Sports Business Conversations

With House v NCAA now officially settled law, we took time to circle back with Dr Dan Rascher, the lead economist on the case, Director of Academic Programs of the USF Sport Management Program, and according to some, one of the most powerful people in college football.

Dr Rascher played an integral role in the case by helping unravel the complex economics of college sports. In doing so, he had a front row seat to the decision-maki...

I’m going to level with you.

Doing this whole podcasting thing isn’t exactly for the feint of heart, you know? It’s a lot of work. Scheduling guests, recording episodes, editing (ugh, the editing), posting, promoting, social media (ugh, socials…) All the while wondering if anyone is listening…

So when you you get a like, or a rating, or a positive comment, it can be pretty cool. But when you get an actual AWARD? Man, that’s just nex...

There’s an African expression that people who serve in the Navy hear a lot: “Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.” Basically it means that your skill isn’t developed unless you find yourself in tough situations.

No one knows this better than Brandon Doll, Founder of Sports and Entertainment Advisors. After leaving the comparatively smooth seas of the US Navy, Doll found himself working for the Oakland Raiders, a team that more...

Welcome to the 72nd episode of the Sports Business Conversations podcast.

We wanted to mention the number of episodes to give you a little perspective of the number of people we’ve had a chance to talk to since launching this show a few years ago. Over 70 people who are leading, changing, and improving sports business in different ways. Each of the brings things to the table that have helped them find success: intelligence, foresig...

We all have obstacles that we face in life. Sometimes these might seem petty. Like, oh my god the wifi is so slow today. But oftentimes these obstacles may be more substantial. Things like unhappiness in a job. Loneliness. Addiction. Relationship challenges. The list, unfortunately, goes on.

These things can impact us to such a degree that we become almost paralyzed by them.

It’s something that this episode’s guest, Robert Paylor,...

There haven't been a lot of quiet moments for Tamzin Barriolhet since we last spoke: big time promotions, groundbreaking partnerships, and the arrival of Sophie.

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

The Sports Business Conversations podcast is a production of ADC Partners, a sports marketing agency that specializes in creating, managing, and evaluating effective partnerships between brands and sports. All rights reserved.

YOUR HOST

Dave Almy brings ove...

The next 10 years are kind of unprecedented for the United States in terms of global sporting events coming here. Let’s do a quick review:

• FIFA Club World Cup coming later this year.
• FIFA World Cup in 2026.
• LA Olympics in 2028.
• FIFA Women’s World Cup AND Rugby World Cup will both be here in 2031.
• Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2034.

That’s a lot to take in. And it’s going to require a herculean effort from both eve...

With so many people interested in working in sports, it’s amazing how many successful sports biz execs I talk to didn’t start with that goal. A lot of them were caught completely off guard by the opportunity to do so.

That’s definitely the case with this episode’s guest, Leela Srinivasan. The experienced tech CMO of companies like OpenTable and SurveyMonkey was just starting to wonder what might be next might be next for her. And i...

Consider for a moment, if you will, the humble stadium sign. Yes, those ubiquitous displays that vie for your attention at every stadium and arena you’ve ever been to.

I think most people in sports business have been guilty at one time or another of looking at those signs a little derisively. You know. “Spots and Dots”, as they saying goes. The things you add toward the end of a sponsorship proposal.

Well, disregard the no-longer h...

I think it’s fair to say that pain, and managing pain, is just part of a football players every day experience. It’s something a player just has to learn how to deal with. The entire culture of the sport kind of celebrates pain, right? “Play through the pain” “No pain no gain”. And my personal favorite: “Just Rub some dirt in it”.

But there’s a human toll to all that pain. We’ve all seen stories of former athletes laid low by the t...

So a little personality quirk about me: I love to drive. On a long road trip, I’ll turn off the radio and cruise in silence. It’s one of the few times I can really just let my mind just unspool.

This episode’s guest also loves to drive. In fact, Mike Rolih, the founder and CEO of GoRout, loves driving so much, he became a limo driver after his baseball playing career wound down. He would spend hours driving thinking about what his ...

On March 1, 2025, I had a chance to do a live interview with Jess Smith, President of the Golden State Valkyries, for the USF Sports Management Program.

In our conversation, Jess talks about the decision to join the Valkyries, building the team’s front office, how she’ll evaluate success in this first year of operation, and what’s left to do with a little more than 2 months before the first tip off in franchise history,

Special shou...

There’s a line from Arthur Miller’s play “Death of a Salesman” that’s always stuck with me. It’s when the memory of Willy Loman’s successful older brother Ben is encouraging him to persevere when the going gets tough.

Ben says, "The jungle is dark but full of diamonds, Willy. One must go in to fetch a diamond out."

This episode’s guest, Chris Pearlman, the CEO of Aggregate Sports? Well, suffice it to say he knows a thing or two abo...

In this episode of "Catching Up", we reconnect with Episode 8 guest Ashley Chalk, who left Chip Ganassi Racing to become the VP of Partnerships for the Tomorrow Golf League.

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

The Sports Business Conversations podcast is a production of ADC Partners, a sports marketing agency that specializes in creating, managing, and evaluating effective partnerships between brands and sports. All rights reserved.

YOUR HOST

Dave Al...

Was there ever a point where you thought you wanted to be a sports agent?

Look, most of us have. Call it the “Jerry Maguire” effect. The 1996 Tom Cruise movie was a first exposure to sports business for a lot of people. And it made the job seem pretty cool, right? Going to games with a lanyard around your neck that provides all kinds of access, rubbing elbows with athletes and owners, being down on the field, etc.

My guest, Mac Bar...

What a world it is when you can be considered past your prime at age 27. But that’s pro baseball for you. That talent pipeline is always filling up with new players who are looking to take a roster spot. Even veterans as talented as Bobby Bramhall, a promising lefty pitcher, who’d come back from Tommy John surgery and was pitching better than ever, wasn't safe.

But when the writing is on the wall, you can do one of 2 things: bury y...

People say a lot of interesting things on this podcast, but this quote from Mark McCullers, Principal of the McCullers Group, really caught my attention.

He said: "You have to make the building sweat".

Basically it means that if you’re thinking of building a sports facility, you have to make that barn work as hard as it possibly can for your organization. You have to squeeze every last drop of usage and revenue out of that thing.

Fe...

Let’s start by just stating the obvious. There’s a lot of people out there who want to work in sports.

My guest Scott Doyne of Doyne Services was one of those guys. And he pulled it off. Did all the things he needed to do: worked his tail off, got a job with Turner Sports to work on NASCAR and then the NBA, hooked into digital media when it was just starting to take off, and doing all the things that make working in sports pretty ...