The Sports Entrepreneurs Podcast by Marcus Luer

Ben Nichols, a veteran sports communication and public relations expert with decades of experiences across the industry from WADA, Commonwealth Games Federation, Sportsradar to many other consulting jobs around the world. Listen to Ben’s unique journey around the world and his new company – Padel 22 – a dedicated communication consultancy for the world of Padel sport.   Key Highlights How his career started -  combining his love for writing with sports, travelling and working around the world Working in Dubai on ATP/WTA Tour stop and Emirates Dubai Rugby, next stop Lotus Renault travelling the globe and F1 circuit How to differentiate one F1 team from another and how to communicate it WADA  – unpacking his 4 years at the World Anti-Doping Agency – heading to Montreal, Canada – media relations and communication During his period, various scandals hit the press from Lance Armstrong to Russian Doping scandals, IAAF  – his experiences WADA, an “independent” body although funded by the IOC – working across all departments to assure a clear message goes out Pound and McLaren reports – big global media focus Athletics Integrity Unit  set up by IAAF President, Sebastian Coe – the sport working on cleaning up its act Commonwealth Games Federation – Gold Coast Games in Australia – setting new standards and targets for sports from gender equality to disabled vs abled body athletes competitions From briefings at Buckingham Palace to writing opening speeches for the President     Sportradar unique service– providing Anti-Doping Services to major event organizers  (intelligence investigation services, athlete performance monitoring, etc) – business development role PADEL 22 – his new agency – https://www.padel-22.com What is Padel – background and difference to other similar sports (ie. tennis, pickleball, squash, etc) Dynamic, urban, cool new sports Vision and mission of Padel 22 – why he set up a single focused agency – one sport, global focus Padel vs Pickleball (European vs American style sports promotions) and ambitions of both sports Final thoughts – opportunities around the world - “sports nomad” Link: https://www.padel-22.com/   About A leading Sports Communications, International Relations and Padel Industry professional who ran Media Relations for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) during 'the biggest sporting crisis of the 21st century' - the Russian Doping Scandal. Ben also led Communications and Public Affairs for a revitalised Commonwealth Sport movement at Gold Coast 2018, transforming the perception of the modern Commonwealth Games. Ben brings with him with 17+ years’ experience and a proven track record of success running communications for the world’s leading sports series, leagues, events, teams, leaders, athletes, brands and media. Ben is an entrepreneurial figure with expertise in Strategic and Corporate Communications, Media Relations, Public Affairs, Issues & Crisis Management, Event Operations, Speech Writing, Executive Communications Counsel, Marketing and as a Spokesperson. By 26, Ben was overseeing Communications for the award-winning ATP and WTA Dubai Tennis Championships and leading the Middle East region's Communications for the 2010 Asian Games 'Road of Asia' campaign. At F1 team Lotus Renault GP, Ben led Media activity including for drivers Nick Heidfeld, Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean and team sponsors. He oversaw Media Relations for WADA during a turbulent period for international sport. He was Communications Counsel for leadership; Editor of Play True Magazine; Speechwriter; and creator of widely-acclaimed interview series, WADA Talks. He executed Media Relations and Social Media for the high-profile WADA Investigation into Doping in Athletics, achieving a total US$4.60 Billion AVE in the process and resulting in #WADA becoming the World's No.1 trending topic on Twitter. As the Commonwealth Games Federation's first Director of Communications and Public Affairs, he developed and implemented the Marketing & Communications Strategy, positively shifting the public perception of what the Commonwealth Games meant worldwide. Ben ran his own Sports Communications Consultancy working with the likes of the International Padel Federation (FIP), Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), USA Weightlifting, USADA and the Athletics Integrity Unit, and also worked for global sports media and technology innovators, Sportradar, heading the Anti-Doping Services team for Europe. Today, he is working as a Strategic Communications and PR Consultant in the burgeoning sport of Padel – widely described as "the world's fastest growing sport".   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

Great discussion with Professor Simon Chadwick, a highly respected academic in the world of sports, with several books and papers to his name and various successful consulting roles across the world combining academics with the real world.  We take a birds eye look at the world of sports, the hottest topics and issues out there, across Simon’s 20+ year career.   Key Highlights  How it all started, growing up living across his local team, Middlesborough – passion passed down by generations Premier League paper in mid 90s got the ball rolling, leading to a PhD with his thesis focused on Football Shirt deals in English Football How to connect a brand to the heart of the fan through shirt sponsorship discussion Working with overseas Master & PhD students to study overseas fan behavior, how do fans in China pick a “favorite club” Stories – Ferran Soriano early vision at Barcelona & Manchester United Tour lessons from 2005 Lessons learned from trips and work IN PLACES INCLUDING THE GULF, China, Russia, - understanding the differences and impact on sports. Teaching around the world from Brazil to Japan TO THE UNITED STATES Qatar Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy – work with them prior to the World Cup Our discussion on “migrant worker” issues and “Sports Washing” history lessons, politics, nation branding, etc China – what is happening since Covid – recent Winter Olympics, dropping the AFC Asia Cup (Football) as host (Geo political issues) Public sector entrepreneur – writing books looking at Mega trends (Managing Football, Handbook of Sports Marketing, etc.  New book “The Geopolitical economy of sports” – coming out this year (Publisher: Routledge) Women’s sports discussion, opportunities and challenges Esports & Gaming – how countries take advantage of investments in Esports to build new industries, ie. Korea, Saudi Arabia, China Sports coming out of Covid – survival of the fittest, concentration of power (industrial concentration) Recession talk vs Mega Media deals globally (how to explain it) – polarization   About Professor Simon Chadwick is a researcher, writer, academic, consultant, policy advisor, and speaker with more than twenty-five years experience in the global sport industry. His work focuses on the geopolitical economy of sport. Chadwick is Professor of Sport and Geopolitical Economy at Skema Business School in Paris, where he is also a member of its think tank - Publika - as well as Programme Director of Skema's Global Executive MBA in Sport. Simon previously co-founded and directed Emlyon Business School's Centre for the Eurasian Sport Industry, the University of London's Birkbeck Sports Business Centre, Coventry University's Centre for the International Business of Sport, and Salford University's Centre for Sport Business. In addition, he has worked at several of the world's most prestigious business schools, such as IESE in Spain, Otto Beisheim in Germany, Tsinghua in China, COPPEAD in Brazil and Waseda in Japan. He has written numerous articles, books and research reports for the likes of Forbes, Sloan Management Review, the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Forbes, Thunderbird International Business Review, Mastercard, Newsweek, Reuters, Time, Routledge and Financial Times Prentice Hall. Chadwick has consulted for some of the biggest names in sport, such as FC Barcelona, UEFA, Adidas, the Association of Tennis Professionals, Nielsen, the European Clubs Association, Ping, Formula E, Coca Cola, and the Asian Football Confederation. Simon tweets via @Prof_Chadwick Some examples of his writing can be found via channels including: https://www.iris-france.org/geosport/ https://www.policyforum.net/authors/simon-chadwick/ https://theconversation.com/profiles/simon-chadwick-94601/articles https://www.ejinsight.com/eji/author/id/10880   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

Leigh Steinberg, aka the real life Jerry Maguire, the US Super Agent goat sharing his illustrious career and accomplishments and the trials and tribulations across his 50 year career.  Enjoy the history lessons and learnings.   Key Highlights Going way back to the 1960, height of Vietnam war and dealing with then California Governor Ronald Reagan (later US President) The start of “Agents” in American Football – first deal with Steve Bartkowski in 1975 at the age of 25 straight out of Berkely Law School   His passion to give back to the community and how that has driven his selection of clients Growth of the company – focus on NFL Quarterbacks, expanding into other Sports – first book, adding agents Helping the city of San Francisco to keep SF Giants in the city, instead of being sold to investor group. Becoming a steward of sports  (being the bridge between owners vs athletes – billionaires vs millionaires – avoid strikes, etc) Start of the company, key partners Jeff Moorad and later David Dunn joining and some of the challenges Discussion about the pioneers of the industry, from Mark McCormack to David Falk Explosion of content to drive industry – sports becoming the most popular form of television programming Selling the company and what happened after and how plans changed Early days of athletes content online during the dot.com boom Personal struggles taking a toll and his personal crash in 2010 – recently celebrity 12 years of sobriety – starting all over Lessons from that time and how others can learn from it The new beginning – Steinberg Sports & Entertainment Story behind Jerry Maguire and how the movie came about and a bit about “Any Given Sunday” Current biggest stars on his roster,  superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes II – comparing contract numbers across sports and agent commissions Endorsement deals for sports stars – big difference in sports – the billionaire sports superstars of our era NIL and the impact for High School and College players – managing expectations – social media as currency Athletes taking equity in businesses they promote – new form of wealth creation – agency helps to cut those deals Content creation by athletes, production and social media What makes a great athletes a Superstar – certain qualities required His view on the future of sports and Esports and new focus on health and wellness Other things that keep him busy, new book, podcast, charity to agent academy -  www.steinbergspeaks.com   About Leigh Steinberg, premier sports agent, entrepreneur, Chairman and founder of Steinberg Sports and Entertainment, is best known for his work building athletes into stand-alone brands. He is often credited as the real-life inspiration for the Oscar-winning film Jerry Maguire. Leigh has represented many of the most successful athletes and coaches in football, basketball, baseball, hockey, boxing, golf, etc., including the number one overall pick in the NFL draft for an unprecedented eight times in conjunction with 64 total first round picks. Furthermore, Leigh has represented other notable athletes, including Oscar De La Hoya and Lennox Lewis, as well as multiple Olympians and professional teams. With an unrivaled history of record-setting contracts, Leigh has secured over $4 billion for his 300+ pro athlete clients and directed more than $800 million to various charities around the world.   Before making a name for himself in the sports industry, Leigh was born and raised in Los Angeles by his parents, a teacher and librarian. He obtained both his B.A. in political science and his J.D. from UC Berkeley, where he was student body president during each tenure. Passionate about giving back and making it his unrelenting personal goal to make the world a better place, Leigh has also distinguished himself by his dedication to philanthropy. He has received commendations from Congress, State Senate, State Legislature, the Los Angeles City Council, the Orange County Board of Supervisors, President Reagan, President Bush, and President Clinton. Leigh has been named “Man of the Year” over a dozen times by a variety of groups, including the March of Dimes, Cedars-Sinai, the Southern California Boy Scouts, the Orange County and Los Angeles Human Relations Commissions, the Orange County and Los Angeles divisions of the Anti-Defamation League, and several other professional and charitable organizations. He has also been awarded the “Keys to the City” in San Francisco, CA, Memphis, TN, Jacksonville, FL and Concord, CA and has even been honored with the declaration of “Leigh Steinberg Day” in San Francisco after his efforts to save the Giants. In 2017, Leigh was inducted into the California Sports Hall of Fame.   Over the course of his career, Leigh has been featured on numerous national television programs, including 60 Minutes, Larry King Live, The Today Show, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Frontline, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, and many more. He has been profiled in a host of magazines, including Business Week, Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine, People, Forbes, Playboy, GQ, and FHM. Leigh has also served as a consultant on several feature films and television series, including Jerry Maguire, Any Given Sunday, For Love of the Game, and Arli$$. Additionally, he has supplied his expertise on the business of sports and athletes for The Dan Patrick Show, The Jim Rome Show, and The Herd with Colin Cowherd, and multiple other radio and TV outlets. Leigh contributes a weekly column to Forbes, HuffPost, and the Daily Pilot and is a guest columnist at The New York Times, Sporting News, and Yahoo Sports. In addition, Leigh has penned notable articles such as “The Future of Sports” for the Sports Business Journal, “Around the NFL in 80 Million Dollars” for Inside Sports Magazine, and “The Future of Sport” for the Smithsonian Magazine.   In addition to his work in the industry, Leigh is also a best-selling author. His first book, Winning with Integrity, provides insight on how to improve life through non-confrontational negotiation, and his most recent book, The Agent: My 40-Year Career of Making Deals and Changing the Game, details his decades of dominance in the sports industry and sheds light on overcoming his personal struggles to launch his comeback. Leigh has been named one of the most powerful people in the NFL by Football Digest and one of the most powerful people in sports by Sporting News. He currently resides in Newport Beach and has three children.   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

Great discussion with my old friend Andrea Radrizzani, an Italian sports entrepreneur who build MP & Silva to a billion dollar company, the journey from Milan to Asia to now Leeds as Owner & Chairman of Leeds United.   Key Highlights How it started,  Media Partners,  early days of live streaming and website development (Web 1.0) Working with strong leaders and visionaries at Media Partners Move to Asia – first two years in Shanghai  - distribution of media rights , next move to Tokyo Dream was to distribute Serie A rights in Asia -  it became much bigger How MP & Silva got started, partnering with Riccardo Silva –  set up in Singapore (50/50 partnership) Growth of business with focus on Media rights -  close to USD 1 billion in revenue at the end Clear focus on Football rights initially, premium content, pay extra to get into market and build credibility Focus on local market knowledge, at one point 21 offices around the world,  breaking rights into smaller packages Sell of MP & Silva to a Chinese group and the aftermath -  starting the next businesses (Eleven) and buying Leeds United, making mistakes and learning from them Proving he can build successful platforms, investors and partners joining along the way Strategy of Eleven – focus on markets with less competition and opportunity to become a leading platform quickly (Poland, Portugal, Taiwan, etc) Deal with DAZN and ELEVEN – future plans and roles Leeds United story – how it all started and where it is now, boyhood dream come true The journey from The Championship up to Premier League and staying there last season (scoring in last minute of game to stay in)    Working with High profile Investors (49ers, American Football team) and the combination of skills Learnings from his career – how you define risk taking and the level you are comfortable with Changing management style, lessons cost millions, listen more – building strong management teams Play for Change – passion project and new projects coming up   About Andrea Radrizzani is the Chairman of Leeds United and a leading entrepreneur who has been at the forefront of the global sports media industry for more than twenty years. A self-made businessman, Andrea founded the investment platform Aser Ventures in 2015, specialising in sports, media and entertainment properties. Aser became co-owners of Leeds United in January 2017 and since May of that year, Aser has been the ultimate parent company of the club with Andrea as Chairman. During his time with Leeds United, Andrea has overseen the return of the club to the Premier League in the 2019/20 season, following 16 years in the lower divisions. Whilst at Leeds, he has also appointed world-renowned coach Marcelo Bielsa, supported the development of one of the most successful academies in English football and bought back the Club’s iconic Elland Road stadium. Andrea’s success in the business world dates back over two decades. Radrizzani began his career in sports media in 1999 with digital sports content distributor Media Partners and founded Media Partners’ China business.  He went on to co-found MP & Silva in 2004, launching the renowned sports media agency’s operations from its headquarters in Singapore and leading its global expansion into 20 countries as CEO and major shareholder. Later, through Aser, Andrea launched the international sports content platform ELEVEN SPORTS in 2015. ELEVEN has since established itself as an innovative and fan-centric media platform in markets across Europe and Asia, with a rights portfolio that includes LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Premier League, UEFA Champions League and F1. ELEVEN recently secured domestic rights to the Belgian Pro League for the next five seasons. Andrea is also the Founder and Chairman of Play for Change, an international charity that uses the power of sport to improve the lives of children in his native Italy and around the world. Born in Milan, Andrea studied Public Relations at the city’s IULM University and graduated in 1996.   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    

Tracy Benson gives us an insight look into her amazing career with great stories, from her struggles as a Pro Volleyball player, to having a very successful Corporate career, learning all the tools and tactics of consumer marketing and digital to becoming an Entrepreneur and launching Obsesh, a new digital sports platform, just before Covid hit the world.   Key Highlights From student athletes to Pro Volleyball player and the changes since then (NIL) (30 years ago) – dream come true and the struggles Trying to make a living being a Pro Volleyball player, winning tournaments and prize was a case of Pepsi Moving into the corporate world, first stop Home Depot and the learning coming in as an athlete, being a leader/captain every day Olympic Work program, great way to bring fellow athletes into Home Depot and giving them a chance to make a living  (full benefits, part time work) Next stops, Jack Morton & Razorfish, learning advertising and experiential marketing (early days of Web 1 and moving into Web 2) Head of Digital/Marketing at Best Buy – building a consumer digital platform, story telling was key Best Buy buying Napster, everything shifting online, meeting with Facebook when it was a few guys around Mark Monster and Beats by Dre story, how Best Buy helped create the brand and drive sales (Black Headphones) – learning from lots of mistakes Joining Monster as Global Chief Marketing & Product officer, coming out to California, being around digital innovators OBSESH – peer to peer sports marketplace for 1:1 remote access to the best athletes as coaches  (go.obsesh.com) Focused on the 99% of athletes who are struggling to make a living with their sport Coming through Stadia Ventures Accelerator – investors include YouTube founder Chad Hurley, Harvard Business School Alumni Angels.  Ranked top 5 sports tech company to watch in 2021 Helping athletes building their brand, huge opportunity after NIL ruling with College athlete now Covid impact on the business was positive being born a “digital technology” company, also the off/on of sports during Covid, speed up space of adoption, more reasons for athletes to join the platform and seek new income streams, accelerated business across many aspects  (timing is crucial starting a business)   Company working truly online around the country, no physical office space, opportunity and challenges Business model – focus on athletes first, athletes set their own price points and keep 100% - percentage fee on top of athletes fee (mark up) Top five things every athlete wants, great details shared by Tracy Obsesh Athlete Academy – free support for athletes to learn about digital, social media, contracts, trademarks, etc – including access to standardized contracts from appearances to social media deals, learning rules of NIL, etc NFT Marketplace – in partnership with Beasy Unite,  peer to peer NFT marketplace for athletes, tokenizing memberships, digital merchandise Web3  discussion -  our “Before they were Pros” NFT project and how fans are also a very important part of the ecosystem “Chief” – founding member of private network designed to empower women in leadership roles  (https://chief.com) Being a voice for women, gay community and spreading the message of inclusiveness – global ambitions in the future How to connect with Tracy - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tbdigital/,  email: athletes@obsesh.com   About Tracy Benson is the CEO and co-founder of Obsesh, the sports marketplace platform connecting consumers to top athletes, and empowering athlete entrepreneurs to manage, merchandise, market, and monetize their fans online. Previously she was Global Chief Marketing Officer at Seek Thermal, Global Chief Marketing & Product Officer at Monster Inc. (maker of Beats by Dre and Monster headphones), Head of Marketing at Best Buy, Hyper-Growth Market leader at The Home Depot (where she developed the first athlete-work program for Olympians) and Sales & Marketing Manager at AT&T. Tracy was an All-Conference NCAA volleyball athlete at Western Illinois University before becoming a professional beach volleyball player. She earned an MBA in Marketing & Finance from the University of Notre Dame.   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  

Steve Patterson, a fellow YPOer and top US Sports Executive turned Entrepreneur with an incredible four decades of experience in the business, who learned the ropes working for his dad at the age of 10. Incredible stories and insights across the US sporting landscape from NBA, NFL, NHL to major Universities and working with several US billionaire owners over the decades.  Tons of great facts and figures of record breaking deals and no end in sight for him.   Key Highlights How it all started, through his dad, co-founder of Milwaukee Bucks, him answering the phone at 10 years old Background of his dad (Ray Patterson), All American Player, turned Coach and early investor in Bucks when they went public in 1968/69 His dad drafting Kareem Abdul Jabbar and winning the Championship in 1971 Moving to Houston and first major role with Houston Rockets as Director of Business Operations His Houston Rocket Days, breaking attendance records, doubling TV revenue, first NBA game in Mexico City, first Spanish Language TV show, great stories around them Building a Championship team, including Hakeem Olajuwon, creating the team that won the NBA title in 1993-94 – how it started and the role of Def Leppard …. Difference between a General Manager and the Coach – long term vs short term view Next stop, President & Partner in Houston Aeros (Ice) Hockey Team in the IHL and Compaq Center deal Helping to bring Houston Texans (NFL) to Houston in early 2000 – Chuck Watson and Bobby McNair https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_McNair  (later Senior VP & Chief Development Officer) Massive numbers across the deal, including purchase price (US$ 750 million), deal terms revealed Building a stadium, hiring staff and team from scratch Over US$ 450 million of Contractual Obligated Income (COI) generated to create first investment grade sports franchise Learn about the Texas “Superbowl Bill” and its legacy to help bring major events to the state ever since From NFL to NBA – Paul Allen, owner of Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers – taking role as President/GM for Trail Blazers Comparing numbers between Rockets and Trail Blazers 20 years later, difference in media landscape, building set up, etc Team lost US$ 135mil the year he arrived, turned it around over four years -  US$ 52 mil in “luxury tax” due on first day on the job Starting Pro Sports Consulting in 2007, providing services to companies, US governments, universities and individuals to seek, acquire, sell major/minor league sports properties, from design, finance, building to maximizing revenues Roles at Arizona State University – VP of Athletics and later Men’s Athletic Director at University of Texas, Austin Differences between Pro Sports and College Sports in the US – different stake holders UT has US$ 180 million budget, largest athletic budget in the country and how it’s spend NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) discussion and Steve’s interesting perspective Arizona Coyotes, NHL team, successfully positioned team for sale Most recent venture, Legend Labs – branding and crisis consulting firm, representing athletes to Universities, and other entities – Co-Chairman & Partner   Pro Sports Consulting – working on Charlotte Hornets, new Stadium project  & Executive Coaching role   About Steve Patterson has served as an innovative and successful executive in the NFL, NBA, NHL, professional baseball, and college athletics for over 35 years. He has built championship teams and organizations, designed, financed, built, and run stadia, ballparks, and arenas with record setting revenues all over the United States. Patterson successfully led the effort to bring the Houston Texans NFL team and Super Bowl XXXVIII to Houston, Texas. As General Manager of the Houston Rockets, he built the 1994 NBA Championship team. Patterson is currently the President of Pro Sports Consulting, which provides services to universities, companies, government entities, and individuals that operate or seek to acquire or sell sports properties, to design, finance, build and operate sports facilities and to maximize the revenue of these and related entities. He is also the Co-Chair of Legend Labs a brand and crisis communications consultancy. Patterson is formerly the President, CEO and Alternate Governor of the Arizona Coyotes. He is also the former Director of Men’s Athletics for the University of Texas at Austin where he oversaw the largest athletic department budget in all of college sports while setting records for academic success, revenue generation, endowment growth and philanthropic giving to the athletic department. Prior to UT, Patterson served as Managing Director of Sun Devil Sports Group, Vice President for Athletics and Athletic Director for Sun Devil Athletics at Arizona State University. In that capacity, Patterson was responsible for all ASU Athletic Department business and sports operations, acquisition, development, and operation of current and new sports facilities and assisted with the development of the 425-acre Sports Facilities District adjacent to the University in downtown Tempe. As President of the Portland Trail Blazers, The Rose Garden and Rose City Radio. Patterson refined his skills as a turnaround specialist, while garnering national recognition for his player acquisitions when he took over the team’s General Manager duties. As the Trail Blazers General Manager, Patterson engineered a record six draft day trades that resulted in the selection of NBA Rookie of the Year and three-time NBA All Star Brandon Roy and fellow All Rookie 1st team, seven-time NBA All Star and five time All NBA member LaMarcus Aldridge. Patterson also revamped the entire basketball operation, hiring then GM Kevin Pritchard and Head Coach Nate McMillan. Patterson formerly served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer of the Houston Texans NFL franchise where he led Bob McNair’s successful effort to acquire a National Football League franchise and Super Bowl XXXVIII for Houston, Texas. Patterson was responsible for the establishment of the team’s business, legal, media and political operations, as well as the development, design, finance, construction and operation of NRG Stadium and related facilities. Prior to joining the Texans, Patterson was the President, General Manager and Governor of the Houston Aeros hockey team. For his efforts he was named the 1995 winner of the Andy Mulligan Trophy as the International Hockey League’s Executive of the Year. In addition to his roles with the Aeros, Patterson also acquired and served as President and Partner in Arena Operating Company, which managed and operated Compaq Center, Houston’s home of the Rockets, Aeros and Comets. While overseeing all the business and basketball operations of the Houston Rockets, Patterson was the chief architect of the 1993-1994 Houston Rockets squad that captured the first NBA World Championship in franchise history signing, drafting, or trading for all the team’s players and coaches. Patterson also led the club’s successful bid to host the 1989 NBA All-Star Game in The Astrodome, which held the all-time NBA All-Star Game attendance record of 44,735 for 21 years. Born and raised in Beaver Dam, WI. Patterson attended the University of Texas, graduating with honors earning a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 1980. He graduated from UT’s Law School in 1984. He is married to Yasmin Michael with whom he has three grown children.     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

Today, I am talking to Gagan Palrecha, the CEO of NFTSTAR, a new Bay Area startup in the NFT sports space. Palrecha is an engineer by training and has been fascinated by sports & music since his youth. We cover some of the stops across his career, the build-up to his current role, including time at Dapper Labs as VP of Operations. We go deep into the blockchain, crypto, NFTs, Web 2.5 to 3.0, the metaverse, digital stadium, play-to-earn, and many more current buzzwords and of course, his vision for NFTSTAR.    Key Highlights Palrecha grew up playing sports & had a passion for music. After studying computer engineering and science, he was attracted to the startup scene in San Francisco in the early 2000s. Palrecha joined Loudcloud, a startup backed by VC company Andreessen Horowitz, before moving to a few other startups. As his first entrepreneurial exploits, Palrecha started First Time Records. Palrecha helped develop a space for artists and creators at the following businesses: Zattoo -- live streaming, the first virtual cable operator Peekok -- a platform to help artists and labels create a direct retail relationship with fans, via social and interactive marketing (early days of NFTs) Chirply -- fundraising for design marketplace 2013: Blockchain and Bitcoin  The concept of a distributed ledger that governs ownership without government interference fascinated him. Palrecha’s experience at Dapper Labs: Crypto Kitty was the first big project for Dapper, before it was called Dapper Labs. The NBA took a risk and jointly created NBA Top Shot in 2020. By the end of 2020 and early 2021, NFTs took off and NBA Top Shot lead the way. Over 1 billion worth of trading volume with NBA Top Shot. What worked and didn’t work at the height of NBA Top Shot: Dealing with backlogs and regulatory issues. Blockchain challenges and issues with bots. Challenges of the virtual trading card model.  NFTSTAR: Palrecha’s vision as CEO (website: https://m.nftstar.com/)  NFTSTAR is building the biggest sports stadium in the Web3 metaverse. The company is working with athletes to build a direct relationship with fans.  Current projects with: Neymar Jr, Luis Figo, Son Heung-Min (Soccer) Giannis Antetokounmpo (Basketball) Christian McCaffrey (American Football) NFTSTAR is currently in its startup stage, with its first collection coming out in the fall of 2022 Beyond the usual NFT headshots, NFTSTAR will include mobile gaming elements, as well an interactive and immersive fantasy world around its athlete partners. Prioritizing a meta stadium and virtual stadium vision, NFTSTAR rewards the fans and viewers with avatars and more. NFTSTAR is funded through private investors, not through a token raise. Play-to-Earn discussion: There are many current challenges early play-to-earn games are facing—taking a look at Axie Infinity for example. NFTSTAR is looking at the game and user experience first before focusing on play-to-earn business strategies.  NFTSTAR is not building a speculative platform. Instead, members are rewarded for participation with special privileges or items. NFTSTAR athlete engagement: Upcoming Neymar NFT drop, where Neymar and his team are heavily involved. NFTSTAR is all about the athlete and how they grew up, where they come from, and what shaped them.  The company helps build a community around the athletes by prioritizing experiences. If you’d like to reach Palrecha, contact him at nftstar@vsc.co.   About Gagan Palrecha joined NFTSTAR as COO in September 2021, and is responsible for business development and operations, strategic partnerships, and product strategy. As the former Vice President of Dapper Labs, creators of NBA Top Shot and the Flow blockchain, Palrecha brings extensive experience and expertise in the NFT startup space. He has held several leadership positions in business development, product and operations and has done extensive work in Europe and Asia. He is also an active angel investor through his investment fund, Palrecha Capital. Palrecha is a graduate of the University of Michigan, and currently resides in the Bay Area.    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

Damian Willoughby, turned his passion for football, playing in his youth in the UK, then NCAA football to spending his career across Rangers FC, Chelsea FC, Manchester City and the City Football Group till his current and most recent role at EA (Electronic Arts) in Esports.  Listen and learn from his experiences at some of the biggest Football brands and now at EA.   Key Highlights From playing youth Football in the UK, to NCAA “soccer” and getting his MBA at University of Liverpool in Football Leading to his first first role in Rangers FC, leading sponsorship programs Despite the huge rivalry between Rangers and Celtic (collectively called “The Old Firm”) on the pitch, both clubs cooperated on sponsorship deals to avoid brands having to split across the fan base.  Very clever Talking numbers, front of shirt and other revenue streams for Rangers.  Very competitive with the big UK clubs at the time due to passionate fan base, 50k fans in stadium, etc.  The big Premier League Media income started to make the difference and swing power to English Clubs. Next stop Chelsea, Abramovich’s early era and success started to make a difference. Talking Samsung and leveraging the power of the Premier League globally.  Discussing the “not invented here syndrome” of global brand sponsorships and how to deal with it.  Singha Beer deal discussion. Moving into Player Management side with James Grant Sports Group for a couple of years to learn that part of the business, wasn’t his thing Manchester City, new Arab owners already in place and club on major trajectory – joining in global sponsorship sales role City Football Group (New York, Melbourne, Mumbai, Yokohama, etc) – 12 clubs now globally – (and Ferran Soriano’s role in it) How it works from a commercial point of view and creating synergies across the different clubs, leveraging the global power of Manchester City combined with the local strength of the various partner clubs Moving to Singapore running global business from there for six years, last few years also CEO of City Football India (Mumbai City FC), last few years during Covid How players move around the City Football Group ecosystem In the Middle of Covid, mid 2021, Gaming/Esports is booming, next move, VP Partnerships for EA Sports – huge company, US$ 7 billion in revenue, 13,000 people worldwide Talking Esports & EA properties, much more than FIFA, leader of sports simulation games (Madden NFL, F1, UFC, NHL, PGA Tour, etc) and other successful non-sports games (Apex Legend, Battlefield, The Sims) – difference between sports and non-sports games Huge player base and time spend in the game by Gamers, massive audiences and engagement levels – still lots of education to be done with brands on how to leverage it FIFA split, what he could share – big plans for EA Sports FC , nothing changes in the game, the teams and general feel of the game Stevenage FC and Burger King,  how it went viral, creative thinking on how to leverage a game   About  A highly accomplished and respected global football executive with 20+ years experience in generating and managing over £1.3bn in revenues, motivating large (+65 staff) and globally diverse (13 offices) teams to achieve sporting and financial goals around performance, brand, revenue and fan growth for leading sports properties including City Football Group, Chelsea & Rangers FC. Most recently CEO of City Football India following the strategic acquisition of a majority stake in Mumbai City FC, worked with CFG and Reliance as shareholders to develop the Club, Indian Super League and Indian football. Currently VP, Partnerships at Electronic Arts, originally head hunted to develop the commercial strategy for Esports across key global EA franchises (FIFA, Madden & Apex) and now working in a small core executive team to shape the future of the company’s marquee football franchise.   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

Sandy Brown, another true American Sports Nomad, especially in the Media and Broadcasting space.  Listen to amazing stories of Sandy’s globe trotting career around the world from ProServ, NBA, ESPN/Star Sports, Univision, ONE World Sports and more.   Key Highlights Growing up playing tennis, made connections through his Tennis Club in Delaware How he got started at ProServ, first meeting with Donald Dell, driving his limo around the airport Dennis Spencer one of his early mentors (shout out to one of the nicest guys in the industry) Pro-Serve, top roster of Tennis and NBA players, tennis tournaments – peak of company Before Sportel Monaco days, MIP TV and MIP Com , flogging sports TV rights in Cannes   Next stop NBA, international TV rights – David Stern his next mentor, early days as Commissioner (know your business better than anyone else was his mantra) CCTV story.  Happened to me before as well ESPN Asia,  move to Hong Kong  -  at the age of 28 (1992) Birth of Cable industry in Asia, Satellite distribution just started – DTH business across the region US content as a start and Monday night Premier League matches Creative deal making in China Merger of ESPN Asia and Star Sports in Asia (Murdoch) (new set up in Singapore) – Managing Director of new JV Big change in broadcast landscape and shock for Rights holders and agencies Two different corporate cultures working together, very focused on turning a loss making entity to break even ESPN had carriage fees,  Star Sports was free for platform owners (Advertising driven) Exploits in India, cable operators in India are another level (try to visualize it) – Chris McDonald/Manu Sawhney (wild west of India, machine guns, etc) ARPU blend discussion – penny a sub in China, 5 cent in India to 1 dollar in SEA and Taiwan – retail rate of partners Disney/ESPN recently shut the entire network structure down after acquiring FOX Sports globally a few years before, about 30 years later   Next stop CNBC Asia (NBC Universal) – learning the GE culture, Jack Welsh as CEO Business News different thing After 15 years, time to come back to the US – biggest take away, working with great people makes the difference Univision – President of Sports – launching a domestic US cable sports channel focused on Hispanic population – bringing in new ideas and concepts, pushing Rights holders to new grounds ONE World Sports – new platform targeting Asian diaspora in the US (Seamus O’Brien behind the venture) From two affiliate deals, pushed up to 70 Lots of live content, Chinese Super League, KHL (Russian Ice-hockey), ECB (English Cricket), European Football Club Channels, Table Tennis, etc Alternative to ESPN, heavy promotions and support to rights holders to market their product in the US Eventually shareholders decided to sell the business – to ELEVEN Commissioner of Major League Lacrosse – turn around situation, difficult set up with owners and commercial structure League had been around for 20 years, lots of cleaning up to do Competitive League shows up (PLL), plus Covid gets in the way Merging with PLL now, handing it over, winding up MLL Poshando Inc – starting his own consulting business just recently (back in Baltimore) Final thoughts on Broadcasting/Streaming industry currently,  subscription models (Netflix), investor expectations vs industry realities  (ARPU blend vs Sub growth) – quality of subscribers cost of acquisition of subs (cost of broadcast rights   About Alexander P. Brown joined Major League Lacrosse in February 2018. Since taking the helm, Brown has drastically improved the experience and opportunity for players, teams and fans. During his tenure, he has restructured the ownership group, rebranded the league marks and reacquired the league’s media rights, leading to exponential growth in nationally televised reach. In 2019, Brown welcomed ten new partners to the league, introduced a creative and sophisticated digital team (generating 194% growth in social traffic, 97% growth in social engagement and 393% growth in web traffic) and achieved a 16% increase in total attendance year-over-year. During the 2020 COVID impacted year, Brown oversaw the most successful year in MLL’s history in terms of overall engagement, generating over 150mm digital impressions over an eight (8) day tournament. Further, the league’s impressions on ESPN and ESPN + increased by 150% and 1600%, respectively. Brown is an accomplished executive with over 25 years of leadership experience who has spearheaded the launch and growth of multiple sports media outlets. Most recently, he was the President/CEO of One World Sports, where he launched the HD channel across both linear and digital platforms to over 50 million US subscribers through cable and satellite distributors as well as over-the-top (OTT) platforms. In 2010, Brown became President of Univision Sports, the leading media outlet for Spanish-speaking Americans, where he created and launched Univision Deportes to over 15 million US homes. As part of this effort, Brown oversaw the rebranding of Univision Sports. Additionally, he not only supervised the production of the highest rated primetime sports broadcast in the channel’s history at the time with the Mexico vs. Honduras match in the 2011 Gold Cup, but he developed Univision’s nightly version of SportsCenter, “Univision Deportes Extra” or “UDX” as well as the network’s signature soccer pregame program, “Futbol Central”. Brown has extensive experience in the international markets. Based in Hong Kong and Singapore, he launched ESPN’s business in Asia while serving as the Managing Director of both ESPN Asia and ESPN Star Sports. Brown’s international work in sports began in the late 1980’s when he was hired by the NBA to oversee their international television interests in over 100 countries. Brown played lacrosse collegiately at Washington and Lee University and represented the university in the 1985 USILA North South Game.     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

Scott Levy, a globetrotting senior US sports executive with a stellar resume and decades of achievements in the NBA.  Get an inside scoop into the growth of the NBA internationally, and Scott’s role and journey over more than two decades with the organization.   Key Highlights Passion for traveling inspired early after University, starting in the advertising world with Y&R and McCann-Erickson in New York City with a goal to combine his passion with work Joining the NBA in 1996 working in marketing and moving in Media and international television distribution His first decade at the NBA unpacked (1996-2006) Massive growth of global distribution, especially country by country deals – media a big focus of then Commissioner David Stern Over 20 deals in China alone, Shanghai Media story  Clear strategy to keep everything in house, not using agencies – Scott explains the reason behind it  David Stern, always pushing his team to get better, be the most educated guy in the room  The impact of players on growth,  Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki and the US superstars from MJ to Kobe Bryant The different impacts of Yao and Dirk in their respective territories, Kobe and LeBron, social media exploits and travelling the globe  Teams travelling globally to promote the League (pre-season games), comparing to European/UK Football Clubs.  Decisions are centralized and coordinated by the League Initially teams often didn’t want to travel (Coaches preferred to train at home for pre-season) and now it’s a part of their global brand and team building Teams been travelling since the 90s, first in Japan, up to 6-8 teams now regularly travelling each year, mostly teams playing each other Teams now using Tours to expand fan base, bring in new sponsors, etc, also driven by more diverse group of NBA Team owners    MJ Global Sports & Media – short 2-3 year break as consultant  Back into the NBA for the second round (2009-2022) Coming back as SVP & Managing Director for NBA Asia based in Hong Kong His role, everything in region excluding Greater China (separate NBA China office), firstly “learn about Asia” Philippines, highest basketball affinity in the world – mad about the game – Eric Spoelstra visiting the Philippines India, important market and development started a decade ago Basketball Africa League (BAL) success and model, potential for other regions? NBA Digital platforms (NBA League Pass) – variety of feeds (Player, Refs & Mascot cams) different languages, local influencers calling a game in local language, different packages, fourth quarter pass, etc.  Very customized to each region and country. As low as US$ 20 dollars (correction to US$ 10 dollars comment) per season Rakuten, important partnership in Japan (media partner) and globally Short form content, very important for engagement, vertical video format, finding the right mix, longer content demand growing (20-60 min) Local partnerships, depends on country, ie. Philippines, Australia and China has strong local partnerships Junior NBA program – healthy livestyle focus, more opportunities to grow with local partners Scott leaving the NBA, becoming a digital nomad, spending time between Asia and US – next moves Consulting companies in Web 3 space      NBA Top Shot, NBA an early adopter in NFT space – US$ 1 billion dollar worth of transaction  Scott sees exponential growth in the Web3 space from metaverse to Dao’s – still early days  NB2K – a form of a metaverse already,  NBA Fortnite – NBA All-Star Game content (16 million visiting NBA Hub in Fortnite) His focus is on being heavily immersed in this space in the foreseeable future on his own Final words on the current NBA Play-offs and teams in the Conference Finals    About SCOTT LEVY, Executive Vice President & Managing Director, NBA Asia As Executive Vice President & Managing Director of NBA Asia, Scott Levy oversees development and expansion of the NBA’s branding and basketball initiatives in Asia-Pacific, including Australia, India, Japan, Philippines, South Korea and other countries across Southeast Asia and Oceania.  Levy directs all of NBA Asia and NBA India’s business groups, including media distribution, marketing and marketing partnerships, merchandising, events, digital media, and gaming.  Levy reports to NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum. Since Levy’s arrival in 2009, the league has dramatically expanded its local partnerships in Asia-Pacific, resulting in more than 460 retail locations and e-commerce sites, multiple new media and marketing partnerships, the launch of the Jr. NBA across Southeast Asia, and amassing more than 35 million followers from Asia across the league’s social media accounts. From 2006 to 2009, Levy ran his own consulting company, MJ Global Sports and Media Inc.  Levy previously worked for the NBA for 10 years and left as Senior Vice President, International Television and Marketing Partnerships.  During his tenure, Levy helped grow broadcast distribution for NBA programming to more than 200 countries and 40 languages.  Under his leadership, the NBA launched many new content offerings internationally, including NBA TV, the league’s 24-hour network. Prior to beginning his first NBA stint in 1996, Levy traveled independently and extensively throughout China, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.  Levy is on the board of the Global Health Society, a nonprofit organization that conducts camps and develops programs for children with bleeding disorders.  He has competed in multi-sport and adventure races, including the New York Marathon, Oxfam Japan Trailwalker and many triathlons raising funds for Fred’s Team and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  Levy is based in Hong Kong with his wife Ilene and sons Matthew and Joshua.   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