Navigating Sports Business

George Kliavkoff - Commissioner of the Pac-12 - joins AJ Maestas to discuss the major trends in college athletics like CFP expansion, NIL, and potential football rule changes. George talks about how his career outside of college athletics has prepared him for his new role, and what that transition has been like so far. He also explains why he's so optimistic about his conference's future. Details: 1:28 - The transition from fan to commissioner 8:45 - CFP expansion and football rule changes 12:05 - NIL & broader changes to the NCAA 32:10 - Future of the Pac-12 44:30 - The Alliance (Pac-12, ACC, and Big 10) 50:00 - Rapid Fire Questions For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/

Ariel Kelman - Oracle's EVP & Chief Marketing Officer - on how he selected Red Bull Racing as a partner, and how he uses that partnership to showcase Oracle's technology. Listen to the full interview released on 12-21-21 with Jeff Nelson here: https://nvgt.com/podcast?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=199f4dff26be0bba46c7db9b60685730 For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/

Chris Overholt - President and CEO of OverActive Media - on the rise of esports and gaming, and what it means for the future of sports fandom. Chris and AJ discuss how OAM's esports model reflects traditional sports properties that own and operate teams in multiple leagues. They also examine how brands can use esports to authentically reach younger generations. Details: 2:00 Chris Overholt's background 6:30 OAM: A media company for the 21st century 19:40 How traditional sports properties reach an esports audience 23:45 The future of esports fandom 34:45 Crypto, gambling, and emerging trends 39:35 Rapid Fire Questions For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/

Gene Smith - Director of Athletics at Ohio State - shares his thoughts on expanding the CFP to 8 or 12 teams. He highlights the opportunity that expansion would provide for teams that often don't have a realistic chance to make the top 4, while also acknowledging the risk of devaluing the lower level bowl games for fans - in the same way that the NCAA basketball tournament devalues conference tournaments. Listen to the full interview released on 12-8-21 with AJ Maestas here: https://nvgt.com/podcast?ppplayer=98f56b6dd6dca41729f186d12a4d1251&ppepisode=d0c53ae36b6339643c529a0f6571effd For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/ For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/

Xavier Gutierrez - President, CEO, & Alternate Governor of the Arizona Coyotes - on his career path from finance, to politics, to the NHL. He shares his experience as the league's first Latino president, and how he plans to market the Coyotes to the Latino community. He and AJ also discuss the team's commitment to Arizona, including their 2-billion dollar arena development plan in Tempe. Details: 1:55 - Being the first Latino president in the NHL 9:55 - Xavier's background in finance and politics 26:15 - The Coyotes and sports betting, given they own a casino 28:45 - Building a new arena 35:35 - The Coyotes commitment to Arizona 38:10 - Coyotes business practices 44:30 - Rapid Fire Questions For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/

Julie Uhrman - Co-Founder and President of Angel City FC - on launching the club in the crowded LA sports marketplace, and the vision that she and the team share that helps them stand out from the crowd. Listen to the full episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/julie-uhrman-angel-city-fc/id1544529117?i=1000542940127 For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/

Oracle is one of the most respected brands in sports marketing. Ariel Kelman - EVP and Chief Marketing Officer - joins the show to highlight his strategy for utilizing sports sponsorships that tell a story. He shares why Oracle's partnership with Red Bull Racing is a perfect platform to highlight the ways that their technology are utilized by the team. When meeting with potential partners, he always looks for tech-focused organizations that would be utilizing Oracle's services whether or not there was a sponsorship deal in place. Details 2:20 - Red Bull Racing/F1 9:25 - Premier League 16:25 - Ariel's background 27:00 - Transitioning during COVID-19 33:05 - How to make a deal with Oracle 35:30 - Metaverse 40:20 - Rapid Fire Questions For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/

Amiel Sawdaye - SVP & Assistant GM for the Arizona Diamondbacks - discusses how a team can enter a rebuilding phase without tanking for draft picks. He also talks about how his team can be competitive despite having roughly half the payroll of the other teams in the NL West. Listen to the full interview here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/amiel-sawdaye-arizona-diamondbacks/id1544529117?i=1000541332980 For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/

Gene Smith has been Director of Athletics at Ohio State for 17 years. He joins the show with AJ Maestas to discuss the current state of college athletics, plus the impact that NIL and a possible CFP expansion will have on the landscape. Gene also shares lessons he learned from his parents at a young age that helped him overcome adversity early in his career. Details: 2:00 - Gene's career path 14:55 - Diversity in sports 26:00 - Changes in college sports 35:30 - CFP expansion 39:25 - Rapid Fire Questions For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/

Ryan DeVos - VP, Shareholder Engagement for the Orlando Magic - on the importance of keeping the Magic brand fresh and continuing to innovate while also paying homage to the team's history. He also touches on how a commitment to data and analytics is helping the team succeed from a business perspective. For more insights, visit our LinkedIn page and learn more about Navigate at https://nvgt.com/