Sports & Media Exec Rob Thompson on Leading Change in Sports: Football, the Walter Camp Foundation, and more
Next Play: The Business of Sports powered by Playfly Sports
Release Date: 06/02/2025
JohnWallStreet Presents: Big Business On Campus, Arizona AD Desireé Reed-Francois on Fiscal Discipline, AI Integration & New Revenue Models (Ep.2)
Next Play: The Business of Sports powered by Playfly Sports
On the latest episode of JohnWallStreet Presents: Big Business on Campus sponsored by Short’s Sports Travel Logistics, a college sports podcast powered by Playfly Sports, JohnWallStreet founder Corey Leff (making his BBOC debut) and Playfly Sports chairman Michael Schreiber sit down with University of Arizona Athletics Director Desireé Reed-Francois to discuss a wide-range of topics including fiscal discipline, AI integration, control and revenue capture, and more.
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Playmakers: Paragon Marketing Group
Next Play: The Business of Sports powered by Playfly Sports
Julie Simmons, Co-Founder & Head of Operations and Rashid Ghazi, Co-Founder & President of Paragon Marketing Group, joined Craig Sloan for another insightful episode of Playmakers. Julie and Rash tell us what it means to be a playmaker in their own lives, and explain how innovation, at the heart of Paragon from its inception, guided them to join Playfly Sports; a promising alliance which is already starting to deliver.
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Driving Innovation in Sports Partnerships with Christy Hedgpeth, President of Playfly Sports Properties
Next Play: The Business of Sports powered by Playfly Sports
In this episode of On the Fly, host Gene DeFilippo is joined by Christy Hedgpeth, President of Playfly Sports Properties. Christy takes us through her remarkable career, starting with her time in college basketball and her pivotal role in shaping the WNBA. She shares insights into her journey in sports leadership and the experiences that have shaped her career, leading her to her current role at Playfly.
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JohnWallStreet Presents: Big Business On Campus, The BIG EAST’s March into a New Era (Ep. 1)
Next Play: The Business of Sports powered by Playfly Sports
Just as the BIG EAST prepared to announce its new 6-year digital media deal with ESPN, Val Ackerman, BIG EAST Commissioner, sat down with Mike Schreiber, Playfly Sports Founder and Chairman, for the first episode of JohnWallStreet Presents: Big Business On Campus podcast. In this episode, Commissioner Ackerman shares her vision for the BIG EAST conference, weighing in on media rights and reaching digital audiences, the impact of revenue-sharing within BIG EAST schools as a result of the House Settlement, the unique Pitino coaches’ clash next season, and more.
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Reimagining Premium Hospitality and Fan Experience with Gil Beverly, President of Playfly Aspire
Next Play: The Business of Sports powered by Playfly Sports
In this episode of On the Fly, host Gene DeFilippo is joined by President of Playfly Aspire, Gil Beverly. Gil shares his professional journey, beginning with his first job in healthcare and a subsequent transition into sports marketing. He reflects on his roles at ESPN, the NFL, and the Tennessee Titans, detailing his experiences and accomplishments in sports marketing and sales. Beverly discusses his recent position at Playfly Aspire, where he aims to continue to evolve the company from an outsourced ticketing firm to a premium hospitality and fan experience company. The conversation covers...
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Playfly FanScore: Modernizing the Business of College Sports
Next Play: The Business of Sports powered by Playfly Sports
“Playfly FanScore: Modernizing the Business of College sports” presents a comprehensive overview of the challenges and necessary modernizations within college athletics. It argues that college athletic departments must adopt a corporate business and media company mindset to navigate financial pressures and evolving fan engagement. It highlights key areas for revenue maximization, including robust sales infrastructure, diversified revenue streams, and strategic innovation in sponsorships and ticketing. The report also emphasizes the importance of enhanced fan engagement through digital...
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Playfly FanScore: College Basketball Edition 2025
Next Play: The Business of Sports powered by Playfly Sports
“Playfly FanScore: College Basketball Edition 2025” focuses on college basketball in 2024-25, offering insights into fan engagement, viewership, and attendance trends. It examines the demographics and dedication of college basketball fans, highlighting their regional distribution and emotional connection to the sport. The report also discusses viewing patterns for both men's and women's college basketball, detailing how on-court success influences university applications and offering strategies for marketing to fans through sponsorships and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals.
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Playfly FanScore: NHL Edition 2024
Next Play: The Business of Sports powered by Playfly Sports
"Playfly FanScore: NHL Edition 2024," is a report from Playfly Insights, powered by Vision Insights, focusing on the National Hockey League (NHL) fandom. It highlights the NHL's growing popularity, revenue, and technological advancements such as digitally enhanced dasherboards and player tracking, which aim to enhance the fan experience. The report also identifies the unique characteristics of NHL fans, describing them as passionate, young, educated, affluent, and tech-savvy, with significant regional variations in their values.
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Playfly FanScore: NBA Edition 2024
Next Play: The Business of Sports powered by Playfly Sports
“Playfly FanScore: NBA Edition 2024” offers a comprehensive examination of the NBA's fan base and its value. It highlights the league's distinctive cultural influence, global appeal, and diverse, younger audience.
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Playfly FanScore: College Football Edition 2023
Next Play: The Business of Sports powered by Playfly Sports
"Playfly FanScore: College Football Edition 2023” examines the state of college football fandom in 2023, highlighting that fan sentiment is very positive and growing. It notes a 15% increase in viewership during the early 2023 season, attributing this to factors like marquee matchups, star players, the transfer portal, and conference realignment. The source also points out that college football attendance more than doubles NFL attendance and details how fan loyalty is deeply tied to geography. Furthermore, it explores brand sponsorship receptivity, indicating that Group of 5 conferences...
info_outlineIn this episode of On the Fly, host Gene DeFilippo is joined by Rob Thompson, Sports & Media executive who is the current commercial director of the Walter Camp Foundation. Rob discusses his extensive career that began as a football player at the University of New Haven, transitioned into coaching and recruiting, and led to significant roles within NFL Properties, Disney, and the Arena Football League. Rob shares insights on how he founded the East Coast Recruiting agency, contributed to the growth of flag football, and the creation of grassroots sports programming including the popular NFL “Play 60” campaign. The conversation also delves into the history and significance of Walter Camp's contributions to American football, as well as the ongoing efforts of the Walter Camp Foundation to honor young student-athlete innovators and entrepreneurs.