We get close to the end of the ninth year of our sports business podcast conversations with some really wide-raning discussions. Here are three recent ones below. You can hear them all here as we come up on a decade talking with the leaders across the board.
“AI Probably Saved My Marriage.” One of the better quotes of the year, as we welcomed ViewLift President & Co-Founder Manik Bambha for a behind-the-scenes look at the streaming infrastructure powering modern sports consumption. Bambha traces his path from an early role at MySpace to building one of the first OTT movie platforms and launching some of the earliest apps on iPad, Roku, and connected TVs, before turning that technology into ViewLift’s white-label streaming business. He explains how ViewLift now supports clients like Monumental Sports, NESN, LIV Golf, and NBCUniversal’s cable brands, how U.S. streaming differs from Asia, and how device quality, bandwidth, and Android fragmentation shape fan experience around the world. The conversation digs into RSNs going direct-to-consumer, quad-screen viewing, dynamic ad formats, and how legalized sports betting integrations are being woven into team and regional streams, as well as the tradeoffs of AI-powered live translation versus traditional language booths. Bambha also looks ahead at AI’s impact on media operations, makes the case that every job seeker needs a concrete answer to “how do you use AI?”, and shares how he structures a global, 24/7 team to keep live events running smoothly through holidays, late nights, and the next wave of tech disruption. Click and listen, no extra tools needed.
Building The Industry Association for Sports Business. We were honored to have Pro Sports Assembly CEO & co-founder, Laura Dixon, for a deep dive into why the sports industry went so long without its own professional trade association, and how she’s fixing that. Dixon, the former head of External Relations for the San Antonio Spurs, explains what “external affairs” really means inside a team front office, why informed and inclusive leadership is at the core of Pro Sports Assembly, and how member resource groups and small leadership cohorts are quietly driving best (and worst) practice sharing across leagues, teams, unions, and venues. The conversation touches on hot-button issues like sports betting regulation, infrastructure and real estate plays, private equity, NIL, and the structural challenges facing women’s sports and emerging properties. Dixon also shares her philosophy treating each job as “big time,” the importance of hearing directly from Gen Z, and the mentors and moments, from the Spurs to Game Changers, that shaped her path. Click and learn.
A Fishy Startup That is Casting Well Above Its Weight: Lastly we caught up with Mark Neifeld, the Founder, and current Commissioner & CEO of the Sport Fishing Championship (SFC), for a conversation about how an emerging league can scale into a global sports property. Neifeld explains how he went from working in the NHL, NFL, MLB, and collegiate athletics to identifying a massive opportunity hiding in plain sight: more Americans fish than play golf and tennis combined. Neifeld breaks down how SFC built a media-first, live-broadcast product by using modern technology to stream directly from the ocean. He discusses the league’s team-ownership model, featuring names like Scottie Scheffler, Raheem Mostert, Randy Moss, and Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley, as well as the structure of a season, from hospitality-focused events to hosting championships in Cabo San Lucas and beyond. He also reveals SFC’s global ambitions, including planned expansion into Australia and the Persian Gulf, the launch of a major new studio venture in Fort Worth, and why fishing’s massive participation base, loyal sponsors, and deep regional roots create a uniquely scalable product. If you wonder about the why and how of a startup league doing well, take a listen.
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