What does it take to build Team USA in a rapidly changing global, political, and digital landscape? In this Best Of episode, USOPC leaders Sarah Hirshland and Katie Bynum Aznavorian are breaking down how Olympic success is engineered, the road to Milano Cortina and LA 2028, the role of storytelling and personalization, and how they’re evolving fan engagement.

You’ll hear from the following guests:

• (0:41) Sarah Hirshland, U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee
• (16:17) Katie Bynum Aznavorian, U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why personalization and fan data infrastructure are critical to helping fans connect with 1,200+ Team USA athletes
• How the USOPC allocates resources across 60 national governing bodies
• Why the organization views itself like a venture capital firm
• How Making Team USA was built to simplify qualification pathways and create year-round fan engagement
• How the Olympic Games can unify countries and communities during divided moments

Resources and Links:

Learn more about Team USA and the upcoming Olympic Games.

Connect with Sarah Hirshland on LinkedIn.

Connect with Katie Bynum Aznavorian on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future.

How do sports teams achieve faster alignment, fewer reworks, and digital products that move from idea to launch more reliably?

Bora Nikolic’s views of technology in the sports industry have helped shape many of the fan experiences you see from leading sports properties today. And today, he’s challenging the idea that design is about aesthetics, arguing instead that it’s an execution discipline.

Dave and Bora look ahead at what’s changing, from accessibility, to AI accelerating how teams research, prototype, and align across functions. Bora also shares why the next phase of fan experience will be defined by connected, multimodal journeys that span platforms, environments, and moments that matter to fans.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• What allows digital products in sports to actually ship on time and at scale
• How teams can modernize digital experiences without losing fan trust
• What friction really looks like across the fan journey, and why clarity and predictability matter more than visual polish
• Why accessibility needs to be embedded into design systems from the start
• How AI-enabled prototypes are changing how stakeholders evaluate and approve digital products

Resources and Links:

Connect with Bora Nikolic on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future.

If your organization is still talking about a “360° fan view,” chances are your technology stack is already working against you. Jordy Leiser, Co-Founder and CEO at Jump, argues most clubs are stuck with disjointed legacy systems that are blocking direct-to-fan experiences, especially in ticketing, identity, and mobile.

Jump was built to unify those layers into a single, seamless ecosystem so clubs can operate with the speed and personalization fans expect today.

Jordy explains what it looks like to move off legacy infrastructure using Jump’s Minnesota Timberwolves rollout as a real-world example: a full transition delivered in just 88 days from contract to first game at Target Center.

He challenges the assumption that transformation requires an ownership change or a multi-year roadmap, and shows how teams can time meaningful change around ticketing renewals instead. He also takes aim at the ticketing business model itself, explaining how per-ticket fees and resale economics can work against team goals, and why unified data is the prerequisite for AI-powered personalization.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why most teams still cannot deliver a true 360-degree fan view, and what the missing layer is
• How “rip and replace” technology transformations can actually happen in under 90 days, using an NBA deployment as proof
• Why the traditional ticketing fee and resale-driven business model is misaligned with how teams generate value
• How artificial intelligence becomes practical in sports ONLY after data silos are eliminated and fan identity is unified

Resources and Links:

Connect with Jordy Leiser on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future.

Power in sports is becoming more distributed, and Pete Vlastelica has seen that shift from nearly every angle: early digital media, league operations, esports, and now venture investing.

In this conversation, Pete reflects on how operating through multiple cycles of disruption shapes judgment, partnerships, and long-term strategy in sports and technology. You’ll hear about the operating lessons he carried from building Yardbarker in the early days of user-generated sports content, scaling digital platforms at Fox Sports, and helping professionalize esports at Activision Blizzard.

Pete and Dave also explore what those experiences signal for the industry today, including how creator-led distribution and NIL are changing where influence and leverage live, and what leagues, teams, and technology partners need to rethink as power continues to decentralize.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How Pete reshaped his thinking on risk, identity, and leadership after losing his home in the Pacific Palisades fire
• Why NIL and creator platforms are changing who controls distribution and monetization in sports
• How Yardbarker’s SEO-driven blog network anticipated the creator economy years before social platforms scaled
• How esports introduced city-based franchises, global leagues, and fully remote broadcasts without centralized venues

Resources and Links:

Connect with Pete Vlastelica on LinkedIn and learn more about Elysian Park Ventures on their website.

Check out Pete’s book recommendations: Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank and The Lean Startup by Eric Ries.

Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future.

AI is hitting consumers faster in sports than almost anywhere else, and PGA of America GM Rob Smith argues that’s exactly why the industry has become a real-world testing ground for emerging technology. In this episode, Rob digs into how AI is already reshaping day-to-day work, what “anticipatory” AI could look like when it earns a seat at the event-ops table, and why the real shift is carving out time to train these tools.

Rob also walks through how the PGA of America brought digital media rights in-house and built a modern digital org from scratch: websites, apps, social, YouTube, and championship coverage—into a lean team operating across major moments like the PGA Championship and Ryder Cup, and how their next wave of innovation centers on the attending fan journey.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• What AI is changing in day-to-day roles inside of sports organizations
• The ripple effects of bringing media rights in-house for the PGA of America’s digital team
• How the Ryder Cup pulls off a single digital experience across two continents, multiple broadcasters, and competing teams
• Why fan experiences are shifting toward a “concierge model,” powered by AI-driven planning and recommendations
• What younger audiences expect from modern sports content, and how automation and short-form distribution are reshaping golf

Resources and Links:

Connect with Rob Smith on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future.

In this Best Of compilation, leaders from AWS, MLB, the PGA TOUR, TGL, the Portland Trail Blazers, and Cosm share what’s actually driving meaningful change across teams, leagues, and live experiences.

From applying generative AI, to scaling immersive venues globally, to building cultures that reward experimentation and learning, these conversations focus on fan-first innovation shaping the future of sports.

You’ll hear from the following guests:

• (0:39) Julie Souza, Global Head of Sports at AWS
• (6:33) Devin Poolman, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Cosm
• (8:22) Andrew Macauley, CTO of TMRW Sports and TGL
• (13:14) Christa Stout and David Long, the Portland Trail Blazers
• (17:36) Chris Marinak, former Chief Operations and Strategy Officer at MLB
• (24:16) Luis Goicouria, SVP of Media at the PGA TOUR

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How MLB are using generative AI to translate content, personalize experiences, and reach global audiences at scale
• What it takes to design immersive venues that can be replicated across dozens of markets without losing local relevance
• How TGL used Season 1 data to redesign its playing surface, virtual holes, and broadcast experience for season 2
• Why the Portland Trail Blazers believe innovation only works when teams are empowered to try, fail, pivot, and move on

Resources and Links:

Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future.

The rules of media rights are shifting fast. In this Best Of episode, you’ll learn how leagues are navigating fragmented distribution, how Amazon and other digital players have altered valuation models, how private equity evaluates upside beyond rights fees, and why Nielsen’s new measurement approach is critical for the next decade.

You’ll hear from the following guests:

• (0:44) Doug Perlman, Sports Media Advisors
• (5:50) Greg Bedrosian, Drake Star
• (10:28) Brian Herbst, NASCAR
• (16:36) Jessica Forrest, Nielsen Sports
• (22:03) Mike Conley, Rock Entertainment Group and the Cleveland Cavaliers

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The explosion of bidders, from Amazon to Apple to Netflix — and how it has made media-rights valuation more complex for leagues
• How institutional capital is fueling sports investment and why PE firms see untapped value beyond media rights
• A look at NASCAR’s $7.7B rights deal while adding Amazon, TNT, Max, and the CW
• How Nielsen captures streaming viewership, and what early data reveals about audience shifts across platforms
• How the Cleveland Cavaliers built their own network to prepare for the collapsing local media rights model (and why teams must now operate like media companies)

Resources and Links:

Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future.

Brian Michael Cooper has operated across nearly every corner of the sports industry: big law, player representation, G League president, XFL team president, senior college athletics administrator, head of an emerging league, and now sports M&A attorney and professor.

He shares what those experiences taught him about how teams, leagues, and media partners really operate, including a sharp look at the rapid professionalization of college athletics. Brian breaks down the ripple effects of NIL, the Alston decision, and the House settlement, why more schools must now think like pro properties, and what this shift means for non-revenue and Olympic sports. He also flags the risk he sees in the growing world of unregulated NIL “managers” and agent standards.

Zooming out, Brian explores emerging leagues (especially in women’s sports), the influx of institutional capital, guidance on choosing markets, and building indispensable fan relationships. We wrap up with the tech trends he’s watching, the uncertain future of predictive markets, and their overlap with sports betting.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How NIL, Alston, and the House settlement are forcing college athletic departments to rethink their entire revenue mix
• The upside and danger in today’s NIL marketplace, including Brian’s concern about college athletes signing long-term deals at 10–20%
• Why Brian thinks the growth ceiling of women’s and emerging sports leagues is still far from being reached
• New tech trends, like touchless concessions and biometric entry that remove friction from the live experience

Resources and Links:

Connect with Brian Michael Cooper on LinkedIn.

Learn more about GreenbergTraurig.

Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future.