Navigating Sports Business

Jeff Longo & Patrick Stack – Co-Founders of Sports Biz Careers – on the impact that SBC has had on 2,500+ high school and college students in the first five years of operation.   They talk about growing the nonprofit organically, and how they were able to pivot as they went.   Listen to the full episode here: https://nvgt.com/podcast?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=5643a540d0e2952b6df92ac037ee8a41   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

Andrea Hopelain - GM & SVP of Publishing at EA SPORTS - joins the show two days before the official release of EA College Football 25. She talks about the excitement surrounding the game, and everything her team is doing to maximize this moment.       She also talks about EA's ability to manage complicated rights conversations, whether that's the $600 baseline NIL deal for each athlete featured in College Football 25, or managing the rebrand of their FIFA title to EA FC and the 300+ license holders featured in those games.       Details: 1:45 - Andrea’s Background 3:25 - Her first roles at EA 5:55 - EA College Football 25 13:00 - EA FC - Rebranding the FIFA IP 14:30 - Gaming as a pathway to fandom 18:55 - EA SPORTS FC Futures 21:00 - Integrating across other forms of entertainment 24:15 - Rapid Fire Questions     The 3 C's: Be Creative Be Confident Be Candid     For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

Bob Thurman – Global VP, WIlson R&D & GM, Global Golf at Wilson –  on what it means to work in the Wilson Innovation Center, creating exciting products for the world's top athletes.   Listen to the full episode here:  https://nvgt.com/podcast?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=8e485144916bab88aa8154639c00f3d8   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

Ryan Engle - Founder and CEO of Golf+ - on how his app is lowering the barriers to entry for golfers around the world. The VR golf game has grown from a putting simulator to a full 18 hole experience, and has partnerships with the PGA TOUR and Topgolf. 54% of users are non-golfers, and the average user is a decade younger than the average golfer.   Ryan also shares details about his background in tech and entrepreneurship in the early days of the App Store l. He thinks VR is yet to have its "iPhone moment" but that it's a question of when, not if.   Details: 3:05 - The Golf+ elevator pitch 9:45 - The origins of their TopGolf partnership 16:45 - Appealing to non-golfers 20:00 - PGA TOUR partnership 26:25 - Ryan’s tech background   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

J.J. Gottsch – CEO of the Austin Gamblers – explains how the Gamblers were able to cultivate a team mentality in a sport that has traditionally been an individual competition.   They debated bringing in a legendary coach like Mike Krzyzewski or Mike Tomlin, before ultimately deciding to bring in leaders from the Navy SEALs to train their riders to work together as a unit. He also talks about how other PBR teams have overcome that same problem, leading to success as a league, and ultimately to expansion.   Listen to the full episode here: https://nvgt.com/podcast?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=13726e34cf42ab2a01d2f2eea28db73a   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

Jeff Longo & Patrick Stack - Co-Founders of Sports Biz Careers - share the story of how they launched their non-profit five years ago, with the mission of changing the lives of underrepresented high school and college students through the sports business.   So far, they have directly supported over 2,500 students, with the support of more than 1,000 donors, 50 sponsors, and 800 individuals who have volunteered their time.   They share some highlights of their first five years, as well as some of the challenges of scaling a non-profit and how they've overcome them.   Details: 2:00 - Pat and Jeff’s Backgrounds 6:25 - The origins of SBC 12:00 - The rebrand from Sports Biz Camps 14:30 - Milestones after 5 years 19:25 - Looking 5 years ahead 24:20 - SBC Alumni Board     For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

Rich Franklin – VP of ONE Championship – on his transition from elite MMA fighter to executive, and how his mindset as an athlete has helped him succeed.   His current role involves working with sports commissions to pave the way for ONE to host events in those locations.   Listen to the full episode here: https://nvgt.com/podcast?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=dd737148b64032b84f53bedb88b0002c   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

Bob Thurman - Global VP, WIlson R&D & GM, Global Golf at Wilson - shares the process behind designing and producing high-quality sporting goods, from the classics to the ground-breaking new technologies.   He gives our listeners a behind-the-scenes tour of Wilson's famous Innovation Center, including the file cabinet that contains the specs for personalized golf clubs for everyone from Michael Jordan to Gerald Ford.   He also discusses his background in aerospace engineering and how it led him to his current career. As far as we know, he's the first guest on Navigating Sports Business to hold a patent (and he owns several)!   Details: 2:15 - Bob’s engineering background 6:00 - Wilson’s patents 13:50 - The R&D process 18:50 - Wilson Golf 19:45 - The Wilson Innovation Center 28:20 - Working with youth sports 30:05 - Rapid Fire Questions   Links: ARC'TERYX Brand Bob and Wilson's list of Patents   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

Mike Buckley – Co-Owner & CEO of the United States SailGP Team – shares his excitement upcoming New York Sail Grand Prix, now less than a month away.   Listen to the full episode here: https://nvgt.com/podcast?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=bd72917e7532c2539a4ce4e7783f67b5   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.

J.J. Gottsch - CEO of the Austin Gamblers - explains how he transitioned to running a Professional Bull Riders team after more than two and a half decades working in baseball.   The team-based model of PBR aligns more closely with other professional sports, so that new fans feel a familiar atmosphere despite many being previously unacquainted with bull riding.   Details: 1:40 - J.J.’s baseball background 11:25 - Moving to the Austin Gamblers 18:20 - The Ride docuseries 20:15 - Who are the bull riders? 22:15 - The team model 27:20 - The outlook for season 3 31:45 - Rapid Fire Questions   For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page or learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/.