Sports Business Conversations

ADC Partners
Sports Business Conversations

Winner of Sports Podcast Awards' Best Sports Business Podcast of 2024: Silver Medal. In this podcast series, ADC Partners co-founder Dave Almy hosts conversations with sports business professionals who are shaping the future of the industry. With interviews featuring brand representatives, team presidents, sports marketers, and even mascots, the 1-on-1: Sports Business Conversations podcast has insights for everyone involved in the sports industry. ADC Partners is a San Francisco Bay Area based agency specializing in sports business, sports marketing and partnerships. More information is at www.adcpartners.com

  1. Overcoming the Unthinkable: Robert Paylor's Journey From Paralyzed to Powerful

    MAY 13

    Overcoming the Unthinkable: Robert Paylor's Journey From Paralyzed to Powerful

    We all have obstacles that we face in life. Sometimes these might seem petty. Like, oh my god the wifi is so slow today. But oftentimes these obstacles may be more substantial. Things like unhappiness in a job. Loneliness. Addiction. Relationship challenges. The list, unfortunately, goes on. These things can impact us to such a degree that we become almost paralyzed by them. It’s something that this episode’s guest, Robert Paylor, is uniquely qualified to speak to. In 2017, Robert was at the true height of his physical powers. The 6’5”, 245 lb college sophomore was competing in the Collegiate Rugby National Championship game for the legendary Cal Bears squad. Just moments into the game, an illegal play by an opposing player broke Robert’s neck and left him immobile on the ground, unable to feel anything. And so begins Robert’s path to recovery, which he recounts in his just released book, “From Paralyzed to Powerful: Lessons from a Quadriplegic’s Journey.” From the dark moments that immediately follow his injury, to his remarkable path through grief and anger toward purpose and forgiveness, Robert talks about the tools he used to help him thrive today. And who knows? They might help you on your path, too. ABOUT THIS PODCAST The Sports Business Conversations podcast is a production of ADC Partners, a sports marketing agency that specializes in creating, managing, and evaluating effective partnerships between brands and sports. All rights reserved. YOUR HOST Dave Almy brings over 30 years of sports marketing and sports business experience to his role as host of the "1-on-1: Sports Business Conversations" podcast. Dave is the co-Founder of ADC Partners. FOLLOW US Here's where you can find us: LinkedIn: adc-partnersInstagram: adc_partners_podcastThreads: adc_partners_podcastYoutube: @adcpartnersHomepage: adcpartners.com/podcast

    55 min
  2. Catching Up With: Episode 34 Guest Tamzin Barroilhet is Overseeing Global Sports Marketing for Under Armor

    MAY 6 · BONUS

    Catching Up With: Episode 34 Guest Tamzin Barroilhet is Overseeing Global Sports Marketing for Under Armor

    There haven't been a lot of quiet moments for Tamzin Barriolhet since we last spoke: big time promotions, groundbreaking partnerships, and the arrival of Sophie. ABOUT THIS PODCAST The Sports Business Conversations podcast is a production of ADC Partners, a sports marketing agency that specializes in creating, managing, and evaluating effective partnerships between brands and sports. All rights reserved. YOUR HOST Dave Almy brings over 30 years of sports marketing and sports business experience to his role as host of the "1-on-1: Sports Business Conversations" podcast. Dave is the co-Founder of ADC Partners. FOLLOW US Here's where you can find us: LinkedIn: adc-partnersInstagram: adc_partners_podcastThreads: adc_partners_podcastYoutube: @adcpartnersHomepage: adcpartners.com/podcast

    25 min
  3. Sports, Diplomacy, and the American Sports Decade: Travis Murphy, Founder and CEO of Jetr Global Sports & Entertainment

    APR 29

    Sports, Diplomacy, and the American Sports Decade: Travis Murphy, Founder and CEO of Jetr Global Sports & Entertainment

    The next 10 years are kind of unprecedented for the United States in terms of global sporting events coming here. Let’s do a quick review: FIFA Club World Cup coming later this year.FIFA World Cup in 2026. LA Olympics in 2028.FIFA Women’s World Cup AND Rugby World Cup will both be here in 2031.Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2034. That’s a lot to take in. And it’s going to require a herculean effort from both event organizers and government officials to make these monumental international events run smoothly. No one knows this better than Travis Murphy, the Founder and CEO of Jetr Global Sports and Entertainment. Travis began his career working for the State Department in embassies around the world, and saw first hand how sports could easily bridge cultural gaps. He eventually helped lead sports diplomacy initiatives for the State Department and then joined the NBA to enhance the global reach of basketball. With more leagues trying to emulate the NBA’s international success, Travis decided to carve his own path with Jetr. And almost immediately found himself playing a key role in helping negotiate the release of basketball star Brittney Griner from Russian prison. In our conversation, we talk about the events leading to Griner's release, what needs to be done leading up to all those global events, and what’s lost when the United States is no longer interested in using soft power like sports and retreats from the global stage.

    39 min
  4. Unlocking the Power of Female Athletes for Brands with Leela Srinivasan, CEO of Parity

    APR 15

    Unlocking the Power of Female Athletes for Brands with Leela Srinivasan, CEO of Parity

    With so many people interested in working in sports, it’s amazing how many successful sports biz execs I talk to didn’t start with that goal. A lot of them were caught completely off guard by the opportunity to do so. That’s definitely the case with this episode’s guest, Leela Srinivasan. The experienced tech CMO of companies like OpenTable and SurveyMonkey was just starting to wonder what might be next might be next for her. And it was at that moment when Parity, a groundbreaking sports marketing platform that features a network of professional women athletes and was looking for a new CEO, came knocking. It’s been a match made in heaven. With a passion for sports and a creative mindset, Leela has been able to leverage her previous experience in sales and marketing to help brands find the perfect partnerships with Parity's network of over 1,100 professional women athletes, including 300 Olympians and Paralympians. In our conversation, we talk about Leela’s career journey to Parity, why women athletes make such compelling brand ambassadors, the power of authentic storytelling, the successes she and her team have experienced, and the challenges that still lay ahead. All this, and you’ll also learn what wine would pair perfectly with this podcast. ABOUT THIS PODCAST The Sports Business Conversations podcast is a production of ADC Partners, a sports marketing agency that specializes in creating, managing, and evaluating effective partnerships between brands and sports. All rights reserved. YOUR HOST Dave Almy brings over 30 years of sports marketing and sports business experience to his role as host of the "1-on-1: Sports Business Conversations" podcast. Dave is the co-Founder of ADC Partners. FOLLOW US Here's where you can find us: LinkedIn: adc-partnersInstagram: adc_partners_podcastThreads: adc_partners_podcastYoutube: @adcpartnersHomepage: adcpartners.com/podcast

    43 min
  5. Sports Business on Display: ANC President & CEO Jerry Cifarelli Jr on the Dynamic Digital Signage Business

    APR 1

    Sports Business on Display: ANC President & CEO Jerry Cifarelli Jr on the Dynamic Digital Signage Business

    Consider for a moment, if you will, the humble stadium sign. Yes, those ubiquitous displays that vie for your attention at every stadium and arena you’ve ever been to. I think most people in sports business have been guilty at one time or another of looking at those signs a little derisively. You know. “Spots and Dots”, as they saying goes. The things you add toward the end of a sponsorship proposal. Well, disregard the no-longer humble stadium sign at your peril. Digital displays and mammoth scoreboards are now an essential part of the live sports experience. Designers are anxiously one upping each other to produce the largest, clearest and most advanced displays for their stadiums All of which brings a smile to the face of Jerry Cifarelli’s face. Because for the President and CEO of ANC, that means business is good. In our conversation, Jerry reflects on his journey in sports business, starting with early exposure to the industry through his father, who co-founded ANC in 1997. After gaining experience at Fenway Sports Group, he returned to ANC in 2012 to build its collegiate division, which quickly became a key revenue driver for the company. We discuss ANC's acquisition by Learfield, pursuing his own entrepreneurial vision, and then the eventual reacquisition of ANC in 2023. ABOUT THIS PODCAST The Sports Business Conversations podcast is a production of ADC Partners, a sports marketing agency that specializes in creating, managing, and evaluating effective partnerships between brands and sports. All rights reserved. YOUR HOST Dave Almy brings over 30 years of sports marketing and sports business experience to his role as host of the "1-on-1: Sports Business Conversations" podcast. Dave is the co-Founder of ADC Partners. FOLLOW US Here's where you can find us: LinkedIn: adc-partnersInstagram: adc_partners_podcastThreads: adc_partners_podcastYoutube: @adcpartnersHomepage: adcpartners.com/podcast

    28 min
  6. From Gridiron to Grow Room: NFL Legend Marvin Washington's Cannabis Advocacy

    MAR 18

    From Gridiron to Grow Room: NFL Legend Marvin Washington's Cannabis Advocacy

    I think it’s fair to say that pain, and managing pain, is just part of a football players every day experience. It’s something a player just has to learn how to deal with. The entire culture of the sport kind of celebrates pain, right? “Play through the pain” “No pain no gain”. And my personal favorite: “Just Rub some dirt in it”. But there’s a human toll to all that pain. We’ve all seen stories of former athletes laid low by the toll of the sport. Unfortunately, many of the stories have terrible endings often brought on by addiction to pain killers. Former NFL great Marvin Washington knows these stories all too well. A Super Bowl winner in the 1990s with the Denver Broncos, Washington dealt with pain and treatment of that pain his entire career. He and his teammates tried every conceivable pain management technique: Tylenol, cold plunges, acupuncture and so on. And when those lost their effectiveness, they took opiates prescribed by team doctors. It wasn’t until his playing days were over that he discovered that former teammates who smoked cannabis were far less reliant on opiates for dealing with pain than he was. After experimenting with cannabis for pain management, Washington became an outspoken advocate for medicinal cannabis use, even going so far as to sue the Attorney General and Department of Justice to decriminalize the drug. In our conversation, Marvin shares insights on how players are introduced to powerful medications at a young age, and how that continues through college and the pros. We talk about his cannabis advocacy, the drugs neuroprotective properties that serve as an alternative to traditional painkillers, and his work with Leafwell, a telemedicine company aimed at normalizing cannabis in healthcare. ABOUT THIS PODCAST The Sports Business Conversations podcast is a production of ADC Partners, a sports marketing agency that specializes in creating, managing, and evaluating effective partnerships between brands and sports. All rights reserved. YOUR HOST Dave Almy brings over 30 years of sports marketing and sports business experience to his role as host of the "1-on-1: Sports Business Conversations" podcast. Dave is the co-Founder of ADC Partners. FOLLOW US Here's where you can find us: LinkedIn: adc-partnersInstagram: adc_partners_podcastThreads: adc_partners_podcastYoutube: @adcpartnersHomepage: adcpartners.com/podcast

    35 min
  7. The Power of Communication: How GoRout Technology is Disrupting the Sports Industry

    MAR 4

    The Power of Communication: How GoRout Technology is Disrupting the Sports Industry

    So a little personality quirk about me: I love to drive. On a long road trip, I’ll turn off the radio and cruise in silence. It’s one of the few times I can really just let my mind just unspool. This episode’s guest also loves to drive. In fact, Mike Rolih, the founder and CEO of GoRout, loves driving so much, he became a limo driver after his baseball playing career wound down. He would spend hours driving thinking about what his next career step might be. And then inspiration struck. After stopping to watch a friend coach a high school football practice, Rolih was taken aback about how a smoothly running practice descended into chaos when it came time to learn new plays. Surely, he thought, there’s a better way to do this. And so the life long tinkerer began working on what eventually would become GoRout, a technology company that’s taking the football, baseball and softball by storm. Our conversation is a must listen for any would be entrepreneurs, as Rolih talks about lessons learned throughout the development and go-to-market phases. He recounts some early product hurdles, how he develops his sales teams, how he’s pivoted, and where things head from here for his exploding company. ABOUT THIS PODCAST The Sports Business Conversations podcast is a production of ADC Partners, a sports marketing agency that specializes in creating, managing, and evaluating effective partnerships between brands and sports. All rights reserved. YOUR HOST Dave Almy brings over 30 years of sports marketing and sports business experience to his role as host of the "1-on-1: Sports Business Conversations" podcast. Dave is the co-Founder of ADC Partners. FOLLOW US Here's where you can find us: LinkedIn: adc-partnersInstagram: adc_partners_podcastThreads: adc_partners_podcastYoutube: @adcpartnersHomepage: adcpartners.com/podcast

    45 min
  8. SBC Live! Interview with Jess Smith, President of the Golden State Valkyries

    MAR 3 · BONUS

    SBC Live! Interview with Jess Smith, President of the Golden State Valkyries

    On March 1, 2025, I had a chance to do a live interview with Jess Smith, President of the Golden State Valkyries, for the USF Sports Management Program. In our conversation, Jess talks about the decision to join the Valkyries, building the team’s front office, how she’ll evaluate success in this first year of operation, and what’s left to do with a little more than 2 months before the first tip off in franchise history, Special shout outs to USF Athletics’ Isabella Bruenner and USF Sports Management Program’s Brent von Forstmeyer for pulling together such a fun and informative evening. ABOUT THIS PODCAST The Sports Business Conversations podcast is a production of ADC Partners, a sports marketing agency that specializes in creating, managing, and evaluating effective partnerships between brands and sports. All rights reserved. YOUR HOST Dave Almy brings over 30 years of sports marketing and sports business experience to his role as host of the "1-on-1: Sports Business Conversations" podcast. Dave is the co-Founder of ADC Partners. FOLLOW US Here's where you can find us: LinkedIn: adc-partnersInstagram: adc_partners_podcastThreads: adc_partners_podcastYoutube: @adcpartnersHomepage: adcpartners.com/podcast

    34 min
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5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Winner of Sports Podcast Awards' Best Sports Business Podcast of 2024: Silver Medal. In this podcast series, ADC Partners co-founder Dave Almy hosts conversations with sports business professionals who are shaping the future of the industry. With interviews featuring brand representatives, team presidents, sports marketers, and even mascots, the 1-on-1: Sports Business Conversations podcast has insights for everyone involved in the sports industry. ADC Partners is a San Francisco Bay Area based agency specializing in sports business, sports marketing and partnerships. More information is at www.adcpartners.com

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