Sportonomics

Uncle Charlie
  • 5.0 (8)
  • SPORTS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Two sports marketers (Jake Kranz and Tyler Webb) interview the most unique people in sports, business, marketing, and technology to learn about the ideas shaping the future of the sports industry.

  1. 3D AGO

    Johann Kroll's Guide to Not Going Broke

    Tyler and Jake sit down with Johann Kroll — a former Ohio State and minor league hockey player turned CFA and CFP — who now runs Hockey Wealth, a firm dedicated entirely to financial planning for professional hockey players. Johann breaks down the most common financial mistakes he sees players make, from chasing crypto and flashy restaurant investments to neglecting the boring-but-powerful fundamentals like diversified ETF portfolios and maxing out NHL 401k buckets. Whether you're a pro athlete or just someone trying to get smarter with money, this episode is a masterclass in why simple almost always beats flashy. ⏱️ Timestamps 0:00 — Intro 1:14 — Johann's Hockey Background 3:03 — Locker Room Money Talk 4:05 — The Flashy Investment Trap 5:54 — Common Player Mistakes 7:06 — Why Athletes Chase Hype 9:41 — The Case for Index Funds 12:17 — NIL & Insurance Policies 13:19 — The Financial Checklist 20:18 — Why Careers End Suddenly 22:28 — Best Starting Point 24:11 — Hockey vs. Other Sports 26:38 — Social vs. Fiat Currency 30:17 — The 52-Week Paycheck Theory 32:36 — Outro

    34 min

  2. APR 15

    Justin Pugh + The Billion-Dollar Battle for the NFL's Global Future

    Have you ever wondered why some NFL stars build lasting business empires while others end up broke just years after their final game? In this episode, 11-year NFL veteran Justin Pugh discusses his transition from an offensive lineman to the Commissioner of the Italian Football League, where he is working to "plant the flag" for American football in Europe. We dive deep into the hidden reality of $100 million contracts, the necessity of a "no system" for protecting athlete wealth, and why "growing the pie" through international expansion is the key to the next billion-dollar salary cap. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 01:07 – Why Italy? How a Honeymoon and a John Grisham Novel Sparked a New Career 03:45 – Planting the Flag for American Football Overseas 05:11 – Building Infrastructure: Structuring Domestic Leagues for Global Success. 06:51 – The High-Stakes ROI of an 18-Game Season 08:31 – Growing the Pie: Why Players Should Want Owners to be "Greedy" 10:21 – Protected From Ourselves: The Reality of Being Coddled from College to the Pros. 12:05 – Why 99% of Players Max Out Their 401ks. 13:18 – The $100 Million Illusion: Understanding Agent Fees, Concierges, and Post-Tax Reality 15:45 – The "No System": Why Athletes Need Automated Boundaries Over Financial Advisors 17:15 – Navigating the Microscope of NFL Business Conflict 19:22 – Where Players Should Focus 80% of Their Business Effort. 21:12 – Post-Career Benefits and Leadership. 22:25 – The NIL Shift: Is the Next Generation Better Prepared for Entrepreneurship?. 24:40 – Why Business Experience is Like a Defensive Tackle. 56:33 – Outro

    57 min

  3. APR 8

    The $100 Batting Glove: How Gas Money Created a Baseball Empire

    Bear Mayer took a teenage need for gas money and turned it into Bruce Bolt, the premium brand that turned batting gloves from an afterthought into a high-end status symbol. This week, Tyler sits down with the founder to break down the grit required to prototype 18 versions of a single glove and the "hockey stick" growth that followed a viral media moment in a high school English class. They discuss the high-stakes decision to take out a home equity line of credit to scale the business and what it actually takes to lead the "expression era" of baseball in the modern day. ⏱️Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 01:09 – Get a Job or Start a Company 03:29 – The Secret First Product: Starting with Hockey Tape and Pine Tar 05:10 – Why Synthetic Gloves Weren't Cutting It 07:21 – From Photoshop Classes to 18 Rounds of Physical Prototypes 10:13 – Engineering "The Second Skin": Wrist Articulation and Conical Fingers 13:02 – The Story Behind the Very First Sale in Maryland 14:48 – Guerrilla Marketing: Placing Business Cards on Windshields and Getting Escorted Out 17:08 – Why the Rival High School Shortstop Was the Original Influencer 20:06 – The Whistle Media "My Hustle" Moment 22:19 – The English Class "Kaching": 70 Orders Before Lunch 24:49 – Taking Out a Home Equity Line of Credit During COVID 29:29 – Transitioning from Parent to 50/50 Business Partners 33:37 – The College Dropout: When the Business Grew Too Big for Lubbock 34:51 – Hiring a Professional COO and Building a Team 37:05 – Signing Harrison Bader and Launching the Signature Series 41:27 – Why Social Content Runs the Modern Sports World 43:00 – Influencer Hierarchy: Why "Coach Rack" and "King of Juco" Rival MLB Stars 45:25 – Marketing to the Kid via TikTok vs. the Parent via the MLB 47:54 – Defending Flashy Colors and Chains in Baseball 52:20 – The Ultimate "Pinch Me" Moment: Seeing the Bolt on a Royals Broadcast

    56 min

  4. APR 1

    Redefining Athlete Marketing: How Cullen Honohan is Becoming a Go-To Storyteller

    Cullen Honohan has transformed a self-taught passion for graphic design into All Hail BBall, one of the most compelling sports media brands in the industry. This week, Jake and Tyler sit down with the former agency director turned creator to break down the transition from cold DMing for freelance gigs to filming with future NBA lottery picks. They discuss the grit required to "escape the algorithm," the importance of long-form storytelling in humanizing top athletes, and what it actually takes to build a sustainable career in sports and marketing in 2026. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 01:15 – Early days: Pirating Photoshop and the self-taught grind 02:37 – The freelance hustle: Spamming DMs and using Fiverr 04:36 – From graphic design to finding a voice on camera 07:11 – Life at a sports agency and managing content for Damar Hamlin 08:43 – Negotiating the leap from full-time employment to solo creator 12:57 – Defining what it means to "escape the algorithm" 18:07 – Scaling the brand: Building a team of specialized editors 24:28 – Turning common sports stories into unique investigative pieces 27:33 – The intentional shift from short-form clips to YouTube documentaries 36:54 – Navigating YouTube profitability and the value of a content catalog 41:05 – The 3-step strategy for creating successful serialized content 46:48 – "Watching with intent": How to dissect and learn from other niches 56:42 – 2026 Vision: Becoming the premier storyteller for elite athletes 59:29 – Outro

    1h 5m

  5. MAR 25

    Jordan Rogers: Inside Nike, the Creator Economy & What Sports Marketing Actually Is

    Jordan Rogers has worked inside one of the biggest brands in the world, and now helps others compete with it. This week, Jake and Tyler sit down with the former Nike brand leader turned creator and consultant to break down the shift from corporate marketing to the algorithm-driven era. They talk about why big companies struggle to adapt, how creators are building leverage faster than ever, and what young people should actually do if they want to build a career in sports and marketing today. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 — Intro & Jordan’s Background 00:38 — Explaining Sports Marketing Simply 01:30 — What He Actually Does Day-to-Day 03:00 — Strategy vs. Execution Skills 03:47 — From Nike to Consulting & Content 04:54 — Early Social Media & Twitter Success 06:15 — Instagram Growth & Nike Career 07:24 — Balancing Corporate & Creator Paths 08:52 — Discovering TikTok & Vertical Video 09:53 — The Rise of Creator-Led Careers 12:00 — Corporate vs. Entrepreneurship Debate 13:56 — Why More People Need Side Hustles 14:12 — Infinite Opportunity in Entrepreneurship 15:04 — Building Leverage as a Creator 16:32 — Why Creators Can’t Thrive in Corporations 18:25 — Structural Issues in Big Companies 19:38 — Why Big Brands Are Losing Edge 21:29 — Competing With Nike-Level Marketing 21:54 — What Brands Actually Want 23:14 — Why Great Ads Take Risk 24:41 — Risk vs. Reward in Marketing 25:51 — The Algorithm Changed Everything 26:53 — Why Brands Struggle to Pick a Niche 28:15 — Creativity vs. Big Budgets 29:07 — Career Advice: Corporate vs. Creator 30:18 — Why Experience Still Matters 30:50 — Where to Follow Jordan 31:39 — Jake & Tyler Reflection 33:00 — Clarity in Marketing Thinking 34:50 — Outro

    35 min

  6. MAR 18

    The Voice in the Ring: Big Mo's Rise to the Biggest Stage in Boxing

    Most ring announcers spend decades waiting for their moment. Kody 'Big Mo' Mommaerts didn't wait for anything. Tyler and Jake sit down with Kody "Big Mo" Bigmo, one of combat sports' fastest-rising ring announcers, to unpack how a college football player from Colorado built a global career in the middle of the ring. They dig into how he speed-ran an industry where most announcers don't reach the top until decades in, what it took to land the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight on Netflix, and why treating a "cool job" with the discipline of a craft is what separates the Big Mo's of the world from everyone else. ⏱️Timestamps 0:00 – Intro 1:00 – Growing up with a trial attorney dad 4:22 – Seeing the ring & knowing he could do it 9:02 – The moment it became a real career 11:43 – Creating the "Big Mo" brand 13:16 – How COVID accelerated his rise 19:00 – His proprietary prep system 24:04 – The mental toll of peak performance 27:17 – Why he stopped watching tape 30:36 – Paul vs. Tyson 33:44 – Speed-running the industry 35:18 – Studying comedians, pastors & speakers 38:29 – The Netflix Deal 41:06 – How he picks his fights 43:01 – What's in Big Mo's closet 44:29 – Does he talk to himself? 46:39 – Can Big Mo sing? 47:06 – Outro

    56 min

  7. MAR 11

    How 7-on-7 Took Over Football

    7-on-7 started as an offseason drill. Now it's becoming its own sport. This week, Tyler and Jake sit down with Ty Thomas, founder of My7on7, to unpack how a Minnesota startup grew from 150 kids to nearly 8,000 players — and what that growth means for the future of football development. They talk about the real difference between 7-on-7 and flag football, why high school coaches are still split on the sport, and whether 7-on-7 can avoid becoming football's version of AAU. ⏱️ Timestamps 0:00 – Intro 1:03 – State of 7-on-7 today 2:56 – My7on7: 150 to 8,000 players 4:16 – How tournament circuits got started 10:30 – 7-on-7 vs. flag football 12:48 – Flag football & the Olympics 15:36 – High school coaches: help or hurt? 20:57 – AAU concerns & player culture 27:31 – How My7on7 keeps events clean 29:55 – 7-on-7 & traditional football blending 32:03 – Growth projections: 2 million players? 34:50 – Magic wand: Ty's one big change 36:18 – Post-interview debrief 43:41 – 7-on-7 is inevitable 44:50 – Outro

    45 min

  8. MAR 4

    What the Camera Caught — Breaking Down an 11-Hour Day Inside Youth Hockey Officiating

    🔗 WATCH THE FULL VIDEO: https://youtu.be/pbThK_e-yjg?si=c6DjHXh1i0m0kY6u Tyler spent 11 hours mic'd up at a youth hockey rink — and the parent interviews changed everything. After spending a full day together at a youth hockey rink, Tyler and Brandon sit down to unpack what came out of the day — especially the parent interviews, the money stress that quietly fuels rink-side tension, and how it's somehow become normal to treat refs like part of the entertainment. Plus, the conversation takes a sharp turn into baseball as Tyler and Brandon debate the new ABS challenge system and whether technology is the enemy of the human element — or its best defense. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 00:39 – Brandon is now a youth referee influencer 01:05 – Was the GoPro too uncomfortable? 02:22 – How accurately did the video capture a real ref's day? 03:14 – What surprised Brandon watching back 04:27 – The money stress angle neither saw coming 07:30 – Why is it accepted to yell at refs? 08:30 – Lack of repercussions and what should change 11:57 – Feedback from Brandon's uncle, a 25-year ref 12:31 – What the parent interviews revealed about training gaps 13:37 – Debunking the myth: should refs call games differently late? 16:17 – Getting people interested in refereeing 18:09 – The Nashville Predators trick for teaching fans the game 20:18 – The altruistic case for officiating 22:05 – The biggest misconception: refs actually have fun 23:19 – The hidden cost of being a referee 25:38 – Should the sport subsidize equipment for officials? 27:38 – MLB's new ABS challenge system: human element vs. accuracy 30:17 – NFL pass interference and where technology belongs in sport 32:14 – The real takeaway: what refs are doing is hard 33:56 – Outro

    37 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

Two sports marketers (Jake Kranz and Tyler Webb) interview the most unique people in sports, business, marketing, and technology to learn about the ideas shaping the future of the sports industry.

Information

  • Creator
    Uncle Charlie
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    77
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Uncle Charlie
  • Show Website
    Sportonomics

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