Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Neymar have all joined the Saudi Pro League on nine-figure annual contracts. And the oil-rich league isn’t slowing down anytime soon, bidding to host marquee FIFA events and compete with Europe’s top football clubs. So today’s podcast examines the league's strategy and the impact that it will have on the global sports landscape.
Today’s podcast breaks down the money and business behind professional bowling, including the sport’s current popularity, how much the athletes are making, and more. Enjoy!
The NBA has seen its regular season viewership decline over the last several decades, and players routinely conduct load management throughout the season. So the NBA recently announced the addition of a new in-season tournament, and today’s podcast examines why its timing is critical to the league’s new media rights deal. Enjoy!
Today's podcast breaks down three topics: 1) Why Michael Oher (from the Blindside) is suing his make-believe family, 2) How Nate Diaz made more money boxing Jake Paul than his entire UFC career, and 3) A review of the new Netflix documentary "Untold: Johnny Football." Enjoy!
Cricket has 2.5 billion fans worldwide and is the world’s second-most popular sport. But with baseball stealing its thunder in the United States over the last 100 years, the sport is looking to make a comeback. So today’s podcast breaks down the individuals that raised $120 million to fund Major League Cricket (MLC) and why it might actually work. Enjoy!
The United States Women's Soccer Team (USWNT) lost to Sweden in the Round of 16 at this year's World Cup, effectively ending their dominant run and sending them packing much sooner than anyone imaged. But this early exit has also reignited the conversation around equal pay, so today's podcast will provide clarity by examining the nuance behind this topic. Enjoy!
Penn Entertainment shocked the sports world yesterday, announcing they were dumping Dave Portnoy and Barstool Sports to sign a $2 billion licensing deal with ESPN. This new deal will allow Penn to launch a new sportsbook in the US this Fall called ESPN Bet. And in return, it gives Dave Portnoy 100% ownership of his company for pennies on the dollar. So today's podcast will break down everything you need to know about the deal, including my early reaction on how this plays out for all parties inv...
The NFL regular season is less than a month away and Hard Knocks with the New York Jets officially debuts tonight. So today’s podcast takes a look at the business and money behind the NFL’s most popular content series, including the show’s origins, the selection process, the production crews, and more. Enjoy!
Today's podcast breaks down two topics: 1) Why Formula 1 shouldn't let Red Bull's dominance go on for much longer and 2) the NFL teams that generate the most money through ticket sales. Enjoy!
Soccer in the United States is having a moment right now, with Lionel Messi making his MLS debut and several of the world’s biggest clubs playing friendlies throughout the country. But is this a sign of bigger things to come for the world’s most popular sports? Or will it simply fizzle out once the NFL season starts back up next month? Today’s podcast will break down exactly where MLS is at and where they need to go. Enjoy!
Dan Snyder is officially gone. The Washington Commanders formally changed hands last week, with the 31 other NFL owners unanimously approving the $6.05 billion purchase by Josh Harris and his group. So today's podcast will break down what went wrong during Dan Snyder's tenure and why he still made more than $5 billion in profit despite never winning any big games. Enjoy!
Anyone who watched Spike TV in the early 2000s is in for a treat because SlamBall is BACK. The league has raised $11 million from investors like Michael Rubin, Gary Vaynerchuk, Blake Griffin, and David Blitzer, and its two-year deal with ESPN officially kicks off this Friday, July 21. So for today's podcast I sat down with SlamBall CEO Mason Gordon to discuss why SlamBall initially failed, how the company plans to make money, what the future might look like, and more. Enjoy!
The United States is the biggest sports market in the world — and European football clubs want a piece of it. Clubs want to expand their fan bases to American soil and take their already iconic organizations to an even higher level. So today's podcast will explore American fan expansion in European football, and focus on the groundbreaking work AC Milan is doing to plant its own flag in the United States. Enjoy!
When it comes to Saudi Arabia and sports, all eyes are on the merger deal between the PGA TOUR, DP World Tour, and LIV Golf. But in the background, talks about Saudi Arabian investment in professional tennis are brewing. So today’s podcast will examine why professional tennis is likely of interest to the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) and why the sport’s economics make it a prime target for financial disruption. Enjoy!
Today's podcast covers 1) The New York Yankees new $200 million jersey patch sponsor, 2) the details behind Lionel Messi's upcoming MLS debut, 3) why the New York Times is disbanding its sports desk, and 4) the economics that forced ESPN to fire 20+ on-air personalities. Enjoy!
The MSG Sphere in Las Vegas is going viral for its out-of-this-world display on the Las Vegas Strip. But what really is this giant Sphere for? Why was it built? How does it work? And what does the business behind it actually look like? This podcast will cover everything you need to know about the new Las Vegas MSG Sphere. Enjoy!
NFL teams only travel for one game per week when they're on the road during the season. But that doesn't mean their one trip is your normal, run-of-the-mill operation. That's because these trips include 150+ players, coaches, and staff members and 15,000+ pounds of equipment. So today's episode breaks down everything you need to know about the logistics behind NFL travel. Enjoy!
Planet Fitness has caught a lot of crap over the years for its Pizza Mondays, Bagel Tuesdays, and Lunk Alarm. But the gym chain is a behemoth, boasting 2,500 locations and 18 million members worldwide. So today's podcast breaks down the business behind Planet Fitness, including how they strategically acquire large gym spaces and why their pricing hasn't changed in 30 years. Enjoy!
Wimbledon is one of the world's most iconic sporting events. The 500-member private club in the suburbs of London takes home nearly $60 million in profit from a 2-week event each Summer. But they are also leaving a lot of money on the table. So today's podcast breaks down the $450 million business behind Wimbledon, including its media rights, ticket sales, sponsorships, concessions, and merchandise sales.
Steve Pagliuca is the former co-chairman of Bain Capital ($165 billion in AUM) and the current owner of the Boston Celtics (NBA) and Atalanta BC (s A). We discuss the negotiation process behind buying an NBA team, how he values the world's most prominent sports assets, the future of media rights deals, and more.
The Tour de France is one of the world's most challenging sporting events. So today's podcast will cover everything you need to know, from its 100+ year history and layout to the millions in prize money and sponsorships that each cyclist and team collect. Enjoy!
The European Football youth academy system is super complex. The world's biggest clubs are recruiting kids as young as 8 years old, promising them elite training and a chance to earn millions as a professional. So today's podcast breaks down how these academies work, what a typical schedule might look like, and the slim chances these players have at actually going pro. Enjoy!
Thousands of professional athletes globally make millions of dollars annually in salary. But what happens when things go wrong? Injuries occur, of course. And some players just don't perform their best for the entire contract length. So today's episode runs through the unique world of athlete insurance, including how it works and specific case studies of athletes who have benefited financially from these complex insurance policies. Enjoy!
Formula 1 is one of the world's fastest-growing sports. The business was purchased by Liberty Media in 2016 for $4.4 billion. They are now doing nearly $3 billion in annual revenue alone, and Formula 1's stock price is 275% since the acquisition. But rather than talk about Liberty Media specifically. Today's episode showcases how some of the sport's most prominent brands are leveraging the sport's 1.5 billion viewers to build multi-billion-dollar businesses. Enjoy!
Michael Jordan shocked the sports world last week when he announced that he was selling his controlling stake in the Charlotte Hornets at a $3 billion valuation. So today's podcast breaks down how Michael Jordan acquired the team for pennies on the dollar, why they have performed so poorly on the court, and how he's set to make more money on this one deal than his 40-year partnership with Nike. Enjoy!
The Las Vegas Golden Knights just won the Stanley Cup, reaching the mountaintop of the NHL in just six seasons of existence. So today we'll take a look at the business of the Golden Knights, including how the organization built a consistent contender from scratch and why their valuation has doubled ($500M to $1B) virtually overnight.
Los Angeles Country Club is hosting this week’s US Open golf tournament — and it's also one of the world’s most secretive golf clubs. So today's podcast breaks down everything you need to know, including why they don't allow celebrity members, their $250,000 initiation fees, their 1,000+ rule book, and the two laws implemented to help them save $80 million per year on taxes. Enjoy!
Big League Advantage is an investment firm that provides athletes with cash payments in exchange for a percentage of future earnings. The company has raised over $400 million and signed deals with several big-name athletes, so today’s podcast breaks down everything you need to know about how their business works and why more than 500 athletes have agreed to these deals. Enjoy!
Today's episode is broken into two parts: 1) A financial breakdown of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's new indoor golf league TGL and 2) an exclusive interview with Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who purchased the first team in TGL with tennis legend (and his wife) Serena Williams and Venus Williams. Enjoy!
Lionel Messi shocked the sports world this week, officially announcing his intent to join Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer. So today's podcast breaks down everything you need to know, including the events that led Messi to choose MLS over Barcelona and Saudi, the unique clauses in his contract that could make him $1B+, and more. Enjoy!
