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Next League
  • 4.4 (7)
  • Sports
  • Updated Weekly

Want to learn more about the most talked about topics and trends in the sports business industry from the sports business executives who run it? Join Next League’s CEO David Nugent, a sports technology industry veteran and thought leader with over 20 years experience in the ever-changing technology services business. Tune in every week for insightful and engaging discussions on everything from artificial intelligence and fan engagement to the changing media landscape and the growth of women’s sports with the sports industry’s leading executives.   For more on Next League, visit our website or follow us on LinkedIn.

  1. 5d ago

    What It Really Takes to Build a Sport: Julie Swarts on Funding, Leadership, and Athlete Support

    Julie Fabsik-Swarts has spent her career on the much less visible side of sports: the funding, governance, safety, officiating, and infrastructure that determine whether athletes and entire sports have the opportunity to succeed. As President and CEO of the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association, Julie shares her learnings across gymnastics, Olympic and amateur sports, nonprofits, athlete safety, and now scuba diving.  There are very different realities facing smaller sports organizations, and leaders may be simultaneously trying to grow participation, support elite athletes, raise money, manage boards, and make limited resources stretch further. Julie also explores how technology could reshape scuba diving, the growing challenge of parent behavior in youth sports, and what she has learned about leading sports organizations through periods of change. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why executives at smaller Olympic sports spend too much time chasing funding instead of developing the sportHow AI-enabled masks, diver tracking, and new safety technology could change the scuba experienceWhy out-of-control parents have become one of the biggest reasons officials walk away from youth sports What 45 years of gymnastics judging taught Julie about subjectivityWhat Julie looks for when she takes over a sports organization — and why some nonprofits end up “spinning” Resources and Links: Connect with Julie Fabsik-Swarts on LinkedIn and learn more about the Diving Equipment & Marketing Association on their website. Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future. Dave’s book is available now! Get your copy of The Business of Sports Technology: How To Make Smart Decisions That Drive Your Organization Forward.

  2. Sep 22

    30,000 Shots, One Fan Experience: Dave Giancola on AI, Data, and the USGA

    Golf may be one of the most complicated sports to produce digitally and on television. Every championship takes place on a different course, across hundreds of acres, with dozens of players competing simultaneously — and the USGA has to deliver that experience across broadcast, streaming, mobile, and digital products. Dave Giancola, Senior Director of Global Media at the USGA, joins Dave to talk about how his role evolved from broadcast into a broader global media function spanning both traditional coverage and fan-facing digital products. He shares how the USGA thinks about connecting its 15 national championships, extending the audience beyond the U.S. Open, and using technology to create a more continuous relationship with golf fans throughout the season. Dave also discusses how the USGA measures digital success beyond raw impressions, why the organization views technology as central to growing the game, and how major events like LA 2028 could introduce new audiences to golf on a global scale. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why the USGA replaced separate championship apps with one unified product spanning all 15 national championshipsHow AI is generating shot-by-shot insights, clipping highlights, reframing vertical video, and distributing content automaticallyWhy the USGA draws a hard distinction between AI that feels novel and AI that  improves the fan experienceHow personalization helped drive a 75% increase in player favoriting inside the USGA appWhy SeatGeek’s value to the USGA goes beyond ticketing, and what made its technology stack compellingResources and Links: Connect with Dave Giancola on LinkedIn. Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future. Dave’s book is available now! Get your copy of The Business of Sports Technology: How To Make Smart Decisions That Drive Your Organization Forward.

  3. Sep 15

    How to Design Better Digital Products in Sports [REPLAY]

    How do sports teams achieve faster alignment, fewer reworks, and digital products that move from idea to launch more reliably? Bora Nikolic’s views of technology in the sports industry have helped shape many of the fan experiences you see from leading sports properties today. And today, he’s challenging the idea that design is about aesthetics, arguing instead that it’s an execution discipline. Dave and Bora look ahead at what’s changing, from accessibility, to AI accelerating how teams research, prototype, and align across functions. Bora also shares why the next phase of fan experience will be defined by connected, multimodal journeys that span platforms, environments, and moments that matter to fans. In this episode, you’ll hear: What allows digital products in sports to actually ship on time and at scaleHow teams can modernize digital experiences without losing fan trust What friction really looks like across the fan journey, and why clarity and predictability matter more than visual polishWhy accessibility needs to be embedded into design systems from the start How AI-enabled prototypes are changing how stakeholders evaluate and approve digital productsResources and Links: Connect with Bora Nikolic on LinkedIn. Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future. Dave’s book is available now! Get your copy of The Business of Sports Technology: How To Make Smart Decisions That Drive Your Organization Forward. Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future. Dave’s book is available now! Get your copy of The Business of Sports Technology: How To Make Smart Decisions That Drive Your Organization Forward.

  4. Sep 8

    Building Fandom Without a Stadium: Kara Baker on TGL’s Shared-Services Model

    With WTGL preparing to launch this November, TMRW Sports is scaling a shared-services model built to run team operations more efficiently than teams could on their own, and confronting a structural challenge: how do you build fan affinity for a team with no home arena? Kara Baker, VP of Team Marketing and Business Operations at TMRW Sports, joins Dave to talk about her multidisciplinary career, how TMBO evolved as teams scaled, why some teams tap into ownership groups' existing infrastructure while others rely entirely on the league, and what she's learned from teams maturing at different speeds. Kara also discusses the opportunity WTGL creates around women's golf, the international makeup of the LPGA player base, and why the league is betting on player storytelling to build fandom without the benefit of a home stadium. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why fan research shows people are fans of individual golfers first, and what that means for building team loyaltyWhy WTGL is launching in November and December instead of alongside TGLHow Boston Common Golf and Motor City are tapping Fenway Sports Group and the Detroit Lions to build local awarenessWhy TMRW Sports believes WTGL’s international player mix could create a broader global audience than TGLResources and Links: Connect with Kara Baker on LinkedIn and learn more about TMRW Sports on their website. Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future. Dave’s book is available now! Get your copy of The Business of Sports Technology: How To Make Smart Decisions That Drive Your Organization Forward.

  5. Sep 1

    What Makes a Sports Tech Business “Exitable” with Igor Ulis [REPLAY]

    What REALLY makes a business worth buying, and what should founders actually optimize for?  In this candid conversation, Dave sits down with longtime friend and former business partner Igor Ulis, partner at Hudson Technology Systems. Igor traces his path from “dumb kid in college” who thought writing code was enough to get rich in the dot-com boom, to building and scaling a global sports technology services company that ultimately sold to Infront.  Dave and Igor get into the mechanics of valuation in the real world — multiples on revenue vs. profit, the importance of cash generation, and why buyers care so much about whether the business can run without the founder in the room.  Igor also explains how services businesses live or die on utilization, pricing discipline, hiring, and the “art and science” of estimating complex projects. They dig into the tradeoffs of taking loss-leader work,why “follow your passion,” “fail fast,” and “work on the business, not in the business” are incomplete clichés, and how to avoid underpricing your value just to win logos. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why most founders misunderstand what makes a services business scalable, and the ONE metric Igor would force every operator to masterWhy “loss-leader work” is almost always a trap, and the moments at Omnigon when underpricing nearly cost them bigThe project-estimation approach Igor used to protect margins on massive sports buildsWhat really changes after an acquisition: new accountability, pressure of managing up, and an unexpected “MBA-level” crash courseThe culture challenges that emerge once a service team crosses 100+ peopleResources and Links: Connect with Igor Ulis on LinkedIn. Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future. Dave’s book is available now! Get your copy of The Business of Sports Technology: How To Make Smart Decisions That Drive Your Organization Forward. Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future. Dave’s book is available now! Get your copy of The Business of Sports Technology: How To Make Smart Decisions That Drive Your Organization Forward.

  6. Aug 25

    Can Data Change Who Gets Considered for the Heisman? with Jeff Price

    The Heisman Trophy is one of the most recognizable symbols in college sports. Now, as college athletics undergoes massive structural change, the organization behind the trophy is entering a new era of its own. Jeff Price, CEO of Heisman, joins Dave to share how his background across the NBA, Gatorade, Mastercard, Sports Illustrated, and the PGA of America prepared him to lead an iconic brand through its next phase of growth. Jeff discusses the changing college sports landscape, purpose-driven partnerships, and why philanthropy remains central to Heisman’s long-term vision. He also shares how Heisman is thinking about developing future leaders and creating a broader impact through sport. In this episode, you’ll hear: How Heisman is redesigning the fan vote to make it more meaningful throughout the college football seasonHow Heisman Hopefuls is using EA Sports rankings, analytics, and fan voting to expand the consideration setWhy Heisman is exploring flag football as a new growth and accessibility opportunityWhat Heisman learned from watching schools build their own player campaigns How Heisman is creating entirely new sponsorship inventory beyond trophy weekendResources and Links: Connect with Jeff Price on LinkedIn. Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future. Dave’s book is available now! Get your copy of The Business of Sports Technology: How To Make Smart Decisions That Drive Your Organization Forward.

  7. Aug 18

    The Human Side of Modern Sports Leadership with Andrew Siegel [REPLAY]

    In an industry being reshaped by NIL, the transfer portal, and private capital, one question is becoming unavoidable: how do leaders make principled decisions when everything feels up for grabs? Investor Andrew Siegel breaks down what leaders in sports and tech often underestimate, like the emotional complexity of teams, the tension between performance and values, and how managing people becomes exponentially harder when competition, money, and public scrutiny intensify. Drawing on his experience spanning venture investing, media, hospitality, and board leadership, alongside his academic background in philosophy and religion, Andrew shares why leadership ultimately comes down to “people peopling,” how he evaluates alignment versus raw talent, and what traits he believes matter most for navigating disruption in modern sports organizations. In this episode, you’ll hear: How Andrew’s background in theology and philosophy helps executives make better “people decisions” during times of disruptionThe Trust–Loyalty–Integrity lens Andrew uses to decide which founders, boards, and companies to back What NIL and the transfer portal reveal about the end of amateur hour in college sports, and why Andrew thinks private capital and commercial incentives are reshaping the systemThe repeatable investing behavior Andrew believes operators and executives need to focus on Resources and Links: Connect with Andrew Siegel on LinkedIn. Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future. Dave’s book is available now! Get your copy of The Business of Sports Technology: How To Make Smart Decisions That Drive Your Organization Forward. Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future. Dave’s book is available now! Get your copy of The Business of Sports Technology: How To Make Smart Decisions That Drive Your Organization Forward.

  8. Aug 11

    The $1.3B Stadium Strategy: Personalization, Friction, and Fan Engagement

    Bank of America Stadium is undergoing a $1.3 billion renovation, but Tepper Sports & Entertainment isn’t just thinking about new seats. The bigger question is, what will get fans off the couch and into a stadium in 2030? Bryan Lodigiani, VP of Business Strategy and Analytics, talks to Dave about why personalization and creating experiences fans can’t get at home are shaping the renovation. He also shares how TSE uses data to understand the surprisingly different audiences behind the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC. Bryan breaks down where AI is already creating value across ticket sales, partnerships, and marketing, why not every business problem requires an AI solution, and how Charlotte’s rapid growth is creating new opportunities for sports and entertainment. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why some “AI problems” are actually process or automation problems in disguiseHow TSE is designing stadium products specifically to create an entry point for younger fansWhat Bryan learned trying to break into sports after a career in banking, consulting, and retailThe new Sales Experience Center that can pull up the exact game you attended and the moment that made you a fanResources and Links: Connect with Bryan Lodigiani on LinkedIn and learn more about Tepper Sports & Entertainment on their website. Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future. Dave’s book is available now! Get your copy of The Business of Sports Technology: How To Make Smart Decisions That Drive Your Organization Forward.

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Ratings & Reviews

4.4
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Want to learn more about the most talked about topics and trends in the sports business industry from the sports business executives who run it? Join Next League’s CEO David Nugent, a sports technology industry veteran and thought leader with over 20 years experience in the ever-changing technology services business. Tune in every week for insightful and engaging discussions on everything from artificial intelligence and fan engagement to the changing media landscape and the growth of women’s sports with the sports industry’s leading executives.   For more on Next League, visit our website or follow us on LinkedIn.

Information

  • Creator
    Next League
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    84
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 © Dave Nugent
  • Show Website
    Know What Is Next

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