108. Jared Orton - Savannah Bananas
Navigating Sports Business
Jared Orton - President of the Savannah Bananas - shares the team's evolution from college summer baseball team to international entertainment sensation! The mission has always been to make baseball fun. That has led to a tidal wave of ticket sales, merchandise, and new revenue streams like televised games and even a fan cruise. As they continue to scale, they are launching an entire league of Banana Ball teams that will compete in cities across the U.S. and beyond. Details: 1:30 - The Origins of the Savannah Bananas 6:45 - Distinction from the Harlem Globetrotters 7:30 - The...
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Highlight: Tim Zulawski - AMB Sports & Entertainment
Navigating Sports Business
Tim Zulawski – President of AMB Sports & Entertainment – explains how AMBSE collaborates with brand partners to solve their business problems. AMBSE's perspective: Ultimately it starts with sourcing partners that you know you can positively impact with the tools available to you. Listen to the full episode here: For more insights, visit our or learn more about Navigate at .
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107. Jeremy Bloom - Former NFL & Olympic Athlete
Navigating Sports Business
Jeremy Bloom - Former NFL & Olympic Athlete, and the Founder of Integrate - discusses his public battle with the NCAA, his sister's underground poker game that spawned a Hollywood movie, and the lessons he learned in football and skiing that turned him into a successful founder. Jeremy also teases a major career announcement that will be coming the day after this episode's release! Details: 2:45 - Reaching elite levels in two sports 7:40 - Jeremy’s dispute with the NCAA 15:45 - The NFL experience 18:25 - Molly’s Game 21:00 - Lessons from the transition from sports to...
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Highlight: Daniel Lamarre - Cirque du Soleil
Navigating Sports Business
Daniel Lamarre – Executive Vice-Chairman of the Board at Cirque du Soleil – tells the story of the chance meeting with The Beatles that led to a powerful artistic collaboration. "There is no pitch. You're a creative force. We're a creative force. We're here to see if we can work together." Listen to the full episode here: For more insights, visit our or learn more about Navigate at .
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106. Eddie Hearn - Matchroom Sport
Navigating Sports Business
Eddie Hearn - Chairman of - leads the only global boxing promotional company in the world. However, his empire expands beyond boxing to basketball, darts, snooker, gymnastics, and many other sports. He discusses his groundbreaking $1 Billion deal with DAZN that brought the biggest fights in the world to streaming, and his thoughts on YouTubers getting in the ring. Details: 4:05 - Fan experience in professional darts 5:20 - Lessons for life and business 7:45 - Matchroom Boxing 12:15 - YouTuber Boxers 14:50 - Women’s Boxing 18:55 - The largest boxing broadcasting deal in...
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Highlight: Michael Alford - Florida State
Navigating Sports Business
Michael Alford – Vice President and Director of Athletics at Florida State – on the national brand that is FSU athletics, and how they're able to compete for market share with NFL teams, without having to follow the same regional restrictions. Listen to the full episode here: For more insights, visit our or learn more about Navigate at .
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105. Tim Zulawski - AMB Sports & Entertainment
Navigating Sports Business
Tim Zulawski - President of AMB Sports & Entertainment - manages a portfolio of properties that includes the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United FC, the state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and Atlanta Drive GC. He talks about how Atlanta United is using data to maximize the massive opportunity around soccer with the U.S. set to host the Men's FIFA World Cup in 2026. He also shares how drastically reducing concession prices, can actually increase both revenue and fan satisfaction. Details: 1:35 - Staying with AMBSE for >20 years 9:00 - AMBSE Ventures 11:10 - Promoting...
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Highlight: Umar Hussain - Navigate
Navigating Sports Business
Umar Hussain – Head of Media at Navigate – on his experience negotiating multibillion dollar deals down to the smallest detail. He also talks about launching ESPN+ and the direct-to-consumer platform for NBA TV. Listen to the full episode here: For more insights, visit our or learn more about Navigate at .
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104. Daniel Lamarre - Cirque du Soleil
Navigating Sports Business
Daniel Lamarre - Executive Vice-Chairman of the Board at Cirque du Soleil - on the origins of one of the world's most creative performances and the challenges they've overcome, including going from $1B in annual revenue to $0 overnight during the pandemic in 2020. He also discusses the meeting with Paul, George, and Ringo that led to Cirque's collaboration with the Beatles. Details: 2:00 - Cirque’s origin 6:00 - Taking the reigns 8:10 - Working with The Beatles 12:30 - The largest employer of former Olympians 14:10 - Taking private equity financing 15:30 - The crisis during...
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Highlight: Alex Martins - Orlando Magic
Navigating Sports Business
Alex Martins – CEO of the Orlando Magic – on leading both the business and basketball sides of an organization. The mission statement for the Magic is "to be world champions on and off the court, delivering legendary moments every step of the way." But due to the cyclical nature of the NBA, you have to be find ways to succeed as a business, even when the team is isn't competing for a championship. One area where the Magic has found success, is in group ticket sales, where they've led all NBA teams for nine consecutive seasons. Now that their young team is...
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