SBJ Unpacks

How do you avoid groupthink? How do you avoid various forms of cognitive bias? How do you make sure that each piece of information is valued and considered? In this episode, we hear how teams are tackling these issues. Balloon co-founder and CEO Amanda Greenberg, Houston Astros Assistant GM Andrew Ball, and Phoenix Suns Assistant GM Ryan Resch join SBJ's Joe Lemire to break this all down.

Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas on Friday night will play host to the return of SlamBall, and league co-founder Mike Tollin credits an organic groundswell among fans as a key impetus in bringing the sport back to life in the U.S. Tollin, who also serves as Mandalay Sports Media co-chair, spoke with SBJ’s Austin Karp about the relationship with broadcast partner ESPN, how the funding efforts exceeded expectations, as well as the potential roles both sports wagering and social media could play.

With opening week quickly approaching, Ben Fischer, Reggie Walker, and Xavier Hunter were joined by Jabari Young of Forbes to preview the upcoming NFL season. Topics discussed included the Deshaun Watson suspension, Denver Broncos ownership, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, and the league’s advancements in media.

SBJ's Alex Silverman is joined by USL Chief Operating Officer Justin Papadakis to discuss the state of the organization and its ambitious growth plans.

Recorded before the MLS All-Star Game kicked off

Ahead of the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic in Illinois and LIV Golf Invitational Portland, SBJ’s Josh Carpenter, and David Rumsey spoke with Sports Illustrated's Bob Harig and Brendan Porath of The Fried Egg to discuss the current state of golf.

SBJ's Austin Karp posted up with NBA power forward Thaddeus Young. The 15-year veteran discussed his venture capital strategy, his investment in technology and much more.

Paul Epstein, founder of Purpose Labs, successfully steered business teams that executed billion-dollar NFL campaigns, broke Super Bowl revenue records, and generated league-leading sales results for NBA clubs. He then served as a consultant for the largest brands in business and sports. But after experiencing his own personal and career transformation, Epstein embarked on a mission to tackle a crisis of leadership. In his book, The Power of Playing Offense, Epstein takes a people-first approach to help leaders elevate purpose, performance and impact. In this episode of SBJ Unpacks, Epstein talks with SBJ’s Ross Nethery about his leadership journey, including how he became the “Why Coach” for the San Francisco 49ers.

Two college football insiders, Teall Capital’s Ben Sutton and Bruin Capital’s George Pyne, discuss the College Football Playoff expansion, driving more value from the championship game and the future of bowl games in this game day edition of the SBJ Unpacks podcast.

2-time Super Bowl champion Chris Long chats with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about life after football. We hear about his transition from chasing quarterbacks to pursuing media opportunities including a new podcast and much more.

Zach Maurides infamously started his business called Teamworks in a Duke University classroom when he was a student. Now, the Chicago native’s organizational and communications platform is used by more than 1,000 college teams and the recent acquisitions of INFLCR and Notemeal have broadened the company into new areas of growth. In this edition of the SBJ Unpacks podcast, Michael Smith talks to Maurides about what has driven him as an entrepreneur and founder, the future of name, image and likeness and what convinced him to commit to Duke as a football recruit on his first college visit.

AXS Chief Product Officer Michael Rojas and YellowHeart founder and CEO Josh Katz joined SBJ’s Bret McCormick to discuss blockchain’s potential impact on the ticketing and sports industries. The free-flowing conversation occurred at the AXS Sports Facilities & Franchises and Ticketing symposium in Las Vegas in late September.

Aptim Director of Sustainability Lindsay Arell joined the Sports Business Journal’s Bret McCormick on the Unpacks podcast to discuss the Sustainable Sport Index, a new report she co-authored looking at the industry’s efforts in sustainability, health and wellness, and diversity and inclusion. Arell talked about the report’s results, including novel findings like 53% of the responding teams allow free water bottle refill in their venue, or that only 18% of the respondents have a devoted sustainability coordinator. And she touched on the report’s shortcomings, including areas where she and her co-authors intend to make improvements in what they’re planning to be an annual effort. The report is available for free download at sustainablesportindex.com.

Longtime sports business leader and innovator Larry Lucchino, a member of the 2021 class of SBJ’s Champions, talks with Senior Writer Bill King about developing new stadiums, why he insisted on being a part of both the business and the baseball sides, and breaking the curse of the Bambino.

Theorycraft co-founder Lauren Flanagan joins The Esport Observer's Kevin Hitt to discuss OneTeam Partners' acquisition of her organization and what is next for Theorycraft

Author Gerry Marzorati joins SBJ’s Bret McCormick to talk about his new book, “Seeing Serena,” and how his approach may be the future of sports writing.

Wasserman's Elizabeth Lindsey and Jason Ranne stop by to talk about the company's new music venture with SBJ's Chris Smith.