Know What Is Next
Want to learn more about the most talked about topics and trends in the sports business industry from the sports business executives who run it?
Join Next League’s CEO David Nugent, a sports technology industry veteran and thought leader with over 20 years experience in the ever-changing technology services business. Tune in every week for insightful and engaging discussions on everything from artificial intelligence and fan engagement to the changing media landscape and the growth of women’s sports with the sports industry’s leading executives.
For more on Next League, visit our website or follow us on LinkedIn.
Episodes
44 episodes
The Human Side of Modern Sports Leadership with Andrew Siegel
In an industry being reshaped by NIL, the transfer portal, and private capital, one question is becoming unavoidable: how do leaders make principled decisions when everything feels up for grabs?Investor Andrew Siegel breaks down what...
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Episode 44
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43:36
What Makes a Sports Tech Business “Exitable” with Igor Ulis
What REALLY makes a business worth buying, and what should founders actually optimize for? In this candid conversation, Dave sits down with longtime friend and former business partner Igor Ulis, partner at Hudson Technology Syst...
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Episode 43
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48:17
The Future of Horse Racing: AI, Wearables & the Breeders’ Cup with Justin McDonald
Billion-dollar track upgrades and next-generation wagering are re-shaping the horse racing industry. But what does it look like when a legacy sport leans hard into tech, data, and global expansion all at once? Justin McDonald, EVP and CMO at...
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Episode 42
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30:30
What’s Changing in Global Sport: Media Fragmentation, New Owners & Leadership Trends
The sports industry is entering one of its most volatile eras. Media models are breaking, new global buyers are emerging, and traditional league structures are under pressure. Few people have a clearer read on these shifts than <...
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Episode 41
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50:30
How AWS Helped the NFL, PGA TOUR & NHL Use Data to Drive Results
Sports organizations are under pressure to deliver MORE. Deeper insights, smarter production, and personalized fan experiences. In this episode, AWS Global Head of Sports Julie Souza takes David through 3 high-impact case studies across the ...
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Episode 40
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41:54
How TMRW Sports Engineered TGL: The Tech and Testing Behind Golf’s Most Advanced Arena with Andrew Macauley
What does it take to engineer an entirely new sport that fuses live gameplay and virtual environments into a single seamless experience? That’s the challenge Andrew Macauley and the team at TMRW Sports tackled with TGL, the groundbreaking in...
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Episode 39
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39:23
[REPLAY] Turning the NYC Marathon App into a 365-Day Platform (and Why It Matters) with Rob Simmelkjaer
What does it take to turn the world’s most famous marathon into a year-round digital platform?Rob Simmelkjaer, CEO of New York Road Runners, is leading the charge, launching an app with 210K+ downloads in its first few months, buildi...
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Episode 38
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49:08
How Nielsen Measures Fans, Media Value & ROI with Jessica Forrest
Fan attention is fragmented across platforms, and the race to measure it accurately has never been tougher. Nielsen Sports VP Jessica Forrest joins David to share how the industry’s most trusted data company is redefining what (and who) gets...
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Episode 37
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41:37
Inside OKC’s 50-Acre Stadium District, Fan Enrollment, and the Road to 2026
Something big is happening in Oklahoma City. Court Jeske, President of Echo Soccer, is redefining what expansion looks like in modern sports, applying lessons from launching Nashville SC to design a new franchise model built on data-driven f...
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Episode 36
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42:38
Where Is the Money Going in Sports? Private Equity, Youth, and Emerging Leagues
How is technology reshaping where the money flows in sports? Private equity and institutional investors are rewriting the playbook, and Greg Bedrosian, Managing Partner and CEO at Drake Star, joins Dave to break down what that shift means fo...
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Episode 35
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36:29
How to Build an Addressable Fanbase in Serie A with Sean Foley & Italo Zanzi
Demonstrable, addressable fanbases are now the foundation of media value, sponsorships, and sustainable revenue.Sean Foley and Italo Zanzi are here from Hellas Verona FC to outline their competitive DNA in player development and cult...
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Episode 34
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44:23
[REPLAY] The Business of Golf: Tech, Partnerships & The Ryder Cup with Jeff Price
What does it take to grow golf from 26 million to 45 million players in just a few years while adapting to shifting fan expectations? Jeff Price, Chief Commercial Officer at the PGA of America, chats with David to explore the ev...
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Episode 33
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40:43
Inside the Bid to Bring NASCAR’s Championship Back to Miami with Guillermo Santa Cruz
Few sports venues get a second shot at hosting a championship, but Homestead-Miami Speedway just did. President Guillermo Santa Cruz sits down with Dave to discuss what it takes to win back NASCAR’s biggest weekend, and how Miami’s global ma...
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Episode 32
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37:31
LA28, Legends, and the Playbook for Modern Partnerships with Nicole Jeter West
Big brands aren’t buying “spots & dots” anymore. In this conversation, Nicole Jeter West traces a path from the Knicks and US Open to Legends and LA28 to show how partnerships actually create value now, beyond stacking impressions. She e...
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Episode 31
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49:10
30% Faster, $30M Richer: Shripal Shah on AI’s Great Divide in Sports
Shripal Shah is back on the show to map the maturity spectrum of AI in sports and how data governance must come first to avoid ugly surprises. Most importantly, Shripal explains why AI won’t be the great equalizer – it will be the great divi...
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Episode 30
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26:11
Best Of: Women in Sports (Record Purses, Sold-Out Arenas, & What’s Next)
Women’s sports are surging. Participation is climbing, purses are growing, arenas are selling out, and today, we’re spotlighting the people and ideas powering that momentum: from the LPGA and USGA, fast-rising leagues like the PWHL, tech-for...
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Episode 29
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42:42
The Cavaliers’ Media Rights Pivot and Building a 24/7 Team-Run Network
The Cleveland Cavaliers EVP & CIO Mike Conley turned the Cavs’ digital channels from a cost center into a multimillion-dollar revenue engine. And that shift laid the groundwork for their boldest move yet: standing up a 24/7 sports networ...
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Episode 28
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44:27
Turning the NYC Marathon App into a 365-Day Platform (and Why It Matters) with Rob Simmelkjaer
What does it take to turn the world’s most famous marathon into a year-round digital platform? Rob Simmelkjaer, CEO of New York Road Runners, is leading the charge, launching an app with 210K+ downloads in its first few months, build...
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Episode 27
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49:25
What’s Next for Women’s Sports and College Athletics with Mollie Marcoux Samaan
Mollie Marcoux Samaan has led some of the most complex and high-stakes organizations in sports, and she’s done it with vision, grit, and results, all while challenging the status quo. As the former LPGA Commissioner, Princ...
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Episode 26
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47:01
Building Broadcast-First Arenas for 3v3 and Padel with Jean Manuel Jimenez
Jean Manuel Jimenez has helped grow soccer in one of the toughest U.S. markets without a stadium, a team legacy, or a roster of stars. As SVP of Commercial Partnerships at Mediapro, he shares how he’s brought bold ideas to life at the inters...
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Episode 25
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37:45
The Globetrotters' Strategic Overhaul: Keith Dawkins on Multi-Platform IP, Distribution, and Digital Reach
The Harlem Globetrotters are approaching their 100th anniversary, and President Keith Dawkins is here to unpack the high-stakes strategy behind reintroducing the Globetrotters to a new generation, and the urgency driving it.Keith bri...
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Episode 24
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45:46
Engineering the Fastest Format in Pro Golf with Jon Kropp, TGL
What happens when you combine PGA Tour superstars, a massive custom-built golf simulator, and real-time team competition, all under one roof? You get TGL, a next-generation indoor golf league that’s redefining the sport. In this...
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Episode 23
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33:54
Building 40+ AI Tools IN-HOUSE: How the Portland Trail Blazers Are Solving Real Problems
What happens when you invite 30 employees from every corner of a sports organization to talk about what frustrates them most at work - and then actually build AI solutions around it? At the Portland Trail ...
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Episode 22
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43:35
Best Of: Data, AI, Tech & Disruption in Sports
We’ve officially hit the midpoint of the year, having released 20 episodes so far - so we thought we’d do something a little different.In this Best Of episode, we’re revisiting some of the most compelling conve...
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Episode 21
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44:35
Scaling PWHL and Selling 19,000 Seats in 45 Minutes with Jayne Bussman-Wise
What do you get when you launch a brand new women’s hockey league, sell out 19,000 seats mid-flight, and redefine how sports content is created and consumed, all in year 1?Jayne Bussman-Wise, VP of Growth Strategy and New Ventures at...
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Episode 20
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29:33