NCAA Hockey may be a regional sport, but Holy Cross markets it as one of its primaries. Senior Associate Athletic Director of External Operations Joe Bertoletti is responsible for the sales and marketing of the athletic department, and discusses some of the nuances of selling a sport in a hockey-mad area, where there are few comparable programs to judge everything from pricing to marketing against. Bertoletti discusses raising up the profile of women's sports such as lacrosse and hockey at Holy Cross, despite the lack of the school's history in female sports. Twitter: @Jberto13
While the public may assume that every athlete and sports figure writes their book solely, Michelle Hill reveals that there are a lot of them relying on ghostwriters. Hill owns Winning Proof, and serves as a ghostwriter for high profile athletes, coaches and sports business figures. Hill discusses why a ghostwriter can be invaluable to the execution of a book, getting the entire story narrative out comprehensively, and why a first draft is just a first draft. Hill talks about engaging with her subjects in a way that develops each story or principle, in order to take the reader on a fascinating journey. Twitter: @WinningProof
Founded in 1970, The West Coast Conference has been home to that region's private religious schools. WCC Commissioner Lynn Holzman discusses some of the nuances of overseeing a private school conference, as well as how the conference "got" Las Vegas for its annual tournament first. Holzman talks about the WCC's foothold in specific areas such as media rights, and the conference is working on sustainable fan base growth for the future. Twitter: @LynnHolzman
Frisco, Texas' Justin Wakeland High School is an amazing success story for young teenagers looking to gain a footing in the sports industry. Program instructor Leon Friedrich describes the program, which utilizes real world internships, guest speakers and an intense amount of classroom instruction to create experience for each of the students participating. Friedrich talks about the expectations placed on both students and parents, as well as the way that internships with local teams push engagement across the board. Twitter: @LeonFriedrich
Almost a year to the day that he first appeared on the podcast (Ep. 549), Dave Wakeman returns to discuss some of the factors of sports revenue generation and branding when coupled with technology. Wakeman shares his experience consulting with various companies and teams, including his appearance at the 2016 Sports Sales Boot Camp at the ALSD Conference in Pittsburgh. Wakeman also tackles some of the issues surrounding metrics, and whether executives are looking at the wrong benchmarks when attempting to gain revenue. Twitter: @DavidWakeman
Kate Dobie is the first female general manager to head an Australia Baseball League team, doing so with the Brisbane Bandits, her third ABL franchise. Dobie speaks about the methods used to gain momentum with the Australian population to attend games. Despite having roots in Australia since the 1800s, Dobie points out that some of the modern promotional tools are still trying to be reckoned with by Australians. Dobie talks about the need for inclusion for female executives in sports overall. Twitter: @KateDobiest
Understanding where a campus identity is, and where it should be, is the hallmark of Grand Valley State. The university and the athletic department are firmly entrenched in the attitude of being the best NCAA Division II school nationally. GVSU Deputy Director Doug Lipinski explains the mindset and attitude of the Lakers program, and why it matters to stay at a place that isn't in the Power 5 or FBS world. Twitter: @lipinskd
While having a ton of academic credits helps bolster some program ratings, Dave Torromeo is focused on the real-world application of his Manhattanville College instructors, as well as their backgrounds. Torromeo discusses the influx of masters degree programs for sports management, as well as some of the dangers of flooding the marketplace without instructors who have actually worked full-time in sports. Torromeo talks about how his students view internships and job prospects, as the world of sports is becoming more and more technology-driven. Twitter: @Davidt12
The Wheeling Nailers ECHL franchise has begun to shy away from the premium giveaway, in order to cater to the mega experience of celebrity appearances. Vice President of Tickets, Chris Thoburn, talks about how the celebrity appearance at a game helps enhance both the VIPs of team business partners and group leaders, as well as draws out a ton of single game tickets. Thoburn maps out the new hockey landscape, being a Pittsburgh Penguins affiliate amid the competition of American Hockey League cities that are nearby. Twitter: @cthoburn87
Troy Ruediger has helped launch one of the more "sticky" forums for sports and technology discussion, called Starters. Based out of a Slack platform, Starters has engendered a larger amount of early adopters, communicating in various connectivity discussions and sharing timely articles. Ruediger discusses the vision of Starters, its original intentions, as well as its current state of growth, which is starting to scale in rapid succession. Ruediger also discusses his time at Rukkus, a secondary market ticket search engine with virtual reality capabilities, and the ways that the sports industry still lag behind in technology adoption. Twitter: @troy_ruediger