Sports Management Podcast

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?
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Could padel become the new golf for business, networking and hospitality?
In this episode of Sports Management Podcast, Marcus Filipsson sits down with Chris King, Founder of Crafted and former co-founder of Sports Recruitment International.
Chris is building Crafted around a different vision of modern hospitality—combining sport, wellness, nature, community, coworking and social experiences in one place.
We discuss why padel has become central to that model, why Chris believes it works particularly well as a business and networking sport, and whether padel can translate its extraordinary participation growth into a successful spectator product.
Chris also shares his thoughts on the modern wellness industry, why people may be over-optimizing their health, the loneliness created by remote work, what today's employees are really looking for from employers, and why hospitality increasingly needs to create a sense of belonging rather than simply provide accommodation.
We also explore Chris's unconventional career journey—from studying sports science and being rejected by Nike and IMG to building an international sports recruitment business and eventually launching Crafted.
In this episode:
• Is padel becoming the new golf? • Why padel works so well for business networking • Can padel succeed as a spectator sport? • The future of sports hospitality • Why community and belonging matter more than ever • Has wellness culture become too obsessive? • Sport, nature and the hospitality experience • Why people increasingly choose culture over salary • How to break into the sports industry • Why curiosity and hustle still matter • Chris King's unconventional career journey • The future of Crafted
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 Introduction 00:11 What Is Crafted? 01:41 Disconnecting From the Digital World 02:19 Building a Sustainable Hospitality Concept 04:10 Why Padel Became Part of Crafted 05:22 Wellness, Wild Swimming & Cold Therapy 06:33 Has Wellness Culture Gone Too Far? 07:48 Why Balance Matters More Than Optimization 08:28 Designing a Different Hotel Experience 09:40 Why Chris Chose Padel 11:00 Can Padel Become a Spectator Sport? 12:26 How Guests Use Crafted 13:04 Remote Work and the Loneliness Problem 14:13 Combining Work, Travel & Hospitality 15:14 How Global Brands Use Crafted 16:31 Experiences Beyond Alcohol 17:12 Sustainability & Biodiversity 19:16 Is Padel Becoming the New Golf? 21:14 Why Padel Is More Inclusive 21:51 The Future of Crafted 23:55 Could Crafted Expand Into Scandinavia? 25:29 Chris King's Career Journey 27:26 Being Rejected by Nike and IMG 28:03 Leaving Corporate Life at 26 28:33 Building Sports Recruitment International 30:42 Building the Right Company Culture 33:15 How to Break Into the Sports Industry 35:25 Why Your LinkedIn Profile Matters 36:31 Choosing the Right Career Path
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Welcome to episode 267 of Sports Management Podcast.
Can you build an entirely new sport from scratch?
In this episode of Sports Management Podcast, Marcus Filipsson speaks with Greg Roe, former Team Canada trampoline athlete and Co-Founder of the Freestyle Trampoline Association.
Freestyle trampoline started as an athlete-led movement fueled by backyard videos, social media and a generation that wanted to experience trampoline differently from the traditional Olympic system.
Today, the association operates events around the world—but getting there meant creating everything from judging systems and equipment standards to insurance, sponsorship models, international events and an entirely new sporting culture.
Greg shares what it really takes to build a sport from zero, why freestyle trampoline has been described as a sport "born on Instagram," whether Olympic recognition actually matters, and why brands are becoming less interested in follower counts and more interested in direct access to customers.
We also discuss the realities of entrepreneurship, protecting a sport from investors too early, the future of action sports and Greg's remarkable journey from a Russian orphanage to Team Canada and eventually building a global sports organization.
In this episode:
• How a new sport gets created from scratch • Why freestyle trampoline was born through social media • Athlete-led sports vs traditional federations • Can an Instagram-born sport reach the Olympics? • What sponsors actually want in 2026 • Why follower counts are losing commercial value • Building events, rules and infrastructure from zero • Protecting the culture of a young sport • The reality of 12 years of entrepreneurship • Greg's journey from Russia to Team Canada • The future of freestyle and action sports
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 Introduction 00:14 What Is Freestyle Trampoline? 01:29 Building an Athlete-Led Sport 03:20 How Do You Create a Sport From Scratch? 05:18 Why Athletes Wanted Something Different 07:19 Breaking Away From Traditional Trampoline 09:07 The Viral Video That Changed Everything 10:18 Finding the Right Co-Founder 10:49 Building the Sport Without Advertising 12:43 Can a Sport Born on Instagram Reach the Olympics? 14:20 The Rise of the "Flipping" Sports Industry 15:35 Competition Between New Action Sports 18:06 Building a World Championship 21:15 The Business Behind a New Sports League 24:38 Why Some Sports Never Grow 26:26 Why Taking Investors Too Early Can Be Dangerous 27:13 Working With the X Games 28:41 Why Follower Counts Matter Less to Sponsors 30:50 What Brands Actually Want 33:55 Does Freestyle Trampoline Need the Olympics? 35:29 Building a Business Beyond Competition 39:16 The Reality of Being a Sports Entrepreneur 42:46 Fighting an Established Industry 44:23 Greg's Journey From a Russian Orphanage 45:23 Becoming an Elite Trampoline Athlete 47:46 Team Canada, World Records & America's Got Talent 51:24 From Athlete to Entrepreneur 51:37 Where to Find Freestyle Trampoline
Follow Sports Management Podcast for more conversations exploring the business and future of sport.
 
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