Bloomberg Business of Sports

4.0 (147)
SPORTS NEWS
UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Michael Barr, Vanessa Perdomo and Damian Sassower follow the money in the world of sports, taking listeners inside decisions that power the multibillion dollar industry. From media and technology to finance and real estate, leagues and teams across the globe have matured into far more than just back-page entertainment. The show explains the money behind the games.

21H AGO

LIV Golf Plans to Sell Stakes in Franchises for First Time

Join hosts Vanessa Perdomo, Damian Sassower and Michael for a look at some of the latest headlines and stories in the business of sports. LIV Golf is looking to sell minority stakes in its teams for the first time, targeting valuations of as much as $300 million, according to people familiar with the situation. The Saudi-backed golf league is looking to sell stakes to new investors in two teams later this year and has hired Citigroup Inc. to run the sale process, the people said, asking not to be named discussing private information. A control sale for one of the teams is also an option, said one of the people. The names of the two teams could not be immediately be learned. Representatives for LIV Golf and Citigroup declined to comment. On this episode, hear from: Randall Williams, Bloomberg News Sports Reporter Tennis Australia's chief commercial officer, Cedric Cornelius Amy Trask, CBS Sports Analyst and Author of "You Negotiate Like A Girl" See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

38 min
JAN 23

Billionaire Mike Repole on NOBULL; College Coaches Making Millions Powering Big Wins

Join hosts Michael Barr and Vanessa Perdomo for a look at some of the latest headlines and stories in the business of sports.When the Indiana Hoosiers and Miami Hurricanes took the field to battle for the college football national championship, the most important investment made by either team never took a single snap on the field.Indiana University had never claimed a national title in football. Until this season, it hadn’t played in a major bowl game in decades. And while the University of Miami was a football powerhouse in the 1980s and ‘90s, it last won a championship in 2001.Both schools have showered lavish pay packages on head coaches credited with turning their programs around. Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, who took the helm in late 2023, earns average annual compensation of $11.6 million. Miami’s Mario Cristobal is in the middle of a 10-year deal that pays just over $8 million annually. Boosters have been delighted with the results, including Indiana's big win.On this episode, hear from: Bloomberg News higher education finance reporter Janet Lorin on the rising cost of paying college coaches Billionaire entrepreneur Mike Repole on his career from Vitamin Water and Body Armor beverages through his latest big venture with NOBULL, and his partnership on the company with Tom Brady. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

39 min
JAN 16

Warriors Said To Be Valued at $11 Billion; Next 3 Founder Carolyn Tisch Blodgett

Join hosts Michael Barr, Damian Sassower and Vanessa Perdomo for a look at some of the latest headlines and stories in the business of sports. A minority stake in Golden State Group, the holding company for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, is up for sale, according to people familiar with the matter.The 5% stake values the Warriors’ holding company at above $11 billion, the people said, asking not to be named discussing private information. The Warriors are considered the most valuable team in the NBA and have the highest revenue in the league. The stake comes with a GSG board seat, court-side seats for GSG teams and access to the ownership lounge, the people added. GSG also houses the WNBA’s Valkyries, the NBA G League’s Santa Cruz Warriors, the Chase Center arena and Thrive City, an 11-acre development outside of the arena. On this episode, hear from: Bloomberg News US sports business reporter Randall Williams on the Warriors potential stake sale Sports Business Journal basketball staff reporter Tom Friend on the status of collective bargaining negotiations in the WNBA Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, founder and CEO of Next 3, lead governor and owner of Gotham FC, and NWSL board member and chair of the NWSL executive committee on the growth of women's sports and how she's using Next 3 to power the next generation of disruptors in the business of sports See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

39 min
JAN 9

KKR To Buy Sports Investor Arctos; Robinhood's Prediction Markets

Join hosts Michael Barr, Damian Sassower and Vanessa Perdomo for a look at some of the latest headlines and stories in the business of sports. KKR agreed to acquire Arctos Partners in a deal that would value the sports and secondaries investor at about $1 billion and keep existing management in place, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The firms are seeking approval for the transaction from the major US professional sports leagues, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential information. On this episode, hear from: Bloomberg News private equity reporter Allison McNeely JB Mackenzie, VP and General Manager of Futures and International with Robinhood Markets on his company's big push into the prediction markets space Bloomberg News global sports business reporter Ira Boudway on his prediction for the sports world in 2026 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

39 min
JAN 2

Brooks Koepka Quits LIV Golf, US Sports Global Expansion

Join hosts Michael Barr and Vanessa Perdomo for a look at some of the latest headlines and stories in the business of sports. Sports journalist Ann Liguori reacts to Brooks Koepka's departure from LIV Golf Bloomberg Opinion Columnist Adam Minter on American sports leagues now prioritizing global expansion Jordy Lesier, Co-Founder and CEO of Jump, a fan experience and ticketing platforms built for sports teams. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

38 min
12/26/2025

NFL's Kansas City Chiefs Announce Move to Kansas; The 85ers Tell Their Story

Join hosts Michael Barr and Vanessa Perdomo for a look at some of the latest headlines and stories in the business of sports.The Kansas City Chiefs announced that they are moving across the Missouri border to Kansas after lawmakers there approved a public financing package to build a new stadium on Monday.The public-private partnership will fund a $3 billion stadium in Wyandotte County, which will open at the start of the 2031 National Football League season, and a new Chiefs headquarters and a training facility in neighboring Johnson County. Both sites will be surrounded by mixed-use entertainment districts, according to a statement from Kansas Governor Laura Kelly.On this episode, hear from: Bloomberg News municipal finance reporter Maxwell Adler on his reporting on the Chiefs move from Kansas City, Missouri to Kansas. Brandon Steiner, founder and CEO of Steiner Sports on the collectibles business and a new deal with the Buffalo Bills to sell pieces of their stadium when it's demolished Soccer legend Michelle Akers and Laura Gentile, Co-Founder of Storied Sports, Founder of ESPNW and former CMO of ESPN on their new project to help the 1985 US Women's National Team share their story through the first athlete-owned LLC See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

39 min
12/19/2025

Why Prediction Markets Should Scare Sports Leagues

Join Vanessa Perdomo and special guest host Bloomberg US sports business reporter Randall Williams for a look at some of the latest headlines and stories in the business of sports. On this episode, hear from: Bloomberg News municipal finance reporter Maxwell Adler his reporting on the son of one-time bond king Bill Gross joining NBA star Russell Westbrook in backing a new entertainment district in Oklahoma City anchored by a new soccer stadium. Bloomberg News US sports business reporter Ira Boudway on his story detailing the enormous growth of prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket in the world of sports - and why sports leagues and regulators should be wary. Dr. James Borchers, President and CEO of the US Council for Athletes' Health and the first Chief Medical Officer for the Big Ten Conference on the challenges in keeping athletes healthy while they face pressure to perform See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

39 min
12/12/2025

NASCAR, Michael Jordan’s Racing Team Settle Antitrust Suit

Join hosts Michael Barr, Damian Sassower, Vanessa Perdomo and special guest host Bloomberg US sports business reporter Randall Williams for a look at some of the latest headlines and stories in the business of sports. NASCAR on Thursday settled an antitrust lawsuit brought by Michael Jordan’s racing team alleging that the organization holds a monopoly over premier stock car racing in the US and that its charter agreements are unlawful. As a condition of the proposed deal, which came on the ninth day of a trial, NASCAR will amend the terms for existing charter holders, which will include a form of “evergreen” charters. Jordan’s team, 23XI Racing, and another plaintiff team, Front Row Motorsports Inc., will have chartered-team status for the 2026 season under the deal, according to a statement from the teams’ lead attorney, Jeffrey Kessler of Winston & Strawn LLP. Chartered teams are guaranteed racing slots in NASCAR’s elite Cup Series. The parties declined to disclose financial terms of the deal.On this episode, hear from: Bloomberg News US sports business reporter Randall Williams joins for a conversation with Martin Edel, co-chair of the sports law practice at Goulston & Storr and adjunct professor of law at Columbia University Bloomberg News US sports business reporter discusses a new, unique deal between private equity firm Otro Capital and the University of Utah Sports Business Journal NFL reporter Ben Fischer on SBJ's newly released Influence 125 - its annual list of the most influential figures in sports See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

38 min

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4

out of 5

147 Ratings

Best way to digest sports media insights

07/16/2024

Motchys

Such a great job of delving into stats while staying on topic of sports media
Great content and enjoy current hosts

02/08/2022

ABrizz

I’ve been a listener of the pod for a few years now and the current trio of hosts - Scarlet, Michael, and Mike - are the best so far. I enjoy the mix of sports business news/discussion, the interviews of sports business leaders, and Michael Barr’s weekly fantasy updates during football season. Thanks to Scarlet for breaking up the boys club. It’s been refreshing.
Content is good but audio is horrible

09/14/2020

mazz0017

The content is interesting but they need to find a producer to mix the audio.
Ads blasting in your ears

01/04/2022

Ex Cathedra

Business of Sports once again raises the volume of ads to a literally painful level, so much so that I must hurriedly fumble for the audio controls to lower the volume. And the ads start running with no lead time. Just boom, BUY THIS PRODUCT NOW! Other podcasts don’t do this. Of all the podcasts to which I subscribe, Business of Sports alone assaults your ears with loud, LOUD, LOUD! ads. I unsubscribed once because of this. Then it stopped. Now the audio assault is back. Unsubscribing again. Bye, bye, Old Man Barr. I’ll miss ya. But my ears are more important than any podcast.

Michael Barr, Vanessa Perdomo and Damian Sassower follow the money in the world of sports, taking listeners inside decisions that power the multibillion dollar industry. From media and technology to finance and real estate, leagues and teams across the globe have matured into far more than just back-page entertainment. The show explains the money behind the games.

Channel

Bloomberg
Creator

Bloomberg
Years Active

2017 - 2026
Episodes

1K
Rating

Clean
Copyright

2026 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia
Show Website

Bloomberg Business of Sports
Provider

Bloomberg L.P.