Few NHL journeymen can claim to have an amazing second career like Kevin Westgarth, who won a Stanley Cup with the LA Kings and now transitioning to developing the game of hockey in China for the NHL with an eye on the 2022 Olympics. Westgarth talks about growing the game the right way in Asia along with how other countries are embracing the sport. Westgarth also talks about his role as an enforcer in the NHL and how that feature of the game is being phased out overall. Twitter: @KWesty19
Malcolm Bordelon represents a 20-year legacy with the San Jose Sharks (1993-2013) where the NHL franchise was one of the highest revenue drivers in all of professional hockey. Bordelon discusses his tenure with the club, which created waves in Silicon Valley and the tech industry, stemming from the birth of building naming rights to the secondary market. Bordelon chats about leaving the Sharks to work at various tech start-ups, then the Silicon Valley Business Journal and now as president of the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center in San Diego. Twitter: @SVBizMalcolm
Charlie Kaufman launched Ticket Talk on WLINY Radio in Brooklyn in 2017, and asked me to come on the show Nov. 9. We chatted about the secondary market, the issue of whether a closed market is about protecting the consumer or locking the consumer into a limited option system. You can listen to the other Ticket Talk episodes here, which are also video livestreamed.
Maury Brown has redefined the investigative sports business reporting game published in the New York Times, Boston Globe, CNN/Money and Forbes. Brown discusses the issues of breaking news compared to well-sourced reporting, as well as he develops his sources long-term. Brown chats about young people trying to break into the sports industry, as well as leading the Portland, Oregon effort to nab the Montreal Expos relocation. Twitter: @BizBallMaury
Bobbi-Sue Doyle-Hazard has initiated a sports business podcast focused on the advancement of women in the industry, called Leveling The Playing Field. Doyle-Hazard discusses some of the issues underlying the sports industry in terms of gender equity, then starts a discussion on privilege and the #MeToo social media movement. Doyle-Hazard then discusses her battles with depression. Twitter:@BobbiSue
The international soccer community's interest in the Chinese Super League is growing and is bouyed by Wild East Football, the only English speaking website focused in China on the sport of soccer. Founding editor Cameron Wilson opens up the massive country of soccer-crazed fans, showcasing where the sport in within China and how far it can potentially go. Twitter: @CameronWEF
Should NCAA student athletes be paid for their performance? OSKR's Andy Schwarz thinks so, and provides his argument for why they are already being compensated, and why transparency in the overall marketplace for college sports could be a great thing. Schwarz discusses his thoughts on the economics of recruiting for various schools, as well as whether NCAA compliance would go away in a payment-restructure system, and how that would fit with the concerns of gender equity. Twitter: @andyhre
The Golden State Warriors have become the darlings of the NBA on and off of the course, with record-breaking team wins and attendance records. GSW Vice President John Beaven discusses the success of the team, especially when it comes to ticket sales, pricing and the secondary market. Beaven talks about the Chase Arena membership plan, and its uniqueness in the marketplace. Twitter: @JohnBeaven
Mike Snee comes on the podcast to discuss the overall branding of College Hockey, as it expands from a northeast American sport to a national one, with more Midwest and West Coast athletic departments seeking new programming for men and women. Snee talks over some of the challenges that have faced the game of hockey at the college level in the past, as well as the opportunities. Twitter: @mikesnee218
John Barr is in an interesting position. He's advocating for the relocation or expansion of a National Hockey League team in Seattle, but has no ownership stake in the outcome. Barr represents the grassroots effort of the NHL to Seattle, creating a Facebook group of over 15,000 members and a significant-sized email list. Barr discusses some of the issues with the NHL coming to the Emerald City, including the Oak View Group's MOU with the City of Seattle over privately financing KeyArena & the SODO Arena project by Chris Hansen. Twitter: @NHLtoSeattle