#298: Alec Boccanfuso & Charles LaRosa, Gabelli - Breaking Down the Sports Investment Landscape

Alec Boccanfuso and Charles LaRosa are part of the investment team at Gabelli Funds, where they focus on identifying opportunities across the evolving sports, media, and entertainment landscape. Alec specializes in communications services and technology, with a focus on interactive entertainment and outdoor leisure, while Charles leads the firm’s ETF initiatives, overseeing strategy, product development, and distribution.Together, they are helping shape one of the more innovative approaches to sports investing through the development of a Sports ETF—designed to give investors exposure to the broader sports ecosystem. Their work spans public markets, covering everything from teams and leagues to media rights, gaming, and live entertainment, offering a diversified way to participate in the growth of the industry.In this episode, they join the conversation to break down how the sports ecosystem is defined from an investment perspective, why ETFs are becoming an attractive vehicle for accessing sports assets, and where they see the biggest opportunities emerging globally. They also share insights on market trends, the role of live entertainment, and how investors should think about long-term value creation in sports.Podcast Chapters:02:30 Defining the Sports Ecosystem05:23 Investment Strategy and Portfolio Holdings07:46 The Appeal of ETFs in Sports Investment10:31 Market Trends and Future Opportunities13:33 Global Perspective on Sports Assets 16:05 Challenges and Rebuttals in Sports Investment 18:43 Long-term Vision and Market Dynamics 21:42 The Role of Live Entertainment in Sports 24:20 Conclusion and Future OutlookProfluence Sports:🏠 Website: https://profluence.com🐣 Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewpetcash💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetcash/Gabelli: 🏠 Website: https://www.gabelli.com/💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/investgabelli/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/investgabelliThanks for listening! Hit the “follow” button to stay updated on new podcasts.