Category: Podcasts

Watch or listen to episode 327 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast, in which Neil chatted with Joe Farren, Innovation Consultant, Future Sport Co.

Joe Farren has sat in a lot of seats: six years at Hawk-Eye, leading the innovation unit at Manchester City, and now running his own consultancy, Future Sport Co. We get into the Man City Roblox playbook that drove 55 MILLION unique players (and 6,000 new members in four hours), why 3D player tracking data could one day rival media rights, and the fan behaviors that outlast every tech hype cycle. Loaded with case studies and real numbers.

106 minute duration. Listen on Apple, Spotify and YouTube

 

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Watch or listen to episode 326 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast, in which Neil chatted with Ben Valenta, EVP of Strategy and Analytics at Fox Sports and co-author of Fans Have More Friends.

Ben discusses how he came to see fandom as a “belonging engine,” and why the real definition of a fan is “passion plus action” (which his team measures through what they call a value score). He breaks down why it’s far easier to grow the fans you already have than to convert non-fans (the 0-to-1 problem), why fandom is horizontal rather than vertical so your next fan is already a fan of something else, and how youth fandom actually takes root through repetition and family bonding rituals. He also gets into the most underrated metrics in sports media, the wellness research at the heart of the book (the bigger the fan, the happier and more connected), the difference between strong-tie and weak-tie fandom online, and the Greg Armstrong story that reframes what a season ticket is really for.

75 minute duration. Listen on Apple, Spotify and YouTube

 

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Watch or listen to episode 325 of the Digital and Social Media Sports podcast, in which Neil chatted with Neil Tennant, Founder of 540 Agency, a creator talent management agency.

Tennant discusses building the NHL’s creator marketing program from the ground up, the two pillars of a creator strategy (experiential activations and commissioned content), using “concentric circles” to build a creator wish list, how the league’s fan UGC program seeded it all, measuring “return on creator spend” and bringing data to a vibes-driven space, the first-of-its-kind 3-on-3 creator tournament he dreamed up around the 4 Nations Face-Off, why long-term relationships and creator equity are the next frontier, how he discovers and signs creators today, what he’s building at 540, and more.

80 minute duration. Listen on Apple, Spotify and YouTube

 

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Watch or listen to episode 324 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast, in which Neil chatted with Andy Zeilman, President of WMT Digital, and Chris Freet, EVP and Chief Strategy Officer of WMT Digital.

Andy and Chris discuss how WMT has built a technology-and-data-first company inside college sports, and why the real bottleneck for athletic departments isn’t a lack of data but the ability to act on it. They break down the move from fan ID to fan intelligence, the push to reclaim fans (along with their data and dollars) from social media and back into an owned-and-operated ecosystem, and how AI is powering a fan data flywheel that surfaces new segments and behaviors. They also get into fluid fandom and what it means for college loyalty, where pro sports can actually learn from the innovators in college, and their own distinct paths into the industry.

87 minute duration. Listen on Apple, Spotify and YouTube

 

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Watch or listen to episode 323 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast, in which Neil breaks down some of the key themes, insights, and notes from the 2026 Gondola Sports Summit 2026.

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48 minute duration. Also, find the podcast on Apple, Spotify and YouTube

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Watch or listen to episode 322 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast, in which Neil chatted with Founder of Sponcon Sports and Partnership Marketing and about the recent NFL schedule release, 2026 NFL schedule release, discussing the ins and outs of schedule release, which ones stood out and why, the business considerations around schedule release content, and more.

Be sure to check out the Sponcon Sports newsletter for Alex Kopilow’s full analysis, including data behind top performers and trends!

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50 minute duration. Also, find the podcast on Apple, Spotify and YouTube

 

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Watch or listen to episode 321 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast, in which Neil chatted with Elijah Burke, Head of Social at Dirty Mo Media, and previously social media management and strategy at Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (RFK) and Chip Ganassi Racing.

Elijah discusses what makes NASCAR social a unique corner of the sports space, including the driver vs. team brand dynamic, what makes content go viral on a race team account, sponsor activation, fan development in NASCAR, and more.

110 minute duration. Listen on Apple, Spotify and YouTube

 

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Watch or listen to episode 320 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast, in which Neil chatted with Kevin Richardson, Vice President of Content, Clemson Ventures.

Kevin discusses how Clemson Athletics is operating as a full-scale production house — building ownable IP, distributing original content across ESPN, Fox, Amazon Prime, and streaming platforms, and pushing the boundaries of what college athletics content can look like. Kevin breaks down the shift from fan affinity to content as a revenue driver, the vision for non-endemic storytelling that goes well beyond wins and losses, and how data is informing every content decision they make. He also shares his career path from Louisiana Tech and Rice to Texas and ultimately Clemson, the business case behind every piece of content Clemson Ventures produces, and why he believes college athletics hasn’t come close to scratching the surface of what’s possible.

87 minute duration. Listen on Apple, Spotify and YouTube

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Watch or listen to episode 319 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast, in which Neil chatted with Alex Magleby, Co-President of Major League Rugby.

Alex discusses his journey from US national team rugby player and early sports analytics entrepreneur to co-founding the New England Free Jacks and now serving as Co-President of Strategy & Communications at Major League Rugby — and what it’s genuinely taken to build the sport in America from the ground up. He breaks down MLR’s entertainment-first model (live music, post-game field access, family of four for under $100), how the league thinks about fan development one block at a time, and why the 2031 Rugby World Cup is the north star for everything they’re building right now.

66 minute duration. Listen on Apple, Spotify and YouTub

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Watch or listen to episode 318 of the Digital and Social Media Sports podcast in which Neil chatted with Alex Silverman, Reporter for Sports Business Journal covering hockey and soccer business.

Alex discusses why 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for both hockey and soccer in the US — from the NHL’s push to develop its next generation of stars and the excitement around the World Cup this summer to MLS navigating its calendar to align more with the global football calendar. He also shares his perspective on where each league stands in the broader American sports media landscape, and what it will take for both to capitalize on the moment.

85 minute duration. Listen on Apple, Spotify and YouTub

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