hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2010) Dealing with two South African Presidents Bringing the teams, media, fans, etc to South Africa Launching a USD 100 million media and marketing blitz in South Africa (including concerts, etc) Miss IPL Pageantry Kick off in Cape Town IPL impact to South African economy, estimated USD 1 billion Massive viewership increase in India as well – 400% Champions League T20 – the creation and stories Ownership of Format -  India (50%), South Africa (25%) and Australia (25%) Founding Federations have two teams, everyone else one team entering the competition Broadcast deal auction – huge drama and how ESPN/Star Sports won it and overpaid for it UAE keen to host it for next 10 years – makes bid Terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008, Nov 26th, just days before the start of the first competition – tournament is canceled Lalit’s detailed recollection of having friends and colleagues at the hotels and getting them out Stay tuned for the final Episode 4, how it all went wrong and hear Lalit’s side of the story………   About Globally recognized leader, Executive Director of Modi Enterprises, with business interests across nearly every industry vertical. Built a billion-dollar brand in less than a year, launched a revolution to Indian broadcast entertainment, and negotiated partnerships with ESPN, Disney, Google, Ten Sports, B4U, Fashion TV, Voyages TV, Buena Vista Television, United Artists, Marvel, Nike and others. International business strategist who catalyzes transformation and change by capitalizing on unmet demand in domestic and overseas markets. Embraces technology and creates opportunities to enrich lives, create sustainable revenue, and optimize productivity through integration of emerging platforms in social and digital. An entrepreneur at heart with a phenomenal ability to connect people and ideas into revenue-generating enterprises, an active member of the board for one of the oldest and most successful industrial conglomerates in India, and the thought- leader behind radical change in India’s leading Cricket administration, the BCCI. Recognized by Time, Sports Illustrated, Business Week, Forbes, Business Standard, and other influential global media outlets for launch of the Indian Premier League (IPL), one of world’s most popular Cricket organizations. Was Awarded ‘Indian of the Century” by India Today in Forbes nominated Modi as “Rainmaker of the Century” Against extensive political and economic challenges, brought IPL to South Africa, and sustained the same phenomenal levels of viewership and attendance despite the move. Columbia University and Stanford University Both did case studies on Modi, which are still being taught in Universities across the world. Created billions dollar opportunities, and played an integral role in shaping the cultural direction of Modern India as visionary behind transformational changes in broadcast, sports, entertainment, and consumer products.   Follow us on our social sites for the latest updates Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportsentrepreneurs/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcusluerpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sports-entrepreneurs Website: https://marcusluer.com Podcast: https://marcusluer.com/podcast To get in touch, please email us at podcast@marcusluer.com Feel Good by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyaden Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_feel-good Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/bvgIqqRStcQ

Lalit Modi, the founder of the IPL (Indian Premier League), sharing his in-depth recount and incredible details on how the IPL was created in this episode. How he orchestrated everything from the players, media deals, team owners to sponsors, and all within a few months.   Key Highlights Recap of Episode #1 Putting an “A team” together to make the IPL a reality, bringing IMG into the group (on success basis), finding the best experts from around the world, etc Learning from the best Leagues in the world to create a new franchise model First on the agenda, securing the top 100 players from around the world – challenges with scheduling of other Cricket globally Window from March-May was identified and locked in Creating the auction process and selling the idea to the players – brackets for players created – Minimum/Maximum cap spend on players USD 4- 5.5 mil by teams “Controversy” a key component of his strategy – keep media and people talking and guessing (free PR) “14 days” of playing Cricket  - players paid per day – USD 20k – 100k per day and some as high as USD 200k – so over USD 2 mil for the whole season  Lots of resistance at first with Media Owners – Nimbus thought they should own it because of the deal with the BCCI, black listed Murdoch (Fox), Zee TV already started ICL (competing competition) Need to create interest and competition with other broadcasters and agencies (aiming for USD 1 billion over 10 years) WSG (World Sports Group) bid USD 1b (both domestic and global rights) – partnered with SONY for year 1 in India Mapped out advertising inventory during the Match time Right to broadcast only, production done by League, etc Target USD 59 million in Year one as minimum to pay Teams (de-risk the purchase of team franchises – min USD 50 mil per franchise was his target (paid over 10 yrs) Key – an 8 pm ICT start, not to compete with other Indian Cricket afternoon slots – targeting Bollywood and entertainment budgets and appeal to Women in the household (who control the TV remote control at that time slot in the Indian household in those days) Next target – Team owners and the right profile – Shah Rukh Khan became key , Mukesh & Anil Ambani, Vijay Mallya, etc Bid for all cities allowed, highest bidder wins, if bidder wins more than one city, bidder can chose which city he wants to take Bids ranged from USD 65-120 mil  (for 10 yrs) Open process – in front of media and cameras Teams don’t own Stadiums – not allowed Shah Rukh Khan – Nokia – sponsors his team and how that helped with upfront funding Everything done between January – April before the first ball was played Principal Sponsor deals for the League – USD 10 mil per year for title, USD 8 mil for associate – and stories behind it No open Media access to the matches – deliberate “controversy” strategy At the time already secured – USD 100 mil cheque for media (Year 1), USD 75 mil (10% of franchise fee) before it even started (not including sponsorship yet) Bidding process for Sponsorship rights (Hero Honda, DLF, etc) – DLF Indian Premier League Associate sponsor deals – Citi, Vodaphone, Kingfisher, etc Opening Ceremony and first game -  Shah Rukh Khan vs Vijay Mallya Sony struggling to get distribution across the country – not nationwide yet.   On day of first game, Lalit opens the doors to all media to cover the game. Sony furious. 100% TV coverage across India, all over the news and press   Shah Rukh Khan’s teams win – Bollywood stars celebrating on the field – huge success Sony distribution went through the roof.  IPL was an instant success from then on Secret sauce – Competitive high profile owners, Shah Rukh Khan for entertainment and women audience, music, cheerleaders, etc To be continued…….   About Globally recognized leader, Executive Director of Modi Enterprises, with business interests across nearly every industry vertical. Built a billion-dollar brand in less than a year, launched a revolution to Indian broadcast entertainment, and negotiated partnerships with ESPN, Disney, Google, Ten Sports, B4U, Fashion TV, Voyages TV, Buena Vista Television, United Artists, Marvel, Nike and others. International business strategist who catalyzes transformation and change by capitalizing on unmet demand in domestic and overseas markets. Embraces technology and creates opportunities to enrich lives, create sustainable revenue, and optimize productivity through integration of emerging platforms in social and digital. An entrepreneur at heart with a phenomenal ability to connect people and ideas into revenue-generating enterprises, an active member of the board for one of the oldest and most successful industrial conglomerates in India, and the thought- leader behind radical change in India’s leading Cricket administration, the BCCI. Recognized by Time, Sports Illustrated, Business Week, Forbes, Business Standard, and other influential global media outlets for launch of the Indian Premier League (IPL), one of world’s most popular Cricket organizations. Was Awarded ‘Indian of the Century” by India Today in Forbes nominated Modi as “Rainmaker of the Century” Against extensive political and economic challenges, brought IPL to South Africa, and sustained the same phenomenal levels of viewership and attendance despite the move. Columbia University and Stanford University Both did case studies on Modi, which are still being taught in Universities across the world. Created billions dollar opportunities, and played an integral role in shaping the cultural direction of Modern India as visionary behind transformational changes in broadcast, sports, entertainment, and consumer products.   Follow us on our social sites for the latest updates Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportsentrepreneurs/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcusluerpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sports-entrepreneurs Website: https://marcusluer.com Podcast: https://marcusluer.com/podcast To get in touch, please email us at podcast@marcusluer.com Feel Good by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyaden Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_feel-good Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/bvgIqqRStcQ

Lalit Modi, the Architect and Founder of the IPL (Indian Premier League) – we recorded four episodes to go very deep into his amazing stories from his early days as a young entrepreneur making his marks, to his entry into Cricket (board of BCCI) to the creation of the IPL and controversies after.  Lots of amazing stories, facts and anecdotes many told for the first time.    Key Highlights Lalit’s early day, joining the family Tobacco business (Godfrey Philipps India) – the three criteria for the family to support a business JV with Disney in India – licensing, merchandise, etc  (Michael Eisner his mentor)  - looking to launch sports channel with ESPN – movies, etc Early days of DTH and cable operators in India – Star TV (Prime Sports later Star Sports) Placing Disney TV program on Doordarshan (DD) – huge hit Rupert Murdoch coming into the picture – Modi Entertainment Network – Zee TV story Power of Database from Godfrey Philipps India to launch sports network – IMG Bill Sinrich early days of sales of Indian Cricket rights Leveraging Indian Cricket rights to launch an encrypted sports channel (first India’s Pay channel)   Lalit entering Cricket space – Mark Mascarenhas (Worldtel) – the key broker at the time 2002/3 – first time the concept of an Indian Cricket League comes up – 50 over game – Indian Cricket League (ICL) 2005 – Lalit becoming VP of BCCI – commercialization of Indian cricket taking off under his leadership First Lalit cancels Sahara contract – (paying only USD 100k per year, front of Jersey) – pushed to USD 1 mil per Day of Cricket (105 days) Nike new kit deal – (Reebok small deal before) – Nike bids 52 mil per year during tender process Terminating Murdoch’s media contract story – new tender pushing fees up 10x – bids over USD 500 million – political pressure Harish Thawani – Nimbus – USD 612-625 mil (4 years) – launched NEO Sports on back of it ICC T20 World Cup in South Africa, 2007 - re-ignites the ideas of a T20 League BCCI board gives Lalit a green light to explore the idea since he had already made some a few billions over the past 2 years Indian Players not very enthusiastic – hadn’t played the format Subhash Chandra – ZEE TV owner -  copied idea and launched ICL first – lots of issues BCCI stops Indian national team players from joining – international players joined IMG - Andrew Wildblood – enters the frame – Lalit hires them to put the concept together  (Aug 2007) Lalit knows key is for India to do well in T20 WC - offers a Porsche for Six Sixes to any Indian player to motivate them to win the T20 WC Negotiating with international players in South Africa Rudra Singh hits six sixes - India vs England – huge news, Indian fans catch the fever and Indian wins the WC Open Double Decker Bus parade for players – pouring rain on that day – team arriving from South Africa – nine hour tour – 4 million people on the streets T20 was the new buzz word in India – story to be continued………   About Globally recognized leader, Executive Director of Modi Enterprises, with business interests across nearly every industry vertical. Built a billion-dollar brand in less than a year, launched a revolution to Indian broadcast entertainment, and negotiated partnerships with ESPN, Disney, Google, Ten Sports, B4U, Fashion TV, Voyages TV, Buena Vista Television, United Artists, Marvel, Nike and others. International business strategist who catalyzes transformation and change by capitalizing on unmet demand in domestic and overseas markets. Embraces technology and creates opportunities to enrich lives, create sustainable revenue, and optimize productivity through integration of emerging platforms in social and digital. An entrepreneur at heart with a phenomenal ability to connect people and ideas into revenue-generating enterprises, an active member of the board for one of the oldest and most successful industrial conglomerates in India, and the thought- leader behind radical change in India’s leading Cricket administration, the BCCI. Recognized by Time, Sports Illustrated, Business Week, Forbes, Business Standard, and other influential global media outlets for launch of the Indian Premier League (IPL), one of world’s most popular Cricket organizations. Was Awarded ‘Indian of the Century” by India Today in Forbes nominated Modi as “Rainmaker of the Century” Against extensive political and economic challenges, brought IPL to South Africa, and sustained the same phenomenal levels of viewership and attendance despite the move. Columbia University and Stanford University Both did case studies on Modi, which are still being taught in Universities across the world. Created billions dollar opportunities, and played an integral role in shaping the cultural direction of Modern India as visionary behind transformational changes in broadcast, sports, entertainment, and consumer products.   Follow us on our social sites for the latest updates Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportsentrepreneurs/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcusluerpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sports-entrepreneurs Website: https://marcusluer.com Podcast: https://marcusluer.com/podcast To get in touch, please email us at podcast@marcusluer.com Feel Good by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyaden Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_feel-good Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/bvgIqqRStcQ

Marcus Höfl, a fellow German Sports entrepreneur, for nearly three decades with his own agency MHM, representing German Icon Franz Beckenbauer and several other top sports stars.  Great stories from his time Franz Beckenbauer to many other interesting projects and lessons learned as a sports entrepreneur.   Key Highlights Growing up in Herzogenaurach, the town of Adidas and Puma – great stories how this little Bavarian town operated under those two powerful brands and owners Influenced by his father who was in PR in Adidas and Mum working in sports retail - and looking up to Robert Schwan (at that time Franz Beckenbauer’s manager)  First client – Erdinger Weissbier – sponsorship of a second division club and continuing building relationship with Robert Schwan In 2002, Robert passed away – Beckenbauer now on his own – FIFA World Cup 2006 just four years away – opportunity to become the successor of Schwan Franz picked Marcus as the successor (still in his twenties) and he moved to Kitzbuehl to be closer to Beckenbauer Dream to set up a business in New York with a partner, didn’t work, closed down Business partnership with Franz Beckenbauer Initially just coordinating everything for Franz – especially leading up to the World Cup in Germany (Beckenbauer was the Chairman of the Organizing Committee) Buying the rights to Franz Beckenbauer’s image from Robert Schwan’s widow – story behind it Franz Beckenbauer stories Visiting 31 countries who qualified for the World Cup – cris crossing the world Complimenting each other, good cop/bad cop Grew large commercial revenue around Franz Beckenbauer’s image – 8 different commercial partners at the peak Franz’ strength, his patience, treated everyone the same Also motivating him in his older days Red Bull – Mateschitz and Beckenbauer – Red Bull entering Football Red Bull buying Salzburg as first team, MLS team in New York team, etc Joined board of Major League Soccer (MLS), build relationships with other owners Comparing US sports vs European football structures FC Augsburg – buying a piece of the team and plans to shape the team’s image – sold to David Blitzer Working with other athletes and the challenges scaling it Camp Beckenbauer – from Kitzbuehl to Shanghai , set up an office in Shanghai for a few years, lessons learned Maria Höfl-Riesch – German top Skier – from client to wife Investments – focus on fan engagement, digital, data, performance Partnering with Sports Accelerator leAD (Legacy of Adi Dassler) – fill circle to his youth   About Marcus Höfl is a founder, investor and expert in the international sports industry. Grown up in Herzogenaurach (Germany) - the hometown of Adidas and Puma - he has always been active in the football industry and shaped the business in various roles and positions on a global scale. From 2003 to 2006, Marcus was closely involved in the strategy development, planning and implementation of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. From 2003 on, Marcus exclusively represented Franz Beckenbauer in all commercial matters, as he owned the football icon’s global personality rights. As Head of Global Soccer since 2006, he has developed Red Bull’s strategy and commitment to soccer. Thereby he also acted as Member of the Board of Governors of Major League Soccer (MLS) in North America. Marcus Höfl was also a member of the Advisory Board of DFL Sports Enterprises from 2009 – the organization responsible for the national and international licensing, sponsorship and sale of Bundesliga media rights. Moreover, Marcus was a co-owner and shareholder of the German Bundesliga club FC Augsburg from 2016 to 2021 and was thereby a Member of the club’s Board of Directors. He also mediates, develops and leads international sponsorship, consulting and implementation projects for global companies such as Mondelez (sponsorship with the Bundesliga/DFL since 2021), Lenovo (sponsorship with Ferrari and Ducati 2018 & 2019) or Hermes (sponsorship with Bundesliga/DFL 2012 -2017) and further leading clubs and associations from the sports sector such as FC Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Hertha BSC Berlin and the Bundesliga/DFL. Marcus Höfl also managed the football World and European Champion Stefan Reuter and the German soccer player of the year 1996, Matthias Sammer as well as the he multiple Olympic Champion in swimming, Franziska van Almsick, the tennis legend Boris Becker, the former alpine skier and three-time Olympic champion Maria Höfl-Riesch (since 2009), TV presenter Andrea Kaiser (since 2012), former world class -Biathlete Simon Schempp (since 2010) and the eight-time world rally champion Sébastien Ogier (since 2015). Since 2021 he has also represented the basketball professional, NBA player and captain of the German National Basketball team, Dennis Schröder as a manager, primarily in marketing and communication issues worldwide.   Follow us on our social sites for the latest updates Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportsentrepreneurs/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcusluerpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sports-entrepreneurs Website: https://marcusluer.com Podcast: https://marcusluer.com/podcast To get in touch, please email us at podcast@marcusluer.com Feel Good by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyaden Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_feel-good Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/bvgIqqRStcQ  

Gareth Balch, an inspiring Olympian and founder of the UK-based data-driven marketing agency Two Circles, shares his fascinating journey from athlete to entrepreneur. He discusses the transformative power of data in growing sports revenues and enhancing fan engagement. Gareth highlights successful collaborations with high-profile clients like the English Cricket Board and UEFA’s Women’s EURO 2022. He emphasizes innovative strategies in ticketing and broadcasting, showcasing how data-driven solutions can revolutionize the sports industry.

Our guest Prof. Dr. Sascha Schmidt, a German Sports Business Professor with a McKinsey background. We look into the future of the industry, with his book “21st Century Sports”.  We explore the different technologies, how to categorize them and how to create your own tool to better follow the trends and take advantage of them.   Key Highlights Early days from Uni to his first Consulting gig at McKinsey working in Switzerland, New York and South Africa. Thesis for his Phd “Walk the talk”, do company’s deliver on what they promise a-connect – German operations, develop business with sports clients in Germany, bring top tier consultants and sub-lease them to multi-national companies. Institute for Sports, Business and Society – Dietmar Hopp one of the founding partners (SAP Founder, Billionaire and owner of TSG Hoffenheim) Exploring SPOAC – Sports Business Academy by WHU , Havard Business School Case studies and MIT Sports Entrepreneurship Bootcamps Book – 21st Century Sports – essay collection, how technology will effect sports in the future.  21st Century Sports (whu.edu) Athletes and tech impact on them Sports Consumer – how tech changes consumption of sports Management – how the sports executives and leaders use tech Impact of AI in sports – example scouting , science and art Moneyball and new tech coming – motion tracking technology, even used for amateur sports Man(kind) vs Machines – how far has it come and will it go Fan controlled sports leagues (Fan Controlled American Football in the US) - younger sports fans, different consumption habit, want more participation Lessons on Customer Engagement from Fan Controlled Football Consumer tech in sports, AI – individualization of content, virtual arena’s, metaverse – Sportsfix white paper example (and learning effect of Amara’s law) Management and tech – can be overwhelming – below a simple matrix navigation system to sort through the tech jungle Physical tech  (robotics, wearables) Data processing (AI, Quantum tech, etc) Human interaction tech VALUE to: Athlete Consumer Management New Football concepts from Kings League (Gerard Pique), Baller League, The Icon League (Toni Kroos) Deliver an online experience, streaming, voting, influencers The Golf League (Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, etc) IPL – Indian Premier League Cricket Blending sports, music, fashion, education – edutainment products Esports discussion – big push in Asia and Middle East,  World Cup of Esports in Saudi – US$ 60 million prize pool (new Club Championship concept), difference to traditional sports, publishers control Traditional Football teams entering the space – diversification moves FC Barcelona – new approach in the tech and digital space with Barca Media Transformational Technologies Course – in partnership between WHU, MIT and Borussia Dortmund bvb.de/online-course/transformational-technologies-by-borussia-dortmund?cmpscreencustom Sports becoming an Asset Class – new institutional capital coming in – SMRF Capital – new value creation, still in development Bundesliga and new Investors collapse Resource:  WHU European Sports Business Program   About Sascha L. Schmidt is a professor and director of the Center for Sports and Management (CSM) at WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management. At the same time, he is the academic director of "ESBP - European Sports Business Program“ of WHU, ESSEC Paris and Stockholm School of Economics as well as affiliate at the Laboratory for Innovation Science (LISH) at Harvard University in Boston/USA.  He studied economic sciences at the Universities of Essen and Zurich, where he also graduated with a doctorate. At the invitation of Harvard Business School faculty he worked in Boston as a visiting scholar, after which he joined strategy consulting. After several years at McKinsey, Sascha was appointed director of the ICS research program at the University of St. Gallen, and qualified as a professor at the EBS University (habilitation). He then entered into the world of entrepreneurship, building up the activities of recruitment agency a-connect within Germany. In 2011, he returned to academia and founded the Institute for Sports, Business & Society at EBS University. Sascha joined WHU in 2014. In 2019, he was a lecturer at the first MIT Sports Entrepeneurship Bootcamp.   Follow us on our social sites for the latest updates Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportsentrepreneurs/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcusluerpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sports-entrepreneurs Website: https://marcusluer.com Podcast: https://marcusluer.com/podcast To get in touch, please email us at podcast@marcusluer.com Feel Good by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyaden Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_feel-good Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/bvgIqqRStcQ

Marco Balich, the Master of Ceremonies, in the true sense of the word - we explore the exciting world of Marco’s career being involved in creating some of the most memorable moments in Opening/Closing Ceremonies for major sports, cultural and entertainment events around the world.   Key Highlights Growing up in Venice, being surrounded by art, the carnival, entertainment and beauty Leaving the “island” and exploring the world in the 80s, studying in Chicago, exploring Soviet Union countries, etc Dream of joining the Olympics in Fencing – Western block of 1980 Moscow Olympics stopped this Starting as Concert Tour Manager in Italy, U2, Simple Mind, etc – great learning experience Pink Floyd concert in Venice – a successful disaster   Moving into Music Video space – VIVA in Italy – short lived Back into Live Music -  Heineken Jammin’ Festival in Milan, in late 90s First Olympic gig – Flag Handover ceremony at Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympics to Torino Olympics – just after 9/11 attacks Breaking into the Olympic world, beating dominant incumbent Anglo-Sachsen agencies – with a different approach Each ceremony a piece of Art – going through some of the iconic moments of past Opening ceremony’s Discussing the different roles and challenges with different countries and locations Process of an Olympic ceremony – two year journey – scale and size of budgets (huge dollars) How to deal with the cultural differences – not driven by money Tokyo Olympics – and what happened to the Opening Ceremony – the Covid games Focus of Balich Wonder Studio – giving creative talent platforms to showcase their talent  Building new iconic environments and structures for real estate projects Luxury brand launches Major global events Immersive IP and technology (Disney project) Usage of AI in the creative world Final thoughts on Paris Olympics and EURO Opening, etc   About Creative Director and Executive Producer with a record number of 14 Olympic Ceremonies and 12 Regional Games credits and several large-scale events produced all around the world. Marco’s Olympic experience, awarded with an Emmy Award in 2006 and a Compasso d’Oro in 2017, began with the Salt Lake City 2002 Flag Handover, followed by Torino 2006 Olympic Ceremonies. He was involved in the Sochi 2014 Olympic Closing Ceremony and Paralympic Ceremonies and acted as Executive Producer of Rio 2016 Olympic Ceremonies (produced by CC2016), watched by 2.6 billion people. He covered the role of Artistic Director of the Italian Pavilion at the 2015 Expo in Milano, where he created the ‘Tree of Life’ icon. He conceived the revolutionary format Superlive, with ‘Giudizio Universale, the Sistine Chapel Immersive Show’, the highest selling show in Italy in 2018, in association with the Vatican Museums. In 2013, together with long-time partners Gianmaria Serra and Simone Merico, he founded Balich Worldwide Shows, today Balich Wonder Studio, sharing the ambition to introduce a new era in the live entertainment industry where true emotions are the driver of the creative narrative. As Chief Creative Officer of Balich Wonder Studio he embodies the role of leading inspirer and mentor of a multicultural and diverse team of highly talented Creators. His vision has been crucial to attract, recruit and raise some of the best professionals in the industry, making Balich Wonder Studio a unique playground for creative visionaries from all over the world.   Follow us on our social sites for the latest updates Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportsentrepreneurs/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcusluerpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sports-entrepreneurs Website: https://marcusluer.com Podcast: https://marcusluer.com/podcast To get in touch, please email us at podcast@marcusluer.com Feel Good by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyaden Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_feel-good Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/bvgIqqRStcQ

Alan Pascoe, former Great Britain Olympian and founding father of Sports marketing in the UK, shares his amazing stories on how he got started, the Athletics events he created, the agencies he build and sold, and many more…   Key Highlights Early days, how o he got his start as a hurdler in school which lead him to win Medals for Great Britain in the European Championships, Commonwealth Games and Olympics and become one of the most recognized athletes in the UK at the time Discovering his passion for the events business – while being a lecturer – his very first event at Cystal Palace grounds for 150 pounds and getting on the BBC live (20 min prime time) in 1971 Using his College “office” to organize events at the beginning – while winning a few more Medals for Great Britain and building his own brand name – “are you the Alan Pascoe”…. From Athletics to Sunday Times Bridge Championship and how to leverage the power of an “influencer” Omar Sharif, Egyptian Actor at the time     Other early projects, Sunday Times Fun Run in Hyde Park (before London Marathon existed) – in late 70s Start as an Entrepreneur – Alan Pascoe Associates (APA) – 1983 – taking over an existing agency, owner retiring – with partner Edward Leask Childhood Asthma story and how to think out of the box – ask questions, don’t pitch at client Sold APA to WCRS Ad agency for One Million pound in cash – bought it back later Other projects, Broadcast sponsorship of NFL, Fantasy Football with Daily Telegraph and more Different focus to other agencies. Consultancy work for brand owners, amplification of sponsorship, events management and sponsorship sales Bought Personality Management company, representing TV Presenters and inventory management for A-boards of English Football Club before the Premier League Sold it again to Interpublic in 1999 – believe being part of a larger Advertising Group was the way to go to expand the business Deal with Interpublic didn’t work out well personally, left company and set up a new company around British/UK Athletics (Fast Track later CSM – Chime Sports Marketing), early 2000 Ran CSM till he stepped down ten years ago (2013/14) – build up both API and CSM into top 3 agencies in the world The partnership dilemma between Advertising agencies and Sports Marketing agencies Lessons from buying other agencies worldwide - CSM buying Zak Browns agency – JMI George Soros partnership with DC United, MLS team At the time he left in 2014, 20 offices, 750 staff growing to 1,000 people around the world -  CSM recently acquired by Wasserman   Management style over the decades and how to train people Helping to win the London Olympic bid, insider stories (Seb Coe, Keith Mills, Buckingham Palace, etc) Legacy of the London Olympics, no white Elephants around London, helped transform parts of the city Wrapping up with what keeps him busy now, some consultancy work – Commonwealth Games, Moneycorp and final story   About In 2014 Alan stepped down as President of the CSM Group, the Group he founded, now part of Chime Communications, having put in place the second generation of management to take CSM and its clients onto even greater heights, including Lord Coe who took over his role as Executive Chairman. Alan continues to work as a consultant, offering strategic support with his wealth of experience across the sports and events. CSM is the second world top 3 Sport’s & Events companies that Alan has built, whilst leading the creation of major events and programmes for sports, sponsors and television. Outside of sport he also devised, managed and promoted a medical programme that significantly improved the management of childhood asthma in the UK. A 3-time Olympian, winning Olympic Silver, triple European Gold, and Commonwealth Gold, Silver & Bronze medals, represented the Commonwealth, Europe and was British Team Captain. Alan started organising and promoting international track and field athletics meetings which continually reset the standard worldwide, and attracted £100’s of millions from delighted sponsors and broadcasters. This led to the creation of world leading events in a variety of sports and activities including ice skating and the Paralympic World Cup, whilst devising successful programmes for sponsors and partners around the world. Having sold his first Agency Group, API, to Interpublic (to form the founding company for Octogan), Alan formed Fast Track, which then formed the corner-stone to create CSM, which he Chaired and then became Founding President before stepping down to pursue his personal interests. CSM, recently acquired by the Wasserman Group is the 3rd largest Sports & Entertainment Marketing Groups in the world with 20 offices, in c. 13 countries from the US to Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Moscow, Shanghai, Rio & Tokyo. Their portfolio includes major involvements in Rugby, Cricket, F1, Basketball and Football etc. Alan was a Trustee with Sported, currently a Trustee of the London Marathon Foundation, a Board Member & Director of London Marathon Events Ltd., and a Founder of Made by Sport. Alan was Vice-Chairman of London’s successful bid for the 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games – ‘my proudest moment, as I knew how many lives it would positively impact’. Alan is currently advising major brands, and Boards on strategy, and hopes to 'make a difference' in the area of the importance of exercise, especially for young people and children, as it relates to both general health, and specific medical conditions.   Follow us on our social sites for the latest updates Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportsentrepreneurs/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcusluerpodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sports-entrepreneurs Website: https://marcusluer.com Podcast: https://marcusluer.com/podcast To get in touch, please email us at podcast@marcusluer.com Feel Good by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyaden Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_feel-good Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/bvgIqqRStcQ