1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: This is the business of sports. Should Major League Baseball 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 1: shorten up the season? How do we present football to 3 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:08,920 Speaker 1: the audience of the future. I don't think that most 4 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:12,040 Speaker 1: players understand the power that they have. Michael. The future 5 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:15,920 Speaker 1: of IndyCar racing is looking bright. Scott Sash very basic 6 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:18,959 Speaker 1: math here, more bidders means more money. Evan Nobody Williams. 7 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:22,079 Speaker 1: The team value has essentially quadruples. And the leaders in 8 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:25,480 Speaker 1: the sports industry time to bring in our guest, hal Stinbrunner, 9 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:29,320 Speaker 1: National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Betman, Atlanta Braves president Derek Schiller, 10 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 1: Patriots President Jonathan Kraft. Bloomberg Business of Sports from Bloomberg Radio. Hello, 11 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 1: I'm Scott, I'm Evan, Novie Williams, and I'm Michael Barr. 12 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 1: And this is the Bloomberg Business of Sports podcast where 13 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:45,960 Speaker 1: we sounded like me not we here, Well, we try 14 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:49,120 Speaker 1: explore the big money issues in the world of sports, 15 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:51,519 Speaker 1: and let's start off with well, today we've got big 16 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 1: money and issues. Yes, this is like, this is a 17 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: big money and issues. This is sad. I really thought 18 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 1: the a F had a shot. Well, what's happened now 19 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:04,720 Speaker 1: is that the a F has suspended operations. Maybe there's 20 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 1: a chance to get new financing down the line, but 21 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:11,160 Speaker 1: who knows, Yeah that that's it. Who knows. And we're 22 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:13,280 Speaker 1: hoping to find out more from some of the players 23 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:15,399 Speaker 1: and the executives that have if they do talk and 24 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: explain what's going on. But apparently Tom Dundon has said 25 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: enough is enough. He told us not long ago about 26 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 1: how much he spent and what his role is, and 27 00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:29,000 Speaker 1: here's Dune in his own words. My involvement is, you know, 28 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: I'm we're trying to figure out how to make sure 29 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:36,200 Speaker 1: that this is a compelling place for people to develop, 30 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:39,360 Speaker 1: you know, players and coaches and reps and technology, and 31 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 1: you know, so far it's it's it's gone really well. 32 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:46,040 Speaker 1: And now we've we've got to one of our big 33 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 1: goals is to create an opportunity for players that are 34 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 1: on NFL rosters that haven't gotten reps to be able 35 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: to play. And if, if, if that would ever happened, 36 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 1: I think it makes us more interesting, for sure. So 37 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:02,960 Speaker 1: but it sounds like Dundon was really hanging his financial 38 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 1: head on an ability to create some sort of affiliation 39 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 1: with the National Football League and take the practice roster 40 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:09,920 Speaker 1: players and become sort of a minor league. Yeah, for 41 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:12,360 Speaker 1: the past kind of week, we we we've seen a 42 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:15,360 Speaker 1: steady trickle of rumors out that, you know, the the 43 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:18,920 Speaker 1: a F was prepared to shut down if if they 44 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:20,840 Speaker 1: didn't get that deal done with the NFL and the 45 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 1: nfl p A to kind of be a feeder system, um, 46 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:25,799 Speaker 1: which obviously I think would help the a F kind 47 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: of gained some legitimacy, but there's no reason for the 48 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:30,079 Speaker 1: NFLPA to do it. Yeah, there's I think there's less 49 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 1: interests from the NFL side. Um. Yeah, there's as you said, 50 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 1: a lot more is going to come out about this 51 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 1: from from from the back end the way this thing unfolded. 52 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 1: But you know, as he said, it's going really well. 53 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 1: And then three weeks later for for him to pull 54 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:48,240 Speaker 1: the plug on the whole operation. And there's some sophisticated investors. 55 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 1: By the way, he had Chernon Group, Peter Thiel, Bill Polian, 56 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:54,560 Speaker 1: who alongside Charlie Ebersol kind of started the whole thing. 57 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: You know. He issued a statement right after the the 58 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 1: the announcement essentially saying that he was just pointed. He 59 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:02,080 Speaker 1: made it clear that this was a decision that that 60 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:05,119 Speaker 1: Tom Dundon made not him um. But I do think 61 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:07,240 Speaker 1: that there is a lesson here about what happens when 62 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:10,320 Speaker 1: when you take this size of an investment um. There 63 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:12,920 Speaker 1: was obviously confusion about the size of it. Overall, we 64 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 1: always talked about strategic. We always talk about strategic, not 65 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 1: just money, but strategics more than and they handed the 66 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:21,640 Speaker 1: reins over to someone who went a different direction than 67 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:24,359 Speaker 1: they wanted them to. I should add that Dundon put 68 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:27,440 Speaker 1: in two hundred fifty million dollars and it looks like 69 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: he's gonna lose what about But he was going week 70 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: two weeks, so he put in about seventy seventy five. 71 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:36,240 Speaker 1: He had committed two hundred and fifty. So if this 72 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: is indeed it, you figured he lost about seventy five 73 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 1: million dollars. Uh, talking about millions, keep going higher on 74 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:46,320 Speaker 1: the millions. Here a young man is about to get paid. 75 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: Zane Williamson has what looks like to be set up 76 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:53,520 Speaker 1: to have a good shoot deal. Now let's explain something 77 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:59,520 Speaker 1: the Duke basketball player might be former Duke basketball player, 78 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 1: because it looks like the nineteen year old is going 79 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 1: to go into the NBA Draft. When that happens, look 80 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:07,360 Speaker 1: out because he's going to get money. Could you imagine 81 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 1: if Zion like puts out a statement saying, I enjoyed 82 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:11,640 Speaker 1: my time so much that I'm coming back from my 83 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 1: sophomore year at university. There's there's a good financial decision. Well, 84 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 1: you know, it's not always about the money. Hey, grand 85 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: Hill went four years, turned out all right for him. 86 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:24,840 Speaker 1: Your players went for Tim Duncan, went four years, turned 87 00:04:24,839 --> 00:04:27,200 Speaker 1: out all right for him. Neither of those guys were 88 00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:31,480 Speaker 1: Zion Williamson after their freshman year. Either way, grand Hill, 89 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:33,360 Speaker 1: I think grand Hill may go down as the best 90 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:36,320 Speaker 1: player to have to understand by that. But yeah, Ebben, 91 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:38,720 Speaker 1: you cover this industry, like, is everybody going to be 92 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:40,839 Speaker 1: involved on that? Yeah? This is gonna be your Nikes. 93 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:44,680 Speaker 1: Your Adidas is certainly under armoured probably although they're they're 94 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:46,919 Speaker 1: they're they're restricting kind of spending money on things like 95 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 1: this um I have. I mean, I think Puma and 96 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:52,159 Speaker 1: and New Balance are probably both dark horses. You know, 97 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:54,039 Speaker 1: they don't have the deep pockets that Nike to do 98 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:56,279 Speaker 1: this have, But for one player, and a player of 99 00:04:56,320 --> 00:04:58,880 Speaker 1: this caliber, I certainly think they would they would be 100 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:00,599 Speaker 1: willing to open the check book and then you have 101 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:06,240 Speaker 1: Chinese companies, right, you have me. Yeah, they may be 102 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:09,040 Speaker 1: a long shot because you know the way their company 103 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:11,240 Speaker 1: is restructuring right now, they're spending less and less on 104 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:13,279 Speaker 1: they don't on marketing in the in the major leagues 105 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:16,760 Speaker 1: and college sports. Um. But you know this guy is 106 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 1: according to you know people who when we're talking about 107 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:23,360 Speaker 1: Sonny Vicarroll said this is gonna be the top three 108 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:26,679 Speaker 1: biggest deal he's ever seen. Yeah, Lebron James signed an eighties, 109 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:30,119 Speaker 1: seven million dollars, seven year deal UM when he left, 110 00:05:30,160 --> 00:05:33,280 Speaker 1: when he entered the NBA. UM. Certainly seems as though, 111 00:05:33,279 --> 00:05:35,000 Speaker 1: from what people are saying, the Zion deal is going 112 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:39,919 Speaker 1: to be significantly bigger. Okay, that big dollars. Well, I 113 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:44,120 Speaker 1: wish I played basketball. But you want to left, and 114 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:45,520 Speaker 1: I know you haven't hit to do, but you know, 115 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:47,159 Speaker 1: you know what we want to left. I was walking 116 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:48,760 Speaker 1: to the subway this morning. Remember when I hurt my 117 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:51,640 Speaker 1: cat playing soccer a while back. I kind of like 118 00:05:51,839 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 1: went to jump between two people that I tweaked. The 119 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:59,600 Speaker 1: I tweaked. Maybe I need a shoot deal, like one 120 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:04,679 Speaker 1: of those octogenarian, all white, big heeled things that my breaking. 121 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:10,560 Speaker 1: This is the Bloomberg Business of Sports podcast at Michael 122 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:13,680 Speaker 1: Barr along with limp E, Scott Sashnik and Evan Nobi 123 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:15,960 Speaker 1: William It's true. We're here each and every Monday, Wednesday 124 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:18,279 Speaker 1: and Thursday, provided I could actually get here, exploring the 125 00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:20,159 Speaker 1: world of money in sports. Join us again at the 126 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:21,919 Speaker 1: end of the week when we speak with the biggest 127 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:24,560 Speaker 1: and brightest in the sports business industry. You're listening to 128 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:28,119 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Business of Sports from Bloomberger Radio around the world 129 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:30,240 Speaker 1: and online where you get your podcasts.