Sports Management Podcast

Is American rugby about to experience its biggest growth opportunity ever?
With the LA 2028 Olympics, the Men's Rugby World Cup in 2031 and the Women's Rugby World Cup in 2033, the United States is preparing for an unprecedented period of international rugby exposure.
But will the sport be ready to capitalize on it?
In this episode of Sports Management Podcast, Marcus Filipsson speaks with Nate Dalena, CEO of Rugby NorCal, about the future of rugby in America and what it takes to build a sustainable grassroots sports organization.
Nate explains why major sporting events are only the beginning, how rugby can attract more young athletes, and why the sport needs more coaches, referees and well-run clubs to support long-term growth.
In this episode, we discuss:
The future of rugby in the United States

Preparing for the 2031 and 2033 Rugby World Cups

Why women's rugby represents a major growth opportunity

The dangers of early specialization in youth sports

How to build sustainable grassroots sports organizations

Why rugby needs more media exposure and accessible broadcasts

Nate's journey from player and coach to CEO of Rugby NorCal

How volunteering can open doors to a career in sports

Whether you work in sports management, coach young athletes or simply want to understand how sports grow, this conversation offers valuable insights into the future of American rugby.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction to Nathan Dalena and Rugby NorCal
00:37 Rugby's position in the United States
01:38 Growth opportunities in women's rugby
03:40 Flag rugby and school-based development
04:29 Why rugby needs more education and media
07:03 Competition for young athletes
08:10 Early specialization and youth sports burnout
12:27 Why parents should encourage multiple sports
15:42 Preparing for the Rugby World Cups
20:26 Building sustainable rugby clubs
22:50 Nathan's career journey
26:16 Why Rugby NorCal started a podcast
29:43 Advice for aspiring sports professionals
32:52 Where to follow Rugby NorCal
About the guest:
Nate Dalena is CEO of Rugby NorCal, an organization responsible for youth and high school rugby in Northern California.
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Is modern football pushing players to their physical limits? And who is responsible for protecting them?
In this episode of Sports Management Podcast, host Marcus Filipsson sits down with Dr. Mark Gillett, Chief Medical Officer of the Premier League, to explore the realities of player welfare, injury prevention and medical leadership at the highest level of professional football.
After seven years overseeing medical governance in the Premier League, Mark is approaching the end of his tenure. He shares insights from a career that has included Chelsea, West Bromwich Albion, Olympic sport and elite sports medicine.
We discuss the challenges of balancing player safety with competitive advantage, the impact of an increasingly demanding football calendar, and how artificial intelligence could change injury assessment.
Mark also reflects on the pressure of working in professional football, communicating difficult medical decisions, his experience during COVID-19 and the lessons he has learned throughout his career.
In this episode, we discuss:
Who is responsible for protecting Premier League players?

Player welfare, fixture congestion and competitive pressure

Why hamstring injuries remain a major challenge

How AI could transform sports medicine

The reality of working behind the scenes in elite football

Career advice for aspiring sports medicine professionals

Life after the Premier League

Episode timestamps
00:00 The role of the Premier League's Chief Medical Officer
02:40 Working with Premier League clubs and Olympic teams
03:38 Fixture congestion and player welfare
04:19 Player safety versus competitive advantage
05:07 Football injuries and hamstring problems
05:43 Knee health and life after football
07:26 What's next after the Premier League?
08:19 Mark's journey into sports medicine
09:37 Cycling the Tour de France for charity
11:29 Overcoming career challenges
12:42 Breaking into professional sport
14:14 Lessons from working at Chelsea
16:08 Communicating difficult medical decisions
18:00 Artificial intelligence in sports medicine
19:57 The next chapter of Mark's career
 
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Do sports teams actually know who their fans are?
Teams and rights holders collect enormous amounts of data through ticketing, merchandise, food & beverage, CRM systems and digital platforms. But according to Cole Rubin, having the data and actually understanding the fan are two very different things.
Cole is the Co-Founder of FanFeed and has spent more than 20 years building businesses across live events and ticketing. His entrepreneurial journey started in college, when he launched a business taking Baltimore Ravens fans to away games, eventually leading him into the rapidly growing secondary ticket market.
In this episode, Cole shares what that journey taught him about the business of live sports and why he believes AI, fan data and hyper-personalization will reshape the fan experience.
We discuss the "invisible fan," one-to-one personalization, the future of ticketing, data privacy, sponsorship, entrepreneurship and why relationships and soft skills may become even more valuable in the age of AI.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:50 Starting a business to pay for college
03:53 Discovering the ticketing business
05:41 Building Dynasty Sports & Entertainment
07:47 Why relationships matter in sports
10:04 Starting again with FanFeed
14:16 What FanFeed actually does
17:40 The future of one-to-one personalization
20:06 Are sports teams using their data effectively?
22:40 Fan data and sponsorship
25:30 Privacy and the value exchange
30:11 AI and the future of ticketing
33:48 What makes a great live event experience?
34:47 Advice for building a career in sports
36:28 Why soft skills will matter more in the AI era
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What happens when the sport that has defined your life suddenly ends?
Anna Laurell Nash is a two-time world champion boxer, three-time European champion, two-time Olympian and PhD who today serves as Executive Director at the Center for Sports and Business at the Stockholm School of Economics.
In this episode of Sports Management Podcast, Anna shares her remarkable journey from starting boxing at 17 to becoming one of the world's leading female boxers.
We discuss her Olympic journey, losing to a young Claressa Shields at London 2012, battling Graves' disease during her career, and the identity crisis she experienced when she stepped away from elite sport.
Anna also explains why athletes need to prepare for life beyond competition, how skills developed through elite sport translate into business, and why women's sport still represents a major untapped business opportunity.
In this episode:
🥊 Starting boxing at 17
🏆 Becoming a two-time world champion
🇬🇧 Losing to Claressa Shields at London 2012
🧠 Athlete identity and retirement
🎓 Combining elite sport with a PhD
📈 The business opportunity in women's sport
💼 Building a career after professional sport
🔥 Recovering from Graves' disease
 
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction
01:21 How Anna discovered boxing
03:02 Hiding her boxing competitions from her father
04:31 Starting boxing at 17
06:42 Becoming a world champion and Olympian
08:05 London 2012 & Claressa Shields
10:55 The athlete identity crisis
13:33 Combining boxing with a PhD
15:54 Finding purpose after boxing
17:19 The business opportunity in women's sport
20:14 Fairness and inclusion in boxing
22:34 Battling Graves' disease
26:30 Supporting the next generation
28:02 Advice for building a career in sports
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Can sport ever truly be separated from politics?
Terrence Burns has spent more than three decades working at the highest levels of Olympic marketing, sponsorship and bidding.
In this episode of Sports Management Podcast, Terrence takes us inside the business and politics of the Olympic movement — from commercialization and sponsorship to the extraordinary process of bidding to host the Games.
We also tackle some of the most difficult questions facing global sport.
What does "sportswashing" actually mean? Should countries with controversial governments host major sporting events? Should Russian athletes be allowed to compete? Do Olympic boycotts achieve anything? And where should sport draw the line between universal values and geopolitical reality?
Terrence also shares stories from Olympic bids involving Beijing, Sochi, PyeongChang and LA28, and explains why winning a bid is ultimately about much more than stadiums, infrastructure and hotel rooms.
Finally, we explore Terrence's remarkable career journey — from working as a janitor at Delta Air Lines to becoming one of the most experienced Olympic marketing and bidding experts in the industry.
In this episode:
00:00 Introduction 00:46 Has the Olympics become too commercial? 02:03 Why Olympic sponsors get marketing wrong 06:00 LA28 and Olympic venue naming rights 07:13 How commercialization changed the Olympics 08:56 Athletes, social media and personal brands 15:44 What actually wins an Olympic bid? 19:52 Beijing, Sochi and PyeongChang 26:09 What does "sportswashing" really mean? 29:14 Human rights and hosting major sporting events 31:54 Should Russian athletes compete? 35:46 Do Olympic boycotts actually work? 37:31 What to expect from LA28 39:52 Terrence's unusual career journey 45:38 Learning from losing Olympic bids 50:27 Who should come on the podcast next?
Follow Sports Management Podcast for more conversations about the business, leadership and future of sport.
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