Know What Is Next

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

    Curling's $11.2M Bet: How Nic Sulsky Bought a Sport to Rebuild It

    What happens when an entrepreneur recognizes that one of the world’s most-watched Olympic sports has never been built to maximize its global audience? Nic Sulsky saw an established sport with elite international athletes and a premier competition that fans outside Canada could not easily watch. After acquiring the Grand Slam of Curling, his team launched Rock Channel, created the mixed-gender Rock League, built a live data infrastructure, and raised $11.2 million to begin connecting the sport’s media, events, athletes, sponsors, and fans. In this conversation, Nic explains why The Curling Group operates as a media company, how it tripled Grand Slam revenue while remaining focused primarily on Canada, and how localized broadcasts, athlete-driven storytelling, and international distribution could turn curling into a far larger global sports property. In this episode, you’ll hear: How a single Instagram data point is shaping where The Curling Group decides to expand nextWhy Rock League tested its concept with a 1 week preview season instead of launching at full scaleWhat makes curling suited to a mixed-gender league where women and men compete together How virtual in-ice advertising could allow sponsors to see market-specific broadcastsNic's "95% instinct" rule, and the chainsaw story that explains why he built a team to challenge his ideasResources and Links: Connect with Nic Sulsky 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.

  2. Jul 14

    The 'Free Agent Fan' Strategy That Doubled the Nets' Fan Base with Darolyn Pierce

    What happens when you stop benchmarking yourself against other teams and start borrowing ideas from Apple, Google, and Netflix instead? Darolyn Pierce leads three distinct functions at Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment (consumer research, advanced analytics, and sales enablement) – with her team shifting in real time between Liberty ticket performance, renewal risk, NPS feedback, arena experience, Nets fan segmentation, and next-season planning.  In this conversation, she explains how that constant overlap shapes decision-making, why her team is trying to push beyond what other clubs are already doing, and how she earned the trust to move analytics from a 3 department support function into a company-wide operating capability. In this episode, you’ll hear: How the Nets doubled their fan base and generated millions by identifying untapped "free agent" fansWhy Darolyn gives every member of her team dedicated time each quarter to build passion projectsHow a 12-person team is borrowing the personalization strategies of Apple, Google, and Netflix to reshape the fan experienceWhat Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment learned launching 47 AI initiatives across 10 business functionsHow an internal AI lab uses employee competition, hands-on experimentation, and financial incentivesResources and Links: Connect with Darolyn Pierce 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. Jul 7

    Sports Fans Have Changed. Has Sports? with Alden Mitchell

    College athletics, media, and technology are all being forced to reinvent themselves at the same time. Alden Mitchell has spent her career navigating exactly those industry shifts at Disney, MTV, Uber, the Pac-12, Stanford Athletics, and now TrailRunner Sports. In this conversation, Alden shares why college athletics is being forced to operate more like a business, what sports still misunderstands about consumer behavior, and how technology can transform fan engagement. She also explains why strategic communications has become a business function, and why relationships are the most valuable investment you'll make in your career. In this episode, you’ll hear: How college athletics is trying to "pro up" and why every athletic department is chasing new revenueWhat sports can learn from technology companies that start every product decision with the consumerWhy Alden thinks sports venues should be designed more like airports than one-size-fits-all stadiumsWhat prediction markets reveal about the future of sports, media, and decision-makingWhy Alden thinks the "GM model" is the structural fix college sports actually needsResources and Links: Connect with Alden Mitchell on LinkedIn and learn more about TrailRunner 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.

  4. Jun 30

    Best Of: Inside Cosm's New Category of Live Sports

    The company that invented the first VR headset in 1968 is now powering one of the most talked about venues in sports. In this Best Of episode, we’re revisiting conversations with Cosm President Jeb Terry and Chief Product & Technology Officer Devin Poolman on how a 60-year-old planetarium heritage, an LED dome bigger than anything in the market, and 425 live sports productions a year add up to a category nobody else is building. In this episode, you’ll hear: How Cosm produces more than 425 live sporting events every yearThe prototype that convinced Jeb to build Cosm, and why it rivaled walking onto an NFL fieldWhy acquiring a 60-year-old planetarium company was the foundation for everything Cosm has built What Jeb learned about entrepreneurship, and why "will to win" is different from "wanting to win"Resources and Links: Connect with Jeb Terry on LinkedIn. Connect with Devin Poolman on LinkedIn. Learn more about Cosm 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. Jun 16

    Best Of: How the USGA Runs 15 Championships Without a Home Venue

    From record participation among women and junior golfers to new technology platforms, major investments in player development, and a reimagined fan experience, the USGA is helping shape what the next generation of golf looks like. In this episode, we’re talking to Chief Commercial Officer Jon Podany and Managing Director of Global Ticketing & Media Amanda Weiner about the Women's Open's rapid rise and the U.S. National Development Program to ShotLink, ticketing innovation, and the technology strategies designed to make golf more engaging and inclusive. In this episode, you’ll hear: How the U.S. Women's Open more than doubled its purse in 3 years and received prime-time network coverageWhy the USGA is investing in a national development pipeline How the USGA is building a 360-degree view of every fan through ticketing, media, and engagement dataWhy the future of golf depends on Topgolf, TGL, and off-course participation as it does on traditional rounds What it means to stage men's and women's championships on the same iconic coursesResources and Links: Connect with Jon Podany on LinkedIn. Connect with Amanda Weiner 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.

  6. Jun 9

    How the UFL Built a Live Football Lab for ESPN, Fox, and Tech Startups with Scott Harniman

    Most sports technology companies spend years trying to get access to a live game environment. The UFL can put them in front of 600 players, coaches, officials, and broadcast operators in a matter of weeks. As SVP of Innovation and Media, Scott Harniman oversees the technology, broadcast, and football systems that make the UFL's innovation model possible. Scott explains how the UFL's FAST program works, why ESPN and Fox are active participants in the league's tech incubation process, and how a centralized football operation allows the league to test emerging technologies at a scale that would be difficult to replicate elsewhere. In this episode, you’ll hear: How the UFL's FAST program gets emerging tech companies into live football environmentsWhy ESPN and Fox play an active role in the league's innovation processWhat Scott is watching in AI-powered officiating after Adam Silver's announcementWhy a ball-tracking partnership with Sportable became their most compelling fan-facing data experienceWhat happened when the UFL moved 3 franchises into smaller soccer stadiums Resources and Links: Connect with Scott Harniman 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. Jun 2

    SBJ Tech Week: Sports Leaders on Big Ideas, AI Prompts, and What's Next

    What patterns start to emerge when you put 10 sports tech leaders in front of a microphone at SBJ Tech Week and ask them what's next? While AI was a common thread, the discussions expanded into operational scale, fan engagement, accessibility, cybersecurity, infrastructure, and the leadership challenges that come with adopting new technology. This episode features the following guests: Michael Zeto, Boingo WirelessDiana Lovati, AEG WorldwideAntyush Bollini, OneCourtJess Smith, Golden State ValkyriesAndrew Macaulay, TMRW SportsDarolyn Pierce, Brooklyn Sports & EntertainmentScott Harniman, United Football LeaguePeter DelGiacco, National Hockey LeagueJohn Spade, Athletes UnlimitedResources and Links: 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. May 26

    How Flywheel Economics Are Reshaping Sports Businesses with Steve Mitzenmacher

    Steve Mitzenmacher spent 25 years inside Apple, Oracle, Google, and Salesforce. Now he's helping sports organizations stop thinking like event businesses and start operating like platforms. Steve and Dave get into the Disney flywheel, and why it’s the most useful mental model for sports executives right now, the “buy vs. build” trap, why "greenfield development" is basically a myth, and what it means to own the critical control points between fans, sponsors, and partners. Steve also explains why leadership styles are changing inside technology companies, why Scott Galloway's "don't follow your passion" advice is underrated, and how he thinks about the increasingly chaotic fight over AI governance. In this episode, you’ll hear: What Steve learned from Disney, Salesforce, and the platform era about building recurring engagementWhy the next generation of sports businesses will be built around flywheel economicsWhy today’s ownership groups are reshaping how teams think about monetization and infrastructureThe career advice Steve wishes he'd heard earlier, and why he's glad he ignored his own instincts for 25 yearsWhy Steve compares the future of AI to a choice between Star Trek and TerminatorResources and Links: Connect with Steve Mitzenmacher on LinkedIn and learn more about Zumaya Advisors. 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
    74
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 © Dave Nugent
  • Show Website
    Know What Is Next

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