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- [00:00]
Michael Barr
The FIFA World Cup 26 is coming to North America. Get closer to where business meets the beautiful game with a hospitality package featuring premium seats and entertainment. Get closer to wins on and off the pitch. Register interest@hospitality dota.com interest when you own.
- [00:20]
Vanessa Perdomo
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Isaiah Reese
Of sports can be intimidating or hard.
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Michael Barr
For a starter to break into.
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Isaiah Reese
We really appreciate when our owners are actually there, you know, with us through the journey.
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Vanessa Perdomo
Teams, ours especially, have been very intentional to diversify at all levels of the company.
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Brad Alberts
I think we're in the bolding years.
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Randall Williams
For the NFL and college football.
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Brad Alberts
Our demographic reach has continued to expand.
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Vanessa Perdomo
This is going to be really unlocking.
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Isaiah Reese
The streaming platform for sports fans.
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Randall Williams
Sports valuations are rising. We'll see when they peak.
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Isaiah Reese
You don't have to be the best in your sport to make a whole ton of money.
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Vanessa Perdomo
Bloomberg Business of Sports From Bloomberg Radio.
- [02:16]
Michael Barr
This is the Bloomberg Business of Sports where we explore the big money issues in the world of sports. I'm Michael Barr along with Vanessa Bernomo. Scarlet Fu is on assignment and Damian Sassour will be back next week. Coming up on the show we talk hockey and hear from the CEO of the Dallas Stars, Brad Albert.
- [02:33]
Brad Alberts
Across the line, Graham looking for help has it Lindell. He scores two nothing Dallas plus we'll.
- [02:41]
Michael Barr
Talk youth sports and the NFL's big plans for flag football with former NFL player and now CEO of RCX Sports, Aizel Reese all that and more is on the way on the Bloomberg Business of Sports. But first, the WNBA wastes no time coming out of March Madness. This past week, we saw the WNBA draft.
- [03:02]
Vanessa Perdomo
With the first Pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, the Dallas Wings select Paige Beckers. University of Connecticut Bloomberg.
- [03:14]
Michael Barr
U.S. sports business reporter Randall Williams was at the WNBA draft and did some reporting on how the WNBA players union is still waiting for the league to start talks with them about raising player wages. Randall is here now to talk with us about the latest and to preview the next WNBA season. Old friend Randall Williams. Welcome back to the Bloomberg Business of Sports.
- [03:38]
Randall Williams
That was a nice intro. That's one of the more different ones you've given me. I appreciate it and thank you for.
- [03:42]
Michael Barr
Having me here officially from the UN Man, I swear I got it. Hey, we just kind of wrapped up the WNBA draft. PAIGE BECKERS Man, UConn is like, we're going to miss you for sure.
- [03:57]
Randall Williams
And hats off to the WNBA because this year's draft, I think, was a significant improvement on last year. They upgraded the space. It was more feasible, it was nicer, more red tape. But as the league grows, they have to make adjustments. The draft is always a celebratory night. That is a lot of fun.
- [04:13]
Julie Fine
I was going to say you got to set the scene for us a little bit because I was wondering about that. How were they going to build on last year? Continuously build. I mean, we've both been to them before. You've been to NBA drafts. I mean, it wasn't the Barclays Center, I'm sure. But does it look like it's going to start getting up to that, that level of fervor that the NBA and NFL drafts get?
- [04:34]
Randall Williams
Yeah, I think they're going to stay at the Shed a little bit now. I do think that over time that they will grow. The reason I think they'll stay at the Shed, of course, is because like Caitlin Clark is obviously this huge figure. Everything that she touches essentially turns to gold. And I think she'll be that figure for a long time. But let's that someone comes along and is dunking in a way that, you know, women's basketball has never seen and attracts people to the game. Similar the way that Caitlin does. Like that would, I think, bring a bigger audience and, you know, it might give them reason to expand in Barclays. But for now, like you think about the stars that are here right now, we just had Paige. There will be juju, there will be Hannah Hildrago, things like that. I think that they'll stay there and the audience might increase, but who knows? Who knows? We'll see.
- [05:18]
Michael Barr
Well, I think it is increasing because, you know, it's easy to talk about Caitlin and everybody, but we're talking about Paige Beckers, of course. And, you know, you've got to be in the sport to understand where we're going with that. I think that is significant that, you know, we're talking about other players in the wnba.
- [05:38]
Randall Williams
Yeah, I think it is a pivotal year for them. Obviously, a good portion of the national TV games are Caitlin Clark focused, but the ability for the league and their partners, and I think media has some responsibility on this as well, to build up other athletes so that the league is not so dependent on Caitlin is very, very important. Obviously, there's a history between Paige and Caitlin playing. I think that was the Final Four last year. We'll see them play again. And there's just a lot of history. It can't just be Angel, Caitlyn. You have to establish Asia and Brianna Stewart so that people know them. And granted, what I mean when I say established is that you want to promote them the same way. You don't just want it to be Caitlin. Caitlyn. Caitlyn. Because I think that's how you end up with players unhappy.
- [06:25]
Julie Fine
And that was one of the other things, you know, I was interested to hear about because obviously when Caitlin came in last year in, you know, the draft and all that, but she wasn't the only one that people were paying attention to with Angel Reese, and they had a really strong overall class, rookie class. Last year was this year kind of just the Paige Becker show at the draft, do you think? Or were other stars created throughout the night, do you think?
- [06:48]
Randall Williams
I think that this year was more basketball focused than last year was. Like something that happens when stars come into leagues. Is that the aura that comes with them? And sometimes that aura isn't always basketball related. And with Caitlin and Angel, like, I think that their rivalry dating back to Iowa and LSU and sort of the tension that came with it from both sides of the spectrum was a discussion. And this year it's like whenever you hear these, these players being discussed, it's just more so about their college careers and how they fit into these teams. And they did that last year, too. But I think this year that there isn't as much tension with the WNBA draft.
- [07:25]
Michael Barr
And as usual, you have beautiful work that's on our terminal and you have just written an article with the WNBA season, it's just around a month away. The players Union. Let's just say there are some issues there.
- [07:40]
Randall Williams
Yes. As we know, the CBA is currently being negotiated. The union opted out of it in November. My sources tell me they sent something over to the league in December that had not been responded to. Now, when Kathy Commission, WNBA commissioner Kathy Engelbert got to the podium, she said this report was inaccurate, but also said that they had received a proposal and that it had. That they had received it recently. She did not get into the specifics of the time frame. And recently is obviously subjective. You know, recent to you. If I got married yesterday and you heard about it six months later, that's news to you, but that would. Wouldn't be news to me. So I think that they are still negotiating. There's a long way to go. We'll have more news on that in months to come.
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Julie Fine
And Randall, what is it, you know, in these proposals, have you say, or whatever, that the WNBAPA is asking for that is giving the league tension? Is it just the higher salaries they're asking for, or what is it that they're asking for that could possibly bring the talks to a halt?
- [08:45]
Randall Williams
Well, it really remains to be seen because when you ask the WNBA commissioner about it, she just doesn't say much in terms of the detail. I asked her what is a fair deal, and she said, we're not going to negotiate publicly. Now, what the union has said is they want a new economic model. They want higher pay, they want better retirement benefits, they want, uh, minimum standards upgraded, that's facilities and, and stadiums and things like that they want. They have made a very firm statement from the beginning. And if you compare this to, let's say, NBA, CBA negotiations, a lot of these conversations in NBA, like you think of luxury tax and things that are really in the weeds for fans. No, this is like the essence of the wnba. And, and. And like, there has been some speculation about if they're headed towards a lockout. It's way too early to say that right now, but the WNBPA has been aggressive from the moment that they opted out that statement. And their phrasing, saying this is business is what I would consider aggressive. And how they speak to each other, how they negotiate is important because obviously we all agree to get WNBA players are underpaid. And this economic model, the way that it has been displayed and shown to people is like, oh, the WNBA doesn't make any money. Well, you just signed a new media deal that is $2 billion. It could reach 3 if they add more partners. And when you talk about all this new money that's coming into that the players want to share now what is fair for the players and what is fair for the league so that the league continues to grow and be as successful as it has been.
- [10:15]
Michael Barr
We're going to find out now that begins in 2026. And that deal about the media deal, it's about four times more than the previous agreement. Yep.
- [10:25]
Randall Williams
And it'll be with espn, Amazon and NBC. The league is considering adding more media partners. That could push it to 3 billion. But again, it's a huge increase from one to the next. It's just about from my perspective, like how big when we talked about the last cba, the highest WNBA salary doubled. Well, when the media deal quadruples or it gets a lot bigger than the players get a lot bigger. And that just isn't for the wnba. You think about NFL contracts or NBA contracts. Think about what a supermax is right now versus what it was five or six years ago. These numbers are astronomical for the WNBA and its players. I'm sure that they will get a raise. It's just about how much and what do the players want that raise to be?
- [11:08]
Julie Fine
Right. And also about revenue sharing.
- [11:10]
Vanessa Perdomo
Right.
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Julie Fine
Because like you just mentioned, they want a cut of it, but they've never technically gotten that cut before because they've never been able to unlock revenue sharing under this last CBA because of it was very complicated to unlock. Can you talk about about that and if that's something that has to happen for them to get those bigger contracts?
- [11:31]
Randall Williams
Well, there are a lot of different models that work for this or that can work for this. But to me it's a, the negotiation is about what decides are willing to accept. It's a give and take. And as far as the revenue sharing model, there aren't a lot of specifics as to how the WNBA's business works outside of, you know, how the ownership is set up, where you have some NBA owners involved, you have some, some owners who don't own NBA teams. And then you have the, the, the change makers who have invested in the league as well. And so where does, who's getting the revenue? Where is it coming from? Is it the media? Is it, you know, the players? Like where is this money coming from and how much do the players want? Like if you think about it from NBA, NFL, MLB, these unions try to get as close to 50% as they can. The WNBA is not close to that right now. And with respect to that, let's add some context that these leagues are over most of these leagues are over 100 years old or close to 70 years old. The WNBA is 30 years old. It had a much different start than the NFL, the NBA, the mlb, all of these leagues. And granted, it is the oldest women's professional sports league out there. So we're so I think from a fan perspective, from a journalist perspective, people are like, okay, you're the oldest. You've been around the block the longest. We expect to see progress, and we're going to find out what progress looks like over the course of the summer.
- [12:50]
Michael Barr
And especially in the fall, the NBA playoff season.
- [12:54]
Randall Williams
Early, early, early.
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Michael Barr
And I know everybody's trying at the marquee matchups. And of course, we all know it is the Knicks against the Pistons. And I see the look. But in your opinion, it's where do you see this season going because you've got so many very good teams out there.
- [13:17]
Randall Williams
I think the best case scenario for the NBA is that there is a point of tension in the peak of the playoffs. Like, it doesn't matter where, but you, there has to be some tension. If you remember last year in the finals between the Mavericks and the Celtics, there wasn't a lot of 10. Like, the tension was really if Luka could guard and if he could stay in the game to keep the Mavs alive. And Kyrie obviously didn't perform to the best of his abilities. But at some point, like, I went to game one and it was like, okay, in order for this game to be close, Luka's going to have to score 60. He didn't. And they lost. And they lost in five. For this year's playoffs, there are a number of teams and a number of markets that will attract viewers. But, you know, are the series going to be competitive? Are the Celtics going to dominate? Are the Cavs going to dominate? And will people tune in to watch stars? Like, stars that aren't LeBron, Steph. And KD is not even in the playoffs this year. So we'll see.
- [14:11]
Michael Barr
Randall, the man with the handle. Williams, you are the man. Thank you, sir, for coming back. Old friend on the business of sports.
- [14:18]
Randall Williams
Appreciate you for having me, as always.
- [14:20]
Michael Barr
Up next, we head to Texas and talk with Bloomberg Dallas bureau chief Julie Fine about her conversation with the CEO of the NHL's Dallas Stars for Vanessa Perdomo. I'm Michael Barr. You're listening to the Bloomberg Business of Sports from Bloomberg Radio. Around the world. The FIFA World Cup 26 is coming to North America next summer. It's the ultimate celebration of sports and culture and an opportunity to elevate your company. Get closer to where business meets the beautiful game with a premium hospitality package. Build partnerships in the best seats and suites. Achieve goals over world class food and beverage. Get closer to wins on and off the pitch. Register interest@hospitality.FIFA.com Interest Join Bloomberg in Houston or via livestream on November 4th for the Future Investor Finding the Opportunities. This 2025 event series will examine how companies are investing in their businesses to.
- [15:23]
Randall Williams
Create efficiencies, innovating their products and services.
- [15:26]
Michael Barr
And improving the customer experience.
- [15:29]
Randall Williams
This series is Presented by Invesco Q. Q. Q. Register@BloombergLive.com FutureInvestorHouston that's BloombergLive.com FutureInvestorHouston this is.
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Vanessa Perdomo
Bloomberg Business OF Sports From Bloomberg Radio.
- [15:47]
Michael Barr
This is the Bloomberg Business of Sports. We explore the big issues in the world of sports. I'm Michael Barr along with Vanessa Perdomo. Scarlet Fu is on assignment and Damien Sassour will be back next week. Coming up, we'll hear a special conversation with the NHL's Dallas Stars President and CEO Brad Alberts. He spoke with Bloomberg Dallas bureau chief Julie Fine. But before we get there, we've got to talk about the Mavericks. This week, Dallas Mavericks CEO Nico Harrison was part of a media event where he doubled down on his reasoning for trading away superstar Luka Dantich to the Lakers, a move that fans are still reeling from. Bloomberg Dallas bureau chief Julie Fine was in the room for the meeting and she is here now to talk with us about what she learned.
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Vanessa Perdomo
My favorite thing, thank you so much for having me.
- [16:39]
Michael Barr
You know a lot about the Dallas Mavericks because you were there for a media event when the GM Nico Harrison was giving a news conference about it. But I'm sure a lot of people were wondering about the Luka Donkic trade to the Lakers. And as for the Mavericks, let's be honest, they're still kind of reeling from it.
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Vanessa Perdomo
I think the whole situation they're reeling from, I mean, this was a devastated fan base. I mean you almost have to live here to understand this is Luca meant a lot to this community. He was very active in the community. So I think it was the shock he leaves in the middle of the night. So this was really they spoke after the trade. Nico Harrison spoke the day after the trade. We have not heard from him since. So he sat with the, with the CEO as well. And it was just an interest like it was. I think you left with still many questions about really why this happened. I mean, Nico Harrison over and over again said defense wins Championships, and they're trying to build the team that will win for many years to come. However, last year with Luca, the team went to the finals. So lot of questions still remaining after this one hour. I don't know how what you would really call it. Select media were invited. There were no cameras, no recordings, and no recordings allowed publicly, I should say. And so it was just an event like none I've ever been to before. In working in news and being sent to, you know, fill in and cover sports many times.
- [18:23]
Julie Fine
That is a statement, Julie. It's an event like you've never been to before in your entire career covering media. I mean, that's a. That's a big statement. You know, I looked over the transcript and obviously he's constantly. He's just bombarded with questions about the trade, obviously, as it should be. And this is a GM's job to take these hard questions. But I want you to tell us, like what the tone. Tone of it was like in the room. Did he appear frustrated by all these questions? You know, do you think he actually believes in himself that it was a good trade?
- [18:57]
Vanessa Perdomo
I think. I think he clearly believes it was the right trade. I mean, he said it over and over. I mean, I asked him if he had any regrets about how the whole thing was handled, and basically he said, you know, he doesn't have any regrets. He thought this was the best. In the interest of the Dallas Mavericks, I would say the room was quiet. It was a roundtable type of setup. It was kind of in a boardroom. So he was in the front along with Rick Weltz. And it was. He seemed very, very. I don't want the word mellow can be construed in so many different ways. He seemed very calm. I mean, there was a couple slightly heated moments, but he just kept going back to. I don't think I can count the amount of times he said defense wins championships. I mean, they had to answer a lot of questions, too, on the business side of this year. Season ticket prices went up, so they had to answer a lot of questions about it. But he really. I hate to use the term double down, but he really doubled down on this being the right thing for the Mavericks. I think there's still many questions about how it was handled and the emotion of the city, like the city has not come around. You know, it was interesting what he said about had everybody seen what the team could have been, you know, Anthony Davis coming, and he only played for two and a half quarters, so you really only seen. Saw the team Together with Kyrie as well. So he kept saying, you know, if you had seen what you had seen for two and a half quarters, but that. I don't think that's at this point sold the fan base either. Like two and a half quarters is not going to get people through this at this point.
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Michael Barr
Well, I think that you hit the key point. If Anthony Davis was not injured, at least the Maverick fan base could see the value of the trade. But you only, you know, it was just right after that that he got injured and it's like, oh, man. Injured rather. And it's like, oh my goodness.
- [20:55]
Vanessa Perdomo
Well, I think the team really did somewhat feel like if you would, they. You didn't get a chance to see the trade really and what it was going to do for the team. And they really tried to point that out. Like people may be a little less frustrated if that team had been able to play healthy. But I mean, that team was crushed by injuries all year. So I mean, this was a like a quadruple whammy for the Mavs in terms of the ticket pricing, losing Luka, everybody being injured. Now they're in a play in last year, you know, they were in the finals. And just I think Luca, I don't know if any of. I don't have to ask this. Of course, you all saw it when Luca came back to Dallas. I mean, he had his head in his hands, crying with a towel, and you could see the fans, every time he got a basket, they were cheering. And he's playing for the Lakers. So it's just been just soul crushing, I would say, for the fan base here.
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Julie Fine
Yeah, I mean, it's going to take some time to get over that. And I don't even know if winning a championship would really, really recover from losing your, your star for that long. Actually, I want to talk about how it parallels to the WNBA now that the Dallas Wings got the number one draft pick and Paige Beckers. And I actually saw a few fans online saying, okay, Paige is now our, now our new Luca. You know, what's the excitement for, for the Dallas Wings right now?
- [22:22]
Vanessa Perdomo
People are so excited for the Wings. We talked to Greg Bibb last week. He came in and it was the Friday before. So I mean, clearly they were going to pick Paige, but he couldn't say it. There's so much excitement surrounding her. I mean, she comes here with high expectations for sure. And you got to remember the Wings were in last place last year, but eventually they're getting a new stadium. It's really exciting. I think for basketball fans, but I just think fans, it's really exciting for this city. And I think certainly there's an opportunity right now with the basketball fan base, but I think they would have been there for Paige all the way through. It was interesting that this news conference by the Mavs, day after Paige was chosen, lot of discussion about that as well. But I think the fan base here is thrilled that she's coming here. I mean, serious excitement for her from.
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Michael Barr
The court to the ice. Because you also got a chance to talk with Dallas Stars President and CEO Brad Albert.
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Vanessa Perdomo
Brad Alberts is a really, you know, interesting guy. He comes in. They've dropped a ton in a row going into the playoffs, but they're still. I mean, they still had a great, great, great season. You know, the last two years, they went to the Western Conference finals. So high hopes for this team. And I'll tell you, this city could really get excited about a champion right now. He's interesting on many different levels, but what they're doing in terms of media rights, every fan here can now get game streaming for free. That's a decision they made. So he talked about the team and the economics of that as well. And he also talked about, you know, foreign relations and how that, you know, can play into hockey.
- [24:01]
Michael Barr
Our thanks to Julie Fine for joining us. She's Bloomberg Dallas Bureau chief. Now, let's take a listen to Julie's conversation with Dallas Stars President and CEO Brad Alberts.
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Vanessa Perdomo
I want to talk a little bit about the business of hockey, the eyes on it, and how you're attracting more.
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Brad Alberts
Well, I think success on the ice is a big differentiator, you know, right away. And I think the fact that we've been really, really good here for the last couple years has really helped develop, you know, the next generation of fans, both old and young. And I think. I think it's certainly things that we're focused on every day in our office. How do we continue to grow at the grassroots level, and how do we get to grow at the mature level? And having a good team, there's nothing better.
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Vanessa Perdomo
You're in your second stint here with the Dallas Stars, and we talked a lot earlier about branding and how important that is for a team. You did something no major league professional team has done yet. You started direct to consumer for free streaming of all your games. Can you talk about that business strategy, how you came up with that decision and what it's been like implementing it?
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Brad Alberts
Yeah, we're crazy. No, I think. Well, it was a byproduct of The RSN dilemma that we were faced with two years ago. And I think we were fortunate. We stumbled across an incredible company in apmc. Their leader, Neil Grunninger has done an unbelievable job building this technology to be able to do this. And we really, you know, as we sat down, did our due diligence with them. We got more and more comfortable as we went along. We ran tests and our group is not afraid to do big things. And certainly I preach that all the time doing big things. And this is a big thing and we wanted to pioneer it. We looked forward to pioneering it. We knew that there were going to be issues that we'd have to work through. We've done those together with apmc and we are strong believers that streaming is going to be a big, big part of local sports into the future.
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Vanessa Perdomo
This again though, is free economically. How long can a team sustain that?
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Brad Alberts
Well, that's going to be part of what we evaluate and look at. You know, our short term goals are not going to change. We have no, no desire to change that philosophy in the short term. That doesn't mean that we're not going to pivot to it at some point down the road. But right now, going into next season, things are going to be the same as they were this year. We've had a really good first year. Over a million downloads for Victory, plus a number of other teams, you know, coming on board, looking to come on board, other content. So we're excited about the future. We think, you know, you need a two good full years to really get a good understanding of what we're dealing with and probably a new normal will.
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Vanessa Perdomo
Appear when you look at the hockey league of scores heading into the playoffs. But in general, it is such an international sport at this time. Global tension. Is it changing the game? How does it affect it?
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Brad Alberts
Well, certainly, you know, the Russians from an international perspective have been left out of international play. So I think it's affecting it at a big level. We're going to have the U18s World Championships here, you know, next week in Frisco, and the Russians aren't going to be a part of that. So. And the Russians have, you know, a history in hockey and have great talent. So it's impacting the sport at a high level. At the NHL level, it's, you know, it's not. But you know, certainly in Europe, Europe, I think the Russia factor is, is a real one and it's something that we can't ignore as a sport.
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Vanessa Perdomo
You've been in the sport a long time let's go down the road a little bit. You talked about streaming being the future in five years. You and I sit here. What do you see the sport looking like?
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Brad Alberts
Well, I think it's going through a very transformational, formational change at this point and I think teams are going to have to really evolve to stay with it. I think if you're a team that stands still, you're going to get blown away. I think digital technology is really taking over. I think streaming is obviously going to play a big part in how you view the sport, how you view sports entertainment content into the future. And I think the big thing that I worry about every day is where are we going to continue to find top line revenue growth to be able to make all of this work in a profitable way?
- [28:03]
Michael Barr
That's Dallas Stars President and CEO Brad Albertson. Youth Sports speaking with Bloomberg Dallas Bureau chief Julie Fine. Up next, we turn to youth sports and the rise of flag football for Vanessa Perdomo. I'm Michael Barr. You are listening to the Bloomberg Business of Sports from Bloomberg Radio. Around the world.
- [28:30]
Vanessa Perdomo
There are two kinds.
- [28:31]
Randall Williams
Of people in the world, people who think about climate change and people who are doing something about it.
- [28:36]
Vanessa Perdomo
On the Zero podcast we talk to.
- [28:38]
Randall Williams
Both kinds of people. People you've heard of, like Bill Gates.
- [28:41]
Isaiah Reese
I'm looking at what the world has to do to get to zero, not using climate as a moral crusade and.
- [28:48]
Randall Williams
The creative minds you haven't heard of yet. It is serious stuff, but never doom and gloom. I am Akshat Ratty.
- [28:54]
Vanessa Perdomo
Listen to Zero every Thursday from Bloomberg.
- [28:56]
Randall Williams
Podcasts on Apple, Spotify or anywhere else.
- [28:59]
Vanessa Perdomo
You get your podcast. This is Bloomberg Business of Sports from Bloomberg Radio.
- [29:06]
Michael Barr
Thanks for joining us on the Bloomberg Business of Sports. We explore the big money issues in the world of sports. I'm Michael Barr along with Vanessa Bernomo. Joining us now is Isel Reese. He's a former NFL player and is now CEO of RCX Sports, a leader in youth sports and events and he's also executive director of NFL Flag. He's here to talk to us about the latest in youth sports participation in the rise of flag football. Isaiah, welcome to the Bloomberg Business of Sports.
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Isaiah Reese
Thank you. Thanks for having me.
- [29:39]
Michael Barr
You are the CEO of RCX Sports. Tell us what that's all about.
- [29:45]
Isaiah Reese
Yes, RCX Sports is all about youth sports and youth league play and also in a unique environment using and utilizing NFL and pro leagues, IP and marks to enhance the experience for youth sports leagues around the country and events. And a very simple way I like to kind of Put it is, think of, think of it a youth sports level in an affordable and accessible model. But it is little league baseball meets fanatics, if you will. So NFL Flag is one of the programs that we run and so the kids get the opportunities to be the Cowboys, to be the Broncos through flag football. And it is a very substantial program. And I know we'll get into that and many of the other ones that we oversee. But yeah, we've amassed working with several of the pro leagues now, and it's just been a great opportunity. And you know, for me personally, given.
- [30:46]
Julie Fine
My background, that's amazing. Isa, you know, one of the things obviously like flag football's exploded at the youth level. It's become a high school sport in 14 states. What is it about flag football, you know, that's taking off? Is it just the safety element of it that, you know, more parents are okay with their kids playing instead of tackle? Or is it, you know, that it is a way to get more girls playing? What is it about it?
- [31:10]
Isaiah Reese
Yeah, I think it's all of the above and then some. I think the safety aspect is, is a part of it. I think the, in addition of it. So, you know, obviously tackle football and I'm thinking about, of course, boys and girls, but boys in this case, you can't play it year round. And so it gives an opportunity. Flag football is year round to continue to play and participate. I think it brings females now into football in a major way. So now you're getting both boys and girls of all ages playing the sport. And it's fun, it's exciting, it's fun, it's affordable and you know, you don't have on all the equipment and it's fast paced. Everybody can score a touchdown and it's just so much engaging involved with it. And it's also a good feeder into learning football. So let's say a young, young, young boy. I mean, my son is a great example of it. He's 13 now, getting ready to go into high school. We started with flag first and it was a good way to teach him the game. And then when he raised his hand and it was solely up to him to, to play a little tackle football, it wasn't his first time playing football and you know, backpedaling. Catching footballs, you know, running, running routes is still the same with this flag or tackle. So it's also a good feeder as well and giving kids opportunity to play. So there's a multitude of reasons why, but you touched on one that I'm very excited about. And having a hand in it at the collegiate level, high school level, in the cross, NFL flag. And that is just, just, just women having this opportunity in the path to, to play and participate is just, it's exciting to see and just know that they have a path that goes all the way through college and even represent their country in the Olympics. So that is just, it's just music to my ears to be able to see that in football.
- [33:03]
Michael Barr
Now I want to go more into that about flag football in the Olympics. That's going to be a big step to expose the sport.
- [33:12]
Isaiah Reese
Yeah, yeah. I mean it's no, no greater way than to put it on a global scene scale and legitimize the sport. I mean the fact that anything that's an Olympic sport, a collegiate sport, a pro sport for that matter, it just to the legitimacy of what it does and creating that path. But no doubt I don't think there's a bigger stage to be on than having that opportunity to represent your country for both men and women, which is great to see. And now with flag entering into LA28, which is going to be exciting to.
- [33:44]
Julie Fine
Watch, I mean, I'm, I'm not gonna lie, I was quite surprised actually when I did get added to LA28 because I've always thought of football, our version of football, American football, as inherently American. Right. You know, not necessarily super international, but the tournament that you guys put on with, you know, the NFL also has an international division. So talk to me a little about that and I guess like, yeah, who else is really, really good at flag football internationally? Like who else is going to be winning a medal? Obviously we're gonna win gold, but like who's gonna win silver?
- [34:18]
Isaiah Reese
Yeah, well, we don't know if we're gonna win gold. I will start by saying that so, and, and I'll use an example of so, so flag football was in the, the World Games. And if, if you've ever heard of World Games, it's all those sports, flag being one of them, that are now, you know, went through that path to get into the Olympics. And World Games is like the cousin. So it's every sport that's vying to get in. As we know, softball jumps in and out and when they're not in the Olympics, they're in the World Games, right. So, so that display happened a couple years ago and obviously the, the Olympic committee was closely watching and Mexico women blew out, Team USA blew them out. And we're sitting there watching it and the first thing is like, damn, they, you know, they're, they're punishing Team usa. But from, from my perspective, I was like, this is a good thing because when you think about, and just what you said, Vanessa, when you think about it, you, a team, a country just dominating that one sport, that is not a plus. When you think about, you know, an Olympic sport, you don't want just one country just dominating you. You want, you want it to be competitive and exciting. So it, it really builds that global fandom and flag football is that the women's side is competitive, the men's side is competitive. The ease of learning that sport in football versus tackle to start, it only helps to continue growth of the game at both levels. But flag, you know, again, bringing in both men and women and the ease of learning that game either as a starting point or only point is good. And then so it's now given the, the NFL, the sport of football, something that they've always wanted. And that's how do we grow the game globally. And I don't think there's any greater indication of that than, you know, getting it approved and signed off by the, by the Olympic Committee. And now entering into the Olympics in.
- [36:11]
Michael Barr
La, we're not that far off from the second annual flag football tournament. It's going to take place in Canton, Ohio. Tell us about that. Because again, that's another avenue for exposure for the sport. I think ESPN is going to help broadcast that. That.
- [36:27]
Isaiah Reese
Yeah, yeah, ESPN is going to broadcast. This is our second year in, in doing it in of course, in conjunction with the NFL and the NFL Flag championships. And so it's, it's exciting. You know, I referenced Little League earlier. I mean, that was, this is the equivalent of that, call it Little League World Series with it being on ESPN and being global. And it is massive to say the least. We'll probably have 300 plus teams there. But NFL flag as a whole, in those leagues that vie for those opportunities, there are 800,000 kids participating in NFL Flag leagues around the country is the largest organized flag football league in the world. And now with a bigger, greater global footprint of teams coming from different countries. So you're only going to continue to see continued expansion across that. But last year's tournament on ESPN was such a huge success and exciting to watch and only adds to that exposure and that fandom that's being built around the sport and the momentum, which also you need to see is in ties in very well with the Olympics. Because it's like, okay, if flag is in the Olympics, who's watching? There's people that's watching it for the first time. That may be intrigued, but there's this huge base within the US and globally that's a part of that too. So giving these kids these opportunities, all age groups, boys and girls, to play on a NFL esque ESPN televised type stage in Canton at the hall of Fame, it's just such a cool and unique experience that is pretty much here to stay. It was such a huge hit last year and we can't wait to, you know, to see it this summer as well in now in his second year. And we'll continue to grow from there.
- [38:10]
Julie Fine
Love it. I mean, it has to. Yeah. Continue to grow. I'm sure, I'm sure there's no stopping it at this point, for sure. And there you brought up some things I'd love to talk about there. Obviously, like you said, NFL flag and who will be watching it at the Olympics, that really ties into, you know, the NFL wants to start a professional league. Right. So I think when, when will we see that? Obviously, like one of our reporters just, you know, he said they want to start it next year ahead of the Olympics. Do you think that that's something we'll really see or why get it out before the Olympics? Do you think an NFL professional like.
- [38:46]
Isaiah Reese
Yeah, I think, I think given the, the rate is flag football is growing, I think there's a chance you could see it if a good game plan is put together, why wait? Right. So. And who better to have a hand in it than the NFL and whatever strategic partner that they add to it to, you know, announce a pro league. But just given the excitement and buzz and just growth of flag, even, even the Pro bowlers playing flag at the Pro bowl or NFL players and, and their wanting and willingness which is TBD to be figured out if they have that opportunity to play. But adding pro flag and knowing that, I think it's the other phenomenal opportunity. When you think about Olympians, you're thinking about pros, right? You know, that opportunity, which if you were to ask them today is when those teams get selected or the professional players now that are deeming for those spots, would they want to play and participate? Absolutely. And all these young kids and millions around the country that are participating in flag, would you watch? Would you, would you want to be a part of it? Would you want to go see it? Would you want to watch if it was televised pro league? I think those are the big questions and I think you already see that because I don't think if it didn't exist and you didn't have this base and this momentum in this door that opened at the Olympic level, at the collegiate level and the fastest growing sport in high school for girls in the US Being flag football. You know, it's showing all the momentum of what's next. I mean, I think that's the big question because we're already on this path. Flag football is at the collegiate level across all three collegiate associations. Alabama State University just became the first D1 program to offer it. So, you know, others will follow. So I just say all that to say, why not, you know, why not add it as a pro league sport? And you see all of what's happening with women's sports today and how just the fandom and excitement and buzz and women getting adjusted in basketball and volleyball and these sports, it's just, it's great to see. So I think the time is right and people are hungry for continued sports and professional sports and, and enhancing the experience. And so as you can say, I'm all for it, as you can see, but I think it's right for the taking and I think no time like the presence to not only announce something like that, but see it come to fruition even before the Olympics potentially.
- [41:24]
Michael Barr
Our thanks to Isaiah Reese for joining us. He's a seven year NFL veteran and now executive director of NFL Flag and CEO of RCX Sports. Hey, thank you for joining us. For Vanessa Pernomo, I'm Michael Barr. Don't forget to catch our podcast on all your podcast platforms. Tune in again next week for the latest on the stories. Moving big old money. I'm not talking small big old money in the world of sports. You're listening to the Bloomberg Business of Sports from Bloomberg Radio around the world.
- [42:04]
Brad Alberts
This is Tom Keene inviting you to join me for the Bloomberg Surveillance podcast. It's about making you smarter. Each and every business day, we bring you a recap of what happened overnight in Europe and Asia. The day's economic data and complete coverage of the US Market open. We cover stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies, even crypto. All the information you need to excel. Bloomberg Surveillance also brings you the analysis behind the headlines. We do that with lengthy conversations with our expert guests. The smartest names in economics, finance, investment and international relations. We do all this live each and every weekday, then bring you the best analysis in our daily podcast. Search for Bloomberg surveillance on YouTube at the end, Apple, Spotify or anywhere else you listen on the east coast, listen.
- [42:56]
Randall Williams
At lunch and on the west coast.
- [42:58]
Brad Alberts
When you wake up. That's the Bloomberg Surveillance Podcast with me Tom Keane, along with Paul Sweeney and Lisa Mateo. Subscribe today wherever you get your podcasts.