The Athletic Business Podcast

Episode 38 - Jeannette Stawski, Executive Director, AORE

The Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE) will co-locate its conference with AB Show 2023 in Baltimore (Nov. 1-4). As an AB Show partner, AORE brings a community of professionals with knowledge on topics related to outdoor recreation programming, products and services. AB executive editor Andy Berg sat down with AORE executive director Jeannette Stawski to talk about AORE’s
mission and how its partnership with AB Show will create some exciting opportunities for both AORE members and AB Show attendees.

The Athletic Business Podcast: Jesse Cole, Owner, Savannah Bananas

The Savannah Bananas have emerged as a TikTok sensation, garnering more than three million followers to Banana Ball — the team’s unique brand of baseball. As owner and ringleader of the Bananas, Jessie Cole has managed to deliver an experience that sometimes resembles a circus for all the on-field and in-the-stands antics that take place on game day at 4,000-seat Grayson Stadium. Among the many unique nuances of Banana Ball, batters may hit from stilts, games have a two-hour time limit, and if a fan catches a ball in the stands, the batter is out. AB executive editor Andy Berg caught up with Cole, this year’s AB Show keynote, to talk about how he reimagined the national pastime and in doing so attracted a broad fanbase to a sport that in its traditional form has often been deemed by many as slow, boring and stale.

Episode 36: Ben Barnett, President and CEO, BodhiSport

Need help with recruiting? Want to better understand your athlete's strengths and weaknesses? In this episode of the Athletic Business podcast, Andy speaks with Ben Barnett, president and CEO of BodhiSport, a new tech platform that helps athletes and teams identify and understand sport and position-specific cognitive talent. So what exactly does that mean and how can it help you? Check out our discussion with Ben in the pod. 

Episode 35: Christina Hickey, Director, Warriors at Ease

We're fresh off AB Show 2021 in San Antonio and ready to get back to podcasting. In this episode of The Athletic Business Podcast, Andy speaks with Christina Hickey, director and staff instructor for Warriors at Ease, a non-profit that offers training in yoga and mediation for the military community. Christina explains the benefits of these alternatives, as well as why the military might be officially adopting these techniques in the future. 

Learn more about Warriors at Ease here: www.warriorsatease.org

Find the article about Warriors at Ease that was featured in the Nov/Dec issue of Athletic Business magazine here: https://www.athleticbusiness.com/operations/programming/article/15280564/military-harnesses-healing-power-of-yoga-meditation

Episode 34: Lisa Byington, the Milwaukee Bucks‘ New Play-by-Play Announcer, Discusses Her New Position

Two decades into the 21st century and women are still breaking glass ceilings in sports. Midwest-born broadcaster Lisa Byington has been shattering industry glass for years. This year alone, she became the first woman in history to call play-by-play during NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Months later, Byington was named the first full-time play-by-play announcer for an NBA team, the 2021 NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks.

Byington talked about grunt work and glory jobs with AB editor Tabatha Wethal in September, roughly a week after the Bucks announcement, and by then, sports media veteran Kate Scott had been announced as the second full-time female play-by-play announcer for a major men’s professional sports team as the new voice of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers.

 

Episode 33 - Understanding the NCAA's Independent Accountability Resolution Process with Brian Kappel

How did the NCAA Independent Accountability Resolution Process come to be? How does it work? What can your athletic department do to ensure proper NCAA compliance?

We explore those questions in this episode with our guest, Brian Kappel, an attorney and partner with the law firm Lightfoot, Franklin & White. Kappel, a former collegiate athlete, brings his unique perspective to litigating compliance cases and shares his expertise in this episode. 

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Episode 32 - Legal Essentials for Fitness Businesses with Cory Sterling

What are some of the most common legal challenges facing gyms and fitness facilities? What should facilities take into consideration to protect themselves amid the pandemic? We ask these questions and more of Cory Sterling of the online law firm Conscious Counsel. 

LINKS:

Sterling's piece: "Tips for Gym Owners to Avoid Liability in the COVID Era"

Email Sterling at cory@consciouscounsel.ca

Be sure to rate, review and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Stitcher — or follow along on SoundCloud. 

Episode 31 - Integrating Software into Your Business with Kevin MacCauley

How can software solutions help to improve your sports or fitness business? On this episode of the podcast, we pose that question to Kevin MacCauley, founder and CEO of the software company UpperHand. Listeners will learn how software implementation can streamline business operations, improve customer/member experience and increase revenues. 

Be sure to rate, review and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Stitcher — or follow along on SoundCloud. 

Episode 30 - Looking Forward to the Future of Rec with Amber Luther and Rich Mylin

What will the future of recreation look like in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic? How will recreation centers and programs adapt to new trends, technologies and goals? 

On this episode, we speak Rich Mylin, director of recreation at UC San Diego and Amber Luther, architect and market lead with Populous, about the future of recreation. 

Thanks to this week's sponsor, Synexis. Click here to learn more. 

Be sure to rate, review and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Stitcher — or follow along on SoundCloud. 

Episode 29 - Rising to Meet the Fitness Industry's 'New Normal' with Akshay Ahooja

How can gyms and fitness facilities adapt their business models to better serve clients who are increasingly exercising outside of the four walls of a facility? How can these businesses compete on a national level through digital offerings? How can a hybrid approach to gym membership help maintain and grow a community? 

On this episode, we speak with Akshay Ahooja, co-founder and CEO of Trainiac, who recently authored a piece for AthleticBusiness.com titled Gyms and Health Clubs Must Adapt to the 'New Normal', who helps us answer those questions and more. 

Be sure to rate, review and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Stitcher — or follow along on SoundCloud.