Best For Soccer Ventures Podcasts (2025)

1
UP493 What's Sport Selling? Ridgeon on Ozempic, Ohanian and Athletic Ventures 45:22

3d ago45:22

45:22

This is episode three of a four-part series created in collaboration with Redtorch called What's Sport Selling? It's a conversation with John Ridgeon, the chief executive of World Athletics. Previous episodes in the series: UP443 Big Sugar, Big Pharma...Where's the Big Sport Lobby? UP458 Fitness, Toxicity and the Importance of the ASICS Message Jon…

1
UP492 Wedge Issue Live @ The Open Championship 43:10

6d ago43:10

43:10

This is a live episode of Wedge Issues, our golf business series recorded at Callaway Clubhouse at The Open Championship this week at the Royal Portrush Golf Club. Niall Horan: One Direction star and co-founder of Modest Management Company is globally famous and deeply involved in the business of golf. Inci Mehmet: Former Ladies European Tour pro g…

1
The Best USMNT XI Of All-Time, Finding A Place For Gio 1:19:17

6d ago1:19:17

1:19:17

Jason. Rodius. A classic edition of The Best Soccer Show. The boys get into a discussion about the best all-time eleven for the USMNT based on a team sent to Jason by soccer journalist Brian Straus. Then, some thoughts on Gio Reyna. Lots of thoughts, actually. There's some heat to the thoughts. Hot thoughts. Make sure you subscribe to get the video…

1
UP491 'Don't use AI to replace thinking' 1:06:10

9d ago1:06:10

1:06:10

Arvind Iyengar is chair of Sportz Interactive and CEO of the Sportz Solutions, the global parent company. As such he now oversees a company with 700+ employees working across 40 sports worldwide, with marquee clients including UEFA, The Olympics, NBA, F1, Google, BCCI, Dream11 and multiple IPL franchises. The company is in an aggressive expansion p…

1
Gold Cup Player Tiers, Americans On The Move, How Much Do You Pay Your Barber? 1:16:04

13d ago1:16:04

1:16:04

JASON AND JARED ARE BACK! The dynamic duo got together to finish off the Gold Cup review and to put players from this version of the USMNT into tiers for their ceiling as internationals. The boys also threw in a bit of talk about American players making moves this summer (and wonder who needs to make one ahead of the 2026 World Cup). Plus...haircut…

1
UP490 Inside Edge - Cricket's Analytics Arms Race 59:33

16d ago59:33

59:33

Inside Edge is Unofficial Partner's regular series on the business of cricket, co-hosted by Richard Gillis and Mike Jakeman. Freddie Wilde represents the new generation of cricket analytics professionals who have emerged to play a central role in team strategy. His journey from journalist to CricViz to England's white-ball analyst, combined with hi…

1
Greg Halter, CFA, Director of Research at Carnegie Investment Counsel 28:10

16d ago28:10

28:10

Today, we’re sitting down with Greg Halter, CFA, Director of Research at Carnegie Investment Counsel. Greg’s path through the financial planning side of the business, his formative experience at the Federal Reserve, and his unique insights into Cleveland’s evolving investment landscape give us a lot to unpack. We talk about why the planning side of…

1
UP489 Expected Goals Live @ SOOO London 44:57

20d ago44:57

44:57

A special live episode of our sister publication, Expected Goals, hosted by Maggie Murphy and Matt Cutler. Sponsored by Evelyn Partners. Expected Goals Live - Investment in Women's Football Event Summary & Analysis This live podcast episode from Expected Goals captured a pivotal moment in women's football investment, featuring industry experts disc…

1
UP488 The Business of Rugby: Lions Inc, R360, CVC calls on Allera, Women's World Cup 56:43

23d ago56:43

56:43

Guest: Paul Morgan, Rugby World Editor and Premiership Rugby Comms Director Running List: The Business of Rugby Episode 1. British Lions Commercial Strategy Ticket pricing controversy: Struggling to sell out Dublin match at £163 per ticket Major commercial partnerships: Qatar Airways (title sponsor), Patron Saint whisky, Rhino, Oxford Landing, Char…

1
UP487 The Big Idea: Cliches, Tumbleweed and the Cost of Boring 52:14

27d ago52:14

52:14

Today's guests are Laura Randall, Creative Director, and Jack Kenney-Herbert, Director of Sponsorship at Sid Lee Sport, the agency declaring war on what they call "sponsorship tumbleweed." That's their term for the boring, forgettable activations plaguing sports marketing - endless skills challenges, carpool karaokes, and grey sofa interviews that …

1
USMNT Drama, Gold Cup Quarterfinals, Americans On The Move With Dan Vaughn 1:08:46

27d ago1:08:46

1:08:46

With JRodius at the beach this week, Jason is joined by special guest fill-in co-host Dan Vaughn of Protagonist Soccer to talk about the big stories around the USMNT. 1. USMNT drama! Jason and Dan dissect the Pulisic situation and its potential impact on the USMNT moving forward 2. USA v. Costa Rica in the Gold Cup quarterfinals and our confidence …

1
UP486 The Buy Side: B2B + ROI = WTF? 47:26

30d ago47:26

47:26

B2B is big business for sports rights holders. But why are business-to-business brands paying billions in sport sponsorship rights? From the IOC to Formula One, categories such as consulting, accountancy, logistics, financial services and tech are growing rapidly. In the IOC's programme, Deloitte and Allianz replaced Dow and GE as TOP Olympic spons…

1
Riches in the Niches: The Flex Space Revolution 50:43

1M ago50:43

50:43

"The riches are in the niches" isn't just a catchy phrase – it's the cornerstone of successful real estate investing according to Alec McElhinny, founder and CEO of LandPlay. While most investors crowd into saturated multifamily markets, Alec has carved out extraordinary returns by focusing on two overlooked sectors: Flex Space and data center conv…

1
UP485 Other People's Money: Venture Studios and a European Sports Investment Fund 44:24

1M ago44:24

44:24

Other People's Money is our series on sport and finance, with regular co-host Matt Rogan. Today's guest is Danny Menken, who many people in the industry will remember as the managing director of Eurosport Television. He was also chief exec of Infosrada Sports Group and held senior executive positions within Eleven Sports. More recently though, Dan…

1
David MacGregor, CFA on the History of the Investment Industry in Cleveland (Part 3) 27:11

1M ago27:11

27:11

In part three of our special series on the history of Cleveland’s investment industry, we're joined by David MacGregor, CFA, co-founder and President of Longbow Research. David first came to Cleveland in the 1990s as a sell-side analyst, and in the early 2000s, he co-founded Longbow Research. Over the past two decades, he's led the firm through mul…

1
274: The Cable Cowboy Who Went from Broke to Broadband 🤠 | Terry Koosed of Bel Air Internet 2:16:14

1M ago2:16:14

2:16:14

Terry Koosed is the Founder of Bel Air Internet, a Los Angeles based Internet Service Provider, and a leading authority on successful entrepreneurship. He has founded and successfully run seven companies in the high-tech industry during the past 40 years, sometimes concurrently, and is what some would call, a serial entrepreneur. Listen to Part II,…

1
UP484 Inside Edge: Cricket's Digital History 1:05:02

1M ago1:05:02

1:05:02

The story of Cricinfo is the history of sport's relationship with the internet and digital culture. It remains central to the experience of millions of cricket fans. But what does it tell us about how the internet changed what we define as sporting fandom? Alex Balfour co-founded the site and sold it to ESPN in the noughties and he is a global exp…

1
USMNT Goes Down 4-0 To Switzerland: TBSS Postgame Show 1:10:30

1M ago1:10:30

1:10:30

The boys went live after the horrible USMNT performance against Switzerland in Nashville. Featuring some four-letter words and a call from JTT, Jonathan Taylor Tannenwald. Make sure you subscribe to The Best Soccer Show YouTube channel to get the video version of the show and to get notified when the live episodes are going down. The show is always…

1
UP483 Wedge Issues: Overthinking the Golf Business 55:35

1M ago55:35

55:35

Is there a market for a women-only golf talent agency? Suzann Pettersen is about to find out. Pettersen is one of the most recognized players in the women's game, a two-time Major winner, 15 time LPGA Tour winner and Solheim Cup winning captain. Now she's launched VOXA, a talent management group in conjunction with 54. It's asking questions about w…

1
USMNT Gold Cup Roster Goes Shadow Squad, Blind Ranking Best American Soccer Goal Cellies 1:14:33

2M ago1:14:33

1:14:33

Jason and Jared were live on Thursday night talking about the USMNT Gold Cup roster that isn't anything like we hoped. The boys try to come up with a few decent lineups from the players going to the tournament, including some wild suggestions from the Rodius. After all the National Team talk, Jared gives Jason nine iconic American soccer goal celeb…

1
UP482 The Bundle: Disney and Women; Pirates and Sky; Rugby and YouTubers 1:05:04

2M ago1:05:04

1:05:04

Welcome to The Bundle, our regular series on the sports media and streaming marketplace with co-hosts Yannick Ramcke, General Manager of OTT at the streaming service OneFootball and Murray Barnett, founder of 26West Consulting and formerly of F1, World Rugby and ESPN International. What are the stories the sports media industry is talking about and…

1
UP481 Fussball Crazy: Bayern dominance, 50+1 and the free market 56:04

2M ago56:04

56:04

Norway's greatest export Jan Age Fjortoft and his son and former player Marcus Fjortoft, together host The Fussball Channel on YouTube, covering German football in English. This gives them the ideal platform to compare the myths and realities surrounding Bundesliga and the Premier League, globalism and competitive balance, fan culture and the reali…

1
Scott Roulston on the History of the Investment Industry in Cleveland (Part 2) 32:48

2M ago32:48

32:48

In part two of our special series on the history of Cleveland’s investment industry, we sit down with Scott Roulston, former CEO of Roulston & Co. Scott’s family has played a central role in Cleveland’s investment industry for more than 50 years, and he shares personal insights from his own journey, including becoming CEO at a young age and making …

1
Gold Cup DEFCON, Biggest American Soccer Headlines In History, Galaxy WOES 1:09:48

2M ago1:09:48

1:09:48

The boys are back and going in on American soccer. This week, Jason and Jared talk about the USMNT Gold Cup prospects, our confidence levels around the team (USING THE PATENTED 'DEFCON' SCALE), and the decision by Christian Pulisic to play for Milan after pulling out of the USMNT summer. Then, some blind ranking. Jared throws Jason 11 of the bigges…

1
480 Chat-UP: The Product-Algo Fit and how AI will attack the sports business 56:32

2M ago56:32

56:32

We are jumping into the maze that is artificial intelligence for the first in a series of conversations with decision makers from across the sports business. Our guest today is Sam Sadi, chief executive of Live Score, the scores and betting app. There are more questions than answers, but it's exciting and it's scary and it's what everyone is talkin…

1
USMNT Gold Cup Roster Review: No Pulisic, No Party? 1:17:42

2M ago1:17:42

1:17:42

The Best Soccer Show boys are back to talk about the new USMNT roster dropped by head coach Mauricio Pochettino on Thursday. The headline is that Christian Pulisic asked to be left out of the summer Gold Cup tournament after a long couple of season for club and country. Was it the right choice for Pulisic and for Pochettino? There's a full roster b…

1
UP479 Wedge Issues: The Most Interesting Golf Brand You've Never Heard Of 1:01:54

2M ago1:01:54

1:01:54

This is an episode of Wedge Issues where we focus on the business of golf, with regular co-host, Jasmine Sanders, The Jazzy Golfer. Today we've got Luke Davies and Jojo Regan, founders of Manors Golf, the challenger brand that's rewriting the sport's marketing rule book. This episode of Unofficial Partner is brought to you by Sid Lee Sport. Sid L…

1
Nancy Benacci, CFA on the History of the Investment Industry in Cleveland (Part 1) 30:40

2M ago30:40

30:40

In this episode, we begin our series diving into Cleveland's investment history—where it's been, how it's evolved, and the influential figures who've shaped it. I'm thrilled to kick off this series by sitting down with a true industry pioneer, Nancy Benacci. Nancy has built a distinguished career here in Cleveland, witnessing firsthand the transfor…

1
UP478 UP Live in Lausanne: How much entertainment can sport take? 1:00:03

2M ago1:00:03

1:00:03

A live recording of the Unofficial Podcast, on stage at the Olympic Museum for The SPOT conference. Guests Jo Redfern, Futrhood Damjan Rudež, Former NBA player & Sunset Sports Media Festival Program Director Michael D'hulst, founder and CEO of SuperTri Matt Wilkinson, Creative Director of Entertainment at Whisper Featuring Ana Jelusic Black, who in…

1
New US Soccer Kits, Dest Hasn't Heard From Pochettino, Should Pulisic Skip The Gold Cup? 1:11:13

2M ago1:11:13

1:11:13

The Best Soccer Show boys are back to talk American soccer. First up, the new USWNT and USMNT kits. Then Jason and Jared talk about Mauricio Pochettino's lack of communication with Sergino Dest. What does it mean!?? Then the big question looming for the summer: Should the likes of Christian Pulisic and Jedi Robinson be given some time off after a l…

1
Building Brands That Sell: Kevin Harrington Shares His Business Wisdom 26:10

2M ago26:10

26:10

Kevin Harrington takes us on a thrilling journey from his early days as the pioneer of the infomercial industry to becoming a powerhouse investor and Shark Tank celebrity. With remarkable candor, he reveals how acquiring unused cable television time in the 1980s launched his career and led to building multiple public companies and completing over 1…

1
UP477 The Bundle: 'The others are addicts, Apple just haven't been given the hard stuff yet' 1:07:49

2M ago1:07:49

1:07:49

The inside gossip from the sports media and streaming business, with co-hosts Yannick Ramcke, the general manager of OTT streaming service OneFootball. And Murray Barnett, founder of 26 West Consulting, formerly of Formula One, World Rugby and ESPN Disney. This episode is sponsored by Sid Lee Sport. Sid Lee Sport is a new breed of agency that comb…

1
UP476 The $170billion Question: Gareth Balch on Sports Most Valuable IP 55:50

3M ago55:50

55:50

Intellectual Property is the basis of the sports business. Two Circles have mapped the global market to create a Sports IP Revenue List. Founder and CEO Gareth Balch has analysed what it says about the business of sport. Some headlines: The big get bigger : in the last decade, the % value share of the Top 20 Sports IP Owners of total revenue has gr…

1
UP475 Inside Edge: 'India already had a monopoly, now they've got hotels on Park Lane and Mayfair' 1:13:44

3M ago1:13:44

1:13:44

Inside Edge is where we overthink the business of cricket, with co-host Mike Jakeman. Today's guest is Lawrence Booth, Editor of the Wisden Almanack, the conscience of the game. Released last week, Booth pulled no punches in his editor's notes: "2024 was the year cricket gave up any claim to being properly administered, with checks, balances, and g…

1
273: Publishing to EdTech: The Unlikely Road to Evolution Labs with Founder Peter Kraft 1:26:53

3M ago1:26:53

1:26:53

Peter Kraft is the Founder and President of Evolution Labs. Prior to founding Evolution Labs, Kraft was instrumental in forming and re-envisioning two educational software companies that led the industry in recruitment, enrollment and retention of college students. He co-founded GoalQuest in 2000 and served as its CEO until 2007 when he spearheaded…

1
UP474 Wedge Issues: The Jazzy Golfer Joins UP 35:08

3M ago35:08

35:08

We met Jasmine Sanders aka The Jazzy Golfer when we held our roundtable event at European Tour HQ at Wentworth during the BMW PGA Championship in 2024. Now she's come on board as a co-host for Wedge Issues where we overthink the business of golf. Jasmine is one of the leading golf creators, host of CNN's Living Golf and founder of the Women's Golf …

1
UP473 What was your Business Moment of the Year? UP goes inside the FEVO Sport Industry Awards judging room 1:14:40

3M ago1:14:40

1:14:40

There's a new award category at this year's FEVO Sport Industry Awards - Business Moment of the Year. And for the first time, the judging process is revealed, as we chair the conversation ahead of the big reveal on the night of May 15th at Battersea Evolution in London. Our illustrious judging panel is Richard Scudamore, Lucy Wray, Allan Noble and …

1
Ryan McGovern – Managing Director at Star Mountain Capital 40:24

3M ago40:24

40:24

In this episode, we're joined by Ryan McGovern, Managing Director at Star Mountain Capital. Originally from the West Coast, Ryan's educational and career journey took him around the world before he eventually landed in Cleveland, where he has now lived for over a decade. Ryan has extensive expertise in private markets, having transitioned early in …

1
UP472 The Business of Swimming 48:10

3M ago48:10

48:10

Today we're talking about swimming and so we went to the London Aquatics Center in Stratford, located in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Obviously the venue for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympic games, but also the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships, which were on while we were there. It was an opportunity to talk about the sport in detail …

1
Bruce Arena Gets Critical of Pochettino, Pochettino Talks Team Mentality Ahead of Gold Cup 1:13:27

3M ago1:13:27

1:13:27

Jared and Jason got together to talk out the narratives around the USMNT at the moment. Bruce Arena had a go at the idea of a foreign coach for the USMNT while US Soccer saw fit to drop a mini-interview with Mauricio Pochettino with lots of talk about playing with pride. The boys also debated whether Brenden Aaronson has a chance to make the cut at…

1
UP471 UP Live at EBU: What the FIFA Club World Cup reveals about Free-to-Air in the YouTube era 48:01

3M ago48:01

48:01

Guests: Mark Oliver, Oliver and Ohlbaum Amy Lee, TV2 Denmark, EBU Member Tomos Grace - YouTube Context: A live podcast recorded at the European Broadcast Union's Annual Assembly in Bratislava. DAZN has paid $1billion for the rights to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. FIFA has sold the rights to DAZN for $1billion. DAZN is sub-licensing the rights, wit…

1
Gio On The Move, KDB Eyed By Four MLS Clubs, FIFA Club World Cup Playoff? 1:12:29

3M ago1:12:29

1:12:29

Jason and Jared are back together to talk about the big happenings in American soccer. Did Borussia Dortmund tell Gio Reyna to find a new club in the summer? The boys take a hard look at the unrealized American talent and try to figure out the best place for him to play. Then Jason and Jared consider the idea of Kevin De Bruyne in MLS and assess wh…

1
UP470 Other People's Money: How patient is patient capital when it comes to women's rugby? 1:06:24

3M ago1:06:24

1:06:24

Other People's Money is our regular series on sports investment, with Matt Rogan, co-founder of Two Circles. The Women’s Rugby World Cup kicks off in August, hosted in here in England. The tournament is a critical moment in the game's development. But what is the financial state of women’s professional club rugby in this country. We talk to Genevie…

1
Craig Cimoroni, CFA – Head of Business Development and Investor Relations at Elizabeth Park Capital Management 33:32

3M ago33:32

33:32

In this episode, we talk with Craig Cimoroni, Head of Business Development and Investor Relations at Elizabeth Park Capital Management. Craig was born and raised on the east side of Cleveland and returned to the area immediately following college. He's worked for several well-known companies in Northeast Ohio and is very active in his local communi…

1
Gold Cup Draw, Big USL TV Ratings, MLS Calendar Switch, Is MLS Too Foreign? 1:10:53

3M ago1:10:53

1:10:53

We're covering a ton of ground on this episode of The Best Soccer Show. Jason starts by dropping news of the Gold Cup draw for this summer. The USMNT goes into the continental tournament needing to improve dramatically under Mauricio Pochettino after a poor Nations League. Dan Vaughn of Protagonist Soccer to talk about the draw, tell us about his 2…

1
UP469 Inside Edge: Overthinking the Business of Cricket 59:21

4M ago59:21

59:21

This is the first episode in a new series in which we take the Unofficial Partner sports business conversation and point it at cricket. Richard is joined by co-host Mike Jakeman, who writes about sport for The Economist and worked within The Economist Intelligence Unit, and has written for titles such as The New York Times, Wired magazine and the T…

1
UP468 States of Play: Miguel Delaney on Sportswashing 48:32

4M ago48:32

48:32

Today's guest is Miguel Delaney, Chief Football Writer for The Independent who talks about his book States of Play: How Sports Washing Took Over Football. It's described as a scorching account of how football's very popularity threatens to destroy it, a brave forensic and utterly gripping book' by Tom Holland (The Rest Is History host, not Spider M…

1
USMNT Likability, Pochettino's Commitment, Open Cup Madness and More 1:11:26

4M ago1:11:26

1:11:26

Jason goes solo this week to work through some thoughts about the likability of the USMNT following a story by Beau Dure at The Guardian (read it here), followed by an unpacking of Mauricio Pochettino's comments about wanting to return to Tottenham Hotspur (and what that might mean for his commitment to the USMNT), before he gets to the fun stuff a…

1
UP467 The Man Who Signed Michael Jordan: The reality behind the Air Movie, Nike and Matt Damon 36:30

4M ago36:30

36:30

Sonny Vaccaro was the pivotal figure behind Michael Jordan's groundbreaking deal with Nike, which remains one of the most storied contracts in sports business history. So good they made a movie about it, "Air", in which Vaccaro was played by Matt Damon, with Ben Affleck in the Phil Knight role. Vaccaro's book Legends & Soles: Business, Creativity a…

1
Picking The Something-To-Prove USMNT Team 1:12:52

4M ago1:12:52

1:12:52

Jason goes solo...for a bit...on this episode of The Best Soccer Show. After Jason talks through some feelings around the USMNT, Jonathan Tannenwald joins to get into the attitude of the players and some quotes from head coach Mauricio Pochettino about effort at the international level. Then JTT joins via video to help Jason put together a "SOMETHI…

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