In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Zander Atwood, talks with Jeff Parry, founder of JP Sports. Jeff’s career has provided him with a unique look at the collegiate athletic landscape in terms of compliance and name, image and likeness (NIL), having worked for different athletic programs such as the University of Notre Dame, Furman University and Old Dominion University. He currently runs and operates his own consulting business, JP Sports, which is a full-service NIL and marketing agency for collegiate athletes, helping in areas such as negotiation, brand deals, content strategy, creative marketing, networking consultation, and more. Jeff discusses his role at JP Sports, the importance of a competent compliance staff in college athletics, the evolution of and common misconceptions about NIL, the future of NIL in collegiate athletics, and his favorite memories of working in collegiate sports.
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Zander Atwood, talks with Dr. Josh Greer, founder of NILvana Sports. Dr. Greer’s career has granted him extensive experience in higher education and sports journalism, delivering the highest quality work in anything he does. He has taught at several universities in his career, and his writing has been featured in Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, and others. Dr. Greer discusses his role with NILvana Sports, the inquisitive nature of sports journalism, the importance of being versatile and adaptable, the importance of effective communication and writing skills, why applied learning is such a critical venture for students and young professionals, and his favorite memories of working in higher education and sports journalism.
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Zander Atwood, talks with Caela McBride, Director of Entertainment for the Winston-Salem Dash of Minor League Baseball. Caela’s passion for baseball, entertainment and customer satisfaction have provided her with an enviable career of making memories and creating new experiences for fans of all ages. Her career has shown she is not afraid to take a giant leap of faith to experience new places, as she has previously worked for organizations such as the Asheville Tourists, the Kane County Cougars and the Lafayette Aviators. Caela discusses her role with the Dash organization, the creative nature of sports marketing and promotions, the importance of time management, the impact of fan engagement and community relations in marketing and promotions, and her favorite memories of working in baseball and sports.
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Zander Atwood, talks with Steve Lantz, Assistant Principal and Athletic Director for Angola High School in Angola, IN. Steve has served as Angola High’s athletic director for over six years and has over twenty years of educational and athletics experience at Angola Public Schools, providing a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the school’s programs. He was awarded the Indiana Interscholastic Athletic Administrator's Association’s District 2 Athletic Director of the Year for 2024, and continues to help improve the school’s standing in both Steuben County and Northeast Indiana. Steve discusses his role with Angola High School, being an influence and advocate for his students and student-athletes, the importance of improved facilities for high school athletics, and his favorite memories of working in high school sports.
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Zander Atwood, talks with Josh Ayen, Sports Reporter and Weekend Sports Anchor for WANE 15 News of Fort Wayne, IN. Josh has specialized in sports journalism throughout his young career, and has established a name for himself with WANE 15 over the past few years with excellent coverage of all sports and events in the Northeast Indiana area. Josh discusses his roles with WANE 15 and other on-air activities, the challenges of maintaining professionalism, ethics and courtesy in sports journalism, the importance of effective communication and writing skills, how sports reporters can stay relevant in an ever-changing media landscape, and his favorite memories of working in sports journalism.
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Zander Atwood, talks with Ben Turner, the Associate Strategic Communications Director at Purdue University Athletics. Ben has served in a communications role at Purdue Athletics for almost fifteen years, providing excellent coverage of multiple programs and events, including his current positional focus on the Purdue baseball and swimming and diving teams. Ben discusses his role in the communications department, the challenges of being an effective communicator, the importance of effective communication and writing skills, the impact of positive relationships and connections within the industry, and his favorite memories of working in collegiate athletics.
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Zander Atwood, talks with Ryan Kearney, Director of Operations and Video Analytics for the University of Minnesota Women’s Hockey Program in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ryan is a blossoming young professional in the sports industry who’s talent and passion for sports have served him well in numerous roles with the Cedar Rapids Roughriders, Ontario Jr. Reign, O’Fallon Hoots, USA Hockey and Colgate University Women’s Hockey. He also serves as the host for the Front Office U podcast, a podcast for students and young professionals interested in learning more about the sports industry from industry leaders. Ryan discusses his role in hockey operations, the importance of inspiring the next generation of talent, the ins and outs of maintaining a quality sports program, and his favorite memories of working in sports.
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Zander Atwood, talks with Tanner Natzke, Account Executive of Premium Sales with the Phoenix Suns NBA team. Tanner, a recent graduate from the University of Iowa, has become an emergent leader in premium sales and service over the course of his young career, having worked for the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, FL and working under a new ownership group with the Phoenix Suns in Arizona. He is also the founder and host of the “Attitude Effort Results” podcast, a podcast that “educates and inspires those looking to enter the sports and business industries.” Tanner discusses his role in the premium sales process, the importance of inspiring the next generation of talent, emerging trends from a new ownership group, and his favorite memories of working in professional sports.
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Zander Atwood, talks with the Associate Athletic Director of Marketing & Fan Experience for Purdue University Athletics, Chris Peludat. Chris has served as an athletic director of the Boilermakers for over 13 years, but has worked in intercollegiate athletics in a ticketing and marketing capacity for over 25 years. Chris’ leadership and appreciation for sports marketing have helped to grow Purdue’s fan base exponentially, especially with a rise in their athletics programs over the past decade, and his knowledge and expertise in the field have helped to cultivate limitless talent in intercollegiate athletics. Under Chris’ leadership, the Purdue Athletics Marketing team was awarded the prestigious 2019 Marketing Team of the Year award by the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators. Chris discusses his role as an athletic director, the overall growth in marketing and social media presence of Purdue Athletics, the improvement of the fan experience at both Purdue Athletics and intercollegiate athletics in general, the growing impact of data on decision making, and his favorite memories of working in professional sports.
In this episode, new Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Zander Atwood, talks with the Senior Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service at the Milwaukee Bucks, Paul Bee. Paul has served in a ticket sales and service role over the past 18 years for multiple organizations, including the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA team, the Detroit Red Wings NHL team and the Milwaukee Bucks NBA team. Paul discusses his role in the ticket sales process, his transition to leadership in a competitive environment, the importance of hiring from diverse backgrounds for professional roles in sports and entertainment, and his favorite memories of working in professional sports.
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with former Chief Financial Officer of the Indianapolis Colts, Kurt Humphrey. Kurt was one of the first full-time hires for the Colts, after they moved in Indianapolis in 1984, and served as the CFO for 37 years. In this episode, he discusses the CFO’s role in professional football, how the NFL industry is unique as compared to other businesses, and relays his favorite memories from working with the Colts.
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with Operations Manager at the Chicago Blackhawks, Morgan Petriko. After a career of working in college athletic administration, Morgan was able to apply these skills into the daily management of the Fifth Third Arena in Chicago. In this episode, Morgan reflects on her career journey, how being available to do anything and everything in sports helped her along the way, and she talks about the trade-offs of working in sports.
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with the managers of the Chicago Fire Inside Sales Academy, Carlos Ames and Sam Bocken. Carlos and Sam both came to the Fire after beginning their careers in the New York Mets Sales Academy. In this episode, Carlos and Sam break down the inner workings of inside sales, discuss their career paths, and pass along advice for students looking to break into sports sales.
This is a special episode of the Trine Center for Sports Studies Podcast as we air the talk from this year’s Featured Speaker, Garrett Martz. A 2004 Trine Marketing graduate, Garrett got his start in sports as an account representative for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Within five years, he had worked his way up to the Vice President of Sales before partnering with a colleague to form Potter Sports Group. Potter Sports Group is a sports agency focusing on professional basketball, with athletes in the NBA, G-League, and overseas. In his talk, Garrett explains how he got his start in sports, despite his hesitancy toward sales, the power of making connections, and finishes by taking questions from students in the audience.
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with Trine alumnus and Group Sales Account Executive for the Detroit Tigers, Jackson Billings. A 2021 Sport Management graduate, Jackson was able to take his experiences as a ticket sales intern for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and member of Trine’s first National Collegiate Sports Sales Championship team, into a career with the Tigers.
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with a scout from the Utah Jazz, Brian Pauga. Brian was a student manager for Michigan State University and turned his passion for basketball into a career as an NBA scout and G-League General Manager. In this episode, he discusses the day-to-day responsibilities of a scout, the skills needed to break into an NBA front office, and how the profession has changed due to analytics.
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with veteran public address announcer and host of the Talkin’ Sports show on 1380am The Fan, Jim Shovlin. A Fort Wayne native, Jim has announced high school, college, and professional sports in the Summit City and hosted his own radio sports talk show for the past 15 years. In this episode, he discusses how making funny character sounds during a baseball game landed him his first radio gig, the amount of preparation that goes into sports PA announcing, and shares valuable advice on how to develop your announcing voice.
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with Associate Director of Compliance with Notre Dame Athletics, Jeff Parry. Jeff is one of seven compliance staff members at Notre Dame responsible for maintaining compliance with NCAA rules and regulations. In this episode, he explains his path to Notre Dame, how he works within the NCAA rules to assist student-athletes and gives advice for people wanting to break into sports.
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with the Coordinator of Game Activations and Marketing for the Indy Eleven, Rachel Lopez. Rachel has recently transitioned from ticket sales into marketing and sponsorship activation for Indianapolis’ professional soccer team, the Indy Eleven. In this episode, she explains why she is a “memory maker” for fans and discusses the value in learning the revenue development side of sports business.
In this episode, Trine Center for Sports Studies Director, Brandon Podgorski, talks with the Commissioner of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), Dr. Chris Brown. Although this is Dr. Browns first tenure as a commissioner, he has a strong background in college athletics working for the University of Kansas, the NCAA national office, and most recently at the University of Delaware. In this episode, Dr. Brown discusses how putting student-athletes first has prepared him for this role and advice for students looking to break into athletic administration.