One of the NBADL’s premiere franchises sits in Frisco, Texas and is helmed by Bill Boyce. This is his first venture into sports operations, after serving as an attorney for several years running his own practice for thirteen years. Boyce discusses the NBADL’s emergence in minor league sports and some of the ways in which the Texas Legends have gotten noticed, including utilizing corporate imagining on the front of team uniforms for maximum impression affect. Twitter: @Bill_Boyce
In the 100th episode of the podcast, Troy sits down with social media guru Vykky Hawkins to talk about social platforms and where the entire scope of digital media is headed. Hawkins talks about what are the best, worst things to tweet, how to ensure quality controls even on breaking news that she may know about two days earlier such as a coaching hire, the UA Grumpy Cat Campaign, Trolls, Catfishing and ensuring that there is a true relationship with the Arizona State fan base. Twitter: @VykkyHawkins
With Sentinel Sports, Jonathan Watson is in the relationship business. He discusses the current landscape of client representation, as well as how teams vet athletes in a changing world of media. According to Watson, the information game is everything. Watson also talks about his time entertaining U.S. Military Troops aboard in Iraq, Afghanistan and Germany as a C1 Director of Morale, Welfare and Recreation in 2007.
Mark Smith sees more digital video in a year than some folks witness in a lifetime. Serving as minor league video coordinator for the Oakland Athletics, Smith uses various technologies to isolate every pitch and swing, helping provide coaches and players with a clearer understanding of the game. Smith talks about entering into sports after military service, working on a personal budget in order to afford the sports intern existence, as well as some of the things that young college graduates do wrong when entering the industry. Twitter: @MarkASmith6
Ontario Reign Team President Justin Kemp oversees one of the newer ECHL franchises in one of the newest arenas in the country. Situated in Ontario, California on land that used to be a racetrack, the entire footprint has been developed into a dynamic revenue stream, including a mall, car dealerships and arena. Kemp talks about the ability to draw out fans in the local area, some of the sports marketing tactics he employs, and how to achieve great activation for corporate sponsors.
Having the No. 1 selection in the WNBA Draft is never easy, especially when there are three potential game-changers in women’s basketball in that draft class. Phoenix Mercury President/COO Amber Cox talks about the franchise’s top pick as well going after new fans in a constantly changing marketplace. Cox talks about the importance of women’s basketball, how the Mercury’s 2004 No. 1 overall pick, Diana Taurasi, has “street cred with the guys to help the WNBA franchise draw out a continuously strong fan base. Twitter: @MercuryMaven
Compliance is the name of the game for Division-I schools, and that’s where Theresa Laurente has lent her expertise over the past decade both as a student assistant and compliance officer at four different Division-I institutions. Laurente discusses the NCAA rules violation process with Eastern Washington University, including that school’s revival after overturning a 2009 FCS Playoff ban, as well as her time at Ohio State, UTSA, and now UC-Riverside. Laurente highlights some of the reasons why the NCAA enforces the rules it does on current and future student-athletes. Twitter: @TDL253
Scott Worden has been on both sides of the vendor-client side of sports ticket sales. Now at the helm of GetTix.Net's sales division, Worden is responsible for ensuring that everything a sports sales department needs is implemented in the GetTix framework. Worden talks about some of the challenges of dynamic pricing, CRMs and ticket sales in general. Worden discusses his career, selling for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Sacramento Kings, and Portland Trailblazers under the direction of legendary ticket salesman Jon Spoelstra in the late 1990s.
Mike Savit has operated several minor league baseball franchises across the country, including the Michigan Battle Cats, Mobile Bay Bears, Modesto Nuts and Augusta Green Jackets, along a team in the Coastal Plain League of the Carolinas. But his heart remains with the NBADL’s Springfield Armor which he founded in New England in 2009. Savit talks about the league’s prospering future, marketing & ticketing concepts, and how to lead employees. Great conversation with Savit as Tao of Sports was his first podcast interview (he was initially pranked into thinking the entire conversation would last 5 hours!).
Australians have a long love affair with the sport of baseball according to Ben Foster. General Manager of the three-year-old Australia Baseball League Down Under, Foster talks about the highs and lows of a sports just feeling its way into economic stability amid various other popular sports vying for Aussie’s attention. Foster talks about where the ABL has gone, what the future looks like, and how much history the sport of baseball actually has in Oceania. Note: The podcast was recorded amid the Mexico-Diamondbacks game at Salt Fields at Talking Stick during Cactus League Spring Training in March. Expect a little play-by-play by Foster and Troy, especially when Adrian Gonzalez comes up to bat for Mexico. Twitter: @BFosterABL