The Sports Business Leaders Podcast

Sports Business Leaders (SBL) is a growth engine for companies selling into sports—connecting organizations with the relationships, market intelligence, and strategic guidance they need to win more business. We combine a trusted network, industry insights, executive introductions, media exposure, and curated events to accelerate revenue growth.

The Sports Business Leaders Podcast is a sports podcast hosted by Sports Business Leaders, with 156 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Sports Business Leaders hosts The Sports Business Leaders Podcast, a sports show with 156 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  The Sports Business Leaders Podcast

  163 Oscar Propulsion CEO Duncan Troy on The Business Behind Better Marine Performance

  Aug 21, 202614 min

  Duncan Troy is the CEO of Oscar Propulsion and a technology entrepreneur with more than three decades of experience building and scaling businesses. As a founding investor in Oscar Propulsion, Duncan saw the potential for the company’s propulsion technology to extend far beyond its origins in the marine industry into aviation, rowing, paddle sports, and other applications. In this episode of the Sports Business Leaders Podcast, Duncan shares the journey of taking a breakthrough engineering concept from research to commercialization. He explains how Oscar Propulsion adapted its technology into FlowForce paddle technology, using slitted blade designs to improve efficiency and reduce the physical strain on athletes. The conversation explores the importance of listening to customers, testing and iterating new technology, and finding the right market for innovation. Duncan also discusses why sports has become an important commercial opportunity for Oscar Propulsion, the company's plans to expand into North America, Europe, and the Far East, and what he's learned about turning innovative technology into a scalable business.

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  The Sports Business Leaders Podcast

  162 Winning the Trust of Pro Athletes with Sportstar Relocation Managing Partner Sean Spanek

  Aug 20, 202623 min

  Sean Spanek has spent more than 25 years in real estate, building a unique business at the intersection of luxury real estate, professional sports, and high-net-worth clients. As a Managing Partner at SportStar Relocation, Sean and his network help professional athletes, coaches, and executives navigate real estate and relocation across the country. His work in the Bay Area has included relationships with the San Francisco 49ers and San Francisco Giants, with clients ranging from Barry Zito to Christian McCaffrey. In this episode, Sean shares how he broke into professional sports, why trust and referrals have been critical to growing his business, and what it takes to become a trusted resource for teams and athletes. He also discusses the unique challenges athletes face when they're drafted or traded, how SportStar built a nationwide network to solve those problems, and his advice for entrepreneurs trying to build relationships and win business in sports.

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  The Sports Business Leaders Podcast

  161 Inside the Business of Sports with Hollman CEO Travis Hollman.

  Aug 19, 202627 min

  Travis Hollman is the CEO of Hollman Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of sports, fitness, and office locker solutions. Under his leadership, Hollman has worked across professional and college sports, building locker rooms and facilities for some of the most recognizable organizations and programs in the industry. On this episode of the Sports Business Leaders Podcast, Travis shares his entrepreneurial journey and how Hollman has continued to innovate as a 50-year-old family business. He discusses what companies need to understand when selling to teams and athletic departments, why starting locally can be one of the best ways to break into sports, and how doing great work for one organization can create opportunities throughout the industry. The conversation also explores the changing landscape of college athletics and NIL, the role AI is beginning to play inside Hollman, and why Travis believes the sports business industry still has significant growth ahead.

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  The Sports Business Leaders Podcast

  160 Sapna Shah on Investing in the Next Wave of Sports

  Aug 18, 202626 min

  Sapna Shah has spent more than a decade investing in startups, and today she is focused on one of the fastest-growing areas of the industry: sports. Her portfolio includes investments in Unrivaled Basketball, the New York Cosmos, World TeamTennis, and more, with a particular focus on women’s and mixed-gender sports. On this episode of the Sports Business Leaders Podcast, Sapna shares why she made the move from retail and consumer investing into sports, what she looks for when evaluating teams, leagues, and startups, and why she believes women’s sports still has significant room to grow. She also breaks down common mistakes founders make when pitching investors, the importance of building a real fan or customer acquisition strategy, and why emerging sports organizations can present compelling opportunities for investors. The conversation also explores where Sapna sees the next wave of opportunity across women’s sports, soccer, youth sports, fan engagement, and sports technology.

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  The Sports Business Leaders Podcast

  159 Unrivaled Basketball’s Taylor Lake on Partnerships, Fan Engagement & Growth

  Aug 17, 202623 min

  Unrivaled is one of the most interesting new leagues in sports. Co-founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league was built around a player-first model, giving athletes another way to compete domestically while also sharing in the growth of the league. On this episode of the Sports Business Leaders Podcast, we’re joined by Taylor Lake, VP of Partnerships at Unrivaled, to talk about how the league is building its commercial strategy, creating partnerships around its players and fans, and approaching growth as it heads into its third season. We also discuss what brands should understand when trying to work with emerging sports properties and why the best partnerships start with understanding what the league actually needs.

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