The Sports Business Life Podcast

The boys jump on for a quick update to the podcast. In short, we'll talk to you all very soon! 

Links: https://linktr.ee/theSBLpodcast

Ho ho ho! On this jolly special holiday edition of the Sports Business Life Podcast, Thomas and Joel start off by welcoming Mitch back to the show. The boys then dive into the controversial end to the F1 season, the sport's rapid growth in Canada,  Forbes' recent NHL valuations and the league's opening for private equity investments. They also give a special shoutout to Fred VanVleet and his newly created scholarship. 
(01:37-14:48)

To close out 2021, Thomas owns the mic and interviews Mitch and Joel on:

- Their favourite moments from season 2 so far

- The best career advice they ever received 

- The best Christmas present they ever received 

- The perfect Christmas dinner plate 
(14:50-36:19)

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Would you want to know what it is like to start your own sports agency and oversee the personal branding for NHL stars like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Josh Morrissey, and Colton Parayko? Well, that is a reality for Laurenne Mercier who joined us this week. During our conversation, we discussed her motivation behind starting Treadstone Sports Agency, how she earned an internship with the Nashville Predators, and the emergence of NFT's within personal branding for athletes (13:04-35:50).

In addition, Joel and Thomas converse about:

- Reopening of Massey Hall

- Mariah Carey X McDonalds and Tim Biebs

- Amazon investing in the trading card platform Dibbs
   (01:32-12:45)

Finally, Thomas and Joel wrap up with a generational battle for the ages where they discuss Rebbeca Black's hit song Friday and Joel quizzes Thomas on old McDonald's menu items.
(36:30-44:00)

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Music From: Rebecca Black—Friday. (2011, September 16). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfVsfOSbJY0

Do The Leafs, TFC and Team Canada Soccer excite you? Well if you are anything like us you would be thrilled to hear we were joined by Joshua Kloke from The Athletic this week. During our conversation, we talked about how covering the Toronto Maple Leafs has been different this season, the TFC's hiring of Bob Bradley, what it means for the future of the franchise, the rise of the Canadian Soccer team and much more (10:08 - 34:15).

Joel & Thomas also talk:

- The NFL setting up a virtual storefront on Roblox

- The new jerseys for New Jersey, Team Canada and Team USA
   (01:00 - 09:56) 

- Thomas' team moving to the finals of the MLSE Case Study competition

- Reminiscing on the transcendence of Mr.Brightside and Orbitz soda.
   (39:28 - 44:14)
 
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This week we were fortunate enough to have the CEBL's own, Josh Knoester, join us on the show. Josh started in the CEBL as an intern for the Niagara River Lions and has since worked his way up to Vice President of the league. During our conversation, we touched on how the CEBL has evolved over the past four seasons, how he earned and grew his career in the CEBL, and its affiliation with Drake and OVO (18:25 - 48:05).

On top of that, Joel, Mitch and Thomas dive into:

- UBS arena and its unique partnerships

- Speculation on Rogers bringing in minority owners for the Blue Jays

- The actual return of the Nordiques?
(03:47 - 18:23)

Beyond that, Mitch & Joel give Thomas advice on his upcoming driving test (00:31 - 03:45) and Thomas quizzes the guys on the best sports video games of all time in this week's Generational Battle (50:23  - 54:40).

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It is not every day we get a Super Bowl champion on the podcast who brings as much insight and energy as Armaan does.  When we last chatted, Armaan was a key member of the Business Analytics team for the Kansas City Chiefs. He now has a new role as the Senior Manager of Partnerships and Insights at BSE Global! The boys discuss Armaan's transition into his new role, his work partnering with Webull for the new jersey patch and the hecticness of moving across the country. Beyond that, Mitch, Joel and Thomas dive into:

- The SponsorPulse 2021 Top 10 Sport Properties for Canada & US

- In-arena fan etiquette

- The MLB's new CBA negotiations

 Mitch & Joel also tackle how they would have done Thomas' Sport Business midterm case study on this week's student corner. Finally, the show wraps up with the guys informing Thomas on how people actually made plans and met up before cell phones existed.

Weekly Round-Up (4:40 - 14:16), Touchback interview with Armaan (14:40 - 30:44), Student Corner (31:00 -   35:30), Generational Battles (35:39 - 40:38).

As always thank you for tuning in and supporting The Sports Business Life Podcast!

Find our socials -> https://linktr.ee/theSBLpodcast 

Have you ever dreamed of working with Kia Nurse or for brands like Red Bull? Well, it's a reality for Adam Ward, as the VP of CIMORONI.

Today he joins the show to discuss the importance of diverse skill sets and backgrounds in the sports industry, how finding the best career path is finding the one that works for you and what being a Professor has taught him.

The boys and Adam also dive into a new segment called 'Current Affairs'  where they talk through the state of the industry and the benefit of long-term value-building deals.

In this week's generational battles, Mitch & Joel learn about the modern-day groundhog day and we learn about Thomas' first gaming console.   

As always thank you for tuning in and supporting The Sports Business Life Podcast!

Find our socials -> https://linktr.ee/theSBLpodcast

In this episode, the boys welcome back Brian Collins from Molson Coors for the first-ever "Touchback" segment where they learn about Molson's new and exciting Hall of Fan contest! (Details about the contest can be found here https://woobox.com/txyga6)

Beyond that, the guys dive into Halloween stories, NBA 75th anniversary jerseys and life as a sports marketing student. They also get into another new segment called "Generational Battles" where they see if Joel and Mitch can hang with the kids and if Thomas has any idea of what happened in the '90s.

As always we thank you for tuning in and supporting the podcast!

Follow our socials: https://linktr.ee/theSBLpodcast 

As the new NBA and NHL seasons start so does a new season of The Sports Business Life Podcast. Catch up on what has been going on for Joel & Mitch since the end of season 1, including how their teams have performed thus far. They dive into: 

• A BIG announcement for the podcast!
• Live sports returning to Toronto and what's changed.
• Key learnings with the Blue Jays' return to the 6ix and Canucks' helmet decal. 

Mitch & Joel also talk about Tom Brady's 600th career touchdown ball and as always they close it out with Rapid Fire questions.

The SBL team wants to thank and welcome everyone for tuning back in for Season 2!

To close out the year, it's only fitting that Joel and Mitch takeover the episode today to tackle a myriad of sports business topics, including:

• waving goodbye to Joel's Maple Leafs, as well as our ability to predict playoff winners
• the love/hate relationship with a certain NHL TV Analyst
• professional team names, especially if it's Elk or Elks?
• the recent string of 'legendary' wrestling documentaries

They also reflect on the inaugural season of the podcast by looking back on key learnings, uncover our favourite memories, and share our love to all of our supporters! Then to close out the show, both co-hosts take turns battling it out in the Rapid Fire arena.

Of course, we want to thank you for tuning in over the last year and look forward to welcoming you back for Season 2!

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Every now and then, we are fortunate to cross paths with a sports business veteran who has seen a lot. But today we were joined by someone who may have seen it all!

Pat McEleney brought his 25+ years of experience in the sports, music and event industries onto the show today. This Executive Vice President is a 'Swiss Army Knife' of experiences and skill sets, especially when it comes to strategy, negotiation and execution of groundbreaking partnerships. Not to mention, he has held senior executive roles with Molson Coors, Hockey Canada and Canadian Tire, which has created some major league relationships with the likes of the NHL, MLSE, IIHF, and the Canadian Olympic Committee.

With all this wealth of experience, Pat discussed how sponsorships shouldn't be the only solution for a brand or property, but more so a key ingredient in their marketing mix. And for someone who has such an outstanding reputation, Pat shares his secret on how we can invest more into our personal networks. 

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Another NHL post-season is underway, but the in-game fan experience is still non-existent in the 'Great White North' and we all know how important it is in sports business. But who are the faces behind this vital cog in the wheel of any successful sports property?

Today, we are fortunate to be joined by Steinunn Parsons and her two decades of venue operations experience. This VP of Guest Experience gives us a much better idea of what goes into her day-to-day, how she aims to turn a negative experience into a positive one, and the ways she provides the Jets faithful with a flawless fan experience regardless if it's having the best hot dog, hearing their favourite tunes, or being able to find their car.

Whether it's working two Olympic Games, opening a new NHL venue, or working for the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets, this nomad has a deep understanding of what goes into providing the best experience possible for fans across the globe.

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As we're well into the MLB season, it is a great time for us to check-in with Mark Palmer of the Toronto Blue Jays to see how life for Canada's baseball team is going as they continue to call the USA home for 2021.

On top of the adjustments his team has had to make with the Blue Jays playing on international soil, we hear about the implications video calls have had on his day-to-day. This native of Woodstock, ON also opened up about his original aspirations before getting into sports (hint: you'll never guess), how he's adapted to life in the industry after 15 years with the Blue Jays, and why some of us need to do a better job of not confusing our love for sports with our passion for sports business.

Lastly, we hear more about his dedication to inspire future industry leaders through his time as a Professor at George Brown College and volunteer work with the SMCC and Canadian Marketing Association.

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It's not often we come across one of the "Top 100 Canadian Professionals", but we did today with Rishi Lal of the CHL.

Rishi is a man of inspiration, humility, and integrity, who shared his wealth of sports business experience that spans across media with TSN and sponsorships with the University of Virginia and MKTG. This alum of York University, Humber College and Ohio University, filled us in on how his dislike for working on the agency side proved to be the best thing for his career.

He also explained his preference for "make betters" over "make goods", favourite moments as a story editor for top TSN talent, and the importance of first figuring out what you don't love to do before what you love to do.

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We've had a lot of dream jobs on the pod, but Nicole Lee's with the NHL may be right up at the top! This Wilfred Laurier and Ohio University Alum works with some of the league's biggest partners and has been an integral part of a plethora of championship, all-star and outdoor games.

Prior to working for the NHL, she spent time with the Walt Disney Company and Anheuser-Busch. So all of this big brand experience gave way to an amazing conversation on how she's dealt with the rollercoaster that is COVID-19, maintaining close business relationships, the power of a hand written note, and how it's never too late to learn new skills.

She also shared her excitement about her newest volunteer role with the NHL's Women Employee Resource Group, as well as her passion in giving back with WISE (Women in Sports & Events) and SMCC's Activate Mentorship Program.

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Based on previous episodes, it should be more clear now that you don't have to work for a big sports property or brand to get that essential sports business experience. But how do you transfer skills from an atypical part of the industry to excel your sports career?

To answer that question, we welcomed Jana Masiewich of Publicis Sport & Entertainment to chat how she's navigated sports business over the last 17 years. There aren't many industry vets as proficient as Jana, who has worked both the agency and corporate sides of sports with the likes of T1, MacLaren McCann, and Scotiabank. Not to mention, she's gained amazing sponsorship experience working with some pretty major brands, including Coca-Cola, Mercedes-Benz, Rogers, and LG. 

This Western University and George Brown College Alum is also no stranger to bringing in the hardware as she’s received five Sponsorship Marketing Awards and was recently named one of George Brown College's “5 to Watch”. So it was a privilege to learn of Jana's most effective ways in finding and sustaining success. 

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Imagine your job involves working directly with the likes of Connor McDavid, Bianca Andreescu, John Tavares, Milos Raonic and Mark Messier. Sounds like a fantasy right?

Well not for Andrew Cuch, who joined us on today's show to highlight what the sports partnerships life is like these days at Rogers Communications. Throughout this Brock University Alum's stellar 11+ year career at one of Canada's telecom giants, Andrew has accumulated quite the resume of career highs (and a few lows).

Andrew was an open book sharing a massive lesson learned early on in his career working an event with Wendel Clark, while also providing incredible advice on when he knew being in sports business was the right choice and how you don't have to start off in sports to be in sports.

If you have a question that you want to be answered on a future episode, don't forget to send them to thesblpodcast@gmail.com 

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One of the best feel-good stories in sports so far this year is the success we've witnessed with the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL). After wrapping up their season this past weekend, we get a behind-the-scenes look at the NWHL's accomplishments with their Communications Lead, Paul Krotz.

Paul is a sports business veteran of close to 15 years, with stops including Hockey Canada, the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). So it was an absolute pleasure to hear about his experiences in hockey, what it takes to work in communications, favourite moments, and biggest lessons learned working with some of the biggest names in the game.

More importantly, Paul graciously shared his battle with the mental hurdles he had to overcome after he was let go from his CHL position during the pandemic. It was a very refreshing perspective we've yet to uncover on the podcast.

If you have a question that you want to be answered on a future episode, don't forget to send them to thesblpodcast@gmail.com 

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In a saturated sports media market, how do you create a unique voice that satisfies ALL sports fans when you possess zero sports business background?

To answer that question on today's episode, there's no one better than Jacie deHoop, who joins us to share how she and her fellow co-founders left the corporate world to take on this challenge after originally launching The GIST back in 2017. In just under four years, it has become the one-stop-shop for sports news, but with a refreshing focus from a female lens.

We learn from this Queen's University Alum how her team tackled the discomfort a lot of females face when it comes to feeling a part of the sports conversation. In addition, we gain a better understanding of how The GIST aims to promote inclusivity, connectivity, and accessibility.

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By now, it's clear we love to check in with fellow Canadians doing big things on international soil. On today's episode, we are thrilled to be joined by Amy Wesson of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Newmarket, ON native first detailed how her sports business journey started off with the Anaheim Ducks after getting her MBA from San Diego State. Then we learn how persistence and solid networking skills allowed her to head east to the 5-time Stanley Cup Champions. Whether it was her time in marketing, grassroots initiatives, fan development or partnerships, this Pittsburgh Business Times' 30 Under 30 Winner has already achieved quite a rolodex of skills in a short period of time.

Amy also chats about the importance of volunteering in expanding her social circles while living in the US, as well as what went into welcoming fans back to PPG Paints Arena earlier this month. It was fascinating to hear the changes fans experienced and perhaps even gave us a great preview of what's to come here in Canada. 

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