The Sports Business Leaders Podcast

Sports Business Leaders
  • 5.0 (4)
  • 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. 2d ago

    103 Ryan Hawk on Building Winning Cultures in Sports & Business

    Ryan Hawk is an author, keynote speaker, and the host of The Learning Leader Show, one of the world’s leading podcasts focused on leadership, performance, and personal growth. A former Division I quarterback at Ohio University and professional football player, Ryan has built a career helping leaders, teams, and organizations pursue excellence through discipline, consistency, and intentional growth. On this episode of the Sports Business Leaders Podcast, Ryan shares lessons learned from interviewing more than 700 elite performers, including insights from Jim Collins, Simon Sinek, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Alex Hormozi. The conversation dives into resilience, leadership, purpose, and the “100 shots a day” mindset required to sustain long-term success in sports, business, and life. We also discuss Ryan’s upcoming book, The Price of Becoming, and explore the daily habits, sacrifices, and standards that separate good from great.

    32 min

  2. 3d ago

    102 Sports Streaming, Fan Engagement & Media Innovation with Comcast's Mitch Askenas

    Mitch Askenas joins the Sports Business Leaders Podcast to cover the future of streaming, fan engagement, and sports media infrastructure. As Executive Director and Head of Commercial for the Americas at Comcast Technology Solutions, Mitch works at the intersection of sports, technology, and media, helping leagues, teams, and broadcasters rethink how they engage and monetize fans in a rapidly changing landscape. The conversation dives into Comcast Technology Solutions’ work powering over 10,000 live sporting events annually, delivering 50 billion streams globally, and supporting some of the largest media and sports properties in the world, including the Super Bowl, Olympics, Formula 1, and World Cup. Mitch also shares how Comcast’s ownership of the Philadelphia Flyers creates a unique advantage when building technology products for sports organizations, including a discussion around the Flyers’ next-generation fan app and the importance of turning “ghost fans” into known fans through data and engagement. The episode also explores major trends shaping the future of sports business, including streaming disruption, direct-to-consumer engagement, generational loyalty, and why teams are increasingly focused on building deeper relationships with fans outside of traditional media rights models.

    28 min

  3. 4d ago

    101 Mark Goddard on Building FIFA’s Transfer Matching System

    Mark Goddard joins the Sports Business Leaders Podcast to discuss how he built FIFA’s Transfer Matching System, one of the most impactful infrastructure platforms in global sports. The system transformed international soccer transfers from a process driven by fax machines and courier services into a real-time global platform capable of completing deals in as little as seven minutes. Mark shares lessons from operating at the intersection of sports, technology, governance, and billion-dollar markets, including how to drive adoption across powerful stakeholders, the difference between products and infrastructure, and why solving time-saving problems creates massive value. The conversation also explores the evolving NIL and college sports landscape, building sustainable sports systems, leadership, scaling teams, and the importance of aligning technology with real operational needs.

    20 min

  4. 5d ago

    100 The Inside Story Behind Sports Business Leaders | Celebrating 100 Episodes

    In this special 100th episode of the Sports Business Leaders Podcast, co-founders Justin Titchenell and Jake Voorhees break down the evolution of Sports Business Leaders from a small Philadelphia meetup into a growing national connections platform for the sports industry. The conversation covers the early days of SBL, lessons learned from building a community, and how the business has evolved through events, podcasting, partnerships, and relationship-building across sports. Justin and Jake also explain SBL’s growing focus on becoming “sports business brokers” by helping connect vetted service providers with teams, leagues, and sports properties. They share stories from the journey, including the first meetup with only three attendees, partnerships formed through the network, and why they believe sports remains one of the most defensible and relationship-driven industries in the world. The episode also explores the future of sports business, the rise of sports as an asset class, youth sports growth, live experiences, and why community and in-person connection still matter more than ever.

    22 min

  5. 6d ago

    099 Super Bowl XLVI Champion Adrian Tracy on Leadership, Faith & Life After Football

    Adrian Tracy joins the Sports Business Leaders podcast to share his journey from winning a Super Bowl with the New York Giants to building a purpose-driven life after football. Adrian reflects on his NFL and CFL career, the challenges of identity and transition after sports, and how faith, discipline, and community helped shape his next chapter. The conversation dives into servant leadership, mentorship through MDD Elite, investing in sports technology, and what it takes to create meaningful impact beyond the game. Adrian also shares lessons from elite locker rooms, the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people, and why “small wins lead to big victories” in both sports and business.

    21 min

  6. May 31

    098 Jack Liechtung on NIL, Media & the Next Era of College Sports

    Jack Liechtung is the Co-Founder and CEO of Canopy. On this episode we discuss how the company is building the infrastructure layer for the future of collegiate athletics. Canopy partners directly with universities to help drive athlete visibility, scalable storytelling, and meaningful NIL opportunities across Olympic and non-revenue sports. Jack also shares insights from his background across sports, media, entertainment, and law, discussing the evolving NIL landscape, the growing commercialization of college athletics, and why schools need stronger operational support to navigate the next era of college sports.

    15 min

  7. May 30

    097 Matt Wolff on Sports Collectibles, Fan Emotion & Entrepreneurship

    Matt Wolff is the founder of Ticket Time Machine. On this episode we discuss how he’s bringing physical keepsakes back to sports and live events in a digital-first world. Matt shares the story behind the company’s creation after attending a Marlins no-hitter in 2017 and realizing fans still craved memorable ticket collectibles tied to emotional moments. The conversation dives into fan psychology, building relationships with teams like the Florida Panthers, lessons learned from launching a company during COVID-19, and the importance of flexibility, persistence, and simply getting started as an entrepreneur. Matt also shares advice for companies looking to work with sports teams and explains why creating memorable fan experiences is ultimately about making people feel something.

    20 min

  8. May 29

    096 Former ESPN Executive Sean Hanrahan on the Future of Sports Media & Fan Engagement

    Sean Hanrahan is a former Senior Vice President of Sports Brand Solutions for Disney Advertising and a longtime ESPN executive who has spent more than two decades shaping sponsorships, storytelling, and brand partnerships across sports media. Sean shares insights on the evolution of sports media, the rise of streaming, sports betting, AI-driven fan experiences, and how brands can create meaningful connections with fans beyond traditional advertising. We also discuss the future of fan engagement, women’s sports, creator-driven content, and what founders need to understand when trying to partner with teams, leagues, and media companies. A great conversation on sports media, sponsorship innovation, and where the sports industry is heading next.

    23 min
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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.

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