Sports Business Podcast with Prof. C - Fordham Gabelli School of Business

Labor-management relations have shaped professional sports for half a century, yet many fans know little about how players' unions work. In this episode of The Sports Business Podcast with Prof. C, Professor Mark Conrad takes listeners inside one of the most important unions in American sports with George Atallah, the assistant executive director of external affairs for the NFL Players Association from 2009 to 2025. He is presently the founder of the strategic advisory firm SOMEBODY. Atallah traces the union's use of litigation as leverage, focusing on the antitrust litigation that ultimately resulted in the 1993 Collective Bargaining Agreement. He reflects on negotiating the 2011 and 2020 collective bargaining agreements: a lockout lasting nearly 200 days, a strategy of getting "the most for the most" for members ranging from superstars to practice squad players, and a 2020 ratification vote decided by roughly 60 votes out of about 2,000 members. Atallah also discusses commissioner discipline and the Deflategate fallout, the union's daily work between negotiations, the leadership change from DeMaurice Smith to Lloyd Howell, and the NFL's growth toward $25 billion in annual revenue. Looking ahead, Atallah considers what the next round of bargaining could bring, including the owners' long-standing push for an 18-game season. Host and Executive Producer: Mark Conrad Producer: Victoria Ilano Additional Production: Jeffrey Haynes Artwork: Pamela V. White Marketing: Paola Curcio-Kleinman Music: ”MarcusWay/Energetic Pop Punk/Tribe of Noise”

Back in 2023, Rich Perelman joined Prof. C for one of the first episodes in the podcast to discuss the future of the Olympic movement. Now, with the 2028 Los Angeles Games less than two years away, he returns for an in-depth update. Perelman, publisher of The Sports Examiner and a veteran of the Olympic movement dating back to the 1984 Los Angeles Games, joins Prof. C to discuss how the IOC funds and governs itself, why host cities are once again lining up to bid, and what separates the 2028 Los Angeles Games from the Games he helped organize four decades ago. The conversation also covers the LA28 organizing committee's progress on security, transportation, and sponsorship; new IOC President Kirsty Coventry's early tenure; the push to pay Olympic athletes; the debate over transgender athletes in elite competition; and the potential long-term implications that changing media habits pose to Olympic revenue. Host and Executive Producer: Mark Conrad Producer: Victoria Ilano Additional Production: Jeffrey Haynes Artwork: Pamela V. White Marketing: Paola Curcio-Kleinman Music: ”MarcusWay/Energetic Pop Punk/Tribe of Noise”

What does it really mean to be a sports fanatic? In this commentary, Prof. C reflects on his decades-long devotion to the New York Rangers: from the heartbreak and ultimate triumph of the 1994 Stanley Cup to his quest to see the Rangers play in every NHL arena. Along the way, he considers the emotional, financial, and logistical lengths fans will go to for the teams they love. Host and Executive Producer: Mark Conrad Producer: Victoria Ilano Additional Production: Jeffrey Haynes Artwork: Pamela V. White Marketing: Paola Curcio-Kleinman Music: ”MarcusWay/Energetic Pop Punk/Tribe of Noise”

Former professional runner and medical student Mary Cain joins Prof. C to discuss her memoir, This Is Not About Running, an unflinching account of her experiences as one of America's most promising young track athletes and the systemic failures she encountered while competing at the highest levels of the sport. Cain reflects on the culture of elite athletics, athlete safeguarding, coaching ethics, corporate responsibility, and the pressures placed on young competitors. She explains how abuse can become normalized within sports organizations, why accountability is often lacking, and what reforms are needed to better protect athletes. The conversation also explores the unique structure of Olympic sports, the role of governing bodies and sponsors, and how sports can better balance high performance with long-term health and well-being. This episode is part of The Sports Business Podcast with Prof. C Author Series, featuring conversations with leading authors whose work examines the most important issues shaping the business of sports today. Host and Executive Producer: Mark Conrad Producer: Victoria Ilano Additional Production: Jeffrey Haynes Artwork: Pamela V. White Marketing: Paola Curcio-Kleinman Music: ”MarcusWay/Energetic Pop Punk/Tribe of Noise”

What does it really mean to be an "official partner" of the NFL? In this episode of The Sports Business Podcast with Prof. C, Professor Mark Conrad explores how sports sponsorships have become increasingly specialized and increasingly more valuable in today's business landscape. Host and Executive Producer: Mark Conrad Producer: Victoria Ilano Additional Production: Jeffrey Haynes Artwork: Pamela V. White Marketing: Paola Curcio-Kleinman Music: ”MarcusWay/Energetic Pop Punk/Tribe of Noise”