Bloomberg Business of Sports

NASCAR was one of the first sports to return after COVID-19 struck last year. The sport has gone through numerous changes over the years as it relates to sponsorships and safety implementations. Driver Kevin Harvick joined Michael Barr to discuss how they were able to navigate last season and how he is preparing for Daytona 500 this Sunday. They touched on the 20-year anniversary of Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s passing. He also discussed his sports agency KHI and its foray into MMA fighting and golf.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Super Bowl LV is in the books and our crew breaks down the big game. Jason Kelly, Michael Barr and Richard Trueman discuss the winners and losers of Super Bowl LV, Tom Brady’s legacy and how the NFL made it through the covid-19 season. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahead of Super Bowl LV, host city Tampa finds itself in all sorts of uncharted territory. There's the global pandemic and the extraordinary measures the city and the NFL are taking to ensure player and fan safety. There's the economic consequences of a scaled-down run-up. And there's the happy matter of having the home team playing in the game for the first time ever. We break all of that down with Rob Higgins, executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahead of this weekend's Super Bowl, we catch up with Mike Tannenbaum, a front office fixture in the National Football League who now works at ESPN. The former Jets GM goes deep on the economics underneath the recent blockbuster trade, the drama around the Texans and their unhappy quarterback and talks about his early days as a Saints intern learning the vagaries of the salary cap.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Arizona has hundreds of millions of dollars flowing in each springtime, when half of Major League Baseball shows up for spring training. But health concerns are outweighing economics in 2021 and the Cactus League has called for a delay. Bridget Binsbacher, executive director of the Cactus League, joins the show to talk about the gravity of the decision, and how an eventual spring training could look in her backyard.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Boston's former favorite adopted son preps for another Super Bowl with a different team, we check in with Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe for his take on Tom Brady, Curt Schilling and a lot more. He and Lynchie go deep on the big moments across the decades of Boston sports, and discuss a fan base that's created some of the most valuable franchises in all of sports. Plus, part of Jason's interview with Olympian Katie Ledecky, who discusses the state of college sports in an uncertain time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world will (virtually) descend on Tampa in a couple Sundays and Tom Brady could add some more hardware if the home team can claim a win. With reigning champs in the NHL and a World Series runner-up (not to mention a recent NBA champion from Toronto camping out), the Florida city is taking the sports world by storm. Jason, Michael and Mike discuss the economic ups and downs of winning and hosting in a pandemic, an empty Hall of Fame ballot and some more barrier-breaking in both pro basketball and football.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a sports world of giants, few stood taller than the late John Thompson, Jr., long-time Georgetown coach, activist and agitator. Jesse Washington co-authored Thompson's critically acclaimed autobiography, published after the coach's death last year. Like the man whose story it tells, it's a complicated, funny, insightful and moving work. Jesse joins Michael, Mike and proud Georgetown Hoya Jason to explore the book's themes of education, race, loyalty and fairness and discuss little-known aspects of the coach's life, his work with Nike and his advocacy for his players.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the NHL back on the ice -- albeit realigned, geographically restricted and enforcing reams of health rules -- Commissioner Gary Bettman joins the show to discuss the economics of another strange season of hockey. New, novel sponsorship deals (naming divisions, helmet decals) are all about "revenue retention" as half the normal money is coming in -- since fans have to stay home. Still, the longest serving commissioner across the major sports -- who's seen revenue grow from $400 million to more than $5 billion during his tenure -- says growth is only interrupted, not evaporated.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a world awash with content but missing in-person sports, FITE has expanded beyond its combat sports roots into a broad array of pay-per-view content. Mike Weber, FITE's chief operating officer, joins the show to talk about leveraging his experience in pro wrestling and other sports. Streaming services have reintroduced the debate around who will pay how much, for what, and when, and the pandemic has accelerated some of the most disruptive elements of how we distribute and watch sports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To commemorate MLK Day, we go deep on The Players Alliance. It's a group formed by current and former Black baseball players to educate and mobilize around issues of social justice and economic inequality. Curtis Granderson, Chris Young and Chris Dickerson join the show to explain the founding values, the state of the game and reflect on their own experiences as pro athletes of color in 2020. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thirty Five Ventures is the very model of a major athlete's ambitions well beyond the court. Rich Kleiman, co-founder with Kevin Durant of Thirty Five Ventures. The day after Durant got a new partner on the Brooklyn Nets with James Harden, his long-time manager and business partner Kleiman joins for a wide-ranging conversation on where the Nets go from here, Kleiman's roots in the music business, learning from Jay-Z and building an empire.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Burns watches NFL a little differently: He's got a lot of business riding on the GOAT. The CEO of TB12 is building an empire around what makes Tom Brady keep going, bringing the secrets of training and nutrition underpinning an all-world, still-going career to the rest of us. Burns and Lynchie swap Brady stories and the group explores how the pandemic has made the wellness business both more difficult and more important.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We catch our breath after a weekend full of high-octane NFL playoffs, including the games that set the stage for next week's Drew Brees/Tom Brady showdown -- a network programmer's dream. On deck, the College Football Playoff championship, itself a product of business-driven negotiations that contemplated all the TV money, and Justin Fields' future prospects as a pro. Plus, the NBA postpones a game and the first real sports fallout from last week's violence at the Capitol -- the PGA says it won't play next year's championship at the President's club.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Few athletes have the perspective of Paul Rabil. The best-known lacrosse player in history has evolved into both an entrepreneur and activist, using his platform to elevate the game, its players and a new way of thinking about sports. In his latest visit to the show (where he first announced the creation of the PLL in 2018), Rabil talks about the recent historic merger with Major League Lacrosse (where he started his pro career before launching the PLL), what's next for the game, his philanthropic work and the age of the empowered athlete.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Less than a year into his tenure running the Arizona Coyotes, Xavier Gutierrez is on the cusp of another unusual season. The former private equity investor is applying lots of business metrics to ensuring a safe season -- with a limited number of fans as the NHL season looks ahead to the first pucks dropping next week. He talks to Jason, Mike and Michael about innovations in ticket sales, as well as leaning into his young, diverse market to find "fans in waiting."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Football dominates the conversation as the trio reunites for the first time in 2021. The NFL limped to the finish of its regular season, and Jason, Michael and Mike muse about how head coaching vacancies may be filled in light of the social justice issues reckoned with throughout 2020. And Barr and Lynchie sit back and watch as Jason goes off about the nearly $25 million the University of Texas is paying to get rid of its winning coaching staff.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Barr and Mike Lynch sit down with Harvard University athletic director Erin McDermott. We talk about what it’s like to switch jobs during a pandemic, how her on the court experience influences her new role and the many “hats” a modern athletic director must wear. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg’s Michael Barr, Rich Trueman, Damian Sassower and special guest Charlie Vollmer, discuss the results of the 2020 Fantasy football championships. We break down the booms and busts from week 16 and the effect those had on the final week of the season. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Barr and Mike Lynch break down some of the biggest sports business stories of the week. Today the duo chats about the first week of NBA action, the AP’s athletes of the year and the NFL’s plan to expand the season to a 17 game schedule in 2021. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bloomberg Opinion columnist (plus bestselling author and podcaster extraordinaire) Joe Nocera stops by to talk NCAA, plus Jason, Michael, and Mike Lynch discuss the Rose Bowl, the upcoming NHL season, and Peloton’s acquisition of Precor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Barr, Rich Trueman, and Damian Sassower reflect on week 15 of NFL action, and look ahead to week 16. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The U.S. Soccer Federation has agreed to revise its policies on working conditions for members of the National Women's Soccer team, after part of a long-running legal battle was settled early this month. Following last week's conversation with USWNT lawyer Cardelle Spangler, this week we catch up with Jamie Wine, partner at Latham and Watkins, which represents U.S. Soccer in the litigation. We discuss the details of the settlement, arguments over fair pay, and common misconceptions associated with the case.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The NBA returns next week, just two short months after the Lakers captured the 2020 title in the Orlando bubble. Jason and Mike get a sneak peak with NBA Deputy Commissioner, Mark Tatum. They discuss the importance of a quick turnaround for the business of basketball, the organization's relationship with corporate sponsors, and the challenges ahead for a season with teams at home and on the road.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rich Trueman and Damian Sassower reflect on week 14 of NFL action, and look ahead to week 15. Check out Rich’s fantasy football column every Thursday on the Bloomberg Terminal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Something went wrong across the history of the NCAA, as college football took all the oxygen and attention away from the notion of student athletes. The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics has made it a mission to help fix it, and CEO Amy Privette Perko joins the show to explain how it could be a fair system -- when it comes to both economics and race -- for the 90+ percent of college athletes who don't play football.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Barr and Rich Trueman break down the first week of Fantasy "Playoffs". We discuss the sleeper picks on the waiver wire and why it might be time to bench Ezekiel Elliott.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With a resume that includes two Super Bowl championships and seven Pro Bowl appearances, our guests knows a thing or two about winning on the football field. Now he wants to take that winning track record to the fight to prevent the spread of Covid-19. We talk to Washington Football Team alum and NFL Hall of Famer Darrell Green about his company Halodine, the current status of his former squad and how a short memory for both tragedy and triumph helps him keep him optimistic and looking ahead.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adewale Ogunleye made the leap from the NFL to an MBA and, armed with hard-won knowledge about bad business deals, now has another acronym to add to the mix: being a boss at UBS. The former Bear, Dolphin and Texan is advising current and former players, as well as budding movie and pop stars, about how to keep and grow that wealth they're generating. In a wide-ranging conversation, we talk about athletes finding their voice, locker room money culture and, in a twist, Mike Lynch's days as a substitute teacher.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Barr, Rich Trueman and Damian Sassower break down the final week of the fantasy football season. We discuss who you should pick up on the waiver wire, how to recover from a covid-19 week 12 and the best way to position your team for the playoffs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flush with endorsements and investments from athletes like Patrick Mahomes and newly minted deals with the NFL, MLB and the NBA, the ambitions of Hyperice are massive. Invoking game-changers like Apple, Peloton, and Dyon, CEO Jim Heuther breaks down the new, booming business of recovery with Jason, Mike and Michael. They discuss how getting products onto the sidelines and into the dugout, as well as a surge in at-home fitness, have Hyperice eyeing more acquisitions and a skyrocketing valuation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NBA All Star Baron Davis made an impact on the league, but his longest-lasting contributions have arguably come off the court. Starting with an inspired (and lucrative) early investment in Vitaminwater, Davis has become the model for the modern athlete-as-businessman. In conversation with Jason, Mike and Michael, Davis lays out his vision for empowering others through an ever-growing platform. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are inching ever closer to the playoffs as Week 12 is right around the corner.Are you aiming to squeak in or do you need players to secure that top spot? Well the team has a few guys who can help you.Michael Barr has made it to the last 28 in his Survival Pool. Who should he pick this week to keep him in the hunt?The guys also reminisce about the great Thanksgiving memories plus the best Turkey day football player of all time!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are few things less viable in a global pandemic than road races, whose business relies on thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, of people gathering in close proximity. It's a massive challenge for Dave McGillivray, the director of the Boston Marathon and founder of DMSE Sports. A legend in the business, he joins Jason, Michael and his long-time buddy Lynchie to talk about the economic devastation wrought by a calendar filled with cancellations, the evolution of racing, and its intersection with giving.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From a UMass standout to a stalwart defender in the NBA, Marcus Camby had a storied career. Hours after this year's unusual, virtual NBA Draft, the 17-year veteran of the league reminisces on getting picked by the two-year-old Toronto Raptors back in 1996, making good for his mistakes and the magic of owning your own barbershop (MC23 for those in the Houston area). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Barr, Rich Trueman, and Damian Sassower look ahead to week 11 action. Rich proposed trading one of the most coveted players in fanasty football this season. Want to find out who? You gotta listen to the podcast. And check back in next week to see if Barr has advanced in his survivor pool. It's down to 35 teams and he's getting antsy. Check out Rich’s fantasy football column every Thursday on the Bloomberg Terminal.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The basics of the modern Patriots story are well-known -- six rings, Hall of Famers all around and one of the world's most valuable sports franchises. But Jeff Benedict's "The Dynasty" goes deeper than anyone has before on the Beatles-esque collaboration among an owner, a coach, and a star player. Benedict dives in and compares notes with Lynchie and Jason, bringing the Pats' business story to the fore.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Managing a major Division I, public university athletic department through a global pandemic -- as part of one of the most powerful conferences in the NCAA -- is pushing Patrick Hobbs to use everything he's learned as an administrator, lawyer and dealmaker. The former law school dean talks to Jason and Mike about negotiating apparel deals, the power of a conference television network and getting back to the football field (and soon, the basketball court).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Kelly, Rich Trueman and Damian Sassower previewed week 10 of the NFL Season as Michael Barr was out this week.Can you figure out who is your league's most valuable fantasy player? Well look no further as Rich gives you a couple of candidates.The team also looks into possible trade targets as the playoffs are just around the corner.As always check out Rich’s fantasy football column every Thursday on the Bloomberg Terminal all season long. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CBD is getting a hard look from professional sports leagues seeking pain management alternatives. Jason Kelly and Mike Lynch speak with the co-founder and CEO of the CBD sports drink company DEFY, Megan Bushell. The business is co-founded by former Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis. They discuss the future for CBD products in sports, the difficulties the pandemic pose for DEFY, and the impact of recent legal triumphs for the marijuana industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sports betting is back in the headlines after a trio of states voted in favor of ballot measures aimed at legalizing gaming initiatives. Jason Kelly, Michael Barr, and Mike Lynch speak with Nigel Eccles, co-founder & CEO of sports app, Flick, and co-founder and former CEO of fantasy sports and betting platform FanDuel, about the gaming industry, and the path forward for his new sports chat platform, Flick. The app has drawn investments from several top-tier venture capital firms. They discuss Flick's deal with BetMGM in the U.S., the transformation of fan engagement during the pandemic, and why Flick is targeting sports influencers for the platform. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Barr, Rich Trueman, and Damian Sassower reflect on week 8 of NFL action, and look ahead to week 9. Check out Rich’s fantasy football column every Thursday on the Bloomberg Terminal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nothing against "Dancing With The Stars," but Monday Night Football needs to return to network television. At least if you ask Michael Barr. He's joined by Jason Kelly and Mike Lynch for a wide-ranging chat around NFL ratings, NY Mets ownership, and the Wynn Resorts-NASCAR betting partnership. They also discuss the Supreme Court's refusal to stop an antitrust suit against the NFL and DirecTV over the cost of Sunday Ticket package of out-of-market football games.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He's a Rhodes Scholar, a former professional football player and now a neurosurgeon on the front lines of a global pandemic. What can't Myron Rolle do? The former Florida State standout joins for a candid and personal conversation about the state of the game and the state of the worldwide health crisis. He talks about his family -- the extended one for whom football is the family business, and his own growing brood, including his twins born just a couple months back.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Barr and Rich Trueman had to do the heavy lifting this week as Damian Sassower was away on jury duty.However they still were able to give you some nuggets for your fantasy team as they look ahead to week 8 action.Check out Rich’s fantasy football column every Thursday on the Bloomberg Terminal.Rich made a couple picks that could keep your team going strong.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A minority owner of the first-place Philadelphia Union, Richie Graham is looking even further down the road. He's put together an ambitious blueprint to help the U.S. develop a soccer superstar -- think LeBron James for The Beautiful Game. At the core of the plan is the YSC Academy, which he calls "the Juilliard for soccer." With North America hosting the 2026 World Cup, and the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles two years after that, Graham is accelerating plans to expand U.S. soccer, especially for the men's game, which doesn't enjoy the global dominance of the U.S. Women's National Team.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Harold Reynolds joins us from Texas, where the the World Series is in full swing. The former All-Star turned MLB Network analyst says Covid has affected not only the big leagues, but the ecosystem underneath, including the minor leagues and the NCAA. Changes --financial and even in-game -- loom large in 2021, and Reynolds even takes a beat to marvel at Lynchie's authentic Boston accent.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you trade Ryan "Fitzmagic?" Do you pick up Tua Tagovailoa? Will Le'Veon Bell recapture his dominance in Kansas City?Michael Barr, Rich Trueman, and Damian Sassower reflect on all of this as they look ahead to week 7 action.Check out Rich’s fantasy football column every Thursday on the Bloomberg Terminal.If you listened to the podcast last week Rich made a huge pick.Don't miss out because his moves can turn you into a fantasy champ.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Casino CEO Derek Stevens sees a light at the end of the tunnel as Vegas looks to make a comeback. It was one of the hardest cities hit by the corona virus. Stevens discussed his Circa Resort & Casino being the first new one in downtown Vegas in 40 years and his expectations for business with tourism still lagging. He reminiscences with the team about his foray into the gambling world and how the industry continues to change. Oh and Michael Barr had a lot of good questions and insights... for a friend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.