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Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, radio News. This is the Business

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Speaker 1: of Sports.

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Speaker 2: The business of sports can be intimidating or hard for

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Speaker 2: a start to break into.

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Speaker 3: We really appreciate when our owners are actually there, you know,

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Speaker 3: with us through the journey.

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Speaker 4: Teams ours especially have been very intentional to diversify at

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Speaker 4: all levels of the company. I think we're in the

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Speaker 4: bolden years for the NFL and college football.

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Speaker 5: Our demographic reach has continued to explode.

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Speaker 6: This is going to be really unlocking the streaming platform

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Speaker 6: for sports fans.

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Speaker 7: Sports evaluations arising. We'll see when they peak.

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Speaker 2: You don't have to be the best in your sport

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Speaker 2: to make a whole ton of money.

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Speaker 1: Bloomberg Business of Sports from Bloomberg Radio.

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Speaker 2: This is the Bloomberg Business of Sports where we explore

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Speaker 2: the big money issues in the world of sports. Michael

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Speaker 2: Barr along with the Damian Saasur Vanessa Perdomo. We'll join

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Speaker 2: us a bit later on in the show. Coming up,

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Speaker 2: we'll talk about the WNS Las Vegas Aces and Star

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Speaker 2: Guard Jewel Lloyd on her family office venture.

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Speaker 3: It's not about money, It's really about the impact, healing

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Speaker 3: and ownership. I think our mission is to really help families, founders,

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Speaker 3: communities build generational power in our lining up a capital

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Speaker 3: and purpose.

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Speaker 2: Plus, we'll hear from the Commissioner Major League Pickleball, Samine

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Speaker 2: Awani on pickleball's growing popularity. All that and more straight

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Speaker 2: ahead on the Bloomberg Business of Sports. But first, Eli

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Speaker 2: Manning is working to put together a bid to buy

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Speaker 2: a stake in the team he won two Super Bowls

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Speaker 2: for the New York Giants. Here to take us through

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Speaker 2: what we know is friend of the show, Bloomberg US

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Speaker 2: sports business reporter Randal Williams Randall, Welcome back to the

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Speaker 2: Bloomberg Business of Sports.

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Speaker 7: I appreciate you all for having me.

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Speaker 2: Well, we got a couple of things to talk about,

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Speaker 2: So I'm going to start first of all with let's

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Speaker 2: talk about Eli Manning. And now Eli Manning's thinking, Hey,

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Speaker 2: you know what my old team, I wouldn't mind owning

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Speaker 2: a piece of that. Tell us about that.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, So the Marin Tisch families put a ten percent

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Speaker 6: stake up for sale. That's that's what the number has

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Speaker 6: been reported originally about the Sports Business Journal. Eli has

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Speaker 6: long said, I think it was on CMBC earlier this

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Speaker 6: year that there was one team that he was going

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Speaker 6: to own a piece of it was going to be

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Speaker 6: the Giants. It's sort of a no brainer here that

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Speaker 6: he's thrown his name and they had to buy at

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Speaker 6: least a piece of that ten percent.

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Speaker 7: Maybe not the full thing, but part of it for sure.

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Speaker 4: So talk to us a little bit, Brandal. I mean,

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Speaker 4: what are the Giants valued out here? Is it something

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Speaker 4: on the order of what eight billion dollars?

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Speaker 2: Is it?

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Speaker 4: I mean, so ten percent, eight hundred million, Like, walk

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Speaker 4: me through the numbers here. I mean like, would Eli

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Speaker 4: carry a substantial, you know, steak in the team? I mean,

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Speaker 4: would you have at least you know, some sort of

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Speaker 4: say and how the team is managed? What are your

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Speaker 4: thoughts there?

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Speaker 6: I think a lot of it is to be determined.

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Speaker 6: Like if you think about the way that the Miami

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Speaker 6: Dolphins and Steven Ross were able to get to eight

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Speaker 6: point one billion, and then Jeffrey Lori and the Eagles

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Speaker 6: got to eight three and New York is bigger than

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Speaker 6: both of those. It is just from the market perspective,

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Speaker 6: I would imagine that the Giants would go for more

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Speaker 6: than both of those teams, or they at least the

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Speaker 6: stake would go for both of those teams. In regards

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Speaker 6: to what Eli and his position within the Giants is

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Speaker 6: going to be, it really depends on what the mayors

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Speaker 6: wanting to be. I mean, the Giants obviously haven't had

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Speaker 6: much success over the last decade. ELI Sureley could come

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Speaker 6: in and provide some football analysis the same way that

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Speaker 6: Tom Brady is doing for Mark Davis and the Las

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Speaker 6: Vegas Raiders.

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Speaker 2: I was just going to get into that because now

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Speaker 2: if this goes through with Eli, he's going to have

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Speaker 2: the same problem that Tom Brady had because both are

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Speaker 2: technically in the booth. Well, of course tom Brady, we

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Speaker 2: know he's in the booth. But Eli and his brother Peyton,

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Speaker 2: they have the Monday night cast where it's still they're broadcasting.

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Speaker 2: Are they going to run into problems just like Tom Brady.

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Speaker 7: I'm not sure.

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Speaker 6: I think that that's a good question, and I think

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Speaker 6: the NFL will definitely be meeting about it if ELI knows.

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Speaker 6: If Eli's bidd does go to the point where they

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Speaker 6: have to approve it. I think that you know, some

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Speaker 6: of the people that they're talking to on the Manning

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Speaker 6: cast aren't active players as well as you know, the

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Speaker 6: people that they're speaking about during the games or most

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Speaker 6: of the time are playing. So I think it's a

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Speaker 6: little different. But there might be some owners in the

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Speaker 6: NFL who look at this and are like, absolutely not,

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Speaker 6: I want similar rules on Manning.

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Speaker 7: Is that there are on Brady. So we'll have to

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Speaker 7: see in the months to come.

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Speaker 4: Well, Manning is obviously very close with Boltamara and the

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Speaker 4: Tush families. He played for the team for sixteen years.

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Speaker 4: You know, Randal, do you think that when he goes

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Speaker 4: to actually sign on the dotted line and take his

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Speaker 4: stack in the team that he dresses like Chad Powers,

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Speaker 4: puts on a big mustache, pretends like he's a walk

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Speaker 4: on at Penn State Universe. No, I'm just but no,

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Speaker 4: I mean, let's switch gears a little bit. I mean,

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Speaker 4: it's a great story, but you know, the real story

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Speaker 4: for me, Michael Barr the Washington Commanders, I mean they

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Speaker 4: are and getting to play in their own stadium again.

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Speaker 4: Talk to us a little bit about that, Randall, what's

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Speaker 4: the word.

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Speaker 6: I think that Josh Harris and what he has done

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Speaker 6: with the team is simply remarkable. From I mean, if

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Speaker 6: you remember the state of the Commanders just three years ago,

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Speaker 6: just the worry that at other NFL owners that Roger

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Speaker 6: Goodell had just because of Dan Snyder, and then Josh

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Speaker 6: Harris buys the team. They're not very good in year one,

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Speaker 6: but then you know, he he commits to saying like, Okay,

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Speaker 6: we're gonna get better. They draft j and Daniels, they

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Speaker 6: hired Dan Coin, they put a good front office in place,

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Speaker 6: and you know, they have this miraculous season and you know,

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Speaker 6: along the way there is stadium talks, like that's the

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Speaker 6: number one thing on his mind. The product on the

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Speaker 6: field was taking care of itself, but the stadium thing

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Speaker 6: was not certain that he was going to be able

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Speaker 6: to get RFK.

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Speaker 7: Stadium, not at all. In fact, that two years later

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Speaker 7: he has a deal is just insane.

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Speaker 4: Well, I mean, think about that, Randall, I mean, Josh Harris,

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Speaker 4: I mean, you're absolutely right. Roger Goodell, I mean, they

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Speaker 4: had written it off under the snighter years and then

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Speaker 4: Roger Goodell and I didn't even know this. He's been

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Speaker 4: in DC, he's been lobbying the government, you know, for what.

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Speaker 4: He now to walk me through this because I didn't understand.

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Speaker 4: So the RFK site was controlled by the federal government

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Speaker 4: and not DC, and what needed to happen was it

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Speaker 4: needed to change hands, is that right?

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Speaker 6: Yeah, So in December they voted to i think was

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Speaker 6: Congress voted to shift it from the federal government to DC,

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Speaker 6: and then Joe Biden, or former President Joe Biden signed

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Speaker 6: it in on one of his last days in office.

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Speaker 6: So this was miraculous that this happened. And then of

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Speaker 6: course you have these months that come. It's some you know,

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Speaker 6: let's say one hundred and twenty days later and you.

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Speaker 7: Have a deal.

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Speaker 6: But do you think about the way that other stadiums

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Speaker 6: and teams and local governments have to make these deals.

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Speaker 6: It normally doesn't happen this quick. The fact that you know,

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Speaker 6: the mayor is sitting there, you have Josh Arish, you

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Speaker 6: have Roger Goodell, who are all committing the you know,

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Speaker 6: it's three point eight I'm sure it will get to

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Speaker 6: four billion dollars to a stadium.

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Speaker 7: I'm astounded.

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Speaker 2: I think that what impressed me the most was, well,

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Speaker 2: first of all, it came out with the statement, you

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Speaker 2: know they played until the mid nineteen nineties at the

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Speaker 2: old RFK, which you know, old man bar I remember that,

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Speaker 2: you know ingrained in my head. And what impressed me

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Speaker 2: though was here's Joeve Heisman, and he's making the announcement

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Speaker 2: on the video, Hey, this is going to happen. And

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Speaker 2: one of the things that he mentions is that, you know,

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Speaker 2: we're talking about more than just a new stadium. We're

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Speaker 2: talking about a food hall and all the other amenities.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, the way that the plan is right now, it'll

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Speaker 6: be the second most expensive stadium ever behind so Far.

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Speaker 6: And anyone who's been to Sofi sofar is a palace,

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Speaker 6: and I think this this stadium very well.

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Speaker 7: Could be the exact same.

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Speaker 6: I mean, what a lot of these owners are looking

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Speaker 6: at is that if you get a new stadium, you

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Speaker 6: put a dome on it, and now all of a sudden,

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Speaker 6: you can host the Super Bowl. And I can assure

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Speaker 6: you that if Slash, when this stadium gets built, it's

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Speaker 6: twenty twenty five today twenty thirty five, there might be

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Speaker 6: as Super Bowl in Washington, d C.

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Speaker 4: Well, you know, Randal, now you're there, right, I Mean,

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Speaker 4: here's what I don't understand. Why only sixty five thousand incapacity? Right?

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Speaker 4: I mean as in East Rutherford it is in that

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Speaker 4: life eighty two thousand and eighty three thousand. I mean,

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Speaker 4: you know, why not go for the you know ann

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Speaker 4: Arbor one hundred that I mean, like, are those tadums?

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Speaker 4: Do they not make financial sense? I guess I'm curious

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Speaker 4: Or is it a size of space issue, or I mean,

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Speaker 4: is it not big enough to handle that kind of size.

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Speaker 4: I'm just I'm wondering out loud here, Randall, any thoughts there.

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Speaker 7: I think it's more so a cost thing.

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Speaker 6: I mean, you want to make sure that the money

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Speaker 6: you're putting into it is it provides the best experience possible.

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Speaker 6: And it isn't always a guarantee that the more people

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Speaker 6: you have, the louder it is, just because you're adding

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Speaker 6: voices in there. It really depends on like if you

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Speaker 6: go to a Chiefs game at Arrowhead and you go

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Speaker 6: to a Packers game, Like the environment of these stadiums

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Speaker 6: is different because the culture of each team is different

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Speaker 6: in regards to the Commanders. I think that when you

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Speaker 6: put four billion dollars or three point eight or three

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Speaker 6: billion dollars into a stadium and it's going to put

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Speaker 6: sixty five thousand and it's going to be a state

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Speaker 6: of the art arena, I'm sure the fans when they

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Speaker 6: get there are going to lose their mind, not only

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Speaker 6: because of Jayden Daniels playing, but also because they have

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Speaker 6: a three billion dollar stadium.

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Speaker 2: I'm going to add an addendum to that, and I

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Speaker 2: think there is another reason why. I'm from the old

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Speaker 2: Detroit line X era of the Pontiac Silver Nomen. It'd

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Speaker 2: had about almost eighty ninety thousand seats and a lot

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Speaker 2: of time maybe more than that, and a lot of

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Speaker 2: times it didn't sell out, which means if it didn't

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Speaker 2: sell out, you were not going to get local coverage.

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Speaker 2: The game had to sell out for that to happen.

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Speaker 2: And I'm wondering, you know, if you keep it down

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Speaker 2: the sixty five thousand, you could sell them out easier.

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Speaker 7: I think so too.

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Speaker 6: But I think that when you have Jayden Daniels leading

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Speaker 6: your team based on his rookie season alone, I mean,

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Speaker 6: god willing, he's going to be a superstar quarterback in

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Speaker 6: the league for another ten to fifteen years, but he's

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Speaker 6: going to pack out that stadium regardless of what happens.

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Speaker 6: I don't think they're going to have any trouble. And

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Speaker 6: Josh Harris, I mean, he's been a wonderful owner for

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Speaker 6: d C. So if you if you know, things go awry,

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Speaker 6: in DC and you trust, you have an owner that

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Speaker 6: you trust to build a team all over again. And

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Speaker 6: I mean it's truly remarkable what he's done in you know,

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Speaker 6: seven hundred and thirty days.

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Speaker 4: Well, Randal, youah one last thing for audience. I mean,

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Speaker 4: let's crystallize this. I mean, the project is expected to

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Speaker 4: create get this, two thousand permanent jobs, another fourteen thousand

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Speaker 4: jobs during construction, and over thirty years, direct spending on

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Speaker 4: the project mays to pass fifteen billion dollars for the

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Speaker 4: DC metro area. So I mean that's pretty unbelievable. And look,

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Speaker 4: I mean you're absolutely right. I mean, Josh Harris, I

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Speaker 4: you know a friend of the show, John Fashia, tell

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Speaker 4: I'm gona shout out to him. He's gonna be busy here, right.

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Speaker 4: He used to run real estate for Josh Harrison Hu

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Speaker 4: and Harris Splitzer. So you know, I gotta believe. You know,

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Speaker 4: there's gonna be a lot of contracts, a lot of

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Speaker 4: people involved with this. It's gonna be great for the

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Speaker 4: city DC, right, Randall.

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Speaker 7: Yeah, I think so.

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Speaker 6: I mean the number one thing that the city of

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Speaker 6: DC wants is a super Bowl, of course, So you know,

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Speaker 6: you get a Super Bowl. You get a new stadium

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Speaker 6: and then you host the Super Bowl. Everybody in DC

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Speaker 6: is going to be losing their minds.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and you mentioned about I know we're starting to

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Speaker 2: run short of time, but you mentioned about Washington DC

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Speaker 2: Mayor Muriel Bowser, and she's been pushing for this for

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Speaker 2: you know, a long time, and like you said, you know,

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Speaker 2: it's they could have lost the whole thing to Virginia,

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Speaker 2: but they didn't. And good for them, I mean, because

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Speaker 2: she really stepped up to the plane in this one

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Speaker 2: to give the pun.

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Speaker 7: Yeah she did. I mean, Harris is committing like two point.

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Speaker 6: Seven billion himself, or Harris and the commanders are excuse me,

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Speaker 6: committing two point seven billion. Then you have the city

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Speaker 6: of DC that has one point one billion. That's a

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Speaker 6: lot of money. But if you think about it from

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Speaker 6: the percentages, that's roughly seventy five percent commanders and twenty

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Speaker 6: five percent the people of d C. And that's a

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Speaker 6: good deal for a four billion dollar stadium. A lot

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Speaker 6: if you think about what Chicago is doing and where

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Speaker 6: the chiefs are. And I'm sure there's going to be

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Speaker 6: some other teams that are going to face stadium issues

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Speaker 6: somewhere down the line.

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Speaker 7: This is a great deal.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, the only thing I guess I could think about

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Speaker 4: that might be a negative. But I mean, kudos to Harris.

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Speaker 4: I mean, if there's anyone who cold figure this out,

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Speaker 4: it's him. But you know, all of the Washington, DC

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Speaker 4: based office space right now with the government layoffs after

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Speaker 4: post Doge, you know, I wonder if that all you know,

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Speaker 4: maybe that means now's the time right to capitalize in

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Speaker 4: the fact that real estate's cheap, right, So you know,

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Speaker 4: Harris Man, kudos to the commanders, I mean, and Jade

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Speaker 4: and Daniels. I can't wait to see him running it.

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Speaker 4: And I mean Randall, I mean, correct me if I'm wrong.

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Speaker 4: But wasn't the turf they were playing on, I forget

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Speaker 4: the name of the stadium where they've been playing. Wasn't

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Speaker 4: that like voted the worst to play on by NFL

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Speaker 4: players like over the past three years or something crazy?

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Speaker 6: Yeah, I think it's Northwest Field and Northwest Stadium after

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Speaker 6: it was renamed from FedEx Field, and it's never been popular.

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Speaker 6: I mean, you think about some of the things that

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Speaker 6: have happened there over the past couple of years. Jalen

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Speaker 6: Hurst is walking into the locker room. The guardrail falls.

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Speaker 6: You have the pipe that burst, and the team said

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Speaker 6: it was rainwater. The fans said it was sewage like

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Speaker 6: that stadium is a dump and they won't be there

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Speaker 6: too much longer though.

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Speaker 2: I forgot all about the guardrail falling down.

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Speaker 8: Man.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's oh my get Yeah, you're right man. Thanks

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Speaker 2: to Bloomberg US sports business reporter Randa Williams for joining

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Speaker 2: us up. Next, we turned to the world of pick

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Speaker 2: a ball for Hamian sas Hour. I'm Michael Barr. You're

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Speaker 2: listening to the Bloomberg Business of Sports from Bloomberg Radio

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Speaker 2: around the world.

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Speaker 1: This is Bloomberg Business of Sports from Bloomberg Radio.

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Speaker 3: This is the.

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Speaker 2: Bloomberg Business of Sports, where we explore the big money

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Speaker 2: issues in the world of sports. Michael Barr along with

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Speaker 2: Vanessa Perdomo. Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports,

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Speaker 2: with Major League Pickleball driving around fifty million dollars in

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Speaker 2: revenue in twenty twenty four, not including revenue generated by

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Speaker 2: individual teams. Here to talk to us more about the

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Speaker 2: league and the growth of pickleball, we welcome Major League

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Speaker 2: Pickleball Commissioner Samine Adwani. Samine welcome to the Bloomberg business

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Speaker 2: of sports.

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Speaker 9: Appreciate shit having me, man tell you what.

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Speaker 2: Now, see, here's old man Bar coming through. I know

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Speaker 2: Vanessa's like, oh God, what old sports are you gonna tell? Now.

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Speaker 2: When pickleball first came out, I'm like, oh, that's cute.

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Speaker 2: You know, this is a cute little sport. It's like,

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Speaker 2: I don't know it's going to pick up steam. And

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Speaker 2: then pickleball said, shut up, Bar, because this thing just

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Speaker 2: took off, like to the moon.

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Speaker 4: That's right, that's right.

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Speaker 9: I mean, in some part we've had a lot of

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Speaker 9: success because so many people are playing, and the question

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Speaker 9: was always come on, it's pro pickleball real, like, are

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Speaker 9: people really going to tune into this? And then, like

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Speaker 9: you said, we're sitting in this office and you clearly

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Speaker 9: know about the sport. Vanessa clearly knows about the sport.

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Speaker 9: I'm the commissioner of Major League Pickleball. So it's here,

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Speaker 9: and I think more than anything else, it's come faster

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Speaker 9: than any of us anticipated. And a big part of

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Speaker 9: that has been the fact that we've had influencers and

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Speaker 9: high profile people really lean in and kind of say, hey,

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Speaker 9: we believe in this thing too. I used to work

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Speaker 9: for Kevin Durant. I convinced the guy to buy a

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Speaker 9: pickleball team and we actually had him out playing. He's

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Speaker 9: not you know, he might not love that I'm saying

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Speaker 9: it's not very good, but he got it. He understood

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Speaker 9: the sort of belief that, hey, it can have old

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Speaker 9: people and young people and can compete and have a

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Speaker 9: chance to sort of showcase some of the things that

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Speaker 9: they loved about team sports grown up.

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Speaker 8: I mean, you mentioned KD right, and then it's Lebron

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Speaker 8: and it's Tom Brady. How how does it happen that way?

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Speaker 8: And are all those profiles and all those people the

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Speaker 8: reason why it's been able to grow so fast and

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Speaker 8: sustain itself.

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Speaker 5: I don't know if.

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Speaker 9: It's the driver of it growing. I think the real

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Speaker 9: root of it growing is the amateurs playing and just

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Speaker 9: the fact that you know, post COVID for all interns

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Speaker 9: of purposes. You know, pickble didn't exist before the pandemic,

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Speaker 9: and now it's sort of exploited in this thing.

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Speaker 8: Of gym classes. Okay, I had to play in high school.

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Speaker 9: No, And I think what's interesting and fun for us

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Speaker 9: is the people that are leaning in kind of represent

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Speaker 9: in some ways, the diversity of the demographic that's playing.

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Speaker 7: And so when you.

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Speaker 9: Have Jewel, Lloyd and Katie and Tom Brady and Gary

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Speaker 9: Vaynerchek all kind of believing in a thing, it's sort

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Speaker 9: of representative of what's happening on the court. Where you

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Speaker 9: can go out with your grandparent or the four of us,

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Speaker 9: you'll play and within ten minute and it's like we'd

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Speaker 9: be having a nice competitive match.

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Speaker 4: Well to me, and I'll tell you this. You know,

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Speaker 4: just the fact that my country club up in Gretwich, Connecticut, Tamarack,

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Speaker 4: is converting two of its tennis courts into pickleball. It

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Speaker 4: just tells you everything you need to know. And I'm

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Speaker 4: seeing it everywhere now, you know, riddle me this. You

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Speaker 4: know what needs to take place in order to get

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Speaker 4: real buy and from you know, from the youth, from colleges,

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Speaker 4: from you know, the next generation, so that we can

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Speaker 4: kind of feed in to a professional pickleball in league.

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Speaker 4: What are you doing? What efforts are the Pickleball Association

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Speaker 4: making in order to make that happen.

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Speaker 9: So for us, a big focus has been launching our

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Speaker 9: Junior PPA Tour, and the thought there is look, sometimes

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Speaker 9: the universities and the NCAA they're kind of like last movers,

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Speaker 9: Like you got to show them that there's a bunch

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Speaker 9: of people that want to do this, and then they'll

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Speaker 9: sanction it right and they'll turn it into sort of

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Speaker 9: a Division one sport. And so our focus was, look,

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Speaker 9: we're kind of going faster than anyone anticipated. I mean,

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Speaker 9: you know, in terms of growth and how quickly the

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Speaker 9: sport is is sort of taking up you know, participation

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Speaker 9: at the youth level. And so we said, let's launch

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Speaker 9: the junior tour and if it turns into you know,

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Speaker 9: varsity sports, turns into an NCAA Division one sport, great,

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Speaker 9: that's the outcome that we all want. But we're able

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Speaker 9: to move at a pace that allows for us to

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Speaker 9: be able to kind of own and operate that tournament.

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Speaker 9: And these young kids, it's amazing. They're on their phones

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Speaker 9: following their tour ranking points. Oh I just beat my friend,

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Speaker 9: you know, Riley eleven nine and I just jumped him

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Speaker 9: in the rankings. I mean, it's amazing to see how

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Speaker 9: into it they've become.

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Speaker 2: I'm amazed by how many big name investors and you

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Speaker 2: were touching off on it earlier. Drake's also in it.

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Speaker 2: The other Michael Jordan with a B in it is

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Speaker 2: he's also there. There are a lot of key investors

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Speaker 2: that have picked up in this sport, and I just

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Speaker 2: see it growing and growing. Yo.

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Speaker 9: And the funny part is you go on Drake's Graham,

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Speaker 9: He's posted about him playing pick a ball. He plays,

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Speaker 9: he plays at his place out in the Caribbean, which

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Speaker 9: is unbelievable. And other really big players Jamie Fox, I

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Speaker 9: think I had three courts in his backyard in La

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Speaker 9: hosts high level games. So I think it's one of

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Speaker 9: those things again where like if you were young and

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Speaker 9: competitive and you enjoyed that competitive spirit, this is kind

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Speaker 9: of an outlet for you in a way to do

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Speaker 9: that you know longer into your life.

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Speaker 4: So saman let me ask you this. You know, franchise evaluation.

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Speaker 4: You know, you hear about all these stars, all these

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Speaker 4: you know, you know, big high profile names that are

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Speaker 4: investing in these pickaball teams. But you know, in order

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Speaker 4: to get to profitability, like what you know, how are

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Speaker 4: they thinking about this? Like how do you value a

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Speaker 4: pick a ball team? Like what goes into it? You know,

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Speaker 4: what's the pay? Like talk walk us through that?

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Speaker 9: So the players are earning over thirty million dollars in

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Speaker 9: aggregate to be a pro pickaball player, So the average

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Speaker 9: player makes north of two hundred and fifty thousand, and

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Speaker 9: some people say, well, that's not very good for your

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Speaker 9: p and l okay, sure, but indulgent me for a second.

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Speaker 9: What you're able to do when you allow them to

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Speaker 9: earn that high of a living is they're able to

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Speaker 9: do it full time. And so all of a sudden,

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Speaker 9: our one hundred and fifty professional players are able to

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Speaker 9: host camps and clinics and do appearances and come out

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Speaker 9: to twenty twenty five tournaments years. We're traveling all around

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Speaker 9: the country. So the thesis was if we let these

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Speaker 9: players do it full time, it in turn will benefit

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Speaker 9: the pro game, So your valuations enfranchise point. The unique

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Speaker 9: structure with US is we operate kind of two distinct brands.

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Speaker 9: We have Major League Pickaball, which is the team format,

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Speaker 9: and then we have the PPA Tour, which is the

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Speaker 9: tour format kind of like golf, tennis, et cetera. As

435
00:19:18,119 --> 00:19:21,200
Speaker 9: an investor, you get both, so you get a chance

436
00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:23,919
Speaker 9: to sort of have a part in the upside of

437
00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:26,800
Speaker 9: pro pickleball as a whole. I think we're going to

438
00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:28,879
Speaker 9: learn more and more. Is the tour format that works,

439
00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:30,760
Speaker 9: is the team format that works? Is in both that work,

440
00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:33,439
Speaker 9: and we'll get that one plus one equals three. But

441
00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:36,240
Speaker 9: we're excited about the fact that people are all in

442
00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:39,200
Speaker 9: on pro pickleball as an investor and they then get

443
00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:40,840
Speaker 9: to see and partake and kind of the parts of

444
00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:43,720
Speaker 9: it that they enjoy and like. From a financial perspective,

445
00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:47,679
Speaker 9: I think we've benchmarked this is Look, there's twenty million

446
00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:51,119
Speaker 9: people playing Every other sport that has twenty million plus

447
00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:55,919
Speaker 9: people playing golf, tennis, baseball, soccer, basketball, all have multi

448
00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:58,600
Speaker 9: billion dollar sports properties that sit at the top. So

449
00:19:58,840 --> 00:20:01,520
Speaker 9: I genuinely believe if you were to sort of benchmark

450
00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:04,040
Speaker 9: this off of that theory and say, hey, how do

451
00:20:04,080 --> 00:20:07,800
Speaker 9: I just turn doers into viewers, I think pick a

452
00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:10,600
Speaker 9: ball could see itself as having a ceiling as high

453
00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:10,879
Speaker 9: as that.

454
00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:13,800
Speaker 8: Really interesting, And I want to talk about the MLP

455
00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:16,440
Speaker 8: and the PBA. You just touched on it. It's the

456
00:20:16,480 --> 00:20:18,320
Speaker 8: first year that they're coming to that you guys have

457
00:20:18,359 --> 00:20:21,320
Speaker 8: come together and we'll have the whole season together. Tell

458
00:20:21,359 --> 00:20:23,280
Speaker 8: us how it's going to be different than it was before.

459
00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:26,320
Speaker 9: Yeah, So you know, the thought last year was let's

460
00:20:26,320 --> 00:20:28,240
Speaker 9: just stand this thing up and get it going, because

461
00:20:28,280 --> 00:20:29,800
Speaker 9: there was a merger at the beginning of the year,

462
00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:31,639
Speaker 9: the tours were kind of fighting and there was a

463
00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:34,600
Speaker 9: tour wars and we kind of came together literally a

464
00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:38,480
Speaker 9: year ago today actually, and so the thought was, look,

465
00:20:38,640 --> 00:20:42,040
Speaker 9: there's some shared efficiencies in operating two tours. Let's put

466
00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:44,200
Speaker 9: them next to each other. Let's run the PPA one

467
00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:46,199
Speaker 9: week and then sort of MLP the week after in

468
00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:49,160
Speaker 9: the same market. Turns out it was hard to squeeze

469
00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:51,719
Speaker 9: that much juice, let's say, out of one city. There

470
00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:54,520
Speaker 9: wasn't that much demand for it. So going into this year,

471
00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:57,359
Speaker 9: we said, let's bifurcate the seasons. Let's put the tour

472
00:20:57,600 --> 00:21:01,240
Speaker 9: and have it run fall spring, you know, August to April,

473
00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:03,920
Speaker 9: and then let's have MLP owned the summer because, as

474
00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:06,360
Speaker 9: many people know in sports or follow it closely, there's

475
00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:08,680
Speaker 9: not a ton of competition in the summer for team sports.

476
00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:12,600
Speaker 9: So MLP running April to August actually starts tomorrow. So

477
00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:15,520
Speaker 9: a little shout out, little plug MLP Orlando kicks off then,

478
00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:18,040
Speaker 9: and it's exciting for us because we then get to

479
00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:20,520
Speaker 9: build those storylines, build sort of that momentum and it

480
00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:23,399
Speaker 9: culminates in the finals in New York City in Central Park.

481
00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:26,560
Speaker 9: And so we hope that that condensed season will kind

482
00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:29,119
Speaker 9: of lend itself to a better viewership product. You can

483
00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:31,399
Speaker 9: actually stay tuned versus that EBB and flow that we

484
00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:32,040
Speaker 9: had last year.

485
00:21:32,359 --> 00:21:35,480
Speaker 2: See, and now I'm going to mess with Vanessa's head.

486
00:21:35,640 --> 00:21:39,240
Speaker 2: So this is I want to bring this conversation up.

487
00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:45,119
Speaker 2: Could you see Vanessa as could she played just big

488
00:21:45,160 --> 00:21:48,880
Speaker 2: time soccer when she was at Duquane. Well, now she's

489
00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:49,680
Speaker 2: got a busted wheel.

490
00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:51,439
Speaker 8: Yeah, now I have a broken flood. But let's take

491
00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:52,199
Speaker 8: that out of the equation.

492
00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:58,920
Speaker 2: Yeah, could Vanessa, could you see yourself playing pro pickleball?

493
00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:01,119
Speaker 2: Because you're talking to about a quarter of a million

494
00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:02,720
Speaker 2: dollars a year, right.

495
00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:04,720
Speaker 8: I mean I'll try anything for a quarter a million

496
00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:07,040
Speaker 8: dollars a year. No, I mean I think it's interesting

497
00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:09,239
Speaker 8: because I actually, you know, we've done a story on

498
00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:11,440
Speaker 8: this with our show Next in Sports, and I got

499
00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:13,119
Speaker 8: to play with Annelie Waters, who is the number one

500
00:22:13,119 --> 00:22:17,560
Speaker 8: player sixteen year old you know at the time, sixteen

501
00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:20,960
Speaker 8: She I mean kicked my butt, So we don't need

502
00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:23,879
Speaker 8: another explicit there, she kicked my butt. But it was

503
00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:27,520
Speaker 8: really interesting, you know, seeing someone her age decide to

504
00:22:27,520 --> 00:22:30,120
Speaker 8: play pickleball instead of tennis, and I think that that's

505
00:22:30,119 --> 00:22:32,440
Speaker 8: what we need to start seeing more. Right, it's the

506
00:22:32,520 --> 00:22:35,119
Speaker 8: junior players, like you were saying before, they need to

507
00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:37,760
Speaker 8: pick up pickleball instead of tennis because it is a

508
00:22:37,760 --> 00:22:41,320
Speaker 8: different sport. And you know, I think once that is

509
00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:44,800
Speaker 8: they see the way. But she she's leading the way already,

510
00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:48,760
Speaker 8: and she's making really good money. So I personally probably

511
00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:51,360
Speaker 8: couldn't do it now, but maybe a couple of years ago,

512
00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:54,560
Speaker 8: if I started before my thirties, I probably could.

513
00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:55,040
Speaker 2: Well.

514
00:22:55,600 --> 00:22:57,120
Speaker 4: I mean, let me let me ask you this, Anna

515
00:22:57,160 --> 00:22:58,800
Speaker 4: Lee Waters. It's a rumored she made somewhere on the

516
00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:01,040
Speaker 4: order of three million dollars last right, and now she's

517
00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:05,320
Speaker 4: taken smartly andre Agasiezra Dupples partner, right, And so talk

518
00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:07,840
Speaker 4: to us about more of that, about the integration of

519
00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:11,240
Speaker 4: tennis and pickleball and how that can kind of fuel

520
00:23:11,560 --> 00:23:13,600
Speaker 4: you know, all of this interest going forward.

521
00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:15,720
Speaker 9: Yeah, I think today it's been a little bit of

522
00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:18,600
Speaker 9: like a mini rivalry. Right, Tennis people are like, I

523
00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:20,600
Speaker 9: don't know about pickleball. Pickaball people are like, let us

524
00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:24,000
Speaker 9: play on your courts exactly. And I actually think long

525
00:23:24,119 --> 00:23:27,040
Speaker 9: term that's like a really naive view to take, because

526
00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:29,600
Speaker 9: it could be super synergistic. Like just think no farther

527
00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:31,760
Speaker 9: than where we are today. Right the US Open facility

528
00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:34,560
Speaker 9: is effectively empty forty nine weeks out of the year.

529
00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:38,040
Speaker 9: The idea that we could bring pickleball to that event,

530
00:23:38,320 --> 00:23:41,480
Speaker 9: excuse me, that venue and sort of participate in everything

531
00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:43,439
Speaker 9: that's amazing that they've built with the stadiums and the

532
00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:46,080
Speaker 9: facilities and all of that great stuff. I do think

533
00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:48,240
Speaker 9: there's a long term opportunity for us to be synergistic.

534
00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:50,879
Speaker 9: And even tomorrow when our season kicks off in Orlando,

535
00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:54,160
Speaker 9: we're at the USTA National Center in Orlando. We've they've

536
00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:57,399
Speaker 9: built eight to ten permanent pickleball courts, and so I

537
00:23:57,440 --> 00:23:59,840
Speaker 9: do believe that we need to get better at sort

538
00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:03,680
Speaker 9: of being more synergistic versus having this sort of pseudo rivalry.

539
00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:07,960
Speaker 9: To your point about this, tennis stars Jeanie Bouchard, Jack Sock,

540
00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:11,000
Speaker 9: Donald young Andre Agassi have all kind of come over

541
00:24:11,119 --> 00:24:13,639
Speaker 9: to pickleball and are playing full time, and someone like

542
00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:16,920
Speaker 9: Andre it's sort of extending his competitive career, which is great,

543
00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:19,359
Speaker 9: and him getting to pair with Annlie Waters. I think

544
00:24:19,359 --> 00:24:21,920
Speaker 9: they're just doing it for this one tournament because I'm

545
00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:24,080
Speaker 9: sure Analie couldn't probably drag him to the gold, you know,

546
00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:26,480
Speaker 9: like she can and some other tournaments, But for this

547
00:24:26,520 --> 00:24:27,760
Speaker 9: one it should be really exciting.

548
00:24:27,960 --> 00:24:30,240
Speaker 2: Now, one thing about pickleball that I like, if you

549
00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:33,440
Speaker 2: want to buy a team, you want to try to

550
00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:36,080
Speaker 2: buy an NFL team, good luck because unless you have

551
00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:39,720
Speaker 2: a Damien Sasaur money getting on a half, but you

552
00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:43,240
Speaker 2: could buy a team for about ten million dollars, which

553
00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:44,240
Speaker 2: is very reasonable.

554
00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:46,720
Speaker 9: Yeah, and I do think that's been a big reason

555
00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:51,040
Speaker 9: why we've seen some investors really kind of lean in because,

556
00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:53,200
Speaker 9: like you said, it's what the Celtics hold for six

557
00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:55,879
Speaker 9: point one billion dollars. I mean, how many people have

558
00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:58,320
Speaker 9: six point one you know, ready to dish out for

559
00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:02,640
Speaker 9: a sports franchise. So if you go downstream now you're

560
00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:06,800
Speaker 9: talking about NWSL, WNBA, Major League pickaball and the asset

561
00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:08,879
Speaker 9: allocation and the dollars that you have to put towards,

562
00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:11,399
Speaker 9: it is a bit more reasonable. And oh, by the way,

563
00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:13,719
Speaker 9: the asset class of sports, as you guys know well,

564
00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:16,760
Speaker 9: is super hot. I think the other part for us

565
00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:19,440
Speaker 9: that's been attractive for investors like Drake and Michael George.

566
00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:20,159
Speaker 4: It's asset light.

567
00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:22,919
Speaker 9: You don't need to do a ton We take on

568
00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:25,679
Speaker 9: a lot of the operating. We sign the players, so

569
00:25:25,720 --> 00:25:27,000
Speaker 9: you get to do the fun stuff. You get to

570
00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:29,040
Speaker 9: be GM coach. Oh, hey I want to pick up

571
00:25:29,040 --> 00:25:30,919
Speaker 9: this player. Oh I'm going to go for Annaalie Waters

572
00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:33,320
Speaker 9: in the draft. And you get to kind of be

573
00:25:33,359 --> 00:25:35,640
Speaker 9: the hype person and sell sponsorship and market the team

574
00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:37,480
Speaker 9: that you want. And I do think that's kind of

575
00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:39,359
Speaker 9: made it a little bit of a nicer on ramp

576
00:25:39,359 --> 00:25:40,959
Speaker 9: for those that are kind of coming into sports.

577
00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:45,640
Speaker 2: Thanks to Samine Adwani, Commissioner of Major League Pickleball Up. Next,

578
00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:48,680
Speaker 2: we turn to the WNBA and speak with Las Vegas

579
00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:53,080
Speaker 2: ass guard Jewel Lloyd about her business venture, Lloyd and Company.

580
00:25:53,359 --> 00:25:56,320
Speaker 2: For Vanessa Bernomo. I'm Michael Bard. You're listening too the

581
00:25:56,359 --> 00:25:59,919
Speaker 2: Bloomberg Business of Sports from Bloomberg Radio around the world.

582
00:26:04,160 --> 00:26:08,159
Speaker 1: This is Bloomberg Business of Sports from Bloomberg Radio.

583
00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:11,959
Speaker 2: Thanks for joining us on the Bloomberg Business of Sports,

584
00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:14,200
Speaker 2: where we explore the big money issues in the world

585
00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:17,720
Speaker 2: of sports. Michael barr And, along with Damian Sassauer and

586
00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:22,639
Speaker 2: Vanessa Perdumo. Jewel Lloyd has plenty of success on the

587
00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:27,480
Speaker 2: basketball court as a two time WNBA Champion winning guard

588
00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:31,199
Speaker 2: for the Las Vegas Aces. She also co founded a

589
00:26:31,520 --> 00:26:36,360
Speaker 2: conviction based financial firm, Lloyd and Company, and she's here

590
00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:38,679
Speaker 2: now to talk to us about the venture and her

591
00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:42,359
Speaker 2: career in business. Jeel Lloyd, Welcome to the Bloomberg Business

592
00:26:42,359 --> 00:26:46,040
Speaker 2: of Sports. Co founder of Lloyd and Company. And you

593
00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:49,560
Speaker 2: have something that I really think is very cool and

594
00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:54,760
Speaker 2: it's what you started a business, and it's I wonder

595
00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:59,080
Speaker 2: why it took so long. It's called help with mid Loan.

596
00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:01,119
Speaker 2: Can you explain what that's all about.

597
00:27:01,480 --> 00:27:04,960
Speaker 3: Yeah, honestly, the whole idea and the concept really came

598
00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:07,440
Speaker 3: about when I was actually trying to get a loan

599
00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:10,040
Speaker 3: part for myself to buy a home and I realized

600
00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:13,119
Speaker 3: how hard and the struggle I was to really do

601
00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:15,000
Speaker 3: that and the concept of just.

602
00:27:14,920 --> 00:27:17,600
Speaker 5: Knowing you know that I you know who I was,

603
00:27:17,760 --> 00:27:21,440
Speaker 5: and you're having it just a difficult time. People looked

604
00:27:21,480 --> 00:27:23,080
Speaker 5: at me and said, like, are you old enough to

605
00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:23,480
Speaker 5: buy home?

606
00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:24,920
Speaker 1: Like one to buy home?

607
00:27:24,960 --> 00:27:26,600
Speaker 5: And you know, like do you want to buy home

608
00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:27,240
Speaker 5: in the suburbs?

609
00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:28,840
Speaker 3: Like what if you do like what do you do?

610
00:27:28,880 --> 00:27:30,520
Speaker 3: What do your parents do? And all the questions. I

611
00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:32,800
Speaker 3: was like, why is it this hard? I don't understand,

612
00:27:32,840 --> 00:27:34,879
Speaker 3: Like I have the money I have, you know, I

613
00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:36,399
Speaker 3: want to buy my first home, Like why are you

614
00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:39,520
Speaker 3: making this so difficult? And so after going through that process,

615
00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:41,600
Speaker 3: I called my brother, I'm like this, there has to

616
00:27:41,600 --> 00:27:43,760
Speaker 3: be a better way for people, not just me, but

617
00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:45,960
Speaker 3: for a lot of people to find ways to live

618
00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:49,080
Speaker 3: their dreams, get their dreams, start their dreams. There has

619
00:27:49,119 --> 00:27:51,960
Speaker 3: to be so kind of looking to that concept and

620
00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:55,960
Speaker 3: understanding that we were able to acquire help with my loans.

621
00:27:56,200 --> 00:27:59,480
Speaker 3: And basically it's a it's a fintech platform. Just to

622
00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:02,320
Speaker 3: mix it really easy small business to access capital and

623
00:28:02,400 --> 00:28:07,080
Speaker 3: on a scale. So by doing that, you've already seen

624
00:28:07,359 --> 00:28:12,640
Speaker 3: the change of understanding how to acquire you know, ownership.

625
00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:14,560
Speaker 5: But also I think the best thing about it is

626
00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:15,720
Speaker 5: that you're never going to hear no.

627
00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:19,000
Speaker 3: And that's something that I love to hear because so

628
00:28:19,040 --> 00:28:21,000
Speaker 3: many times you go people go in to try to

629
00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:23,840
Speaker 3: start you know, reality, and it really hits that you're.

630
00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:24,880
Speaker 5: Not going to be able to get that loan.

631
00:28:25,119 --> 00:28:27,840
Speaker 3: Sometimes you can and get meetings to actually even acquire

632
00:28:29,280 --> 00:28:32,480
Speaker 3: the understanding of what that is and so having helped

633
00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:34,600
Speaker 3: my loans has really changed a lot.

634
00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:37,520
Speaker 5: And the fact that we're able to bring it to Chicago.

635
00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:40,040
Speaker 3: And have people work and give opportunities to, you know,

636
00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:42,800
Speaker 3: people who can't find jobs or want to get into

637
00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:46,160
Speaker 3: the fintech world, it's been a really great and amazing opportunity.

638
00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:49,200
Speaker 8: Dull I love that story because obviously that has that

639
00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:52,000
Speaker 8: personal aspect to you know, you have that personal connection

640
00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:54,720
Speaker 8: to it. And that's the whole idea right behind starting

641
00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:58,520
Speaker 8: a family office, right because you you have the financial

642
00:28:58,560 --> 00:29:00,520
Speaker 8: side of it, but you really have your own personal

643
00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:02,880
Speaker 8: ethos that you're able to put into it. It's not

644
00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:05,479
Speaker 8: just about making money, it's about what you want it

645
00:29:05,520 --> 00:29:08,320
Speaker 8: to be. So tell us more about the ethos and

646
00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:10,040
Speaker 8: the mission behind Lloyd and Company.

647
00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:12,200
Speaker 5: Yeah, Lord and Company.

648
00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:14,680
Speaker 3: My brother and I started it together, and really it's

649
00:29:14,680 --> 00:29:18,240
Speaker 3: not about money. It's really about the impact, healing and ownership.

650
00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:21,480
Speaker 3: I think our mission is to really help families, founders, communities,

651
00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:25,200
Speaker 3: build generational power and the lining of a capital and purpose.

652
00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:27,600
Speaker 3: And so that's kind of been our mission and that's

653
00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:29,240
Speaker 3: really what it's all about, and that's how we are raised,

654
00:29:29,240 --> 00:29:31,680
Speaker 3: that's how we go about our thing. And I think

655
00:29:31,800 --> 00:29:35,080
Speaker 3: when you don't make it about the actual tangible money aspect,

656
00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:38,160
Speaker 3: you actually make it about impact or really actually change

657
00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:40,360
Speaker 3: your mindset, because now you're affecting the hearts and minds

658
00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:42,360
Speaker 3: of people, not just the financial statement.

659
00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:44,440
Speaker 4: And I said, did you know Jewel is a pro

660
00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:45,280
Speaker 4: pickaball player?

661
00:29:45,360 --> 00:29:45,840
Speaker 7: Did you know that?

662
00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:48,360
Speaker 4: And by the way, she's also an investor in the

663
00:29:48,360 --> 00:29:50,680
Speaker 4: Miami pick a Ball Club. And you know, maybe jew

664
00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:52,800
Speaker 4: I can ask you this, why do pick a ball

665
00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:56,040
Speaker 4: players get paid more than WNBA athletes? I mean, talk

666
00:29:56,040 --> 00:29:58,440
Speaker 4: to us a little bit about what is going wrong

667
00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:00,480
Speaker 4: in the WNBA right now and how we're going to

668
00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:00,880
Speaker 4: change that.

669
00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:02,920
Speaker 5: You know, I kind of have a different mindset of

670
00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:05,840
Speaker 5: that and that question. And I love pickaball. Yes, being

671
00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:07,280
Speaker 5: an owner, being a part of.

672
00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:10,040
Speaker 3: The ownership group in Miami Pickaball League has been an amazing,

673
00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:11,760
Speaker 3: fantastic I love the sport.

674
00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:13,360
Speaker 5: I think it's super dynamic.

675
00:30:13,760 --> 00:30:16,280
Speaker 3: I think it's just a cooler way to just meet people,

676
00:30:16,320 --> 00:30:19,040
Speaker 3: but also it's very inclusive, and I think that's been

677
00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:22,120
Speaker 3: the biggest shift is Obviously COVID helped a lot too, right,

678
00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:25,120
Speaker 3: I really boomed after that, But I think that's a

679
00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:26,720
Speaker 3: bit a big shift, and yes, the money is a

680
00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:29,000
Speaker 3: little different, but I also think it's just different opportunities

681
00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:31,800
Speaker 3: as well. You know, you can play all year round,

682
00:30:31,840 --> 00:30:35,040
Speaker 3: it's now it's international, So I think that just had

683
00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:37,400
Speaker 3: a lot of more eyes on it. But compared Toba,

684
00:30:37,440 --> 00:30:40,120
Speaker 3: like we're reever supposed to be. The shift is happening

685
00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:42,920
Speaker 3: and the league's getting better, the marketing is coming around,

686
00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:44,640
Speaker 3: and so it's just opportunities.

687
00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:46,400
Speaker 5: You know. I don't see one better than the other, honestly,

688
00:30:46,480 --> 00:30:47,240
Speaker 5: I mean I play both.

689
00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:49,960
Speaker 3: I love both sports, I love both communities, both organizations,

690
00:30:49,960 --> 00:30:52,920
Speaker 3: the business expects of both, and both companies are honestly

691
00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:55,560
Speaker 3: in the ghost stage. So it's cool to see different

692
00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:58,720
Speaker 3: trajectories on both because as a business person you want

693
00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:00,960
Speaker 3: to see that, like what's the shift, what's the wave, like,

694
00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:01,640
Speaker 3: what's going on?

695
00:31:01,680 --> 00:31:03,240
Speaker 5: And that's kind of look at both leagues.

696
00:31:03,400 --> 00:31:05,240
Speaker 4: Well, Joe, let me ask you this, then, what's the

697
00:31:05,240 --> 00:31:07,480
Speaker 4: pickleball competition like in Las Vegas? I mean you just

698
00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:09,560
Speaker 4: moved from Seattle. I mean, talk to us a little

699
00:31:09,560 --> 00:31:11,600
Speaker 4: bit about what we have in store for the Las

700
00:31:11,720 --> 00:31:13,520
Speaker 4: Vegas Aces this year.

701
00:31:13,920 --> 00:31:16,000
Speaker 5: Yeah, No, I'm super excited to be here in Vegas.

702
00:31:16,600 --> 00:31:18,680
Speaker 3: I haven't spent that much time actually in Vegas besides

703
00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:21,080
Speaker 3: it playing here as a visitor. So now being said

704
00:31:21,280 --> 00:31:24,040
Speaker 3: and having a home base here, it has been really awesome.

705
00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:28,160
Speaker 3: And you know, I have a pickball place Chicken and

706
00:31:28,160 --> 00:31:30,800
Speaker 3: Pickle not too far from my stay, so I always

707
00:31:30,880 --> 00:31:32,760
Speaker 3: ride by, like scoping out of the competition, like who's

708
00:31:32,760 --> 00:31:34,280
Speaker 3: over there today? Like, you know, I'm kind of always

709
00:31:34,280 --> 00:31:36,640
Speaker 3: curious about that. But no, I think all in all,

710
00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:40,840
Speaker 3: it's a fresh new start for me in my career. Yeah, yeah,

711
00:31:41,120 --> 00:31:43,320
Speaker 3: off and on the court. So I'm super excited. I'm

712
00:31:43,360 --> 00:31:44,680
Speaker 3: ready to really embrace this community.

713
00:31:45,280 --> 00:31:48,280
Speaker 2: I want to talk about a disability that you are

714
00:31:48,520 --> 00:31:51,520
Speaker 2: helping to bring attention to. And I had no idea

715
00:31:51,640 --> 00:31:54,880
Speaker 2: until I was reading this that you had this, that

716
00:31:54,960 --> 00:31:59,240
Speaker 2: you have dyslexia and you are working hard to improve

717
00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:03,440
Speaker 2: lives children who have learning disabilities like that. Tell us

718
00:32:03,440 --> 00:32:06,600
Speaker 2: about that, about the dyslexic advantage and eye.

719
00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:09,440
Speaker 3: To eye, Yeah, you know, it's I guess growing up,

720
00:32:09,440 --> 00:32:11,880
Speaker 3: you don't really we didn't really talk about it. Having

721
00:32:11,880 --> 00:32:14,480
Speaker 3: a learned disability was kind of like a quote unquote

722
00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:15,160
Speaker 3: bad thing, right.

723
00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:17,360
Speaker 5: It was like a stigma, and we didn't really know

724
00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:18,880
Speaker 5: what it was then talk about it.

725
00:32:18,920 --> 00:32:21,719
Speaker 3: Definitely not in sports, it wasn't really brought up, and uh,

726
00:32:21,920 --> 00:32:22,480
Speaker 3: you know, for me.

727
00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:26,000
Speaker 5: Not having someone who necessarily looked like.

728
00:32:25,960 --> 00:32:28,520
Speaker 3: Me or had the same struggles I had, it was

729
00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:30,960
Speaker 3: just like this, I felt like I was the only one.

730
00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:32,120
Speaker 3: I felt like, oh my gosh.

731
00:32:32,200 --> 00:32:32,360
Speaker 9: Right.

732
00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:34,400
Speaker 3: And so as you kind of go through your journey,

733
00:32:34,440 --> 00:32:36,479
Speaker 3: you realize that the more you share your story, the

734
00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:39,280
Speaker 3: more it actually helps you heal it and then also

735
00:32:39,400 --> 00:32:40,560
Speaker 3: impact people around it.

736
00:32:40,600 --> 00:32:43,200
Speaker 5: And so it's been fascinating to find, you know.

737
00:32:43,120 --> 00:32:45,560
Speaker 3: Working with eye to eye and bringing more awareness to it,

738
00:32:45,600 --> 00:32:49,000
Speaker 3: but finding other ways to learn understanding that you're everyone

739
00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:51,320
Speaker 3: is one on one and that one's special and having

740
00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:54,040
Speaker 3: you know, a disability doesn't stop you from being who

741
00:32:54,040 --> 00:32:56,720
Speaker 3: you are, being a human. I think that's really important definitely,

742
00:32:56,720 --> 00:32:59,200
Speaker 3: because as an athlete, people sometimes only see you as

743
00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:03,480
Speaker 3: an athlete. They beget messure human that you had daily struggles, issues, concerns,

744
00:33:03,520 --> 00:33:06,360
Speaker 3: feeling all those things. And so this kind of allowed

745
00:33:06,360 --> 00:33:08,440
Speaker 3: me to find another way to be vulnerable with my

746
00:33:08,520 --> 00:33:12,120
Speaker 3: fans and find different communities to really embrace me and

747
00:33:12,160 --> 00:33:13,120
Speaker 3: my story and my journey.

748
00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:14,160
Speaker 5: That's great.

749
00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:16,440
Speaker 8: I mean, clearly you're doing a lot there in that space,

750
00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:19,800
Speaker 8: and again what you're doing with with your family office

751
00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:23,400
Speaker 8: as well, really balancing the personal and and you know,

752
00:33:23,480 --> 00:33:25,640
Speaker 8: your career as well. I have to talk we had.

753
00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:27,600
Speaker 8: We talked about pickball, We talked a little about the

754
00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:29,400
Speaker 8: W We're going to get to it a little bit more.

755
00:33:29,440 --> 00:33:32,680
Speaker 8: But speaking of other leagues, we had to talk about Unrivaled.

756
00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:36,120
Speaker 8: It just wrapped up the you know, the inaugural season

757
00:33:37,080 --> 00:33:39,280
Speaker 8: you played in. It is one of the first, you know,

758
00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:42,880
Speaker 8: times we're really seeing a league like this off season

759
00:33:43,040 --> 00:33:47,760
Speaker 8: in the US. You've played overseas in Turkey, Spain, and China.

760
00:33:48,080 --> 00:33:50,640
Speaker 8: Tell us about playing off season in the US and

761
00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:52,440
Speaker 8: just the experience that unrival was.

762
00:33:53,560 --> 00:33:55,680
Speaker 5: No, it's it's definitely a great experience.

763
00:33:55,800 --> 00:33:58,719
Speaker 3: You know, obviously being stateside helps a lot, just from family,

764
00:33:58,840 --> 00:34:01,240
Speaker 3: your lifestyle. It's you know, you're familiar with it, and

765
00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:03,400
Speaker 3: I think that makes it a lot more comfortable. And

766
00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:05,640
Speaker 3: I think that was really cool about arrivals that you

767
00:34:05,720 --> 00:34:08,160
Speaker 3: actually were being able to be an owner.

768
00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:09,680
Speaker 5: I'm really big on that.

769
00:34:09,800 --> 00:34:11,840
Speaker 3: Obviously, that's why we heard talking about business and sports,

770
00:34:11,920 --> 00:34:14,400
Speaker 3: right but I love that aspect because I love ownership

771
00:34:14,440 --> 00:34:17,080
Speaker 3: and understand how that works and understand the other side

772
00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:19,600
Speaker 3: of how to really grow something from the ground up,

773
00:34:19,600 --> 00:34:21,880
Speaker 3: and so we have that mindset on top of playing

774
00:34:21,880 --> 00:34:24,400
Speaker 3: with some of the great players in the world. I

775
00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:27,919
Speaker 3: brought a different atmosphere, different fan group. It's a little

776
00:34:27,920 --> 00:34:30,560
Speaker 3: bit different obviually playing around three full court, but it

777
00:34:30,680 --> 00:34:33,840
Speaker 3: was fun and obviously everyone gotten through the season healthy

778
00:34:34,320 --> 00:34:36,520
Speaker 3: and it was really cool. So it's really you know,

779
00:34:36,560 --> 00:34:38,680
Speaker 3: I think it's dynamic, and it definitely sparked a lot

780
00:34:38,719 --> 00:34:42,120
Speaker 3: of conversation around the women's sports jull.

781
00:34:42,160 --> 00:34:43,680
Speaker 4: I know you hate hearing about it by now, but

782
00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:46,640
Speaker 4: Caitlin Clark, Paige Becker is the new crop of talent

783
00:34:46,880 --> 00:34:49,600
Speaker 4: that's coming into the w n B A leave save

784
00:34:49,680 --> 00:34:52,840
Speaker 4: nothing for the Lloyd Stewart Bird Championship Corps that you know,

785
00:34:53,320 --> 00:34:55,560
Speaker 4: rounded Seattle for all those years. But you know, talk

786
00:34:55,560 --> 00:34:57,400
Speaker 4: to us a little bit about, you know, the transition,

787
00:34:57,480 --> 00:35:00,080
Speaker 4: about the evolution of this new generation of talent, and

788
00:35:00,280 --> 00:35:02,239
Speaker 4: you know, what are your thoughts as we kind of enter,

789
00:35:02,320 --> 00:35:05,040
Speaker 4: you know, into the sort of year two or whatever

790
00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:07,120
Speaker 4: we're in now of Caitlyn Clark and and and and

791
00:35:07,160 --> 00:35:08,640
Speaker 4: what can what can fans expect here?

792
00:35:08,880 --> 00:35:11,080
Speaker 3: No, I mean, this new generation of basketball players it's

793
00:35:11,120 --> 00:35:13,480
Speaker 3: it's it's awesome, it really is. If you're a cran

794
00:35:13,560 --> 00:35:17,680
Speaker 3: of basketball any capacity, you love this. This is what

795
00:35:17,719 --> 00:35:19,399
Speaker 3: you want to see. It's just the growth of the game,

796
00:35:20,239 --> 00:35:24,000
Speaker 3: the growth of players, confidence, movement, the strategy of coaching,

797
00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:26,759
Speaker 3: the schemes, all those things. It's just remarkable and that's

798
00:35:26,760 --> 00:35:29,279
Speaker 3: what we want. And so I love basketball. I love

799
00:35:29,320 --> 00:35:32,320
Speaker 3: watching Even my nephew, who you know, is like eleven,

800
00:35:32,360 --> 00:35:34,440
Speaker 3: I go and watch these games. I'm like blown away, right,

801
00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:37,640
Speaker 3: So it's like, all the totality of basketball is really good.

802
00:35:37,719 --> 00:35:43,520
Speaker 3: And so to have anything that's this new, fresh, new drama,

803
00:35:43,600 --> 00:35:47,360
Speaker 3: new storylines, that's what that's what really pushes sports and

804
00:35:47,360 --> 00:35:48,080
Speaker 3: that's what people want.

805
00:35:48,080 --> 00:35:49,600
Speaker 5: It's so it's been really great to just see that.

806
00:35:49,719 --> 00:35:51,879
Speaker 3: And you know, I'm really excited for the women's game

807
00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:53,799
Speaker 3: and even college you know, I think it starts there too.

808
00:35:53,880 --> 00:35:55,879
Speaker 3: Is it's been a shift in women's sports there too,

809
00:35:55,880 --> 00:35:57,799
Speaker 3: and so many great athletes are put in the work

810
00:35:57,800 --> 00:35:59,120
Speaker 3: and time to just work on their craft.

811
00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:03,439
Speaker 2: And you are also the franchise owner of a smoothie King,

812
00:36:03,560 --> 00:36:08,920
Speaker 2: which we all know manufacturer's time. What is it like

813
00:36:09,040 --> 00:36:13,200
Speaker 2: when you are a franchise owner trying to make it

814
00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:14,360
Speaker 2: in today's world.

815
00:36:14,920 --> 00:36:18,920
Speaker 5: You know, for me, it's really about the people. I

816
00:36:18,960 --> 00:36:19,880
Speaker 5: really value the people.

817
00:36:20,040 --> 00:36:23,160
Speaker 3: So going to Smoothy King and seeing my staff and

818
00:36:23,400 --> 00:36:24,840
Speaker 3: all those things, I'm like, this is awesome.

819
00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:26,560
Speaker 5: You know, I love smoothie So it kind of worked

820
00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:28,680
Speaker 5: out too. It's a healthy lifestyle.

821
00:36:30,560 --> 00:36:33,320
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, I understand the business, understand the smoothie,

822
00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:35,759
Speaker 3: I understand location, and I'm like, why not, right, And

823
00:36:35,800 --> 00:36:38,080
Speaker 3: so having that mindset has been great and it's something

824
00:36:38,120 --> 00:36:40,160
Speaker 3: I really enjoy, and it's really for the community.

825
00:36:40,160 --> 00:36:42,040
Speaker 5: I really got involved because it was right where I

826
00:36:42,080 --> 00:36:42,480
Speaker 5: grew up.

827
00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:46,440
Speaker 3: It's really local, and I'm able to work with the school,

828
00:36:46,760 --> 00:36:48,880
Speaker 3: Bridges School, which is probably ten mes away from the

829
00:36:48,920 --> 00:36:51,799
Speaker 3: Smoothy King, so kids with and people with the learning

830
00:36:51,840 --> 00:36:54,279
Speaker 3: disabilities and they come and work at the Smoothie King.

831
00:36:54,360 --> 00:36:56,440
Speaker 5: So it's just so like heartwarming and.

832
00:36:56,480 --> 00:36:58,680
Speaker 3: Awesome that I'm able to give back and also provide

833
00:36:58,680 --> 00:37:01,520
Speaker 3: the service and business to the community. So I love

834
00:37:01,600 --> 00:37:03,759
Speaker 3: I love the whole aspect. And that's actually why I

835
00:37:03,800 --> 00:37:05,840
Speaker 3: also bought a farm the same reason. Like it's just

836
00:37:05,920 --> 00:37:09,279
Speaker 3: like I just love having that two combination combo of

837
00:37:09,640 --> 00:37:12,279
Speaker 3: learning the business, help the community, giving back, and then

838
00:37:12,320 --> 00:37:14,080
Speaker 3: actually like trying to leave a LEXI behind it.

839
00:37:14,600 --> 00:37:17,800
Speaker 2: See here's your here's your logo. I got it for you. Vanessa.

840
00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:22,960
Speaker 2: If like me, you want to ring, just come on

841
00:37:23,120 --> 00:37:24,600
Speaker 2: down the Smoothie King.

842
00:37:24,719 --> 00:37:29,560
Speaker 5: Who Michael, I like the Just.

843
00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:31,600
Speaker 2: Call me Darren Stevens. That's all right, that is good.

844
00:37:32,680 --> 00:37:33,080
Speaker 8: No, I like.

845
00:37:33,160 --> 00:37:33,560
Speaker 4: I like that.

846
00:37:34,320 --> 00:37:37,840
Speaker 3: We've done our shirt selling some proceeds for it.

847
00:37:39,040 --> 00:37:42,120
Speaker 2: Jewe Lloyd, co founder of Lloyd and Company. And oh yeah,

848
00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:45,120
Speaker 2: she's a two time w NBA champion and and oh yeah,

849
00:37:45,280 --> 00:37:48,680
Speaker 2: she has won three times the All w n B

850
00:37:48,800 --> 00:37:53,000
Speaker 2: A and six time All Star and also twenty fifteen

851
00:37:53,120 --> 00:37:53,920
Speaker 2: Rookie of the.

852
00:37:53,920 --> 00:37:56,120
Speaker 8: Year gold medalist.

853
00:37:56,719 --> 00:37:59,439
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know she knows.

854
00:38:02,080 --> 00:38:05,279
Speaker 5: Thank you so muchting there. No, I appreciate you guys. Now,

855
00:38:05,320 --> 00:38:06,120
Speaker 5: this has been a blast.

856
00:38:06,200 --> 00:38:08,880
Speaker 3: I really do appreciate the time. And you know, we'll

857
00:38:08,960 --> 00:38:10,720
Speaker 3: check in a couple of six months to see the updates.

858
00:38:10,719 --> 00:38:12,000
Speaker 3: So we'll write it out here.

859
00:38:12,440 --> 00:38:16,520
Speaker 2: And hey, thank you for my colleagues, Damian Sasaur and

860
00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:19,960
Speaker 2: Vanessa Perdomo. I'm Michael Barr. Now, if you missed any

861
00:38:20,040 --> 00:38:23,280
Speaker 2: of our conversation today, listen on demand with the Bloomberg

862
00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:27,560
Speaker 2: Business of Sports podcast. Subscribe now on your favorite podcast

863
00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:31,120
Speaker 2: platform so you never missed an episode. Tune in again

864
00:38:31,160 --> 00:38:33,520
Speaker 2: next week for the latest on the stories moving big

865
00:38:33,560 --> 00:38:36,200
Speaker 2: old money in the world of sports. You're listening to

866
00:38:36,520 --> 00:38:41,560
Speaker 2: the Bloomberg Business of Sports from Bloomberg Radio around the world.