4th Quarter Labs :: Sports + Tech + Business

In a world of automated emails, AI-generated outreach, and endless sales technology, are we forgetting the most important part of selling?Relationships.In this episode of 4th Quarter Labs, I sit down with Travis Apple, founder of 52 Weeks of Hustle, a sports industry podcast with more than 300 consecutive weekly episodes.Travis has built a career around sports business, sales leadership, executive recruiting, consulting, and developing high-performing teams.We get into some great conversations about what actually works in sales, why relationships still matter, and how to separate great salespeople from people who are simply great at interviewing. We also compare notes on building podcasts, learning from our mistakes, and why the best conversations often happen when you throw away the script.Whether you're in sports, sales, leadership, or building something of your own, there's plenty to take away from this one.Guest: Travis Apple | 52 Weeks of HustleHost: Robert Johnson | 4th Quarter LabsSubscribe for conversations about sports, business, technology, leadership, and the work behind the work.#4thQuarterLabs #52WeeksOfHustle #SportsBusiness #SalesLeadership #Podcast

College athletics has changed. And the people running athletic departments are being forced to change with it.On this episode of Fourth Quarter Labs, I sit down with Edward "Eddie" Kull, Director of Athletics at St. John's University, for a fascinating conversation about the business of college sports, the pressures facing athletic directors, and what it takes to lead in an industry that's being completely redefined.Eddie has one of the more interesting backgrounds you'll find in college athletics.He started his career at St. John's, helped build the sports marketing business at Vitaminwater before its multibillion-dollar sale to Coca-Cola, worked with the NFL, served as Athletic Director at Fordham University, and eventually returned to lead the athletic department at his alma mater.Today, he's overseeing St. John's athletics during an extraordinary period of change, with Rick Pitino leading the men's basketball program and NIL, revenue sharing, fundraising, and sponsorships fundamentally changing the economics of college sports.One of the most interesting things Eddie told me?"I'm more of a chief revenue officer than I am an athletic director today."And after hearing him explain the pressures athletic directors face, I understand why.In this episode, we discuss:Why athletic directors are increasingly becoming business executivesHow St. John's tripled revenue in one yearThe financial pressures created by NIL and athlete revenue sharingWhy traditional athletic department leadership models are changingWhat Eddie learned from building Vitaminwater and working with the NFLWhy some universities may choose not to participate in the escalating financial competitionThe importance of sales, fundraising, relationships, and revenue generationEddie's personal story of following his passion back to his alma materWe also get into something that goes beyond sports.Eddie shares the story of watching his father count down the years until retirement from a job he didn't enjoy, and how that experience shaped his own approach to career, ambition, and finding work you genuinely love.It's a conversation about sports, business, leadership, and making intentional decisions about the life and career you want to build.About Fourth Quarter LabsHosted by Robert Johnson, Fourth Quarter Labs explores Sports + Tech + Business through conversations with athletes, entrepreneurs, executives, and high performers.Because performance isn't just defined by what happens on game day, but by the discipline, mindset, and work that happens when no one's watching.Subscribe for more conversations.#FourthQuarterLabs #CollegeAthletics #SportsBusiness #NIL #Leadership

What if one simple change to a college football game could generate an additional $1.1 million in revenue?On this episode of Fourth Quarter Labs, I sit down with Dan Stahl, SVP of Growth for College at Eventellect, to talk about the business behind college athletics and the massive revenue opportunities many schools are overlooking.Dan spent 13 years working in college athletics, including serving as Chief Revenue Officer at the University of South Carolina, where he helped grow annual ticketing revenue by approximately $11 million over five years.Now he's bringing that experience to Eventellect, helping athletic departments rethink how they price tickets, understand demand, and generate more revenue from the fans already coming through their gates.One of the most interesting stories from our conversation?Nebraska added a postgame concert to a football game and generated approximately $1.1 million in incremental revenue through additional ticket sales, concessions, and premium field access.And that was just one game.In this episode, we discuss:How South Carolina increased annual ticketing revenue by $11 millionThe Nebraska postgame concert strategy that generated $1.1 millionWhy college athletic departments may be leaving millions in ticketing revenue on the tableHow data and dynamic pricing are changing college sportsWhy the secondary ticket market matters to universitiesThe growing importance of creating experiences beyond the game itselfDan's transition from working inside an athletic department to helping schools across the countryWith NIL, revenue sharing, and increasing financial pressures on college athletic departments, the business side of college sports has never been more important.Whether you work in college athletics, sports technology, ticketing, venue operations, or simply enjoy understanding how the business of sports works, there's a lot to learn from this conversation.About Fourth Quarter LabsHosted by Robert Johnson, Fourth Quarter Labs explores the intersection of Sports + Tech + Business through conversations with leaders, entrepreneurs, athletes, and high performers.Because performance isn't just defined by what happens on game day, but by the discipline, mindset, and work that happens when no one's watching.Subscribe for more conversations.#FourthQuarterLabs #CollegeAthletics #SportsBusiness #SportsTechnology #Ticketing

Ally Jackson has spent nearly two decades building a career at the intersection of sports, technology, relationships and fan experience.In this episode of Fourth Quarter Labs, Robert Johnson sits down with Ally, Strategic Accounts Director at Lava.ai, to talk about the career decisions that took her from college basketball and the University of Georgia to working with teams, leagues and venues across professional sports. They dig into the importance of relationships in the sports industry, mentors, career moves, why you shouldn’t burn bridges, and Ally’s philosophy of making time for people even when there’s nothing immediately in it for you. The conversation also explores what’s happening next in sports business: the NFL’s international expansion, fan loyalty, connected rewards, sponsorship ROI, first-party fan data, and how AI could help teams personalize experiences, reduce churn and drive greater fan and sponsor spending. In this episode:Building a long-term career in sportsWhy relationships compound over timeMentorship and helping the next generationWhy you should never burn bridgesMoving from traditional sports marketing into data and technologyThe NFL’s international growthWhat sports can learn from airline, hotel and retail loyalty programsAI, fan data and personalizationThe future of the fan experienceFourth Quarter Labs :: Sports + Tech + BusinessWhere performance isn’t just defined by game day, but by the discipline, mindset and work that happens when no one’s watching.

What can sports learn from retail about AI, loyalty, data, and the future of the fan experience?A lot.On this episode of Fourth Quarter Labs, I sit down with Shripal Shah, Chief AI & Innovation Officer at Next League, author, columnist, and adjunct professor who has spent his career at the intersection of sports, technology, marketing, and business.Shripal has worked on both sides of the equation, from helping lead strategy for an NFL organization to spending years in retail, where data science, machine learning, personalization, and loyalty were already operating at massive scale.Now he’s bringing those lessons back into sports.One of my favorite ideas from the conversation: For years, sports organizations have imagined frictionless parking, personalized experiences, connected loyalty, and seamless transactions.The desire was there.The technology wasn't.That is changing very quickly.Fourth Quarter Labs explores sports, business, technology, leadership, and human performance, and the work behind the work that ultimately drives performance.Subscribe for more conversations with the people building, leading, and changing these industries.