The Sports Business Leaders Podcast

Sports Business Leaders
  • 5.0 (3)
  • SPORTS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Join the biggest and most active community in the Northeast Corridor where sports innovators connect, network, share ideas, and collaborate with ecosystem champions to drive global change.

  1. 6H AGO

    060: Valor Vision COO on the Future of AI-Powered Athlete Performance

    Evan Anders Magnusson, founder of Valor Vision, joins the Sports Business Leaders Podcast to break down how AI and 3D motion capture are transforming the way athletes train, recover, and stay on the field. As a former UVA rower and computer engineering student, Evan built Valor at the intersection of human performance and cutting-edge technology. Today, the platform turns a simple iPhone video into a full 3D biomechanical analysis, giving strength coaches, physical therapists, and performance staff instant insights into how athletes run, jump, and move. We dive into how Valor is replacing manual video analysis with automated, AI-driven assessments, why movement data is becoming core infrastructure for elite teams, and how organizations like LSU Football, Gonzaga Basketball, Austin FC, and Fulham FC are using the platform to reduce injury risk and optimize performance. This is a conversation about building technology for the highest levels of sport, turning complex biomechanics research into tools coaches actually use every day, and what the future of computer vision and athlete performance looks like.

    19 min

  2. 3D AGO

    059: Inside Fitmatch AI, Using Computer Vision to Improve Athlete Development

    Asna Khan, Head of Product at Fitmatch AI, joins the podcast to break down how a 3-second mobile scan is turning into one of the most powerful data engines in sports, health, and retail. We get into her move from corporate to startup, what it takes to build trust in computer vision and machine learning in the real world, and how Fitmatch is democratizing access to body data that was previously locked inside labs and expensive hardware. This is a conversation about product focus, building technology that actually changes decisions, and why the best products become infrastructure by integrating into existing workflows. We also dive into real use cases with MLS, MLB organizations, youth development, and the future of digital twins for athlete development and scouting. If you’re building in sports tech, AI, or any multi-vertical platform, this is a masterclass in what to build, when to build it, and how to make it stick.

    18 min

  3. 6D AGO

    058 Anthony Brock on the Data-Driven Future of the Philadelphia Flyers

    Episode 58 of the SBL podcast featured Anthony Brock, VP of Business Strategy and Analytics at Comcast Spectacor. Hear from Anthony who breaks down how the Flyers are building a data-driven organization. We get into his path from entrepreneurship to the Pacers to Philadelphia, what it means to own the full data lifecycle, and how analytics touches everything from pricing and ticket strategy to mobile, personalization, and game-day experience. This is a conversation about turning data into real business decisions, maximizing attendance and revenue without losing the fan, and why the next wave of AI, VR, and real-time insights will be built around customer use cases, not hype. If you care about fan engagement, sports business ops, or building like an intrapreneur inside a major organization, this one is for you.

    14 min

  4. FEB 25

    057 Philadelphia 76ers Executive Greg Sacidor on Modern Sports Marketing

    Greg Sacidor is the Director of Marketing Strategy for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Founder of the Martha League, a Philadelphia youth basketball program creating safe, inclusive spaces for the next generation. In this episode, Greg shares his journey from Philly sports radio to the Sixers, the mentorship that changed his career, and how a community-first mindset shapes the way he builds campaigns for one of the NBA’s premier brands. We break down the biggest trends in sports marketing — meeting fans where they are, second-screen and in-arena engagement, and why authentic storytelling is the real competitive advantage. Greg also takes us inside the award-winning Spirit of Small Business platform and how it turned into a long-term initiative supporting local businesses across the region. He closes with lessons for sports business professionals on leadership, innovation, investing in people, and thinking big in a rapidly changing industry.

    20 min

  5. FEB 22

    056 Aperture VC’s Garnet Heraman on Seed Investing in Sports

    Garnet Heraman brings three decades of experience as a founder, operator, and venture investor to a conversation that cuts through the noise of the startup and VC world. A 3× exited entrepreneur who built his career from a scholarship kid in New York to co-founding Aperture VC — one of the largest fintech funds led by diverse managers — Garnet shares what actually drives venture outcomes, what most founders misunderstand about fundraising, and why timing is often more important than the idea itself. We get into his framework for backing companies, including the rare “contrarian technocrat” profile, how great teams balance vision with execution, and what separates founders who can truly sell a market opportunity from those who can’t. He also explains how venture capital is becoming a barbell business, why most funds can’t compete in the LLM race, and where smaller, faster players can win in the AI era — particularly in vertical, highly regulated industries. The conversation moves beyond theory into real pattern recognition: spotting Uber-like ideas too early, betting on founders before the data exists, and knowing when not to take venture money at all. If you’re building in sports, fintech, or any emerging tech category, this episode is a masterclass in how investors think, how cycles actually work, and how to position your company for the next 3–5 years.

    21 min

  6. FEB 18

    055 Austin Kruger on Building Sidelinr Sports with 3.5M Views in 90 Days

    Austin Kruger is building a sports media company for fans who are tired of being talked at. After years of writing about the Packers and watching the industry lean further into clickbait and recycled national narratives, he launched Sideliner to create something different. The model is simple but powerful: put real fans in the content, let them speak for their teams, and build a platform around authentic conversation instead of hot takes. Three months in, they have more than 3.5 million views, 120K+ engagements, a growing creator network, and multiple revenue streams all without spending on marketing. We talk about what it actually looks like to build an early-stage media company in real time. The grind of posting every day. Finding product-market fit through content. Why the best performing segments always include fans. And how partnerships with creators and in-person activations can turn a digital brand into a community. Austin also breaks down the long-term vision. A fan-driven version of College GameDay. Live event formats. A platform where the audience is part of the show, not just the comments section. This is a conversation about betting on an idea, building in public, and trying to evolve sports media without becoming a copy of what already exists.

    20 min

  7. FEB 16

    054 Doug Holtzman on Leadership Lessons from $100M in Deals

    Doug Holtzman is a 25+ year sports industry revenue leader who has generated more than $100M in sponsorship sales and now supports over 630 teams through his work at Sportsdigita. On the podcast, Doug takes us through his journey from sports management and early agency experience to becoming the youngest corporate sales executive in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints, with stops at the Tampa Bay Rays, Houston Rockets, and IMG along the way. He shares how those experiences shaped his philosophy on winning, leadership, and building long-term partnerships that actually drive revenue. We dive into what teams and leagues are really buying today: clear ROI, data-backed storytelling, and presentations that help decision-makers move faster and more confidently. Doug explains why self-awareness is a career superpower, how understanding your client’s pressures changes your close rate, and why founders need to sell transformation not features. The conversation also explores: • The evolution of sponsorship sales and revenue strategy across the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NCAA• How analytics and fan data translate into renewals and new business• What separates average sellers from elite revenue leaders• Crafting a brand story partners want to attach themselves to• Lessons from working across teams, agencies, and sports tech• Mentorship, leadership, and opening doors for the next generation in sports business This episode is a masterclass for founders, revenue leaders, and anyone building in sports who wants to understand how value is actually communicated, sold, and scaled.

    20 min

  8. FEB 9

    053 Jason Aldridge on Turf Tank’s Rise in Sports Tech

    On this episode, hear from Jason Aldridge, a veteran founder and executive with over 30 years of experience building and scaling emerging hardware and software technologies. Jason is the founder of Turf Tank, where he spent the last decade taking a bold idea from concept to global market leadership. What started as a simple question, “What if a robot could paint sports fields?” became a category-defining autonomous robotics platform with more than 6,000 robots operating worldwide on annual subscription, serving everyone from NFL and MLS teams to high schools, colleges, and municipal parks departments. Throughout the conversation, Jason breaks down what it takes to introduce robotics and automation into a traditionally manual industry. He shares how Turf Tank earned trust one customer at a time, why world-class service became just as important as product innovation, and how shifting from upfront hardware sales to a Robot-as-a-Service subscription model unlocked scalable growth. They also dive into the realities of scaling a hardware company, from supply chain and onboarding systems to managing thousands of annual subscriptions, navigating COVID, and building a global team of more than 200 employees. Jason closes by reflecting on his recent exit from Turf Tank and his next chapter, where he now works with founders, leaders, and organizations on strategy, execution, and long-term legacy building. This episode is packed with practical insight for founders, operators, and investors building in sports, robotics, automation, or any business where real innovation requires changing how work has been done for decades.

    19 min
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