In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Zander Atwood, talks with Tanner Natzke, Account Executive of Premium Sales with the Phoenix Suns NBA team. Tanner, a recent graduate from the University of Iowa, has become an emergent leader in premium sales and service over the course of his young career, having worked for the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, FL and working under a new ownership group with the Phoenix Suns in Arizona. He is also the founder and host of t...
Feb 26, 2025•42 min•Ep. 74
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Zander Atwood, talks with the Associate Athletic Director of Marketing & Fan Experience for Purdue University Athletics, Chris Peludat. Chris has served as an athletic director of the Boilermakers for over 13 years, but has worked in intercollegiate athletics in a ticketing and marketing capacity for over 25 years. Chris’ leadership and appreciation for sports marketing have helped to grow Purdue’s fan base exponentially, especially ...
Nov 27, 2024•30 min•Ep. 73
In this episode, new Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Zander Atwood, talks with the Senior Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service at the Milwaukee Bucks, Paul Bee. Paul has served in a ticket sales and service role over the past 18 years for multiple organizations, including the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA team, the Detroit Red Wings NHL team and the Milwaukee Bucks NBA team. Paul discusses his role in the ticket sales process, his transition to leadership in a competitive environment, ...
Nov 04, 2024•35 min•Ep. 72
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with former Chief Financial Officer of the Indianapolis Colts, Kurt Humphrey. Kurt was one of the first full-time hires for the Colts, after they moved in Indianapolis in 1984, and served as the CFO for 37 years. In this episode, he discusses the CFO’s role in professional football, how the NFL industry is unique as compared to other businesses, and relays his favorite memories from working with the Colts....
Apr 12, 2024•51 min•Ep. 71
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with Operations Manager at the Chicago Blackhawks, Morgan Petriko. After a career of working in college athletic administration, Morgan was able to apply these skills into the daily management of the Fifth Third Arena in Chicago. In this episode, Morgan reflects on her career journey, how being available to do anything and everything in sports helped her along the way, and she talks about the trade-offs of workin...
Mar 22, 2024•36 min•Ep. 70
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with the managers of the Chicago Fire Inside Sales Academy, Carlos Ames and Sam Bocken. Carlos and Sam both came to the Fire after beginning their careers in the New York Mets Sales Academy. In this episode, Carlos and Sam break down the inner workings of inside sales, discuss their career paths, and pass along advice for students looking to break into sports sales.
Feb 23, 2024•31 min•Ep. 69
This is a special episode of the Trine Center for Sports Studies Podcast as we air the talk from this year’s Featured Speaker, Garrett Martz. A 2004 Trine Marketing graduate, Garrett got his start in sports as an account representative for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Within five years, he had worked his way up to the Vice President of Sales before partnering with a colleague to form Potter Sports Group. Potter Sports Group is a sports agency focusing on professional basketball, with athletes in the...
Feb 09, 2024•49 min•Ep. 68
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with Trine alumnus and Group Sales Account Executive for the Detroit Tigers, Jackson Billings. A 2021 Sport Management graduate, Jackson was able to take his experiences as a ticket sales intern for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and member of Trine’s first National Collegiate Sports Sales Championship team, into a career with the Tigers.
Jan 26, 2024•29 min•Ep. 67
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with a scout from the Utah Jazz, Brian Pauga. Brian was a student manager for Michigan State University and turned his passion for basketball into a career as an NBA scout and G-League General Manager. In this episode, he discusses the day-to-day responsibilities of a scout, the skills needed to break into an NBA front office, and how the profession has changed due to analytics.
Jan 12, 2024•34 min•Ep. 66
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with veteran public address announcer and host of the Talkin’ Sports show on 1380am The Fan, Jim Shovlin. A Fort Wayne native, Jim has announced high school, college, and professional sports in the Summit City and hosted his own radio sports talk show for the past 15 years. In this episode, he discusses how making funny character sounds during a baseball game landed him his first radio gig, the amount of preparat...
Dec 08, 2023•35 min•Ep. 65
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with Associate Director of Compliance with Notre Dame Athletics, Jeff Parry. Jeff is one of seven compliance staff members at Notre Dame responsible for maintaining compliance with NCAA rules and regulations. In this episode, he explains his path to Notre Dame, how he works within the NCAA rules to assist student-athletes and gives advice for people wanting to break into sports.
Nov 10, 2023•30 min•Ep. 64
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with the Coordinator of Game Activations and Marketing for the Indy Eleven, Rachel Lopez. Rachel has recently transitioned from ticket sales into marketing and sponsorship activation for Indianapolis’ professional soccer team, the Indy Eleven. In this episode, she explains why she is a “memory maker” for fans and discusses the value in learning the revenue development side of sports business.
Oct 13, 2023•29 min•Ep. 63
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with the Commissioner of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), Dr. Chris Brown. Although this is Dr. Browns first tenure as a commissioner, he has a strong background in college athletics working for the University of Kansas, the NCAA national office, and most recently at the University of Delaware. In this episode, Dr. Brown discusses how putting student-athletes first has prepared him for th...
Sep 29, 2023•35 min•Ep. 62
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with the Facilities Operations Coordinator of the Indiana Pacers, Aaron Magnuson. Aaron graduated from IUPUI only two years ago but has already had experience working in the NFL and NBA in events and facilities management. In this episode, Aaron discusses how his experiences during college, including seven internships, prepared him for his role with the Indiana Pacers. He also explains the logistics in preparing ...
Sep 15, 2023•26 min•Ep. 61
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with coach of the Adrian College esports team, and recent Trine alumnus, Ethan Hill. After a three-year career as a collegiate Call of Duty player, Ethan is now responsible for growing the esports team at Adrian. In this episode, Ethan discusses the role of a college esports coach, the value esports can bring to a college, and careers in the esports industry.
Sep 01, 2023•30 min•Ep. 60
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with Vice President of Content Development at Nexstar Media Group, Chris Berg. With over three decades in journalism and news television, Chris shares his outlook on rights deals with professional sports leagues, the future of regional sports networks and how local affiliates can compete, and how broadcasters are adjusting in the age of streaming.
Mar 30, 2023•33 min•Ep. 59
A special episode of the Center for Sports Studies Podcast where Associate Professor of Sport Management and Director of the Center for Sports Studies, Brandon Podgorski, breaks down the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament bracket using historical data and other statistical analyses.
Mar 16, 2023•32 min•Ep. 58
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with long-time Fremont High School baseball coach, and Assistant Professor of Education at Trine, Justin Bock. In 2022, Professor Bock was honored by the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly for his contributions to education and coaching by his peers and students. In this episode, Professors Bock and Podgorski discuss the coaching profession and strategies for effectively leading youth.
Mar 02, 2023•36 min•Ep. 57
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with the Performance Center Operations Manager of the South Bend Cubs, Patrick Foust. A Trine Sport Management alumnus, Patrick is in his second season as the full-time operations manager with the Cubs. In his role, Patrick is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the performance center including scheduling both team and non-team events. In this episode, Patrick discusses the life of a Minor League Basebal...
Feb 16, 2023•29 min•Ep. 56
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with Major League Baseball scout, Mike Medici. Mike has been an MLB scout for over a dozen years and is currently in his ninth year with the Texas Rangers. As an amateur scout, Mike is responsible for evaluating high school and college baseball players in the Midwest, and he has had two players sign MLB contracts as well as fifteen minor leaguers. In this episode, Mike discusses the two types of scouting in baseb...
Feb 02, 2023•29 min•Ep. 55
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with Visit Fort Wayne Sports Sales Manager, Jazmin Zavala. After a career in sales and customer service, Jazmin uses her skills to help attract large sporting events to Fort Wayne. In this episode, Jazmin discusses her role with Visit Fort Wayne, the bidding process for attracting large events, and the economic impacts of sporting events on northeast Indiana.
Jan 19, 2023•42 min•Ep. 54
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, speaks with his Principles of Sport and Recreation Management class about sports trends with Generation Z. Professor Podgorski asks a number of questions to get a Gen Z view of the current sports landscape. Topics include how Gen Z consumes sports, their favorite sports media personalities, the popularity of the World Cup, and who they think will win the Super Bowl.
Dec 01, 2022•32 min•Ep. 53
Today’s episode is a replay of the November 1st Center for Sports Studies symposium – Sales & Sports. In this episode, Center for Sports Studies director, Professor Brandon Podgorski, moderates a sports sales panel with Zander Atwood, Athletics Ticket Sales and Annual Fund Director with Purdue Fort Wayne Athletics and Brent Harring, Director of Group Sales with the Fort Wayne TinCaps. Both Zander and Brent share about their careers in sports sales and answer student questions regarding the i...
Nov 10, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 52
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with author of Spies on the Sidelines: The High-Stakes World of NFL Espionage, Kevin Bryant. Kevin is an Army veteran with over twenty years of experience safeguarding and gathering information for the Department of Defense, including thirteen years as a Special Agent during which he conducted national security investigations and instructed federal agents in training. In this episode, Kevin discusses his new book...
Oct 27, 2022•34 min•Ep. 51
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with the Pro Shop Manager, Adult League Coordinator, and Co-Social Media Manager of the Lone Star Brahmas, Jess Friederick. Jess is a 2022 Trine alumna who graduated with an MBA and an undergraduate degree in management. In this episode, Jess discusses her dual roles with the Brahmas and making the transition from full-time student to full-time sport professional.
Oct 14, 2022•20 min•Ep. 50
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with the Sales and Hiring Coordinator at Peak Sports Management, Greyson Allen. Peak Sports Management works with mid-major and NCAA Division II colleges all over the country to provide sales and marketing support for their athletic departments. As the Sales and Hiring Coordinator, Greyson is responsible for the recruiting and onboarding of new account representatives for all of the PSM properties. On this episod...
Sep 29, 2022•34 min•Ep. 49
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with the host of Crain & Co., Jake Crain. During 2020, Jake was coaching football at a college in Montana when he moved back to his home state of Alabama during the pandemic. Shortly after returning home, he created The JBoy Show podcast which mainly focused on SEC football. In just under two years, his show has grown from a weekly SEC football podcast to a daily show with the Daily Wire. In this episode, Jak...
Sep 22, 2022•34 min•Ep. 48
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with Dr. Nicholas Zoroya, an Assistant Professor of Sport Management at Madonna University. Before becoming a full-time professor, Dr. Zoroya created and produced a popular lacrosse podcast, Going Offsides, and also broadcasted lacrosse games for the University of Michigan. In this episode, Dr. Zoroya discusses how to begin a career in podcasting and broadcasting as well as provides career advice for aspiring spo...
Sep 15, 2022•50 min•Ep. 47
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks athletic trainer, Andrew Delagrange. After serving in the Army, Andrew earned a degree in Athletic Training and has worked as an ATC for multiple colleges and is now an athletic trainer in the Army. In this episode, Andrew talks about his role as an ATC, the challenges of the profession, and the rewards of helping athletes and soldiers perform at their best.
Sep 01, 2022•32 min•Ep. 46
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, reflects on the 50th anniversary of Title IX and its impact on women’s sports. He also explains how Title IX is applied in athletic departments and the outlook of women’s sports in the future.
Jul 01, 2022•27 min•Ep. 45
