6/16/26 - World Cup Opens Strong, NBA Draft Drama, UFC White House Event, Tunisia Fires Coach

Vanja Černivec joins Dan Roberts of Front Office Sports to discuss: • Building the Fire roster under extreme CBA timeline pressure • Why she doesn’t believe in copying and pasting from the Valkyries model • Portland as an emerging epicenter of women's sports • The international player pipeline and new CBA changes • Coaching through constraints and the playoff push in Year 1 CHAPTERS 0:00 Ten Months as GM of the Portland Fire: How Has It Gone 0:53 Building a Roster Under CBA Timeline Pressure 1:53 Can You Copy the Valkyries Model or Is Portland Different 3:08 How Much of the Valkyries Success Was Warriors vs Its Own Phenomenon 4:39 Portland as an Epicenter of Women's Sports Under Raj Sports Ownership 5:58 Has the WNBA Fueled Investment in All Women's Sports 6:41 International Players in the WNBA and the New CBA Impact 8:07 Project B, Unrivaled, and the Rise of Women's Basketball Globally 9:16 The Constraints-Led Coaching Approach Getting Buzz Around the League 10:53 Can the Portland Fire Make the Playoffs in Year One Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Included in today's episode: Two million fans pack the Knicks parade Protect College Sports Act clears Senate committee NHL clears Mike Babcock to return to coaching Netflix's Home Run Derby gets a new format Ben Stiller makes an A24 Knicks documentary Make sure to subscribe and follow Front Office Sports across socials to stay up-to-date on the latest conversations around the business of sports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Included in today's episode: Knicks hold first-ever championship ticker tape parade WNBA expands to 50 games starting in 2027 NHL Stanley Cup Finals post best ratings since 2019 Jimmie Johnson joins TNT as NASCAR studio analyst Scheffler eyes career Grand Slam at US Open Nike reveals Caitlin Clark's first signature sneaker Make sure to subscribe and follow Front Office Sports across socials to stay up-to-date on the latest conversations around the business of sports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jayson Tatum joins Dan Roberts of Front Office Sports to discuss: • Investing in St. Louis and a potential WNBA expansion team • Becoming chief basketball officer at Duke University • The new Celtics ownership group under Bill Chisholm • Who is the face of the NBA right now CHAPTERS 1:53 What Interests Him in Business and Investing Off the Court 2:48 The WNBA Expansion Team in St. Louis: Any Update 3:13 What He Is Not Invested In Yet That He Wants to Be 3:47 Becoming Chief Basketball Officer at Duke: What the Role Really Is 4:36 New Celtics Ownership and His Relationship With Bill Chisholm 6:13 Who Is the Face of the NBA Right Now Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Included in today's episode: Knicks-Spurs Finals averages 20.6 million viewers Iran calls itself the World Cup's most oppressed team Serena and Venus Williams get Wimbledon wild card Vegas Golden Knights part ways with John Tortorella Sorsby drops NCAA lawsuit, enters NFL supplemental draft Fox set to make $250M from World Cup water breaks Make sure to subscribe and follow Front Office Sports across socials to stay up-to-date on the latest conversations around the business of sports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gareth Bale and John Shulman join Dan Roberts of Front Office Sports to discuss: • Launching Juggernaut Capital's new dedicated sports investment fund • Why this is more than just an athlete putting his face on a fund • Cardiff City and the search for the right soccer club to acquire • A professional women's sports team purchase coming within 60 days • World Cup 2026 ticket prices and the accessibility problem in sports CHAPTERS 0:00 Announcing the New Juggernaut Capital Sports Investment Fund 3:12 Why This Is Different From the Typical Celebrity Athlete Fund 4:29 How Large Is the Fund and What Is the Investment Strategy 5:18 Is Cardiff City Still the Target for a Soccer Club Acquisition 7:30 What Non-Soccer Sports Excite Gareth as Investment Targets 8:16 Is Wrexham the Model for What They Want to Do 10:09 Which Athletes Are Doing Athlete Ownership the Right Way 12:29 World Cup 2026: Ticket Prices and Fan Accessibility Concerns 16:37 A Professional Women's Sports Team Purchase Coming in 60 Days Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Included in today’s episode: World Cup opening weekend draws massive TV numbers Top NBA draft prospect refuses to meet Jazz Big 12 sues Texas Tech over Brendan Sorsby eligibility Gareth Bale eyes Cardiff City ownership bid UFC loses $30M on White House fight card Tunisia fires coach after just one World Cup match Make sure to subscribe and follow Front Office Sports across socials to stay up-to-date on the latest conversations around the business of sports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fernando Mendoza joins David Rumsey of Front Office Sports to discuss: • Transitioning from college football to the Raiders • Learning directly from Tom Brady as a minority Raiders owner • Deleting social media and building his LinkedIn network instead • His Royal Canin partnership and approach to off-field branding • The Mendoza Family Fund and his fight against MS CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction and Biggest Lessons From College to the NFL 1:47 Royal Canin Partnership and Off-Field Branding Strategy 3:17 What Position Would His Dog Scout Play in the NFL 4:02 Deleting Social Media and Going All In on LinkedIn 5:04 His Rule for Accepting LinkedIn Connection Requests 6:07 Using AI and Chat GPT for Football Prep and Organization 7:34 Learning From Tom Brady at the Raiders: Active and Passive 9:55 Trademarking Delorian and Star Wars Top Five Characters 11:30 Giving Back to Indiana and the Mendoza Family MS Fund 12:46 Morning Routine: No Coffee No Energy Drinks and Nutrition With Alex Guerrero Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Included in today's episode: The Knicks win their first title since 1973 NBA Finals ratings hit best numbers since 1998 US vs. Paraguay draws 25 million viewers Somali referee denied US entry gets FIFA pay Lewis Hamilton finally wins in Ferrari red Knicks championship parade set for Thursday Make sure to subscribe and follow Front Office Sports across socials to stay up-to-date on the latest conversations around the business of sports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Included in today's episode: World Cup ticket prices hold firm at kickoff Big 12 schools weigh boycotting Texas Tech over Sorsby Wimbledon announces a record $85.7M prize pool Serena Williams teased for a Wimbledon return Mahomes signs a record-breaking $500M+ extension Knicks one win away from first title since 1973 Make sure to subscribe and follow Front Office Sports across socials to stay up-to-date on the latest conversations around the business of sports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices