Zak Brown, Mark Messier, & A CEO at Gracie Mansion 5/19/26

Summary

Squawk Pod – May 19, 2026

Episode: Zak Brown, Mark Messier, & A CEO at Gracie Mansion

Podcast: Squawk Pod (CNBC)
Hosts: Joe Kernen, Becky Quick, Andrew Ross Sorkin
Guests: Zak Brown (CEO, McLaren Racing), Mark Messier (NHL legend), Steve Fulop (President & CEO, Partnership for New York City)

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Episode Overview

This episode of Squawk Pod dives deep into the intersection of business, politics, and sports in America’s media capital. The show spotlights New York's evolving relationship between City Hall and the business community, examines political and policy tensions igniting debate on Wall Street, and explores the surging value and appeal of sports media and fandom. Key guests include Steve Fulop on Mayor Zorhan Mamdani’s efforts to mend fences with the business elite, and Zak Brown and Mark Messier discussing the launch of sports media brand "Game 7" and the ever-growing value of live sports.

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Key Segments and Insights

1. Musk vs. OpenAI Lawsuit Outcome

[03:10 – 05:15]

• Elon Musk lost the lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman over breach of contract related to nonprofit status.
• Statute of limitations—the judge and jury ruled Musk's case was filed too late (3-year limit).
• No judgment on actual merits; drama over legal technicalities:
  • “The jury deliberated for less than two hours... they didn’t really have to actually make a choice about anything else.” (Carl Quintanilla, 03:25)
  • “We love the drama and everything else, but couldn’t you have known this before going through all this?” (Joe Kernen, 02:01 / 04:29)

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2. AI, Cybersecurity & Cloud Mega Deal

[05:27 – 08:18]

• Blackstone and Google form a $5 billion AI cloud partnership to meet “unprecedented demand for compute.”
• Anthropic’s Mythos AI tops CNBC’s Disruptor 50 for its cybersecurity model; new info-sharing rules could prevent a “haves and have-nots” cybersecurity gap:
  • “There was a view that because this information couldn’t be shared, there was going to be like a haves and have-nots situation, where if you were not part of this group, you were exposed in a crazy way.” (Carl Quintanilla, 07:22)

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3. Wall Street & City Hall: Aftermath of “Tax the Rich” Rhetoric

Interview with Steve Fulop
[10:56 – 17:55]

Backdrop:

• New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has angered the business elite with a “tax the rich” campaign and pointed video in front of Ken Griffin’s house.
• Recent closed-door meetings between Mamdani and major bank CEOs (Jamie Dimon, David Solomon) seek to cool tensions.

Fulop’s Takeaways:

• The meetings are “more performative than substantive” with “no indication” the mayor will change course on tax proposals soon.
• Business community is worried; “sentiment and tenor that vilifies businesses” is detrimental:
  • “The Ken Griffin thing actually hit a chord where, for the first time, the mayor feels some real concern around the relationship with the business community.” (Steve Fulop, 11:47)
  • “We urged him to apologize or acknowledge that it was a mistake. He was reluctant… But I think, in a closed meeting, he’d recognize he would have done it differently.” (Fulop, 12:31)
  • “At the core of the problem is you have some entitlement programs… Government and politicians never do that [reassess programs]. So that’s really the problem.” (Fulop, 15:22)
  • “You need to get your costs under control, and we need to have a real conversation because people are venturing into other parts of the country because they’re more welcome there.” (Fulop, 17:50)

Policy Details:

• Pied-à-terre tax affects even CEOs who just maintain NYC apartments; “a hasty decision… more about politics than practical budget impact.”
• NYC budget issue is not revenue, but spending and overlapping entitlement programs.
• Fulop argues city has unique leverage since the mayor is unaffiliated with special interests, but must “have an honest conversation with no sacred cows.”

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4. Sports as ‘Iconic Reality TV’—The Rise of Game 7

[18:00 – 31:14]

Game 7: Sports Media Start-up

Guests: Zak Brown (McLaren Racing CEO, investor in Game 7), Mark Messier (NHL legend, Game 7 co-founder)

On the Concept:

• “We’re trying to take the two greatest words in sports and turn it into the greatest brand in sports: content, community, and commerce.” (Mark Messier, 20:55)
• Game 7 covers licensed apparel for NBA, NHL, WNBA, original docuseries on Amazon, and branded merchandise.

Investment & Expansion

• Zak Brown describes Game 7 as “a fantastic opportunity” to connect sports’ peak emotional moments to branding and media.
  • “Every time a big franchise is sold, everyone goes, that was a crazy number. They overpaid. And then you look five years later and you go, that was a deal.” (Zach Brown, 18:11 / 24:22)
• Big tech partners: McLaren Racing’s new Intel partnership, and continued growth driven by data and engagement.

Market Dynamics & the Sports ‘Bubble’

• “Sports is always going to be the most iconic in the moment, reality TV and it just keeps getting bigger and better.” (Mark Messier, 24:55)
• Both guests dismiss fears of a “sports bubble,” noting that live sports’ broadcast and merchandising value keeps growing:
  • “The major sports… are going to continue to get bigger. Obviously, there’s a lot of different sports that come into play… look at UFCs and paddle tennis.” (Zach Brown, 24:22)
• New sports (e.g., paddleball), and expansion events (World Baseball Classic, LIV Golf) create incremental fandom and revenue.

Participation and Tech

• Simulation and e-sports are blurring lines between fans and athletes.
  • “We’re not far away from, if you want to race Lando or Oscar in the Monaco Grand Prix, we’re going to be able to put you in… That technology is here.” (Zach Brown, 26:20)

Leadership Lessons from Pressure Moments

• Messier uses “Game 7” as a teaching tool for performance under high stakes:
  • “You learn from failure. And ultimately, in the end, you have to put yourself in a position to play your best when the stakes are the highest. And that’s what Game Seven really is about.” (Mark Messier, 28:38)

Personal Notes:

• Messier’s roots in Edmonton (“the people there have grit, determination… but we’re a really tight knit community”, 27:02) and F1 experiences both fuel storytelling behind Game 7.
• Expansion plans: Eyeing NFL, more global leagues for licensing and narrative partnerships.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• "At the core of the problem is you have some entitlement programs... Government and politicians never do that. So that's really the problem."
  — Steve Fulop, on New York City budget priorities ([15:22])
• "We think that everybody in life has their own Game 7 moment... giving our young boys and girls the tools to excel when the pressure's on."
  — Mark Messier, on Game 7’s larger message ([20:55])
• "We’ve been hearing about the bubble for a long time..."
  — Zak Brown, on sports valuations ([24:22])
• “If you want to race Lando or Oscar in the Monaco Grand Prix, we're going to be able to put you in… That technology is here.”
  — Zak Brown, on fan participation in sports through simulation ([26:20])

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Timestamps for Major Segments

| Segment Topic | Start | End | |-----------------------------------------------------------|---------|---------| | Elon Musk lawsuit vs. OpenAI | 03:10 | 05:15 | | Blackstone–Google AI Cloud Partnership & Mythos AI | 05:27 | 08:18 | | NYC Mayor, Wall Street, "Tax the Rich": Steve Fulop | 10:56 | 17:55 | | Game 7 Sports Brand: Zak Brown & Mark Messier | 18:00 | 31:13 |

Notable Quotes (by timestamp)

• Fulop on NYC budget: [15:22]
• Messier on lessons from Game 7: [28:38]
• Brown on sports 'bubble': [24:22]
• Brown on technology/fan participation: [26:20]

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Tone & Style Capture

• The episode balances informality and expertise, moving from Wall Street policy to personal anecdotes, and consistently engages both the drama of news and the cultural importance of sports.
• Participants are candid ("performative meetings"), at times wry and self-aware ("Squawk is a Game Seven every day"), but focused on what the headlines and the stories mean for listeners’ lives and business.

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In Summary

This Squawk Pod episode offers a rich snapshot of the current moment: the drama of high-stakes lawsuits and business-government tension in New York, and the ongoing explosion of sports as the “last big event programming." The candid conversations with Steve Fulop, Zak Brown, and Mark Messier give an insider’s look at both the problems driving Wall Street’s anxiety, and the personal values—resilience, learning from failure, seizing iconic moments—behind the surging world of sports culture.

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Transcript

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[David Messier]

Bring in show music please.

[Katie Kramer]

Hi, I'm CNBC producer Katie Kramer. Today On Squawk Pod, Mr. Mamdani goes to Wall street reports the New York mayor is meeting with the CEOs of major banks. We'll hear from Stephen Fulop from the Partnership for New York.

[Steve Fulop]

For the first time, the mayor feels some real concern around the relationship with the business community.

[Katie Kramer]

Sports Live sports, the last big event Programming grabbing television and media audiences. Hockey icon Mark Messier's new play.

[David Messier]

For me, sports is always going to be the most iconic in the moment, reality tv and it just keeps getting bigger and better.

[Katie Kramer]

Taking a page from Formula One success McLaren Racing's Zak Brown.

[Zach Brown]

You've got new sports coming online and then you have the big sports that are kind of adding incremental viewership opportunities, participation opportunities.

[Katie Kramer]

All that plus the rest of today's news that got us squawking like the jury's decision in Elon Musk versus OpenAI's Sam Altman.

[Joe Kernan]

We love the drama and everything else, but couldn't you have known this before going through all this?

[Katie Kramer]

It is Tuesday, May 19, 2026. Squawk Pod begins right now.

[David Messier]

Stand Becky by in 3, 2, 1. Cue it please.

[Becky Quick]

Good morning and welcome to Squawk Box right here on cnbc. We are live from the NASDAQ market site in Times Square. I'm Becky Quick along with Joe Kernan and Andrew Ross Sorkin.

[Joe Kernan]

President Trump saying he's going to pause an attack on Iran that was scheduled for today after requests from the heads of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In a truth social post, the president said serious negotiations were taking place on a deal that won't allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon, though the President noted that he's told the military to be prepared to strike on a moment's notice. Later yesterday, the President said he'd been asked by the Middle Eastern countries to delay planned attacks for only two to three days at this time. So pressure is increasing. We'll see whether it bears fruit.

[Carl Quintanilla]

Meantime, the news on the soap opera that was Elon Musk losing his lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman. Federal jury in California said Musk waited too long to sue over claims that OpenAI violated an agreement to operate strictly as a charitable nonprofit. The court didn't address whether Musk's claims were valid, instead ruling that they were outside of a three year statute of limitations, so they didn't really have to actually make a choice about anything else. The jury deliberated for less than two hours. CNBC spoke with attorneys from both sides outside the courthouse in Oakland.

[Legal Expert]

He's a formidable adversary, of course, and he hires terrific lawyers, of course, and he is tenacious in his opinions, of course, and his positions. But we find that the persistent application of legal principles and the remorseless search for evidence is what wins cases, even against Elon Musk.

[Steve Fulop]

I have a one word reaction appeal

[Carl Quintanilla]

on ex Musk calling that decision a calendar technicality. And it'll be very interesting to see whether he appeals, if he appeals, how that appeals.

[Becky Quick]

What is the statute of limitations on something like that?

[Carl Quintanilla]

Apparently the statute is, is a three year statute. Now maybe there's an argument about when the statute should begin. Potentially you could sort of, don't we wish debate that, But I think this is a hard one.

[Joe Kernan]

Elon went in and was talking to the clerk, the court. Yeah, don't you wish the clerk said, oh, wait a second, did we need to do this? I mean, we love the drama and everything else, but couldn't you have known this before going through all this?

[Carl Quintanilla]

Part of the, part of the case was this argument, though. So there was, there was the timing of the timing of it, and then there was all of the merits of the actual thing. Okay, so this jury decided we didn't have to deal with the merits of anything.

[Joe Kernan]

We're just, I just think, you know, it's just a lot of money and a lot of time and a lot of drama. And if they knew the statue of limitations had worn out, there would have been no reason to.

[Becky Quick]

I think Andrew's right, though. The question of when the statute began,

[Joe Kernan]

that's part of that. Well, maybe just focus on that then. And that could have been an hour to argue on both sides of whether it was tribal or not or whatever. I'm hoping for you.

[Becky Quick]

I thought the judge was going to have a lot more say in this, but in this case she actually does listen to the jury.

[Carl Quintanilla]

She didn't have to, but I guess she could have said, I don't agree with you, but yeah.

[Becky Quick]

All right. In the meantime, Blackstone teaming up with Google on an AI cloud business venture. Blackstone will invest $5 billion in equity to bring large amounts of center capacity online next year, with more planned for the future. The partnership will make use of Google's custom AI chips. In a statement, Blackstone president John Gray said that the venture will help meet what he called the unprecedented demand for compute. You could see Blackstone shares up by about 9.10 of a percent. Anthropic top CNBC's latest Disruptor 50 list. One of the reasons is its powerful cybersecurity AI model mythos. A Wall Street Journal report says that Anthropic is telling companies that testing Mythos who are testing Mythos that they can share cyber information gleaned from that model with other organizations, provided that that sharing is done responsibly. In a statement to cnbc, an Anthropic spokesperson said that the company has evolved its confidentiality protections to allow for more information sharing and what it called maximum defensive impact. I assume all of these companies are part of project glasswing, and that's the project that this has been released under. It grants limited access to companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, a number of financial institutions and some government security agencies as well. I assume that they can share that information now with each other and not others that haven't already been.

[Carl Quintanilla]

No, no, no. My understanding is it's broader because what was happening, and I heard it from smaller banks around the country, banks in Europe. There was a whole group of people who were furious about this because they weren't allowed in. Because they weren't allowed in. But more importantly, historically, cybersecurity departments at banks, big banks, small banks, share a lot of information, especially around open source software, whether they need to get it patched.

[Becky Quick]

Yeah.

[Carl Quintanilla]

This required an NDA that was very strict about what could be provided.

[Becky Quick]

Project Last wing. Good.

[Carl Quintanilla]

Yeah. And so there was a view that because this information couldn't be shared, that there was going to be like a haves and have nots situation where if you were not part of this group, you were like exposed in a crazy way. Right. So this is going to begin the process of allowing at least them to know about some of those things. It does not provide them necessarily with access to myth itself just to know

[Becky Quick]

to go fix some of.

[Carl Quintanilla]

But if a cybersecurity, you know, if the cyber security department of JP Morgan knows about something they technically now can share that information with, I don't know.

[Becky Quick]

I'm just looking up more on this. We fully support our partners sharing findings with each other and companies outside. So that's to triage vulnerabilities.

[Carl Quintanilla]

And that's important because there really wasn't

[Becky Quick]

there was never a specific glasswing NDA. They say confidentiality protections were something partners asked for at the outset and were built into the agreements that the partners signed.

[Steve Fulop]

Interesting.

[David Messier]

Cheese will be next.

[Katie Kramer]

Coming up on Squawk Pod, New York Mayor Zorhan Mamdani hit a nerve with business leaders in the financial capital of the world by calling out the richest of the rich. Has the tone changed? Stephen Fullip of the Partnership for New York joins us.

[Steve Fulop]

It's good that he's doing outreach. It's good we're having these conversations and that needs to continue. The real question is, what's the next step From a policy standpoint?

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[Katie Kramer]

You're listening to Squawk Pod Stand Andrew

[David Messier]

by UP and Andrew Q.

[Carl Quintanilla]

Welcome back to Squawk Box. New York City Mayor Zohran mondame meeting with JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon. That happened yesterday. And this follows a backlash against wealth tax proposals and a perceived anti business sentiment after the mayor filmed that video outside of Citadel's CEO Ken Griffin's home.

[Zach Brown]

When I ran for mayor, I said

[Carl Quintanilla]

I was going to tax the rich.

[Zach Brown]

Well, today we're taxing the rich.

[Carl Quintanilla]

Joining us right now is partnership for New York City President and CEO Steve Fulop. Good morning to you.

[Steve Fulop]

Good morning.

[Carl Quintanilla]

Can you give us a little bit of a readout from what took place at these meetings?

[Steve Fulop]

So I think it's kind of a tour of getting to know the business people. So we're kind of four or five months in. I think that the Ken Griffin thing actually hit a chord where for the first time the mayor feels some real concern around the relationship with the business community. So he's kind of been proactive starting at the end of April with these sort of meetings.

[Carl Quintanilla]

Were these organized by you? Were they organized by him? Were they organized by the banks themselves? What happened?

[Steve Fulop]

The first meeting was at the end of April with myself and the chair of the partnership, Rob Speier, CEO of Tishman Speyer. And then subsequent we heard from our members that they were reaching out the following week to Jamie Dimon. David Solomon, the one from bank of America, predated the Ken Griffin thing. It just became more of a sense of urgency, I suppose, to get it on the books because of the narrative there.

[Carl Quintanilla]

Has the mayor suggested to you putting aside the policy on the tax, which we can talk about, that the video itself, which seems to be so central to all of this, was a mistake? Has, has he said that or no.

[Steve Fulop]

So.

[Carl Quintanilla]

Or does he believe in the video.

[Steve Fulop]

When we met with him two days after the video, we urged him to apologize or acknowledge that it was a mistake. He was reluctant to do that, largely because of the narrative that it would have created. Um, but I think if you were in kind of a closed meeting with him, he would recognize that he would have done it differently. I mean, he's pretty clear about that. But, you know, we're here, and I don't think, you know, three weeks after the fact, you're going to get any sort of public apology. So we are where we are.

[Carl Quintanilla]

How much of these conversations about effectively what the video represents underneath the video.

[Steve Fulop]

Yeah.

[Carl Quintanilla]

Or about the actual policy as it relates to taxing the wealthy, taxing the Pied A terror attacks and the sort of mechanics of that.

[Legal Expert]

So.

[Steve Fulop]

So the meetings at this point are more performative. That's probably the biggest concern. Right. So it's good that he's doing outreach. It's good we're having these conversations and that needs to continue. The real question is, what's the next step from a policy standpoint? You know, there's no give or reason for him to kind of move at this point from his posture that the tax policy that he's proposed is good, which is part of the problem for the business community. But there's a bigger narrative here that's problematic. I mean, there's a regul policy framework here that's more difficult than anywhere else. There's a sentiment and tenor that vilifies businesses. So I think it's just more complicated than that. This tone right now is just get to know you. We are thankful that you're here, and we want to build a relationship on.

[Carl Quintanilla]

On the. The Pied a terre tax itself. Where do. Where do you stand? And have you. Has the business partnership come out with any kind of proposals on your own that say, look, yeah. The way you can actually balance this budget.

[Steve Fulop]

Yes.

[Carl Quintanilla]

Is by doing xyz.

[Steve Fulop]

Yeah.

[Carl Quintanilla]

And that maybe that doesn't include this Pierre to terror tax or something else.

[Joe Kernan]

Yeah.

[Steve Fulop]

So. So let's talk about the P to terror tax. I mean, we certainly understand the politics of tax the rich and the Russian oligarchs and the Saudi princes. But what we've tried to highlight is that you have a lot of companies that have a presence here in New York. CEOs are elsewhere, like Citadel, like Disney, like Molis, members of the partnership. The CEO spends a lot of time here, has a presence here, have grown companies here, but they are subject to this tax. And what we've Said is, is that really the person that you want to penalize? Or a good example would be, even if you have a house elsewhere in New York, let's say you live in Westchester, Suffolk county, and you have an apartment in New York City, you're subject to that tax. And we would say, should you be penalized on that? So it was kind of a hasty decision that they had a problem implementing. They did it because of the rhetoric around tax the rich, which is good politics, but at the core of it, limitation is a real problem, and it sets a tone that is really combative towards the business.

[Carl Quintanilla]

What is the solve? I mean, I think ultimately you have to say to yourself, there's. There's a problem. There's an actual problem, which is the math doesn't matter.

[Steve Fulop]

Yeah.

[Becky Quick]

Is the problem that the. That New Yorkers aren't taxed enough, or is the problem that there's too much spend?

[Steve Fulop]

No, you don't. You, you don't have a, you don't have a revenue problem here because you've grown faster than inflation. At the core of the problem is you have some entitlement programs that exist in New York that don't exist anywhere else. Like, talk about the rental assistance program. I mean, the mayor would be here, he would tell you that we're not expanding it. But at the core of the problem is should that program exist at the city level? Of course, it's a vital service. It used to exist at the state level. It's a multi billion dollar program. But that drives the budget. You know, in the private sector, when you start a program, you reassess it at some point down the road. Government and politicians never do that. So, so that's really the problem. So you layer one program on top of the other, and then you kind of get into the situation that we are today. So, I mean, how do you fix it? You really have to have an honest conversation with no sacred cows. You got to talk about housing in a way that is not beholden to any special interests, whether it be labor unions or advocates on set asides, on affordable housing or school reform. Same thing.

[Carl Quintanilla]

The problem, it seems like, and I've always wondered whether a city has any leverage in these contexts, is there are services that this city has tried to provide on its own that effectively, as you mentioned, I think where you're going with this is that should effectively be paid for by the state. You also, by the way, have the mta. I mean, you have a whole bunch of things going on as it relates to transport and other things. That historically you would think should be paid for by the state, but the state doesn't want to pay for it. And if you're living in Albany, you're like, or Syracuse or Ithaca, you're like, I don't want to pay for these people.

[Steve Fulop]

Right.

[Carl Quintanilla]

And so what kind of leverage does the city have or not have over the state? It's historically been if the mayor can be super popular and the governor can be less popular, that's been the leverage.

[Steve Fulop]

Right. So I would argue that New York City has a unique opportunity, ironically, with Mayor Modani, in the sense that he wasn't elected with any special interests. Most of them were not with him. So he could effectively be a change agent by saying that we're not beholden to any of those things. And some of these programs aren't necessary. And there's 49 other states. The overwhelming majority of them do not have the infrastructure. And the programs that exist here in New York City layer on top of them. And they don't have the same cost of government. So if you're fair about it, you would ask yourself why. And. And I think the business community in these meetings, while the mayor is looking for some sort of introduction to have a conversation, the business community's tone is, you need to get your costs under control, and we need to have a real conversation because people are venturing into other parts of the country because they're more welcome there.

[Carl Quintanilla]

Steve, thank you.

[Steve Fulop]

I appreciate it.

[Carl Quintanilla]

See where all this goes. Appreciate it.

[Steve Fulop]

Thanks.

[Katie Kramer]

All right, sports fans. Still to come, CEO of McLaren Racing, Zach Brown. He is betting on a new sports media company. As valuations grow and grow.

[Zach Brown]

We've been hearing about the bubble for a long time. If you look at the franchise value, every time a big franchise is sold, everyone goes, that was a crazy number. They overpaid. And then you look five years later and you go, that was a deal.

[Katie Kramer]

That company he's invested in, it's called Game seven, and it was co founded by hockey legend Mark Messier, who, as it happens, played in nine game sevens throughout his career.

[David Messier]

You learn from failure, and ultimately, in the end, you have to put yourself in a position to play your best when the stakes are the highest. And that's what Game seven really is about.

[Katie Kramer]

Squawkpod will be right back.

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[Steve Fulop]

What made you confident that you could do something that hadn't been done before?

[Becky Quick]

I have no fear of failure.

[Everpure Narrator]

Trailblazing women, changing the game One of

[Zach Brown]

my favorite pieces of advice, think about

[Carl Quintanilla]

what your boss's boss needs.

[Katie Kramer]

Leadership can look in many, many different forms. It really does come down to just trusting yourself.

[Everpure Narrator]

Life is short and you just gotta

[Becky Quick]

think big to accomplish big things.

[Everpure Narrator]

Julia Boorstin hosts CNBC Changemakers and Power Players. New episodes every Tuesday, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Katie Kramer]

Welcome back to Squawk Pod from cnbc.

[Becky Quick]

You're watching Squawk Box right here on cnbc. I'm Becky Quick along with Joe Kernan and Andrew Ross Sorkin.

[Carl Quintanilla]

McLaren Racing CEO Zach Brown announcing a personal investment in Sports Company Game 7 this morning right here on the set. Joining us is Zach Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing and NHL legend Mark Messiah is here, co founder of sports platform Game seven. Good morning to you. We were talking about Game seven. Good morning last night. How did this happen? How did this all come together?

[Zach Brown]

Through a mutual friend. But I'm a massive fan of sports. I think sports are unbelievably hot as a within our culture and what Mark put together with his partners, I mean Game seven we all remember whatever sport it is that you follow, the big iconic moments in sport. So I think to be able to take that emotion in sport and bring that into culture and media and licensed merchandise I think is a fantastic opportunity

[Carl Quintanilla]

for those who don't know. Tell us all about Game seven.

[David Messier]

Well, we're trying to take the two greatest words in sports and turn it into the greatest brand in sports or content, community and commerce. We're licensed apparel for this NBA, NHL, wnba. We got a content series on Amazon. Five iconic game sevens. And of course, like Zach said, we think that everybody in life has their own Game seven moment. You don't have to have the literal sense of a Game seven and teaching and giving our young boys and girls the tools to excel when the pressure's on the most.

[Carl Quintanilla]

What is the biggest portion of the business right now?

[David Messier]

I would say our merch business right now was doing great. And of course we're at the perfect time of year with last night was a Game seven so all the fans out there can get their sports merchandise through Amazon, and eventually through licensing products and food and beverage. And we'll be tapping into a lot of different areas.

[Carl Quintanilla]

Have you been making lots of personal investments in all sorts of sides of sports?

[David Messier]

Not.

[Zach Brown]

Not lots. I'm very picky and choosy on things that I believe in. I mean, I love sport. You. We had our own Game seven a couple years ago, you know, when we won the Constructors Championship for the first time in over 20 years. I think we've all seen those sports teams celebrate in the locker room when they've had an unbelievable victory. And that's what we had because our last race came down to the last lap. And so to be able to experience that and then share that with fans in a variety of different ways they can consume it, I think say awesome opportunity.

[Carl Quintanilla]

Tell us about what's going on in McLaren land.

[Zach Brown]

McLaren land is in a good place. We almost won Miami, which would have been our third in a row. Formula One is unbelievably hot. Great here in North America. We're racing Montreal this weekend, of course, the Indy 500, the IndyCar series. Life is good at McLaren racing. We need to keep winning races.

[Carl Quintanilla]

So I saw you guys announced a partnership with Intel.

[Zach Brown]

We certainly did.

[Carl Quintanilla]

So here's the thing about that. I was thinking, do we all, as taxpayer, the US Taxpayer has a stake in intel now, all of us, how did that deal come about?

[Zach Brown]

We have a huge partnership with Dell, and Intel's a huge partner of theirs. We've got a tremendous amount of technology partners, and the stock's done unbelievably well. So you should be a very happy investor.

[Carl Quintanilla]

Are you involved in F1 at all?

[David Messier]

I'm involved through the friendship with Zach. I've been to a few races now, and I've always been a car guy.

[Carl Quintanilla]

Is there a place for Game seven in that universe?

[David Messier]

I would like to think so. Eventually, we just took down the Madison's Club at Madison Square Garden. So we got our, you know, our suite in Madison Square Garden. We got the patch on the Rangers jersey, and we're trying to move into different vehicles to really promote our brand. And obviously, F1 is bringing a whole nother audience that doesn't necessarily have a Game seven moment. But. But to Zach's point, when he told me about a couple of iconic races that he had been involved with, and he really. It was his Game seven moment, it really reflected on us that there. There's a bigger audience that can. This resonates with.

[Carl Quintanilla]

Different question for you, which is right now. No, no, right now. There seems to be so much heat around sports generally and the question I think that a lot of people have is whether we're in some kind of sports bubble, meaning how, how many sports can actually succeed in terms of just the number of, of people in the audience that actually want to engage long term?

[Zach Brown]

I think we've been hearing about the bubble for a long time. If you look at the franchise value, every time a big franchises sold, everyone goes, oh, that was a crazy number, they overpaid. And then you look five years later and you go, that was a deal. So I think the major sports, those have been here a long time. They're going nowhere other than they're going to continue to get bigger. Obviously there's a lot of different sports that come into play and some of them have come online and been, look at the UFCs and paddle tennis and things of that nature.

[Carl Quintanilla]

So that's what, that's the question. Are there sports that you look at right now and you say that's the next one?

[David Messier]

Well, I think you'd have to look at, you know, paddleball. I mean, you think about Olympic sport. For me, that's probably one that seems to be everybody's playing. It's brought together a fan base and a, and a demographic that necessarily wasn't really kind of getting into sports and they can play it because it's not a little bit more low impact maybe. But for me, sports is always going to be the most iconic in the moment. Reality tv and it just keeps getting bigger and better. And science behind the sports is, to your point, F1. Even in our sport and hockey, the science and technology behind it is changing our sport as we every year. So NHL I can speak to more so than other sports. It's never been in a better place, both financially and from a talent perspective. It's incredible to see. And we had an iconic game seven last night that just brought the whole sporting world into it.

[Zach Brown]

I think you also have major sports that are starting to kind of build incremental games if you like. World baseball classics been around a long time, obviously with the new golfing league. So I think you've got new sports coming online and then you have the big sports that are kind of adding incremental viewership opportunities, participation opportunities. I think participation is a big aspect and that's something.

[Carl Quintanilla]

So what's hard is I was thinking about participation in the context of F1. You can't really participate in F1 as a driver.

[Zach Brown]

I tell you what, there is technology like drive and this day is coming and it's not that far away. Through esports and simulation. We're not far away from if you want to race Lando or Oscar in the Monaco Grand Prix, we're going to be able to put you in the Monaco Grand Prix. That technology is here. And I think when you can, then as a fan go, I don't want to just watch the Monaco Grand Prix. I want to be in the Monaco Grand Prix. That's going to be a huge moment. And that technology is not far away.

[Becky Quick]

Mark, you're one of the most famous people to ever come from Edmonton. And I just wonder if you talk to other people from that line, you know, like Michael J. Fox, Katie Lang, and then Greg Abel, who's the new CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, who also happens to be a huge hockey fan, too.

[David Messier]

Well, Edmonton, you know, I grew up in Edmonton, which is for me one of the, you know, greatest experience of my life. We, you know, we lived outside, you know, we're farmers. The people there have grit, determination. But we're a really tight knit community. And you think about the people that actually got it, not only from the business world, but the music sector, obviously the sports. I'm proud to be from Edmonton. You know, I spent a large portion of my career playing at Edmonton and winning like, you know, five Stanley Cups alongsides of Wayne Gretzky and some of the greatest players ever played the game. And of course we, you know, in 1985, we're voted the best team over the last hundred years, so we're proud of that. But just being from Edmonton and having the chance to play in front of my hometown and family and friends was an amazing experience.

[Becky Quick]

And game seven is because you were what, seven and two in game sevens in your career?

[David Messier]

Well, I just, you know, it just, I just learned so much of being in those moments. You know, you think about all the preparation, all the time you put into your sport, honing your craft and your skill set, and you realize that there's a lot to be learned from the game, from a psychological standpoint, from a mental standpoint. And you got to train your mind just as much as you got to train your body. And, and you do that sometimes.

[Joe Kernan]

Nine game sevens, nine game seven.

[Becky Quick]

Nine game seven.

[Joe Kernan]

That's nobody else has been in nine game.

[David Messier]

There's been a few people that have probably been in actually, I think, I

[Carl Quintanilla]

think you got to be in a

[David Messier]

lot of, I think it's a lot

[Joe Kernan]

of postseasons to be in nine game seven.

[David Messier]

Yeah, I think there's 400 and some across the three major sports, game sevens over time.

[Joe Kernan]

So. Good God. Yeah.

[David Messier]

It's a. You know, but, you know, you learn from your mistakes, you learn from your past experiences, and you learn from failure. And ultimately, in the end, you have to put yourself in a position to play your best when the stakes are the highest. And that's what game seven really is about, is how do you perform when the. When the pressure's on. The most pressurized moment in sports.

[Joe Kernan]

No baseball player. No way.

[David Messier]

Baseball.

[Joe Kernan]

No way. No. Have been in nine. Game seven. No way.

[David Messier]

I know some hockey players have. I know Charles been in. I know Justin Williams.

[Carl Quintanilla]

I mean, there's a lot of basketball players that have been a lot of games.

[Joe Kernan]

The earlier ones, some of them are five game series too.

[David Messier]

Right? That's. That's true. Early on in the year.

[Carl Quintanilla]

How.

[Becky Quick]

No baseball player has ever played in nine games.

[Joe Kernan]

No.

[Becky Quick]

Yeah.

[David Messier]

How about.

[Becky Quick]

How do the licenses the most is 8A Record House.

[David Messier]

You got to partner with the leaks.

[Carl Quintanilla]

Right?

[David Messier]

You got to partner. So we went to the NHL and

[Joe Kernan]

Mark won ahead of Mickey Mantle. That's not bad.

[Steve Fulop]

That's a good stand.

[David Messier]

Yeah.

[Carl Quintanilla]

Thank you.

[Becky Quick]

It is a good stand. Every game. That's a good question.

[Zach Brown]

Mickey would have won a lot.

[Becky Quick]

Yogi Berra was.

[David Messier]

You're talking to Mr.

[Zach Brown]

Baseball.

[Carl Quintanilla]

He's a huge baseball fan. Baseball.

[Zach Brown]

I love baseball.

[Becky Quick]

Every. Every. Every time you guys are. It's game seven for you. Every race.

[Zach Brown]

Well, you know, last year when Lando won the world championship, came down to the last lap. So, I mean, that's, you know, that's game seven, winning one, nothing. Or as we say in England, I thought of.

[Joe Kernan]

From Cincinnati. I thought about set 1975. That was game six.

[Zach Brown]

Yeah.

[Carl Quintanilla]

So it wasn't.

[Joe Kernan]

It wasn't game seven. It was game six.

[David Messier]

John McEnroe says his game seven was Wimbledon against, you know, Borg.

[Becky Quick]

Yeah.

[Carl Quintanilla]

Right.

[David Messier]

In the final set.

[Carl Quintanilla]

Right.

[David Messier]

Anytime. It's a do or die situation. Super bowl is a game set every time.

[Carl Quintanilla]

So are there any eliminations? That's where I was gonna go with this. Are there leagues or other sports that you want to get a license, deal with?

[David Messier]

Every.

[Joe Kernan]

Of course.

[Carl Quintanilla]

So who, who, who do you want that you don't have right now?

[David Messier]

Well, I think the NFL for us would be an amazing partnership as well, because it's not just a literal Game 7 moment. And, you know, it is about performance under pressure. And when you look at the NFL, every time they play in the playoff game, it's win or go home. The super bowl is a win or go home scenario there. So the NFL for us is someone we've talked to and someone that we think would be a great fit because of what Game seven represents. And like, I keep getting back to, it's a life lessons that you learn of how to perform under pressure, that the game 7 is really interested and also taking that story and handing it down to our young boys and girls that are aspiring to be the best that they can be. And what are the lessons that we've learned from the people who have done it the best in those. In those critical moments?

[Becky Quick]

That's great.

[Carl Quintanilla]

Well, we want to thank Zach and Mark. Squawk is like a Game seven every day. So you did very well. It was your die every day, and you did very well. So thank you. Appreciate it.

[Zach Brown]

Thank you for having us on.

[Joe Kernan]

Thanks. I'm gonna put my toes in the water and move along.

[Becky Quick]

That's the other Zach Brown.

[Joe Kernan]

Oh, that's the other Zach Brown.

[Steve Fulop]

Okay.

[Zach Brown]

All right.

[Katie Kramer]

That is Squawk Pod for today. Thank you for listening. Squawkpox is hosted by Joe Kernan, Becky Quick, and Andrew Ross Sorkin. Great to have them all back together again today. You can tune in weekday mornings on CNBC at 6 Eastern or get the smartest takes and analysis from our TV show right into your ears in a podcast. When you follow Squawk Pod wherever you like to listen. We'll meet you right back here tomorrow.

[David Messier]

We are clear. Thanks, guys.

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