Ken Hershman, former Showtime Sports and then HBO Sports President involved in some of the biggest Boxing events over the past 25 years.  Great stories from his 25 years at those networks and beyond from Mike Tyson to Don King and Mayweather vs Pacquiao.  And his latest project and role as CEO of the Clash Basketball Pro League.     Key Highlights Lawyer by training, started in investment banking side – Viacom client, moved to Showtime as in-house lawyer Showtime, premium cable channel in movie space, moving into Boxing (following HBO’s footsteps) Broadened offering into Inside NFL, NASCAR show, Strike Force, the Franchise (MLB), Structure of PPV deals in the early days, what really ends up with the Promoter and Fighter First Mayweather vs Pacquiao, record revenues for a fight at the time, big numbers Challenges with scheduling and frequency of fights vs big one-off events Moving from Showtime after 18 years to HBO Sports HBO Sports role and focus (eventually moving out of sports, both Showtime and HBO) Riyadh Season and Influencer Boxing discussion (entertainment vs sports), talent building crucial Stories from Mike Tyson & Don King era – Tyson/Lewis – HBO/Showtime – another bite His favorite fights and Don King stories Beyond the Pay TV business in his career, Champion Gaming lessons and now Managing Director of CTH Advisors New project – launched Clash Basketball Pro League – www.clashbasketball.com , role as CEO   About Widely known in the television sports world for his 30+ year career, Ken is an award-winning and innovative sports television programming executive. Ken is currently Vice Chairman of Champion Gaming, a sports wagering data, analytics and content company whose holdings include leading sports wagering brands EdjSports and Football Outsiders.Ken's background includes significant tenure at leading media companies in a variety of senior management roles, including serving as President, HBO Sports, where he supervised award winning shows such as Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Hard Knocks, 24/7 and the acclaimed boxing franchises World Championship Boxing, Boxing After Dark and HBO PPV. Ken also brings with him a sophisticated legal background with corporate, finance and securities experience both as an associate at Shearman & Sterling, as well as in-house counsel at Showtime Networks Inc., and sits on advisory boards for a number of companies in the sports, technology and entertainment industries.Ken is a graduate of Fordham University School of Law, where he was a member of the International Law Journal. He received his Bachelor of Science degree, with distinction, from The George Washington University, where he was selected Phi Beta Kappa.   Follow us on our social sites for the latest updatesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportsentrepreneurs/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcusluerpodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sports-entrepreneursWebsite: https://marcusluer.comPodcast: https://marcusluer.com/podcast To get in touch, please email us at podcast@marcusluer.com Feel Good by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyadenCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_feel-goodMusic promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/bvgIqqRStcQ

Lalit Modi, the founder of the IPL, the final episode uncovers how it all went wrong at the end.  From threats to his life, assassination attempts, to being banned for life and having to leave the country.  One final amazing episode to wrap up our four part series on how Lalit created the IPL.   Key Highlights Breaking new grounds and records in first two seasons, drama around the tender for two new team franchises Billion dollar Net worth threshold to bid for new teams – lobbying to lower threshold by various groups Minimum bid price, US 225 million per team -  Bids over 300 mil coming in for teams Sahara agreement signed quickly,  issue with winning consortium for second team (Lalit’s suspicious with certain shareholders) Sunanda Pushkar (since then passed away), the unknown women in the deal?  Next call by Congress party leader Sashi Tharoor….. Lalit being forced to sign the agreement for second team under duress Next day news, Sashi Tharoor marrying Sunanda Pushkar – Lalit blows the whistle with a tweet Indian Parliament and political uproar follows – pressure on Lalit to resign, suspension while third season is wrapping up Ravi Pujari, known Indian gangster, death threats to Lalit life, assassination attempts in South Africa and Thailand Years of investigations and charges against him, nothing ever found of wrong doing BCCI suspend him, later life ban without a proper inquiry Chhota Shakeel & Dawood Ibrahim – incredible recordings and interviews with them Illegal betting – still a big issue today   Kochi team defaulted eventually as he predicted – Sahara also defaulted when billionaire owner went to jail Interim teams were brought in for two seasons before new auction -  new teams franchise fees around USD 800 mil per team Obvious question, after all this, how do you feel about what happened and you achieved?  Was it worth it? What keeps Lalit busy now – final thoughts   About Globally recognized leader, Executive Director of Modi Enterprises, with business interests across nearly every industry vertical. Built a billion-dollar brand in less than a year, launched a revolution to Indian broadcast entertainment, and negotiated partnerships with ESPN, Disney, Google, Ten Sports, B4U, Fashion TV, Voyages TV, Buena Vista Television, United Artists, Marvel, Nike and others. International business strategist who catalyzes transformation and change by capitalizing on unmet demand in domestic and overseas markets. Embraces technology and creates opportunities to enrich lives, create sustainable revenue, and optimize productivity through integration of emerging platforms in social and digital. An entrepreneur at heart with a phenomenal ability to connect people and ideas into revenue-generating enterprises, an active member of the board for one of the oldest and most successful industrial conglomerates in India, and the thought- leader behind radical change in India’s leading Cricket administration, the BCCI. Recognized by Time, Sports Illustrated, Business Week, Forbes, Business Standard, and other influential global media outlets for launch of the Indian Premier League (IPL), one of world’s most popular Cricket organizations. Was Awarded ‘Indian of the Century” by India Today in Forbes nominated Modi as “Rainmaker of the Century” Against extensive political and economic challenges, brought IPL to South Africa, and sustained the same phenomenal levels of viewership and attendance despite the move. Columbia University and Stanford University Both did case studies on Modi, which are still being taught in Universities across the world. Created billions dollar opportunities, and played an integral role in shaping the cultural direction of Modern India as visionary behind transformational changes in broadcast, sports, entertainment, and consumer products.   Follow us on our social sites for the latest updatesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportsentrepreneurs/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcusluerpodcast

In our 3rd episode with Lalit Modi, we will dive deep into the crazy 2nd Season of the IPL (which was held in South Africa) and as a bonus discuss the stories behind the creation of the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20), including the Mumbai Terrorist attacks.  As always fascinating stories and some never before heard details.   Key Highlights Year 2 of the IPL – what happened and why Media rights re-negotiations and big win for IPL Newscorp enters frame NDTV deal  and how Sony ended up with the rights again Indian elections, national security risk and what happens next Finding a new host country – enter South Africa (one year before them hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2010) Dealing with two South African Presidents Bringing the teams, media, fans, etc to South Africa Launching a USD 100 million media and marketing blitz in South Africa (including concerts, etc) Miss IPL Pageantry Kick off in Cape Town IPL impact to South African economy, estimated USD 1 billion Massive viewership increase in India as well – 400% Champions League T20 – the creation and stories Ownership of Format -  India (50%), South Africa (25%) and Australia (25%) Founding Federations have two teams, everyone else one team entering the competition Broadcast deal auction – huge drama and how ESPN/Star Sports won it and overpaid for it UAE keen to host it for next 10 years – makes bid Terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008, Nov 26th, just days before the start of the first competition – tournament is canceled Lalit’s detailed recollection of having friends and colleagues at the hotels and getting them out Stay tuned for the final Episode 4, how it all went wrong and hear Lalit’s side of the story………   About Globally recognized leader, Executive Director of Modi Enterprises, with business interests across nearly every industry vertical. Built a billion-dollar brand in less than a year, launched a revolution to Indian broadcast entertainment, and negotiated partnerships with ESPN, Disney, Google, Ten Sports, B4U, Fashion TV, Voyages TV, Buena Vista Television, United Artists, Marvel, Nike and others. International business strategist who catalyzes transformation and change by capitalizing on unmet demand in domestic and overseas markets. Embraces technology and creates opportunities to enrich lives, create sustainable revenue, and optimize productivity through integration of emerging platforms in social and digital. An entrepreneur at heart with a phenomenal ability to connect people and ideas into revenue-generating enterprises, an active member of the board for one of the oldest and most successful industrial conglomerates in India, and the thought- leader behind radical change in India’s leading Cricket administration, the BCCI. Recognized by Time, Sports Illustrated, Business Week, Forbes, Business Standard, and other influential global media outlets for launch of the Indian Premier League (IPL), one of world’s most popular Cricket organizations. Was Awarded ‘Indian of the Century” by India Today in Forbes nominated Modi as “Rainmaker of the Century” Against extensive political and economic challenges, brought IPL to South Africa, and sustained the same phenomenal levels of viewership and attendance despite the move. Columbia University and Stanford University Both did case studies on Modi, which are still being taught in Universities across the world. Created billions dollar opportunities, and played an integral role in shaping the cultural direction of Modern India as visionary behind transformational changes in broadcast, sports, entertainment, and consumer products.   Follow us on our social sites for the latest updatesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportsentrepreneurs/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcusluerpodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sports-entrepreneursWebsite: https://marcusluer.comPodcast: https://marcusluer.com/podcast To get in touch, please email us at podcast@marcusluer.com Feel Good by Musi

Lalit Modi, the founder of the IPL (Indian Premier League), sharing his in-depth recount and incredible details on how the IPL was created in this episode. How he orchestrated everything from the players, media deals, team owners to sponsors, and all within a few months.   Key Highlights Recap of Episode #1 Putting an “A team” together to make the IPL a reality, bringing IMG into the group (on success basis), finding the best experts from around the world, etc Learning from the best Leagues in the world to create a new franchise model First on the agenda, securing the top 100 players from around the world – challenges with scheduling of other Cricket globally Window from March-May was identified and locked in Creating the auction process and selling the idea to the players – brackets for players created – Minimum/Maximum cap spend on players USD 4- 5.5 mil by teams “Controversy” a key component of his strategy – keep media and people talking and guessing (free PR) “14 days” of playing Cricket  - players paid per day – USD 20k – 100k per day and some as high as USD 200k – so over USD 2 mil for the whole season  Lots of resistance at first with Media Owners – Nimbus thought they should own it because of the deal with the BCCI, black listed Murdoch (Fox), Zee TV already started ICL (competing competition) Need to create interest and competition with other broadcasters and agencies (aiming for USD 1 billion over 10 years) WSG (World Sports Group) bid USD 1b (both domestic and global rights) – partnered with SONY for year 1 in India Mapped out advertising inventory during the Match time Right to broadcast only, production done by League, etc Target USD 59 million in Year one as minimum to pay Teams (de-risk the purchase of team franchises – min USD 50 mil per franchise was his target (paid over 10 yrs) Key – an 8 pm ICT start, not to compete with other Indian Cricket afternoon slots – targeting Bollywood and entertainment budgets and appeal to Women in the household (who control the TV remote control at that time slot in the Indian household in those days) Next target – Team owners and the right profile – Shah Rukh Khan became key , Mukesh & Anil Ambani, Vijay Mallya, etc Bid for all cities allowed, highest bidder wins, if bidder wins more than one city, bidder can chose which city he wants to take Bids ranged from USD 65-120 mil  (for 10 yrs) Open process – in front of media and cameras Teams don’t own Stadiums – not allowed Shah Rukh Khan – Nokia – sponsors his team and how that helped with upfront funding Everything done between January – April before the first ball was played Principal Sponsor deals for the League – USD 10 mil per year for title, USD 8 mil for associate – and stories behind it No open Media access to the matches – deliberate “controversy” strategy At the time already secured – USD 100 mil cheque for media (Year 1), USD 75 mil (10% of franchise fee) before it even started (not including sponsorship yet) Bidding process for Sponsorship rights (Hero Honda, DLF, etc) – DLF Indian Premier League Associate sponsor deals – Citi, Vodaphone, Kingfisher, etc Opening Ceremony and first game -  Shah Rukh Khan vs Vijay Mallya Sony struggling to get distribution across the country – not nationwide yet.   On day of first game, Lalit opens the doors to all media to cover the game. Sony furious. 100% TV coverage across India, all over the news and press   Shah Rukh Khan’s teams win – Bollywood stars celebrating on the field – huge success Sony distribution went through the roof.  IPL was an instant success from then on Secret sauce – Competitive high profile owners, Shah Rukh Khan for entertainment and women audience, music, cheerleaders, etc To be continued…….   About Globally recognized leader, Executive Director of Modi Enterprises, with business interests across nearly every industry vertical. Built a billion-dollar brand in less than a year, launched a revolution to Indian broadcast entertainment

Lalit Modi, the Architect and Founder of the IPL (Indian Premier League) – we recorded four episodes to go very deep into his amazing stories from his early days as a young entrepreneur making his marks, to his entry into Cricket (board of BCCI) to the creation of the IPL and controversies after.  Lots of amazing stories, facts and anecdotes many told for the first time.    Key Highlights Lalit’s early day, joining the family Tobacco business (Godfrey Philipps India) – the three criteria for the family to support a business JV with Disney in India – licensing, merchandise, etc  (Michael Eisner his mentor)  - looking to launch sports channel with ESPN – movies, etc Early days of DTH and cable operators in India – Star TV (Prime Sports later Star Sports) Placing Disney TV program on Doordarshan (DD) – huge hit Rupert Murdoch coming into the picture – Modi Entertainment Network – Zee TV story Power of Database from Godfrey Philipps India to launch sports network – IMG Bill Sinrich early days of sales of Indian Cricket rights Leveraging Indian Cricket rights to launch an encrypted sports channel (first India’s Pay channel)   Lalit entering Cricket space – Mark Mascarenhas (Worldtel) – the key broker at the time 2002/3 – first time the concept of an Indian Cricket League comes up – 50 over game – Indian Cricket League (ICL) 2005 – Lalit becoming VP of BCCI – commercialization of Indian cricket taking off under his leadership First Lalit cancels Sahara contract – (paying only USD 100k per year, front of Jersey) – pushed to USD 1 mil per Day of Cricket (105 days) Nike new kit deal – (Reebok small deal before) – Nike bids 52 mil per year during tender process Terminating Murdoch’s media contract story – new tender pushing fees up 10x – bids over USD 500 million – political pressure Harish Thawani – Nimbus – USD 612-625 mil (4 years) – launched NEO Sports on back of it ICC T20 World Cup in South Africa, 2007 - re-ignites the ideas of a T20 League BCCI board gives Lalit a green light to explore the idea since he had already made some a few billions over the past 2 years Indian Players not very enthusiastic – hadn’t played the format Subhash Chandra – ZEE TV owner -  copied idea and launched ICL first – lots of issues BCCI stops Indian national team players from joining – international players joined IMG - Andrew Wildblood – enters the frame – Lalit hires them to put the concept together  (Aug 2007) Lalit knows key is for India to do well in T20 WC - offers a Porsche for Six Sixes to any Indian player to motivate them to win the T20 WC Negotiating with international players in South Africa Rudra Singh hits six sixes - India vs England – huge news, Indian fans catch the fever and Indian wins the WC Open Double Decker Bus parade for players – pouring rain on that day – team arriving from South Africa – nine hour tour – 4 million people on the streets T20 was the new buzz word in India – story to be continued………   About Globally recognized leader, Executive Director of Modi Enterprises, with business interests across nearly every industry vertical. Built a billion-dollar brand in less than a year, launched a revolution to Indian broadcast entertainment, and negotiated partnerships with ESPN, Disney, Google, Ten Sports, B4U, Fashion TV, Voyages TV, Buena Vista Television, United Artists, Marvel, Nike and others. International business strategist who catalyzes transformation and change by capitalizing on unmet demand in domestic and overseas markets. Embraces technology and creates opportunities to enrich lives, create sustainable revenue, and optimize productivity through integration of emerging platforms in social and digital. An entrepreneur at heart with a phenomenal ability to connect people and ideas into revenue-generating enterprises, an active member of the board for one of the oldest and most successful industrial conglomerates in India, and the thought- leader behind radical change in India’s leading Cricket admini

Marcus Höfl, a fellow German Sports entrepreneur, for nearly three decades with his own agency MHM, representing German Icon Franz Beckenbauer and several other top sports stars.  Great stories from his time Franz Beckenbauer to many other interesting projects and lessons learned as a sports entrepreneur.   Key Highlights Growing up in Herzogenaurach, the town of Adidas and Puma – great stories how this little Bavarian town operated under those two powerful brands and owners Influenced by his father who was in PR in Adidas and Mum working in sports retail - and looking up to Robert Schwan (at that time Franz Beckenbauer’s manager)  First client – Erdinger Weissbier – sponsorship of a second division club and continuing building relationship with Robert Schwan In 2002, Robert passed away – Beckenbauer now on his own – FIFA World Cup 2006 just four years away – opportunity to become the successor of Schwan Franz picked Marcus as the successor (still in his twenties) and he moved to Kitzbuehl to be closer to Beckenbauer Dream to set up a business in New York with a partner, didn’t work, closed down Business partnership with Franz Beckenbauer Initially just coordinating everything for Franz – especially leading up to the World Cup in Germany (Beckenbauer was the Chairman of the Organizing Committee) Buying the rights to Franz Beckenbauer’s image from Robert Schwan’s widow – story behind it Franz Beckenbauer stories Visiting 31 countries who qualified for the World Cup – cris crossing the world Complimenting each other, good cop/bad cop Grew large commercial revenue around Franz Beckenbauer’s image – 8 different commercial partners at the peak Franz’ strength, his patience, treated everyone the same Also motivating him in his older days Red Bull – Mateschitz and Beckenbauer – Red Bull entering Football Red Bull buying Salzburg as first team, MLS team in New York team, etc Joined board of Major League Soccer (MLS), build relationships with other owners Comparing US sports vs European football structures FC Augsburg – buying a piece of the team and plans to shape the team’s image – sold to David Blitzer Working with other athletes and the challenges scaling it Camp Beckenbauer – from Kitzbuehl to Shanghai , set up an office in Shanghai for a few years, lessons learned Maria Höfl-Riesch – German top Skier – from client to wife Investments – focus on fan engagement, digital, data, performance Partnering with Sports Accelerator leAD (Legacy of Adi Dassler) – fill circle to his youth   About Marcus Höfl is a founder, investor and expert in the international sports industry. Grown up in Herzogenaurach (Germany) - the hometown of Adidas and Puma - he has always been active in the football industry and shaped the business in various roles and positions on a global scale. From 2003 to 2006, Marcus was closely involved in the strategy development, planning and implementation of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. From 2003 on, Marcus exclusively represented Franz Beckenbauer in all commercial matters, as he owned the football icon’s global personality rights. As Head of Global Soccer since 2006, he has developed Red Bull’s strategy and commitment to soccer. Thereby he also acted as Member of the Board of Governors of Major League Soccer (MLS) in North America. Marcus Höfl was also a member of the Advisory Board of DFL Sports Enterprises from 2009 – the organization responsible for the national and international licensing, sponsorship and sale of Bundesliga media rights. Moreover, Marcus was a co-owner and shareholder of the German Bundesliga club FC Augsburg from 2016 to 2021 and was thereby a Member of the club’s Board of Directors. He also mediates, develops and leads international sponsorship, consulting and implementation projects for global companies such as Mondelez (sponsorship with the Bundesliga/DFL since 2021), Lenovo (sponsorship with Ferrari and Ducati 2018 & 2019) or Hermes (sponsorship with Bundesliga/DFL 201

Gareth Balch, from an inspiring Olympian, with a data driven approach, taking his passion to building Two Circles into one of the hottest digital sports marketing agency from the UK, conquering the world of sports.   Key Highlights Short intro on Two Circles – help grow value of sports – data driven approach Gareth early days as a young athlete – wanting to be an Olympian – short distance runner (800 m), representing Great Britain Great learning at Manchester City How Two Circles got started – Gareth together with Matt Rogan – founding client English Cricket Board (ECB) and Manchester City Dream Team, Claire and Matt – first employee Data Scientist Data driven approach – source was First party data (from fans to organizations) Harnessing data and using it to generate new revenue, solve commercial problems, change fan behavior Scientific approach to sales and improving commercial revenue streams Examples – from All Blacks to FIFA+, NFL+ to UEFA’s Women’s EURO 2022 – very different services for these clients Thinkers and doers – strategic and executioners – from coming up with the ideas derived by the data to delivering the new revenue streams Mixed remuneration models based on clients needs Business plans for clients – score cards based on deep data and models Live video rights – selling media rights in a new way Growth story of company over the past 13 years – investors, acquisitions, offices around the world, etc Starting with a clearly defined philosophy – build the sports business of our lifetime Operating like an athletes as the leader of the business – detailed planning Massive learning journey – never sold the business in his mind – just making it bigger and better – focus on delivering for the clients Acquired five companies in last few years Current focus on certain territories, regions, sports and new clients   About Gareth co-founded Two Circles following a successful athletics career, representing Great Britain in the 800 metres. Transferring his passion and energy to the business side of sport, Gareth’s first industry experience involved helping sports organizations such as Manchester City grow their commercial revenues, before in 2011 – at the age of 28 – he created Two Circles, an agency for the digital age, borne out of a desire to build direct relationships with sports fans using data. In the early years of Two Circles, when Gareth was Managing Director, he led the delivery of client work and helped revolutionize the UK sports landscape through a data-driven approach – recognised in 2014 when Two Circles was named Agency of the Year at the prestigious BT Sport Industry Awards. Since 2015 Gareth has been Chief Executive of Two Circles, his unique style of leadership and infectious enthusiasm for sport, staff and clients providing the driving force for the company’s rapid growth. Currently Two Circles has a global network of teams working from London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Bern with a client base of over 150 of the world’s leading rights-owners including the Premier League, NFL, UEFA, Formula 1 and Wimbledon.   Follow us on our social sites for the latest updatesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportsentrepreneurs/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcusluerpodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sports-entrepreneursWebsite: https://marcusluer.comPodcast: https://marcusluer.com/podcast To get in touch, please email us at podcast@marcusluer.com Feel Good by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyadenCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_feel-goodMusic promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/bvgIqqRStcQ

Our guest Prof. Dr. Sascha Schmidt, a German Sports Business Professor with a McKinsey background. We look into the future of the industry, with his book “21st Century Sports”.  We explore the different technologies, how to categorize them and how to create your own tool to better follow the trends and take advantage of them.   Key Highlights Early days from Uni to his first Consulting gig at McKinsey working in Switzerland, New York and South Africa. Thesis for his Phd “Walk the talk”, do company’s deliver on what they promise a-connect – German operations, develop business with sports clients in Germany, bring top tier consultants and sub-lease them to multi-national companies. Institute for Sports, Business and Society – Dietmar Hopp one of the founding partners (SAP Founder, Billionaire and owner of TSG Hoffenheim) Exploring SPOAC – Sports Business Academy by WHU , Havard Business School Case studies and MIT Sports Entrepreneurship Bootcamps Book – 21st Century Sports – essay collection, how technology will effect sports in the future.  21st Century Sports (whu.edu) Athletes and tech impact on them Sports Consumer – how tech changes consumption of sports Management – how the sports executives and leaders use tech Impact of AI in sports – example scouting , science and art Moneyball and new tech coming – motion tracking technology, even used for amateur sports Man(kind) vs Machines – how far has it come and will it go Fan controlled sports leagues (Fan Controlled American Football in the US) - younger sports fans, different consumption habit, want more participation Lessons on Customer Engagement from Fan Controlled Football Consumer tech in sports, AI – individualization of content, virtual arena’s, metaverse – Sportsfix white paper example (and learning effect of Amara’s law) Management and tech – can be overwhelming – below a simple matrix navigation system to sort through the tech jungle Physical tech  (robotics, wearables) Data processing (AI, Quantum tech, etc) Human interaction tech VALUE to: Athlete Consumer Management New Football concepts from Kings League (Gerard Pique), Baller League, The Icon League (Toni Kroos) Deliver an online experience, streaming, voting, influencers The Golf League (Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, etc) IPL – Indian Premier League Cricket Blending sports, music, fashion, education – edutainment products Esports discussion – big push in Asia and Middle East,  World Cup of Esports in Saudi – US$ 60 million prize pool (new Club Championship concept), difference to traditional sports, publishers control Traditional Football teams entering the space – diversification moves FC Barcelona – new approach in the tech and digital space with Barca Media Transformational Technologies Course – in partnership between WHU, MIT and Borussia Dortmund bvb.de/online-course/transformational-technologies-by-borussia-dortmund?cmpscreencustom Sports becoming an Asset Class – new institutional capital coming in – SMRF Capital – new value creation, still in development Bundesliga and new Investors collapse Resource:  WHU European Sports Business Program   About Sascha L. Schmidt is a professor and director of the Center for Sports and Management (CSM) at WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management. At the same time, he is the academic director of "ESBP - European Sports Business Program“ of WHU, ESSEC Paris and Stockholm School of Economics as well as affiliate at the Laboratory for Innovation Science (LISH) at Harvard University in Boston/USA.  He studied economic sciences at the Universities of Essen and Zurich, where he also graduated with a doctorate. At the invitation of Harvard Business School faculty he worked in Boston as a visiting scholar, after which he joined strategy consulting. After several years at McKinsey, Sascha was appointed director of the ICS research program at the University of St. Gallen, and qualified as a professor at the EBS University (habilitation). He then entered into the

Marco Balich, the Master of Ceremonies, in the true sense of the word - we explore the exciting world of Marco’s career being involved in creating some of the most memorable moments in Opening/Closing Ceremonies for major sports, cultural and entertainment events around the world.   Key Highlights Growing up in Venice, being surrounded by art, the carnival, entertainment and beauty Leaving the “island” and exploring the world in the 80s, studying in Chicago, exploring Soviet Union countries, etc Dream of joining the Olympics in Fencing – Western block of 1980 Moscow Olympics stopped this Starting as Concert Tour Manager in Italy, U2, Simple Mind, etc – great learning experience Pink Floyd concert in Venice – a successful disaster   Moving into Music Video space – VIVA in Italy – short lived Back into Live Music -  Heineken Jammin’ Festival in Milan, in late 90s First Olympic gig – Flag Handover ceremony at Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympics to Torino Olympics – just after 9/11 attacks Breaking into the Olympic world, beating dominant incumbent Anglo-Sachsen agencies – with a different approach Each ceremony a piece of Art – going through some of the iconic moments of past Opening ceremony’s Discussing the different roles and challenges with different countries and locations Process of an Olympic ceremony – two year journey – scale and size of budgets (huge dollars) How to deal with the cultural differences – not driven by money Tokyo Olympics – and what happened to the Opening Ceremony – the Covid games Focus of Balich Wonder Studio – giving creative talent platforms to showcase their talent  Building new iconic environments and structures for real estate projects Luxury brand launches Major global events Immersive IP and technology (Disney project) Usage of AI in the creative world Final thoughts on Paris Olympics and EURO Opening, etc   About Creative Director and Executive Producer with a record number of 14 Olympic Ceremonies and 12 Regional Games credits and several large-scale events produced all around the world.Marco’s Olympic experience, awarded with an Emmy Award in 2006 and a Compasso d’Oro in 2017, began with the Salt Lake City 2002 Flag Handover, followed by Torino 2006 Olympic Ceremonies. He was involved in the Sochi 2014 Olympic Closing Ceremony and Paralympic Ceremonies and acted as Executive Producer of Rio 2016 Olympic Ceremonies (produced by CC2016), watched by 2.6 billion people. He covered the role of Artistic Director of the Italian Pavilion at the 2015 Expo in Milano, where he created the ‘Tree of Life’ icon. He conceived the revolutionary format Superlive, with ‘Giudizio Universale, the Sistine Chapel Immersive Show’, the highest selling show in Italy in 2018, in association with the Vatican Museums.In 2013, together with long-time partners Gianmaria Serra and Simone Merico, he founded Balich Worldwide Shows, today Balich Wonder Studio, sharing the ambition to introduce a new era in the live entertainment industry where true emotions are the driver of the creative narrative.As Chief Creative Officer of Balich Wonder Studio he embodies the role of leading inspirer and mentor of a multicultural and diverse team of highly talented Creators. His vision has been crucial to attract, recruit and raise some of the best professionals in the industry, making Balich Wonder Studio a unique playground for creative visionaries from all over the world.   Follow us on our social sites for the latest updatesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportsentrepreneurs/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcusluerpodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sports-entrepreneursWebsite: https://marcusluer.comPodcast: https://marcusluer.com/podcast To get in touch, please email us at podcast@marcusluer.com Feel Good by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyadenCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_feel-goodMusic promoted by Audio Libra

Alan Pascoe, former Great Britain Olympian and founding father of Sports marketing in the UK, shares his amazing stories on how he got started, the Athletics events he created, the agencies he build and sold, and many more…   Key Highlights Early days, how o he got his start as a hurdler in school which lead him to win Medals for Great Britain in the European Championships, Commonwealth Games and Olympics and become one of the most recognized athletes in the UK at the time Discovering his passion for the events business – while being a lecturer – his very first event at Cystal Palace grounds for 150 pounds and getting on the BBC live (20 min prime time) in 1971 Using his College “office” to organize events at the beginning – while winning a few more Medals for Great Britain and building his own brand name – “are you the Alan Pascoe”…. From Athletics to Sunday Times Bridge Championship and how to leverage the power of an “influencer” Omar Sharif, Egyptian Actor at the time     Other early projects, Sunday Times Fun Run in Hyde Park (before London Marathon existed) – in late 70s Start as an Entrepreneur – Alan Pascoe Associates (APA) – 1983 – taking over an existing agency, owner retiring – with partner Edward Leask Childhood Asthma story and how to think out of the box – ask questions, don’t pitch at client Sold APA to WCRS Ad agency for One Million pound in cash – bought it back later Other projects, Broadcast sponsorship of NFL, Fantasy Football with Daily Telegraph and more Different focus to other agencies. Consultancy work for brand owners, amplification of sponsorship, events management and sponsorship sales Bought Personality Management company, representing TV Presenters and inventory management for A-boards of English Football Club before the Premier League Sold it again to Interpublic in 1999 – believe being part of a larger Advertising Group was the way to go to expand the business Deal with Interpublic didn’t work out well personally, left company and set up a new company around British/UK Athletics (Fast Track later CSM – Chime Sports Marketing), early 2000 Ran CSM till he stepped down ten years ago (2013/14) – build up both API and CSM into top 3 agencies in the world The partnership dilemma between Advertising agencies and Sports Marketing agencies Lessons from buying other agencies worldwide - CSM buying Zak Browns agency – JMI George Soros partnership with DC United, MLS team At the time he left in 2014, 20 offices, 750 staff growing to 1,000 people around the world -  CSM recently acquired by Wasserman   Management style over the decades and how to train people Helping to win the London Olympic bid, insider stories (Seb Coe, Keith Mills, Buckingham Palace, etc) Legacy of the London Olympics, no white Elephants around London, helped transform parts of the city Wrapping up with what keeps him busy now, some consultancy work – Commonwealth Games, Moneycorp and final story   About In 2014 Alan stepped down as President of the CSM Group, the Group he founded, now part of Chime Communications, having put in place the second generation of management to take CSM and its clients onto even greater heights, including Lord Coe who took over his role as Executive Chairman. Alan continues to work as a consultant, offering strategic support with his wealth of experience across the sports and events. CSM is the second world top 3 Sport’s & Events companies that Alan has built, whilst leading the creation of major events and programmes for sports, sponsors and television. Outside of sport he also devised, managed and promoted a medical programme that significantly improved the management of childhood asthma in the UK. A 3-time Olympian, winning Olympic Silver, triple European Gold, and Commonwealth Gold, Silver & Bronze medals, represented the Commonwealth, Europe and was British Team Captain. Alan started organising and promoting international track and field athletics meetings which continually reset the

Paul Barber, OBE, the CEO of Brighton & Hove Albion FC – from a childhood dream of being a pro-player to a highly successful career across Football from the FA of England, Tottenham (his childhood club) to becoming the CEO of the Year in the Premier League, driving Brighton to new heights (including European Football action) in the most competitive Football League in the world.     Key Highlights Football his first love from age of 7, dream to be a pro player but didn’t have the talent.  Love being involved in the game From working with blue chip financial organizations (Barclays) to the world of Football with the FA as Director of Marketing in 2000 Great time to be in the FA, first director of marketing, David Beckham era and other major changes – 2002 Japan/Korea World Cup new team marketingLarge portfolio of companies and sponsors, taking England team on the road across the country Applied for CEO of FA, didn’t happen at the time and moved to Ogilvy & Mather as CEO of Europe/Middle East for a short sting Next Football stop, Tottenham Hotspurs as Executive Director – childhood dream working with the club he grew up supportingOwner Daniel Levy and working with him One of the first teams signing a big Betting company as Jersey sponsor and how to deal with the sensitivity Peace Cup in Korea Next stop, CEO of Vancouver Whitecaps FC – two years in the MLS – great learnings Taking the role of CEO at Brighton, when they were still in the Championship in 2012 – a hundred year old “start up”Vision of Tony Bloom convinced him to join Missed out on Premier League promotion before finally making it up to the top division Big American Express deal as Venue sponsor Overnight success, 7-8 years in the making – the journey and stories along the wayAll starts with a great owner – clear vision, value Best infrastructure, top training facilities, stadium Make changes and upgrade along the way, including people A bit of luck important too Ignore the “noise” by media/fans and stay focused on vision/mission How do you compete with the huge foreign capital other big clubs have at their disposal – 8-10 clubs now pushing to play in Europe in the Premier League Competing in European Football (UEFA Europa League) and keeping sight of top half in League – constant learning – competing in four competitions Tony Bloom – Moneyball in Football -  data driven recruitment (resources and data from David’s core analytics business)Also creating opportunities to sell players with good margins Very engaged Non-Executive Chairman, stability is key Target to be a top 10 club in Premier league and top 4 team in Women’s Super League -  still work in progressKeep improving and not standing still Women’s Team discussion – development of women’s football – investment in the game for long-run and the changes a club needs to make to cater the players and fans   About Paul Barber joined the board of Brighton & Hove Albion FC as chief executive in June 2012. In his first season with Brighton, the club secured its highest league position for over 30 years, made the Championship play-offs, enjoyed the highest average attendances in its division, and signed its largest-ever shirt sponsorship agreement, a multi-year deal with American Express. Paul was named Overall CEO of the Year for England and Scotland, as well as Championship CEO of the Year, at the Football Industry Awards 2013, and won the Sports Executive of the Year at the 2016 International Stadium Business Awards. Having taken part in three EFL Championship play-offs in four seasons, Brighton narrowly missed out on automatic promotion to the Premier League, by virtue of goal difference, in 2016. A year later, the club achieved automatic promotion to the Premier League and subsequently finished 15th in its first season. Paul’s career in professional football has spanned close to 25 years, during which time he has held senior positions at Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Tottenham Hotspur FC, and T

Peter Draper, a true Yorkshireman with an incredible career in UK sports from UMBRO to Manchester United and many more.  We are going all the way back to 1977 and how it all started with the English Basketball Association.  Join us for an incredible journey through English sports history.        Key Highlights How it all started, from Rugby to Basketball – 1977 -1986 , from school and amateur player to administrator in the English Basketball Association in Leeds – sports history UMBRO – big move (40 miles across the country 😊) as marketing executive in 1986 (his wife asking “what did you apply that for” 😊) UMBRO, a sports apparel and equipment manufacturer was formed in Wilmslow, England, in 1924 and was the distributor of adidas shoes initiallyEvolution of the brand across Football and Peter’s roles in B2B Sponsor and kit supplier of the English National Team and Brazil (when they won the World Cup in 1994) and a mix of top players Ajax, Inter Milan, AC, Rugby British Lions, Next stop, Manchester United, with Peter Kenyon – in 1999 (had just won the triple – flying high on the field), first proper Marketing Director in the clubLess is more approach – Champions League model Switching from Sharp (a long term partner) to Vodafone (before Mobile was a big category) as Shirt sponsor, the stories behind it and the money involved No real data points available yet, first research done and how Peter used it to renew Vodafone (ROI & ROO) Big Name players, from Beckham, Giggs to Cristiano Ronaldo – how to work with them - Alex Ferguson and his philosophy Big  overseas Tours, first proper execution – Asia Tour in 2001 (Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand) and USA in 2003 – massive response Loose Lips Ltd (the meaning behind it) – brand marketing, strategy and sponsorship consulting past 18 yearsPeter sharing insights on a big project that hasn’t seen the light yet (Premier League) Other projects, including Harry Potter digital CAA Sports – mismatched expectations Peter Lim, Manchester United F&B and Valencia CF owner (Singaporean Billionaire)Valencia CF stories FIFA World Cup 2030 – final discussion and debate   About Passionate and knowledgeable about sport and the marketing that drives the industry, Peter Draper’s knowledge of the marketing of international football positions him as an expert and sought-after keynote speaker on branding, marketing and customer experiences. Starting out with basketball early in his career, Peter turned a hobby into a job when he accepted a position with the English Basketball Association in 1977. Promoting major basketball events at international venues including Wembley Arena and The Royal Albert Hall, he soon became adept at knowing how to deliver exactly what sponsors want. Joining sportswear company Umbro in 1986, Peter was instrumental in building the brand into an international contender and as European Marketing Director, he drove the business to major success until it was sold in 1999. Peter secured contracts with the England and Brazil national teams, Euro 96, Manchester United, Celtic, Inter Milan and Ajax, as well as personal agreements with Pele and Alan Shearer. After Umbro Peter joined Manchester United as the club’s first Group Marketing Director. He was in charge of the development and implementation of their international sponsor-partner programme, partnership relations and oversaw communications throughout the business. Non-Executive Director of international creative communications agency IRIS Nation, Peter has also founded his own ‘passion brands’ strategic consulting business Time & Tide. He works closely with many organisations including The National Trust, Cancer Research UK, The Football Association, The FA Premier League, Haymarket Publishing, Chelsea Football Club and brands such as Smirnoff, Sony Ericsson, Typhoo, Starwood Hotels and Duchy Originals. Peter is a member of the Advisory Board for various diverse businesses, and he worked with JK Rowling to s

Zack Sugarman, deep dive into his 17 years with the Wasserman Group to his current role as Chief Strategy Officer at Demand Sports – an AI powered top-of-funnel lead generation tool for the sports industry. If you are in sales you need to listen to this.     Key Highlights From college to first role at Sportnet (Wasserman Media Group), doing business development – finance of action sports films in 2005 (skateboard.com, etc) Deep dive into Wasserman group - from 70 people when he joined to 1,700 by the time he left recently (15 offices around the world) Global Sports Marketing & Entertainment company Helping client spend their marketing dollars wisely, negotiate, execute Maximizing revenue for teams/leagues (properties) Talent manage side – Jerry Maguire style (NFL to action sports) Growth by acquisition – music talent, celebrity influencers, creating IP & content (UK based CSM, etc) Acquisition of Brillstein – coming full circle (family history, Lew Wasserman) Casey Wasserman – a bit about the man himself – Chairman of LA 2028 Olympics – his leadership style His roles over the 17 years (2005-2022) Start of digital and social media era and developing a digital division to help monetize content Early days of live streaming – World Surf League – live webcast Properties – teams, leagues, federations, conferences, Esports teams, Develop products to offer these property owners – pre-sale and post-sale services NBA Jersey Patch, later NHL, MLB – one of the big projects – discussing deal sizes   Demand Sports – his role as Chief Strategy Officer How it works, background, Helping property rights holders – top-of-funnel lead generation, using AI to verify contacts, personalized emails Coordinate follow up and meeting times for the Property owner (all the upfront work to create warm leads) Demand Inc – tech companies, B2B business – Lasso tool tweaked to use for sports Bounce test to check emails are correct – in real time, etc Using AI to personalize emails, search web to create subject lines and hocks for a personalized touch to email Tool operates globally – language specific outreach examples 40 clients around in the US and around the world Fee structure and flexible model for Property owners Contact:  zack@demandsports.co  - www.demandsports.co US market – huge events coming the next few years from FIFA World Cup 2026 to Olympics 2028 and more… opportunities for brands and property owners Final message on Artificial Intelligence (AI) – be curious   About Zack has a proven sports executive with over ~20 years of experience in commercial strategy and revenue creation – focusing on business development, partnership creation, digital strategy, new tech integration, valuation, packaging, and execution of award winning campaigns and initiatives. Sugarman’s skills include business development (identifying, negotiating, securing new clients), strategy and analytics (fan insights, commercial valuation and packaging, opportunity targeting, partnership creation, and measurement), and relationships (understand the value of connections and have enjoyed consistent networking and having multiple long-term and repeat clients). Zack likes to connect the dots between partners and bring new perspectives together in an effort to generate new value, drive innovation and facilitate new connections across the sports and entertainment business. Before joining Demand Sports, Sugarman spent 16 years in agency leadership positions at Wasserman, most notably leading the Global Properties division worldwide to help venues/teams/leagues maximize commercial revenue. At Wasserman, Sugarman helped drive millions of dollars in commercial revenue for clients including NBA, NFL, NHL, MLS, FIFA, USGA, UFC, NASCAR, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, LAFC, New York Islanders, Vegas Golden Knights, CrossFit, Drone Racing League and Salesforce.  Sugarman was also instrumental in helping AEG land the larg

Jason Masherah, President of The Upper Deck Company, living his childhood dream, from a young boy trading cards at school to running one of the biggest Trading cards, Memorabilia and Collectibles company in the world – enjoy our deep dive into the world of The Upper Deck Company, the industry and where the business is going.   Key Highlights How it all started, selling trading cards in middle school and attending card shows at the age of 13/14, working in trading card shop Starting his first shop at the age of 16 before going back to school From Electric Supply company coming back into sports, getting an MBA to get back into sports Via short stops at the Arena Football League (Chicago Rush) to Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Bengals, finally landing at The Upper Deck company as Brand Manager for MLB & NBA Overview of the Trading Card industry, from the first cards in the 1800 as promotion for cigarettes and chewing gums, sold as Wax packs. In 1987/88 The Upper Deck Company was founded to create a different and much better product – big growth to mid 90s when strikes in sports Leagues created issues Tough period in early 2000 to 2015 before growth came back, with Hockey, Baseball and Football Primary market, big players Upper Deck, Topps and Panini and secondary trading market Different business models by Sports Leagues in the US vs European Football leagues Global growth vs the traditional core US sports, Europe and Asia Business model with Rights holders and bidding processes Sports trading cards, Entertainment trading cards and Trading card games and the differences Three parts of the business for Upper Deck, Trading Cards, Games (Board games and trading card games) and authenticated Memorabilia Premium product focus, big names from Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky Digital products and the evolution of it – in 2011 first tokenization of cards, Upper Deck e-pack – digital to physical hybrid NFTs, blockchain – Upper Deck’s Evolution platform – trading digital with physical products   Issues and challenges for primary market manufacturer playing in the secondary market (especially in NFTs) Most NFT releases were never done with collectors in mind, it mostly was a quick money grab Moving images, videos and animations open up a new opportunity to own a piece of history Upper Deck’s Collect Forever – authentic third party collectibles, from Comics to Toys Upper Deck’s Premise to provide the best and widest services for collectors globally Fanatics purchase of Topps – changing the game Jason’s own career path in Upper Deck over the past 17 years     About Mr. Masherah oversees all day-to-day operations as President of Upper Deck, the premier worldwide sports, gaming and entertainment company. As part of his day to day duties, he is personally responsible for exclusive agreements with Upper Deck’s lineup of corporate partners, licensors and superstar athletes, including Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Wayne Gretzky, Marvel, Tim Hortons, CIBC, NHL, NHL Players’ Association and more. Mr. Masherah is also responsible for revitalizing Upper Deck’s memorabilia division, as well as Upper Deck’s gaming division and the launch of Legendary, the award-winning deck building game. Prior to his appointment as President in 2013, Mr. Masherah served as Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Upper Deck. Mr. Masherah has been personally credited for several core programs at Upper Deck, ranging from the Yankee Stadium Legacy program in 2008 to the Evolution video cards in 2011 to, most recently, the Upper Deck e-Pack platform in 2016, which plays a significant role in the launch of Upper Deck’s Grandeur Hockey Collector Coins. Before his involvement with Upper Deck, Mr. Masherah worked for professional sports teams in various roles, including the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Braves. He earned his Master of Business Administration degree from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University an

Andrew Ryan, corporate lawyer turned sports executive, currently Managing Director of FIBA Media, from a small town in Australia to the big wide world of sports including Perform, IOC to FIBA.  We are taking a close look into Andrew’s career and the ongoing FIBA World Cup 2023 in Asia.   Key Highlights Growing up in a small town near Brisbane, with lots of access to sports in his youth and Brisbane clubs making their mark. Impact of Sydney Olympics in 2000 on him Corporate law taking him to London and New York in 2006, after Lehmann collapse joined a radio station (Absolute Radio), sports commentary, unlikely and unexpected forays into sports broadcasting with the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and BBC Sport for the 2005 Ashes series.  First contact with Perform. Group Head of Legal at Perform for four years – buying media rights, WTA deal and the growth of the business from his view Betting rights key to Perform’s competing with traditional agencies in the content distribution business Getting DAZN off the ground and the work behind the scene and spinning off Perform Next stop Head of Media - Legal and Business Affairs, IOC TV and Marketing services – business strategy and more commercial role Media rights, tender processes, Olympic channel, sponsorship deals, etc Olympic Channel, what happened to it? FIBA Media – what it is and how it works – JV with DAZN (compared to FIBA Marketing, JV with Infront) FIBA Asia (ABC) my experience in Basketball in mid 90s FIBA’s direct to consumer approach vs traditional broadcast rights sales globally FIBA Courtside 1891 platform www.courside1891.basketball - Courtside 1891 is a live and highlights platform for FIBA games and a lot of other leagues around the world FIBA’s unique global set up – managing regional events and rights from HQ FIBA Eurobasket 2022, etc FIBA Club competitions FIBA World Cup 2023 – across Philippines, Indonesia and Japan What to expect from production and new innovations for the event FIBA and NBA relationship and players at the World Cup FIBA Women’s World Cup – importance and looking back at last year’s event in Australia   About As Managing Director of FIBA Media, Andrew leads the 17-year joint venture between FIBA and DAZN which encompasses all production and rights commercialisation (broadcast, OTT D2C and data) for FIBA’s premium events. This includes FIBA’s World Cups and Continental championships (and their qualifiers), global junior events and the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. FIBA Media has around 25 dedicated staff but collaborates extensively with sales and production teams within DAZN and scales up for events, managing 800+ personnel at the FIBA World Cup 2019. In addition to its core production and commercial activity, FIBA Media houses its own third party marketing division and established the Courtside 1891 digital brand and joint venture with Two Circles. Andrew was previously the Head of Media Legal and Business Affairs for the International Olympic Committee TMS and was part of the Leaders Under 40 Class of 2020.   Follow us on our social sites for the latest updatesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportsentrepreneurs/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcusluerpodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sports-entrepreneursWebsite: https://marcusluer.comPodcast: https://marcusluer.com/podcast To get in touch, please email us at podcast@marcusluer.com Feel Good by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyadenCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_feel-goodMusic promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/bvgIqqRStcQ

Guy-Laurent Epstein a Football Association veteran and senior UEFA Executive for the past 20 years, shaping European football, the commercial side and beyond.  Deep dive into  UEFA’s world from Club Football, new National Team competitions, to the growth of the Women’s game and much more.  Highly educational and lots of great details you don’t want to miss.      Key Highlights How it started, from a passion for mathematics, to Arthur Andersen auditing to Sony Music Commercialising the licensing rights for the FIFA World Cup in 1998 for Sony Music ISL Marketing days – joining ISL in Luzern during an interesting time for the agency Spending time in Asia, around the 2002 FIFA  World Cup Korea/Japan ISL collapse in 2001 just before the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2001, FIFA creating FIFA Marketing to take over agency role Joining UEFA shortly after the 2002 FIFA World Cup  – comparing notes on the event The start of a two decade adventure with UEFA in Nyon No Marketing department within UEFA yet when he first joined,  developing new projects and showing value to the administrators of European Football The “old” way of doing things in European National and Club competitions at the time, early 2000 Change of guards, EBU, mostly state controlled broadcasters vs more commercially driven free to air channels Non-linear channels emerge -  Pay TV – now digitization, Amazon relationship, DAZN, Apple testing US Market importance for both European Club and National team football UEFA.TV -  create new content from archive, exploring new ways to invest in brand – home of Youth and Women’s football Relationship between UEFA and their agencies (Team Marketing – Club competitions & CAA Eleven – National Team competitions) Big changes and success stories from the CAA Eleven deal UEFA Nations League – the creation and where it is now and some of the challenges New UEFA Champions League format from next season explained Next steps in the governance of club competitions and relationship with the European Club Association (ECA) Covid impact on UEFA competitions – looking back, moving EURO 2020, etc Success of Women’s EURO 2022 in England and the growth and unbundling of UEFA Women’s Football – www.weplaystrong.com EURO 2024 in Germany – high hopes for another big Football Summer Festival   About Guy-Laurent Epstein graduated from Paris IX Dauphine University with a Master in Applied Mathematics & Social Sciences in 1990, and completed his studies with a MBA at ESSEC Business School in Paris, which he obtained 2 years later. After four years working as a financial consultant for Arthur Andersen, he decided to shift his career towards sports marketing and worked for the 1998 World Cup in France. After that, he joined ISL Marketing where he was in charge of the licensing and merchandising programme for the 2002 World Cup. In 2001, Guy-Laurent joined FIFA Marketing, where he continued to oversee the good development and implementation of the Licensing programme. He started in October 2002 at UEFA as TV& Sponsorship Manager and became Head of Marketing Activities in December 2004. In June 2005, he created the Media Rights unit which is responsible of the overall sales of the UEFA competitions TV and other media rights, which he managed till March 2010, when UEFA decided to set up a new company – UEFA Events SA - to handle all UEFA’s commercial and event operations. Consequently, Guy-Laurent was appointed Marketing Director of UEFA Events SA and as such, he is responsible for the ongoing development of the marketing and commercial activities, including media and sponsorship, across all competitions of UEFA.   Follow us on our social sites for the latest updatesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportsentrepreneurs/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcusluerpodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sports-entrepreneursWebsite: https://marcusluer.comPodcast: https://marcusluer.com/podcast To get in touch, please email us at

Paul McVeigh, from playing professional football in the Premier League to becoming a trained psychologist, and now advising C-suites and top corporate executives. Tons of great stories and lessons from his career as a professional player and how a Tony Robbins book put him on the path to studying psychology and becoming a keynote speaker.   Key Highlights Growing up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in a rough neighborhood in the 80s – what it was like playing football with tanks driving around the streets A journey from Belfast to London, getting offered a contract with Tottenham Hotspur in mid 90s and meeting football legend Jurgen Klinsmann His beliefs at the time about himself and what then happened in order to make his Premier League debut His football journey from Tottenham Hotspur to Norwich City, Burnley,  Luton Town and why the key was to constantly adapt his style to fit various roles for each team  How to deal with winning/losing, the psychology and mindset behind it for a professional player, being relegated and achieving promotion again Who is truly responsible when a team wins or loses?  Coach versus players? “Awaken The Giant Within” by Tony Robbins – our stories and the impact this book had on us and how this led to a degree in Sports Science and Psychology and a career in public speaking Next stops, working as pundit at Sky Sports, BBC, and giving key note speeches and running corporate leadership programs His book “The Stupid Footballer Is Dead: Insights Into The Mind Of A Professional Footballer” and an understanding of the mind of an elite sportsperson Concept of accountability – a pre-season story and his learning being exposed to world-class players Making conscious choices His current project: bringing in first-class athletes, world champions and securing them as keynote speakers to corporations, including top military, doctors, etc His contacts. Website: https://paulmcveigh.com  LinkedIn:  (5) Paul McVeigh, M.Sc. | LinkedIn  Email: paul@paulmcveigh.com   About Paul McVeigh is a Premier League football player and Performance Psychologist. Paul's credibility comes from the unique combination of reaching the pinnacle of elite sport as well as being the first Premier League footballer to qualify with a Master's Degree in Psychology. Paul specialises in implementing the psychology required to elevate the performance of leaders and teams from the financial services' industry. He has recently worked with PWC, Grant Thornton, Aviva, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, Nat West, Cisco, Microsoft and many more. These lessons are even more applicable today in our remote and virtual workplaces in order to empower individuals to understand that our thinking unlocks the required behaviours that are necessary for elite performance.Paul shares his psychological framework from growing up in war torn Belfast, Ireland alongside the strategies he implemented performing under the intense scrutiny of 75,000 fans across the world. He is also an established broadcaster on TV and radio with BBC, Sky Sports, BT Sport and is also a published author of the ironically entitled book ‘The Stupid Footballer is Dead’.The insights Paul shared as a Sport Psychologist for 2 Premier League clubs have helped many players compete in, what is considered, the most prestigious and ruthless sports league in the world.   Follow us on our social sites for the latest updatesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportsentrepreneurs/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcusluerpodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sports-entrepreneursWebsite: https://marcusluer.comPodcast: https://marcusluer.com/podcast To get in touch, please email us at podcast@marcusluer.com Feel Good by MusicbyAden https://soundcloud.com/musicbyadenCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/_feel-goodMusic promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/bvgIqqRStcQ

Jerome Valcke, a true legend and also tragic figure in our industry. We are going back to his early days at Canal+/Sport+ to his amazing time as Secretary General of FIFA.  30+ years in the industry, his ups and downs and the challenges at the end of his FIFA reign and his comeback plans.       Key Highlights Early days of Canal+, first Pay TV operator in France - as news presenter and magazine producer (from wars to news) 1991 -  getting involved in acquisition of sports rights for Canal +, dealing with Don King to David Stern Forming Sport+ (internal agency of Canal+) to buy sports media rights for Canal + and sell across the world, working with other agencies around the world Don King story and doing business with him (negotiation is same as war) French Football League (Ligue One) and the new Pay TV money coming in to change the game forever – new production values Canal+, turning channel into a 24 hrs Olympic channel for the entire two weeks of the Barcelona Olympics 92’ and Atlanta 96’ Merger between three agencies, JC Darmon, UFA Sport and Sport+ -  Bertelsmann (UFA), Jean-Claude Darmon and Canal+ (Sport+) merged in 2001 creating SportFive – and the rest is history with decades of changes for the agency Joining FIFA in 2003 as Director of Marketing – FIFA Marketing AG – in-house agency created after the collapse of ISL Marketing (initially focused on sponsorship only -  Media rights still with Robert Louis Dreyfus (owner of Adidas, Olympique Marseille).  Jerome lobbying to bring media rights in-house too. Agency offering large guarantee to FIFA – (Swiss) 1.8 billion per World Cup -  Joseph Blatter (President at the time) putting his trust in Jerome and he delivered in 2010 – close to 4 billion  Changing what FIFA was delivering to broadcasters, going beyond previous offerings Infront & Dentsu controlled certain territory rights in Asia, and other agencies around the world – top countries controlled by FIFA directly, FIFA signing all contracts Secretary General of FIFA -  the link between the political side of the Federation with the commercial and operating side Dealing with Governments and Head of States to deliver the FIFA World Cup – need to deal with politics Blatter stories – his rise within FIFA, from a low level marketing role to President -  “I am FIFA, FIFA is me”  Bidding process for World Cups – 2018 & 2022 – huge significance for the winners World Cup Legacy – South Africa 2010 stories – falling in love with the country and more… Brazil World Cup 2014 – it was complicated …….. being banned for a period of time from entering the country….. Could World Cup ever be moved if the event is at risk? Legal position vs actuality/reality 2018 & 2022 host country choices and his view on it The different parts of FIFA, from Committees and other parts of the organization Women’s Football at FIFA level – Women’s World Cup wasn’t yet able to make enough money on its own – role of FIFA to support and develop Football for everyone Mastercard vs VISA and what happened on Sept 2015……. his side of the story Moral vs criminal accusations –  rules of engagement – code of conduct in business To reach Jerome Valcke - Jerome.valcke@gmx.es  (+34607937298)   About Jérôme Valcke, born 6/10/1960 in ParisFrench and South African citizenshipsLiving in Carrer Catalunya 17, 08960 Sant Just Desvern, SpainE-mail: jerome.valcke@gmx.esMobile number: +34 607 937 298 1983 RMC Journalist 1984 to 1988 CANAL+ News Presenter 1988 to 1991 CANAL+ Deputy Editor in Chief Newsroom 1992 to 1997 CANAL+ Deputy Director Sports Division. Responsible for all international sport rights acquisitions 1997 to 2001 CEO Sport+, Media Group CANAL+. Sport+ was a subsidiary of the Group CANAL+ for Media and Marketing rights. Sport+ acquired the international of all major football European leagues. 2002 COO Sportfive. Sportfive was created by Group CANAL+, UFA- Bertelsmann and Group Jean-Claude Darmont. Sportfive was one of the leading sports agencies in the w

Alex Inglot, the Commissioner of the ESL Pro League (Esports). We discuss his legal background, his various sports roles before he entered the Esports world. Alex has been involved across multiple spectrums of the sports industry and is sharing his experiences with us before diving deep into his current role as Commissioner of the ESL Pro League (CS:GO).  Lots of great stories and learning across sports and gaming.    Key Highlights How it all started, studying law at Oxford, playing Volleyball at Uni to his first internship at IMG – Rugby World Cup contract work A few years of commercial law at various law firms in London – looking at a way back into the industry Took FIFA International Master program to bring him back into the industry First job after the program, heading to Mexico working at Atlante FC (club had just moved to Cancun), establishing a new fan base and building relationship with the region Couple of years at JTA – working on Manchester United Corporate Communication, working with owner Jon Tibbs, difference between legal and marketing communication principles Sportradar – promoting Sportradar’s integrity services to Federations and other rights holders (as Director of Communication), later involved in the non-betting services and then the opportunities in US sports betting ATP Tour – Board Director – European Player Representative -working with ATP Player Council to drive progress for the members, redistribution of prize money, etc Setting up systems, processes, transparency (eliminating distrust between players and tournaments) -driven by Andrea Gaudenzi’s vision, the new Chairman of ATP Tour How ATP Tour survived Covid and continued the vision of Gaudenzi – creating a JV mentality between players and events During COVID, ticketing revenue, which had always been very important for tennis events now became a vulnerability ATP Media – broadcast arm, bundling rights across different levels of events – aggregating media rights was key to create one stop shop for broadcasters and/or fans Commissioner of ESL Pro League (CS:GO – Counter Strike – Global Offensive) – major title by Valve Intro to CS:GO – history the past 10 years – one of the major FPS (First person Shooter) games, played globally ESL Pro Tour – owned by ESL FACEIT Group (new entity, created through merger, owned by Savvy Gaming Group from Saudi Arabia) CS:GO landscape with total Price money US$ 18 mil across all events  - players earning US$ 20-50k per month Comparison with other games and economics for teams – power of Publisher Louvre Agreement – distribution of money ESL makes to teams to build ecosystem – helping to sustain teams investments CS 2.0 is coming later this year and how the transition will happen Structure of League – 12 founding member teams – revenue share of traditional revenues such as sponsorship – guaranteed slot in Pro-League (currently 15 out of 32 team format) Opportunities for sponsor by aggregation of rights, bundling is key opportunity League staged in Malta – teams fly in for periods of time – Malta Gaming establishing itself as Esports/Gaming hub Esports/Gaming after Covid – from red hot to current slow down, is there a “winter” or just a natural correction? The fundamentals of Esports are solid and very attractive, especially anyone targeting the younger demographics (Metaverse, digital items, etc)   About A unique strategist drawing on years of international corporate and commercial law in the City of London; nearly a decade working at the sharp end of global sports communications and public affairs; and now Commissioner of the ESL Pro League. Focused on reading the landscape, developing a direction, securing buy-in and delivering impact.Driving the new structure that sits behind the CSGO ecosystem-leading EPL to ensure optimal governance and operations, record-breaking revenues and fair distribution, and the realisation of existing and upcoming aggregation opportunities. In parallel, using the platform

Misha Sher, a sports marketing veteran, author, lecturer with a unique background and great stories from working with Pele to many other big sports properties and brands. We are going deep why brands engage with sports, esports/gaming, women’s sport and how to activate it, athlete marketing and unpacking his current role as Global Head of Sport, Entertainment and Culture at MediaCom (now called EssenceMediacom and part of WPP’s GroupM).    Key Highlights Born in Ukraine, immigrating to the US at the age of 13, culture shock, didn’t speak the language.  Football/Soccer was his language and helped him to integrate Dream to be a pro Footballer cut short, first job in Banking in Boston – start making a living Next stop Masters Degree in Football in Liverpool – back to his passion – thesis on Premier League Clubs in North America Soccerex – Director of Business Development – helping expand to Singapore and new commercial ideas, ie cities paying host fees Short sting as Ranger Football Club as Global Partnership Director – some lessons from it Entering MediaCom – short intro on the company being part of WPP’s GroupM – managing billions of dollars of advertising money Media agency investing in traditional media channels, agency starting to offer new services to take “customers” (Brands) into sport and other entertainment spaces Sports marketing agencies and Media Agencies, from partners to rivals Pele – amazing opportunity to represent him for several years to help build his brand and create commercial opportunities (Pele was 72 at the time). Brazil about to host the FIFA World 2014 and Olympics 2016 – most iconic Brazilian sports star – building his brand by association with other iconic brands (Coca Cola, Emirates, Hublot, Procter & Gamble, etc) Amazing networking by being around him and meeting Heads of States to CEO’s  - signing multi years, multi million dollar deals for him – managing and maximizing his time Some personal stories about Pele, the Legend and the man he was Deploying Clients Money – over USD 1 billion in his career across B2C and B2B opportunities -  value creation is the key Transactional nature of industry vs “why” would/should the fan/customer care and what is the best vehicle to achieve the client’s objectives “As a brand, don’t disrupt what people love, be the thing what people love” -  Eintracht Frankfurt sponsor example (Indeed), perfect alignment with club Discussion about lack of understanding and budgets beyond the initial budget to buy into a property by many brands – ratio spending on activation Balancing risk factors for brands between engagement in athletes, clubs/teams and leagues, different risk vs rewards Athletes and influencers becoming “media platforms”, huge social media reach and the opportunity for brands Gaming/Esport/Web3, where are the opportunities for brands – examples and discussion about future growth Growth of Women’s sport, the importance and opportunities for brands Working on new book  – (working title) “From Athlete to Enterprise” – how to build a personal brand and build sustainable future incomes        About Senior commercial & marketing executive with more than 15 years international experience developing some of the most iconic brands, rights holders and talent. Having operated at the cross section of sport, media, tech, talent and advertising, have an intrinsic understanding of how to unlock growth to drive commercial and strategic objectives.Have advised on strategic direction, negotiation and execution of more than £1B in partnerships across sport & entertainment in more than 40 markets. Strong business leader, with track record of building and managing diverse teams while operating in a multifaceted global organization. Possess a considerable global network of C-suite executives across sport, music, brands, governments, media owners and agencies.Passionate about embracing disruption and driving industry innovation, with opinions regularly featured in major me