Tracy Deforge is building The Player’s Impact, along with being on the board of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and USA Handball. A decorated sports leader, she has seen sports transform into a massive enterprise. The Player’s Impact (TPI) is a group comprised of both active and retired professional athletes who come together as a collective to build relationships, get educated, and invest in private companies. 6 years since their inception, they’ve deployed over $17M in capital and ha...
Feb 21, 2023•32 min•Ep. 18
(01:05) - Feel good stories Figure skating star Yuna Kim has donated $100,000 to aid earthquake recovery efforts in Turkey and Syria. Michael Jordan has donated $10M to Make-a-Wish. (02:50) - Business of Athletes Carmelo Anthony is co-launching a $750 million sports-focused private equity fund alongside former WWE executives. Super Bowl champ, Travis Kelce , has become an investor/partner in Casa Azul Spirits alongside legendary beverage founder Lance Collins. Tom Brady is jumping right into act...
Feb 19, 2023•17 min
Ben DiNucci is a professional football player, playing 2.5 years for the Dallas Cowboys and now for the Seattle Sea Dragons in the XFL. DiNucci is also a co-founder of True Brvnd, where they created the original upside-down Dallas hat. Chapters: (02:40) Becoming an NFL quarterback (06:25) HBO Hardknocks (08:15) Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Sea Dragons (11:05) Typical day for a pro-QB (offseason vs in-season) (13:45) Business and expenses of an NFL player (17:40) Signing day bonus purchases + taxes...
Feb 16, 2023•33 min•Ep. 17
With extensive global sporting knowledge and relationships, Edward helped found Sports Rights Tech. In this episode, we talk about India’s macro and microeconomics in sports. Sports Rights Tech is a specialist advisory business focused on optimizing Rights, Intellectual Property, and Technology in Sports and Entertainment. Chapters: (01:30) Eddie’s background in India (05:45) Sports Rights Tech (08:00) The bull case for India (11:15) India’s unique sports grassroots system (13:45) Cricket’s popu...
Feb 15, 2023•41 min•Ep. 16
After playing in the NFL for 6 years and working in sports for nearly a decade, David Anderson decided to start his own venture, BreakAway Data. BreakAway Data is a venture-backed data analytics platform with major deals across athletics including the NFLPA, UCLA, and other high-level sports properties. They were named to SBJ’s 10 most innovative companies to watch. Chapters: (01:15) What is biometric data and how is it used? (03:05) Playing in the NFL for 6 years and the rise of data analytics ...
Feb 07, 2023•40 min•Ep. 15
After several years of building a sports agency in China, Matt Beyer decided to start the East Asia Super League (EASL). It is the top basketball league in Asia, similar to the Champions League in European soccer. The EASL combines the best Asian clubs and leagues with the goal of becoming one of the world’s top three professional basketball leagues by 2025. Prior to building the EASL, Beyer spent time working for the NBA, as an agent, and in Chinese public relations. He speaks fluent Mandarin C...
Feb 05, 2023•39 min•Ep. 14
(00:50) - Feel good stories College athlete donates $22,000 and Make-A-Wish is hosting an awesome Super Bowl event (02:15) - Business of Athletes The NFL salary cap is increasing from $208.2M to $224.8M for 2023. Shinesty, a men's underwear company, signed a deal with Clemson basketball player Brevin Galloway after his “balls” video went viral. Former NFL players Calvin Johnson Jr. and Rob Sims have launched their newest CBD product, Primitiv Performance . Baseball star Shohei Ohtani has signed ...
Feb 05, 2023•16 min
Adam Breneman is a quick riser in the sports media world. He is an entrepreneur, college football analyst, investor, speaker, and content creator. Breneman was a 5-star football recruit that played at Penn State and UMass. He coached TEs at Arizona State for two years before jumping into the sports business world. Adam Breneman is also a vice president at Mercury, an athlete-driven media company utilizing NIL across college athletics. Chapters: (00:45) Adam’s entrepreneurial drive (02:40) How NI...
Jan 31, 2023•30 min•Ep. 13
Business of Athletes: Firefly Recovery has raised $1M from a group of athlete investors including Olympic Volleyball player Kerri Walsh Jennings, and NFL players Shaq Thompson + Darren Waller. Lebron James’ investment in pickleball drew over 4 billion eyeballs. Former NBA star Carlos Boozer has partnered with The Campins Company to offer best-in-class real estate services to athletes, entertainers, and high-net-worth individuals. Arizona Cardinals linebacker, real estate investor, entrepreneur, ...
Jan 29, 2023•9 min
Ishveen Jolly is building OpenSponsorship, a two-sided global marketplace for sports sponsorship. Their platform makes it easy for brands to partner with athletes, teams, and events. Ishveen Jolly has received numerous awards including Forbes 30 Under 30 and Inc. Top 100 Female Founder. OpenSponsorship has several notable athlete investors including Serena Williams and Baron Davis. Chapters: (00:40) Experience as a female in the sports industry (02:55) Advice for females looking to start a sport...
Jan 26, 2023•25 min•Ep. 12
Brian Fagan is the founder of Oncoor Sports, a marketing agency for athletes, collectives, and brands. In 2021, it was acquired by a Utah-based group to help integrate NIL. Oncoor currently has over 100 athletes, 50 brands, and 42 universities in its portfolio. Brian Fagan also serves as the Head of Sales at the Playbook app, a creator platform for athletes, coaches, and fitness influencers. Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (02:45) State of the creator economy (06:05) Oncoor Sports and the Playboo...
Jan 24, 2023•33 min•Ep. 11
(00:30) Feel good stories Sport Clips Haircuts held an event where they also donated $1.5M toward veterans' scholarships. NBA forward Kyle Kuzma is donating $1 million to the YMCA in his hometown of Flint, Michigan. The Green Bay Packers are donating $100,000 to provide 80 Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) to schools in Wisconsin. (02:05) - Business of Athletes/Sports Olympic gold medal-winning sprinter Usain Bolt is missing more than $12.7 million from an account with a Jamaican private ...
Jan 22, 2023•11 min
Cole Peterson is one of the youngest coaches/directors in all of Division 1 FBS football. At only 24 years old, he recently got hired by Trent Dilfer at the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB). In this conversation, we talk about the business of college football, the rise of athlete entrepreneurs, the difficulties coaches are facing with NIL, and what life is like as a college football coach. Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (03:00) Rise of UAB football over the last 10 years (05:30) Importance...
Jan 19, 2023•31 min•Ep. 10
Paul Anton is building Huupe, the world’s first smart basketball hoop - merging technology, gaming, and sports training. Prior to Huupe, Anton built two companies (1 of which was acquired). Huupe recently raised $5M including investments from several NBA players such as Trevor Booker and Thaddeus Young. Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (02:17) Paul Anton’s entrepreneur journey (03:50) Why a smart basketball hoop? (06:10) $3B basketball backboard market (08:25) Creating a buzz with $0 in marketing ...
Jan 17, 2023•24 min•Ep. 9
(0:40) - Feel good stories Florida State offensive lineman Dillan Gibbons has raised over $500,000 through NIL for his charity "Big Man, Big Heart." Damar Hamlin’s charity hits $8.8M in donations. (2:10) - Business of Athletes Michael Phelps, Odell Beckham Jr, Jeremy Lin , & more invest in Major League Pickleball ( MLP ). Alex Rodriguez has exercised his option alongside Marc Lore to buy a second 20% stake in the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx. Blake Griffin, Joe Burrow, Khris Middleton, Ke...
Jan 15, 2023•14 min
Steven Farag is building Campus Ink, a merch platform at the center of NIL and college athletics. In 2022, Campus Ink raised several million dollars (including an investment from Mark Cuban) and scaled to over 30 employees and 13 Universities. Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (01:30) From creating merch to building Campus Ink (02:35) How Steven got Mark Cuban to invest (04:40) Experience being on the show “My First Million” (06:30) Hardest thing about the apparel business (09:20) NIL and his exper...
Jan 12, 2023•31 min•Ep. 8
Porter Grieve is building Mercury, a collegiate fan experience platform built on the bedrock of blockchain technology that uses athlete-driven media as its main marketing tool. Prior to Mercury, Grieve spent several years at the soccer club, AS Roma. Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (03:20) Creating fan experiences and Mercury’s agenda (07:10) Merging the worlds of Web2 and Web3 (09:30) Where is blockchain technology headed? (13:10) Communicating innovative tech to athletic departments (15:00) Bui...
Jan 10, 2023•33 min•Ep. 7
Ryan Girardot is an exited founder now building in the youth basketball space. Cerebro Sports is a Mark Cuban company using data analytics to provide deep insights for the main entities in sports. . Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (03:00) Basketball data analytics & Cerebro Sports (06:25) How he got Mark Cuban to invest (08:35) Growth since Mark Cuban joined (11:00) How to reach customers in youth sports (14:50) Pro players that went unnoticed because of no data (20:05) Applying their C-RAM s...
Jan 03, 2023•33 min•Ep. 6
Jacob Turner was the 9th pick in the 2009 MLB draft and played professional baseball for over a decade. He is now building JL Strategic Wealth, a financial management firm for high-net-worth entrepreneurs and athletes. They work with several notable clients including MLB all-stars who made over 9 figures in earnings. In this podcast, we talk about the business side of being an athlete, some cool stories from his playing days, why everyone should be posting content, and why the tax code is litera...
Dec 29, 2022•29 min•Ep. 5
Roy Daneman is a repeat entrepreneur who is now building an AI-infused sports training equipment company, Strikeco. In this podcast, we talk about AI, why now is the time to build in sports, esports vs physical sports, Israel's success in sports technology, and his family's relationship with one of the greatest soccer players of all time...Diego Maradona. Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (02:05) Why is Israel a top sports tech region in the world? (04:40) Where sports technology is headed over the...
Dec 27, 2022•27 min•Ep. 4
Nick Esayian is a repeat entrepreneur, founder, and former race car driver who is now building a protective headwear company, LIGHT Helmets, which believes “light” helmets are more protective than “heavy” helmets. . Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (02:40) Helmet space in sports + LIGHT Helmets (06:35) Testing labs for football helmets (and NFL) (10:55) Why should helmets be lighter (not heavier)? (14:55) How big is the market for protective headwear? (19:30) NIL - how are they using it to promote...
Dec 21, 2022•45 min•Ep. 3
Chapters: ( 00:25) Feel Good Stories (1:35) Business of Athletes (7:00) NIL/College Sports (10:25) Future of Sports Andrew Petcash links : 🏠 Website: https://profluence.com ✉️ Newsletter: https://www.petcashpost.com 🎙 Podcast: https://anchor.fm/andrewpetcash 🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/andrewpetcash 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/ 🕺 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewpetcash 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ch...
Dec 18, 2022•13 min
Jason Syversen is an entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist who is now building an artificial intelligence (AI) company in sports. Sportsvisio automatically captures highlights and stats from sporting events. In this podcast, we talk about AI, why he decided to build a company in sports, the differences between founding/investing in companies, and the future of Sportsvisio. . Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (02:55) Why is now the time to build in sports? (04:10) Background on Sportsvisio (06:...
Dec 12, 2022•39 min•Ep. 2
(0:30) - Feel good stories Dick’s Sporting Goods $150M in donations, Manny Pacquiao donated 100% of fight proceeds to charity, and the Boston Celtics gifting $155,000. (1:50) - Business of Athletes Nike is cutting ties with Kyrie Irving , he reportedly earned $8-12 million/year with the contract. Ray Lewis, Emmanuel Acho, Baron Davis , and other athletes have invested in the $15M Series B round of MOON ULTRA, a consumer electronics company. MLB teams have spent over $1 billion in player contract...
Dec 11, 2022•13 min
CJ Watson is a former NBA player turned angel investor, entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist. In this podcast, he talked about the transition from playing pro basketball to investing in over 20 companies. You can check out his business profile here: https://profluence.com/athletes/cj-watson . Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (01:00) Transition from NBA to investing (04:15) NIL changing the landscape (08:00) Average day for CJ Watson (09:00) Becoming an Author + Entrepreneur (11:25) Angel Inves...
Dec 09, 2022•24 min•Ep. 1
Audio Timeline: 1:55 - Feel good stories Alabama and Auburn team up for a good cause and a $100,000 donation for scholarships. 4:08 - Business of Athletes Alex Morgan invested in Soccer Post , a large soccer retailer and online site. Mario Gotze participated in the $5.5M seed round of Secjur , a German compliance and information security company. Rumors are swirling that Cristiano Ronaldo is considering a $207 million per year contract with the Saudi Arabian squad Al Nassr FC . 7:30 - Name, Imag...
Dec 03, 2022•18 min
Audio Timeline: 0:40 - Feel good stories * History has been made with the first Division 1 female athlete in baseball and a $10,000 half-court shot. 2:00 - Business of Athletes * Jayson Tatum, Connor McDavid, and Mitch Marner are investing in the youth sports engagement app, TheProgram AI . * Former UCLA Decathlete, David Bunevacz , has been sentenced to 17.5 years in prison for defrauding $35 million from investors. * Kevin Love has invested in Aescape , which is developing fully automated mass...
Nov 27, 2022•12 min
Audio Timeline: 0:35 - Feel good stories * 6 marathons in 6 days, the nation's only team comprised entirely of deaf and hard of hearing players has made the NCAA tournament, and more. 3:05 - Business of Athletes * Odell Beckham Jr. is suing Nike over $20M in damages. * Virgil van Dijk is the newest investor in the wearable tech company Whoop . * Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield are partnering to sell cannabis treats manufactured under Tyson’s newly formed brand house Carma Holdings . * Nike has ...
Nov 20, 2022•12 min
Audio Timeline: 1:25 - Business of Athletes * Hall of Fame QB John Elway has invested significantly in Tom’s Watch Bar , an entertainment-focused sports super bar. * Mick Foley , a former pro wrestler, is the top-earning athlete on the video platform Cameo . * Lionel Messi is investing in the digital collectible NFT company Sorare . * Tom Brady , Steph Curry , and Shohei Ohtani were all investors in the crumbling crypto company FTX . * Minnesota Viking QB, Kirk Cousins , has purchased Clearbrook...
Nov 13, 2022•12 min
Audio Timeline: 0:25 - Feel good stories * Philadelphia Phillies $50,000 donation and UNC student-athletes raising money for the Children’s Hospital. 2:00 - Business of Athletes * Potential Hall of Fame baseball player Jimmy Rollins is launching ScoutUS Pro, an app connecting athletes and scouts in one place. * Steph Curry filed the trademark “CURRYVERSE’ with an intent to use it in the metaverse. * Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s venture TMRW Sports has announced an array of high-level athlete i...
Nov 06, 2022•14 min
