SportsTravel Podcast

SportsTravel’s coverage of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, which will be the biggest ever with 48 teams and 16 host cities spread across three countries, has been extensive. Throughout the process from FIFA’s visiting host city candidates, to the day of the announcement in July 2022 of which cities will host games and an inside view of what it was like, SportsTravel has detailed the saga ahead of the schedule announcement in early February. [article_sidebar]To say that soccer and enterprise are in Dan Hunt’s blood would be putting it lightly. Son of late American sports icon Lamar Hunt, whose legacy includes founding the American Football League, the Kansas City Chiefs, Major League Soccer and World Championship Tennis, Dan Hunt brought FC Dallas to Frisco, Texas, and made Toyota Stadium a reality. Hunt not only is president of FC Dallas, but he was also chair of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Dallas Bid Committee. In this episode, he discusses the Hunt family legacy, what the World Cup will mean for Dallas and how Frisco has emerged as a sporting destination.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For decades, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association has been polling Americans about their participation levels in more than 100 sports and activities. The data, released annually in their Topline Participation Report, breaks those numbers down by individual sports and activities, types of sports like water sports, winter sports or racquet sports, and also by gender, age and income levels. The result is an incredibly comprehensive look at who is playing what and what the barriers might be for others based on their gender, age and income levels among other factors. Their latest report, whose research was led by senior director and head of research Alex Kerman — our guest on this episode — is filled with interesting data. [article_sidebar]As far as the headlines go, the great news is that people are moving more. For the first time, the report concluded that over 80 percent of Americans are active in something, which means they participate in one of those sports or activities at least once last year. And what are they playing? Well, once again pickleball is by far the fastest-growing sport, at least by percentage of new people reporting that they play. Pickleball, however, isn’t the only success story. Team sports in general are trending upward, including many that were on the program at the last Olympic Games or that will make their debut at the 2028 Olympic Games, like flag football, which was another winner. In this conversation, we break down the numbers from this fascinating report, talk about why the growth sports are growing and what the next big thing may be in the years to come. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Laura Gainor’s background in pickleball is significant, as she was around the sport in some of its earlier days before it became a national phenomenon. During her time in marketing at USA Pickleball, she witnessed first-hand how the sport was taking off. Today, of course, the numbers speak for themselves. In last year’s Topline Participation Report produced by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, the group’s researchers reported that pickleball grew 58 percent in participation in the previous year. And over the past three years, that participation has grown by some 223 percent. As a result, brands are looking to get involved with the sport any way they can and event organizers are searching for ways to activate a pickleball experience around their events as well. And development is coming in, too. Entire communities around the country are being planned with pickleball courts in mind to allow people more access to play. Gainor saw the writing on the wall for all these trends and launched Pickleball in the Sun as a way to help brands, event organizers and others navigate the fast-evolving world of pickleball. In this conversation, we discuss how those brands look different today, what you should know about including pickleball as a component of your event, where the sport is going and what, if anything, may slow its momentum.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travis Murphy’s work background is a fascinating one, and one that you may not realize is a key component of the sports industry behind the scenes. Before starting his company Jetr Global Sport + Entertainment, he previously served as the senior director of international government affairs for the National Basketball Association. In that role, he helped thousands of NBA, WNBA, 2K, G League, and Basketball Africa League teams, players, staff and their families navigate the complicated world of global travel. He also managed the NBA’s relationships with the Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, and other government institutions, working with those government partners to create sustainable basketball initiatives both domestically and abroad. In that regard, he also played a key role in the release of Brittney Griner from her detainment in Russia in 2022. Murphy has extensive international experience, having served as a diplomat in the United States Foreign Service, working at embassies in Ecuador, Suriname and Cote d’Ivoire to name a few. And he also served in Washington, D.C., in the Sports Diplomacy Division of the Department of State. All of that background puts him in a unique position to advocate for policy changes in Washington around issues of immigration that stand to have large impacts on some of the largest events headed to the United States. In just one area — but one with outsized importance — the issue of wait times for visitors to get an appointment for a visa to visit the United States is raising some serious alarms. In Colombia, for example, there is nearly a two-year wait time to get one of those appointments, meaning if you are a traveler hoping to watch the Colombian team at the 2026 World Cup, you’re already too late. In this conversation, we talk about why those waits are so long in so many countries around the world and what our industry can be doing to help reduce those times. We also talk about the impact a new administration in Washington will have on the ability for spectators to easily come for international events and how the broader national discussion on immigration policy in general could impact that ability as well. It’s a deep dive into some serious but important topics that will have lasting implications on the willingness of event organizers overseas to consider the United States as a host to their events in the years to come.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The team at SportsTravel has racked up thousands of miles this past year in the name of sports-related travel, attending sporting events at all levels from youth tournaments to the Olympic Games and the Super Bowl. Along the way, we’ve assembled some observations of those events and the logistics behind them. In this conversation, Executive Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz, Managing Editor Matt Traub and Associate Editor Justin Shaw recap some of what stood out to them and stories in the industry that resonated as well. And they’ll take out the crystal ball for some thoughts on trends they’re watching in 2025, events they’re looking forward to as well as some bold predictions for the industry and some teams they think might win it all in the year ahead. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At this year's TEAMS Conference, Indianapolis was announced as the winner of Best Host City at the SportsTravel Awards. Since July of 2023, Indianapolis has hosted events that total an estimated $500 million in economic impact, including the 2023 Big Ten Football Championship, the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend, the 2024 NFL Combine, 2024 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball First and Second Rounds, and the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Swimming. And there's plenty more still to come the rest of this year and in the future. Leonard Hoops and Patrick Talty join the podcast to discuss the Big Ten Conference, look back at some of 2023's biggest events and look ahead to 2025 while also talking about how Visit Indy and the Indiana Sports Corp work together on events. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After serving as chief executive officer of USA Weightlifting for nearly 10 years, Phil Andrews was appointed USA Fencing CEO in August 2022 to oversee the national governing body for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of fencing in the United States. This past summer, USA Fencing won four medals overall at the Olympic Summer Games in Paris, including its first ever team Olympic gold in women's foil and Lee Kiefer repeating as women's foil gold medalist in an all-American gold medal match against Lauren Scruggs. With the LA28 Games four years away, it's a big time in the U.S. Olympic sports movement and Phil discusses what USA Fencing has planned to capitalize on its Paris success, how it puts together an events calendar and what it looks for in partners and much more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The NCAA is in a transformative era and that includes its championship landscape. Acrobatics and tumbling, equestrian, rugby, stunt, triathlon and women's wrestling are working their way through the NCAA's Emerging Sports for Women program with the hopes of gaining enough university participation to become NCAA championships — with some on the cusp of joining the ranks. In this recording from the TEAMS Conference & Expo held recently in Anaheim, the leaders of these efforts discuss where they are in the process and what destinations can do now to help build out other events leading up to a championship, including camps, clinics and combines.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, Geoff Freeman is the leading advocate for the more than $1 trillion U.S. travel and hospitality industry. In this role, he is charged with positioning the industry to seize emerging opportunities and further establishing travel as a vital economic force in the United States. Before taking over at U.S. Travel, Freeman was president and CEO of the Consumer Brands Association, the trade association for America's $2.1 trillion food, beverage and consumer products industry. And before that, he served five years as president and CEO of the American Gaming Association. So his background in lobbying for interests of various industries is substantial, including, of course, the travel industry. He's also a father of three who has made the circuit of amateur sports travel, so he knows what he speaks when he discusses the sports-related travel market. Now, with some of the world's most high-profile events headed to the United States over the next decade, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games in Los Angeles, the 2031 Men's Rugby World Cup, 2033 Women's Rugby World Cup and 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Utah, the time has arrived where these mega events may lead to policy changes. Chief among those is the issue of visa wait times, which can be hundreds of days for people wanting to enter the United States from certain countries, including several expected to compete less than two years from now in the World Cup. For some of those fans, unless something changes, it may already be too late to get to those matches in 2026. These are important issues, especially for destinations that are investing millions of dollars in hosting matches with the expectation that they will lead to foreign visitation. These are some of the themes we'll be discussing with Freeman on stage at the TEAMS Conference and Expo, September 23­–26, in Anaheim, California. But in this episode, we introduce the discussion with Freeman and talk about ways destinations of all sizes can better advocate and lobby for the important work they do day in and day out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ezra Frech was born a congenital amputee but started off his athletic career mostly competing against non-disabled athletes. It was when he was 8 years old that his father took him to his first para competition, and given that support, he was able to perform at his highest level. After that day, Ezra and his father made a promise to each other that they would bring para events to Southern California, and with that, Angel City Sports was born. Angel City Sports is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that provides year-round adaptive sports opportunities for kids, adults and veterans with physical disabilities or visual impairments. And now, Frech is a Paralympic gold medalist, having won the 100 meters and the high jump T63 at the Paris Games. This interview, recorded before the Games through the P&G Athletes for Good Fund, discusses his preparations ahead of his trip and competition in Paris, his work in the Paralympic space, his hopes for the 2028 Paralympic Summer Games in Los Angeles and much more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like many Olympians and Paralympians, Susannah Scaroni has had to overcome her share of challenges. In her case, a car accident at the age of 5 caused her to need a wheelchair for mobility, a journey that led her to adaptive sports. Her initial experience was not positive. But when she discovered a welcoming adaptive sports program in Spokane, Washington, her interest grew. As her training grew, so did her accomplishments. And eventually that led to a spot on the Paralympic team at the 2012 London Games in the marathon, which has become something of a specialty. She competed again in Rio in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020 and in Paris will compete in her fourth Paralympic Games, having qualified for the marathon, the 800 meter, the 1500 meter and the 5000 meter races. While she has traveled the world competing in some of the biggest events around, the process has not been easy, and still poses challenges. Not all event organizers are doing the best they can to accommodate adaptive sports athletes, even at events as large as the World Championships. In this discussion, we trace Saroni's journey to adaptive sports, talk about her experience at the Paralympics and other major sports events and delve into things event organizers and host cities can and should be thinking about when it comes to the next generation of para athletes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may not immediately recognize the name Danny Boy O'Connor. But if you've turned on a radio or attended an in-person sports event in the last 30 years you certainly know his music. As a co-founder of the group House of Pain, he was on the ground floor of the group's biggest crossover hit, “Jump Around.” As you'll hear in this conversation, he was a connoisseur of music growing up in New York and then Los Angeles. He also was immersed in hip hop culture, including the breaking scene. So when the sports version of break dancing takes center stage in Paris, he'll be watching with keen interest. In this episode we'll talk a bit about what breaking has meant to him and what it continues to mean to participants around the world. But we're also going to talk a surprising amount about tourism, specifically what O'Connor has accomplished in an effort to preserve the legacy of the book and movie version of “The Outsiders.” Years after House Pain, he found himself on tour through Tulsa where the book was based, and found the house used in the film as the home of the brothers who make up the main characters. Shocked at what had become of the home, he led an effort to purchase and restore it, an effort that has now led to a museum to the franchise, which also saw a Broadway musical version debut last year that took home a Tony Award for Best Muscial. In the process of restoring the home, O'Connor not only fell in love with the town, but he has become one of its biggest tourism advocates. In this episode, we're going to talk about all of these things and you may come out surprised at how the worlds of music, sports and tourism can often interact seamlessly.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dan Butterly has been the commissioner of the Big West Conference since July 1, 2020. He took the job at a time when Covid was wreaking havoc on the sports landscape and led the conference through uncertain times. Butterly has negotiated a large streaming contract with ESPN-plus and has ambitious designs for the future of the conference and its athletics. He is a member of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Competition and Oversight Committees, and the NCAA Council Working Group on NIL. In this episode, Butterly discusses the ever-changing worlds of NIL and conference realignment, how the Big West can capitalize from the demise of the Pac-12, getting his conference more exposure, and what went into the decision to move the men's and women's basketball championship tournaments from California to Henderson, Nevada.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Lionel Messi effect in his second season with Inter Miami is well underway in Major League Soccer, which has had five matches this season with an attendance of more than 60,000 or higher. MLS' total attendance is up 13 percent compared to the same date last season and with the Copa America ongoing, the international club competition will segway into one of Major League Soccer's main in-season points of emphasis, the Leagues Cup matching up each team from MLS and Liga MX in Mexico. Executive Vice President Camilo Durana joined the podcast recently to discuss the state of the league, the upcoming second annual Leagues Cup, MLS' developing relationship with Liga MX, broadening the league's reach through Soccer United Marketing, and upcoming FIFA events in the U.S. highlighted by the 2026 World Cup and of course the effect of Messi within the league's international reputation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the most high-profile sports in the Olympic Summer Games in Paris will be basketball. The USA Basketball teams have been some of the most dominant in Olympic history in any sport. The women's team looks to extend its streak to eight consecutive gold medals and the men's team looks for its fifth in a row, having only lost six games in Olympic history. The U.S. also will have teams in the blossoming 3x3 competition that will be held on Place du Concorde in one of the more stunning locations in Paris. At the center of it is Chief Executive Officer Jim Tooley, who has been with USA Basketball for over 30 years. We discussed USA Basketball's state of preparations before Paris, the amount of planning needed for the back and forth between Paris and Lille for group-stage games, USA Basketball's relationships with Las Vegas and abroad ahead of exhibition games in London, the growth of the international game and 3x3 and celebrating the national governing body's 50th anniversary.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Skip Gilbert is no stranger to the sports industry. As a former professional soccer player, the sport may well be his true love. But his previous stints included one with the USADA, the anti-doping agency, as managing director of operations, marketing and development; managing director of professional tennis operations and tournament manager for the U.S. Open in New York; CEO of USA Triathlon; a vice president for the Arena Football League; and chief marketing officer of USA Swimming. Along the way, he's also become one of the industry's staunchest advocates for kids being involved in sports for their own health and well-being — and being involved in as many sports as possible to avoid specialization. Since 2020, he has been at the helm of US Youth Soccer, the largest youth sport organizations in the United States, which is focused on having a positive impact on the lives of America's youth through the game of soccer. The group's mission is to make soccer the preeminent youth sport in the country, and they are well on their way. Soccer participation has held steady or grown in recent years and the big events headed to the United States, including of course the FIFA World Cup in 2026, may only serve as a catalyst for continued growth, or at the least an aspirational event that could well fuel future growth in the sport. In this discussion, we sit down with Gilbert to discuss the state of youth soccer, the opportunities and challenges ahead for the sport, the rise of the professional leagues for both men and women, and the importance of diversity when it comes to kids getting active in sports.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2019, the Sports Events and Tourism Association, or Sports ETA, embarked on an ambitious State of the Industry report to attempt to put a value on the economic impact derived from sports events and sports-related travel. The timing was fortuitous as it set a baseline for future studies just before the pandemic. In 2022, a second report analyzed the pace of recovery from that pandemic, looking at data from 2020 and 2021. But the latest report arguably paints the fullest pictureyet not just at how the industry has recovered, but how it continues to thrive. The headline numbers are that sports-related travel had a $52.2 billion direct economic impact in 2023. More than 200 million travelers were reported, generating more than 73 million room nights. But perhaps most impressive of all, some 63 percent of destinations surveyed said that sports are their largest generator of room nights. Think about that statistic for a moment and you can start to grasp the true power and potential of this market. John David took over as Sports ETA's president and CEO last year after decades as an event organizer and executive himself at USA BMX. So his perspective, and his support of continuing this vital research, are the perfect match to wade into the details of the full report. And Greg Pepitone from Tourism Economics, as the lead researcher in the project, also brings his perspective on where sports fit into the mix since his organization is one of the leading data providers for the overall travel industry. In this discussion, we talk with John and Greg about the not only the headline numbers in the report, but deeper insights that were analyzed about how event organizers make their decisions on locations, what kinds of services travelers are spending their money on, which areas of the country are sourcing the most events and much, much more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you've ever seen traditional diving at the Olympic Games or in real life, you know that the cleaner the dive, the better the score. The goal in that discipline is to enter the water as straight as possible with as little splash as possible. But starting in the 1970s, a new generation of divers began something just a bit different. Starting in Norway, these diving daredevils started jumping from substantial heights, doing crazy stunts on the way down, entering the water in a hunched position not just for safety but to create the largest splash possible. Imagine something that combines the flips of snowboard halfpipe with the satisfaction of a cannonball and that gets you close. But now Døds Diving or Death Diving if you're Norwegian isn't up to speed, has become a legitimate event circuit, hosting world championships since 2008. Leading the charge is Paul Rigault, CEO and Co-Founder of the Døds Diving League and Døds Federation, and Stine Brun Kjeldaas, the league head of sports and media, and a World Champion, X Games gold medalist and silver medalist in snowboarding at the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Nagano. In this episode, we talk with Paul and Stine about what it takes to host one of these events, what an ideal host venue looks like, what the atmosphere is like at a Døds competition and why in the world anyone would want to hurl themselves off a high dive platform, spin around on the way down and splash their way to victory. We hope you enjoy the conversation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ron Price has been the chief executive officer of Visit Phoenix since July 2021. Prior to the move to Phoenix, Price had stops in Arlington and San Antonio, Texas, as well as more than a decade with Marriott in several places, including Denver and Southern California. Phoenix has become a basketball hotbed, having hosted the NCAA Men's Final Four in March with the Women's Final Four on tap for 2026. Phoenix will also host the WNBA All-Star Game this summer and the NBA All-Star Game in 2027. And then there's always the lingering question of when the region will again host the Super Bowl, which it last did in 2023. There's a lot going on in the Phoenix metropolitan area, and Ron Price is the man at the center of it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott DeRue was named the new chief executive officer of The Ironman Group in January, joining the organization from Equinox, where he served as president. At Equinox, DeRue oversaw a business that included 107 fitness clubs, a connected fitness platform, a large personal training and coaching practice and digital commerce and media properties. Ironman's portfolio includes hundreds of events across more than 50 countries in triathlon, running, trail running, road cycling and mountain biking and a suite of digital training platforms and programs for athletes. We discussed with Scott his motivation for taking the job at Ironman, his early work since being hired within the organization, assessing the business, thoughts on the mass participation industry and Ironman's plans going forward. Among the topics in this episode Early plans for coming in and assessing the business (1:48) What was the interest and motivation in taking the CEO job (2:51) Ironman's plans both nationally and worldwide (3:50) Organizational room for improvements (5:29) Ironman's place in the sports sustainability landscape (9:32) The process of fact-finding during the interview process (11:40) What he brings to the job as a new executive (13:24) What from Equinox and his academic background will translate to Ironman (14:39) Thoughts on the mass participation event industry (16:47) His training for a future Ironman event (18:25) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every year, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, or SFIA, takes on a number of research projects designed to offer insight into the world of sports through the lens of participation, equipment sales and other metrics. But the Topline Participation Report is one of the longest-standing and most ambitious surveys the organization conducts. Each year, thousands of people are surveyed about which one of 124 different activities they participate in and how often. The end result is a wealth of data and trends that tracks which sports are gaining popularity and which are struggling. You may have heard the stat that pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the United States. That's true, and that stat comes from and is verified by this report, which shows the wildly popular sport up another 50 percent in participation in the past year. We'll go into why that remains the case, but the pickleball data only scratches the surface of this report. And in an Olympic year when many otherwise obscure sports get their highest visibility, you can expect some interesting things in the year ahead, which we'll go into as well. Another trend that's on the rise: team sports. More and more people are participating as a group and loving it. And we'll go into which team sports they are liking the most. All of this information is invaluable for those who are in the business of organizing and hosting sports events. And the best news of all — both for the industry and for humankind — is that overall, participation in sports events is up and inactivity is down, a trend that we can all get behind. So sit back and enjoy this conversation with SFIA President and CEO Tom Coveas we dive into the data to pick out all the trends you need to know.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year, Kevin Klipstein will celebrate 20 years at the helm of US Squash, the national governing body for the racquet sport that has been steadily growing in participation and membership over that time. While the NGB has seen remarkable success through projects such as a national training center in Philadelphia, and exposure in new markets, the sport itself for years has been seeking a holy grail of sorts. That effort, of course, is a place on the Olympic program. That effort began with a campaign to get into the 2012 Games in London, and in each subsequent Games after that. But for one reason or another — and there were different reasons each time — the sport could never quite clear the hurdle. But when it came time to pitch for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, everything finally lined up perfectly. Squash was one of several sports approved for the program, which of course presents a whole new world of opportunity for leaders like Klipstein, who spend their entire days thinking about ways to expose the sport they love to even more people. And as you'll hear, one of the beauties of squash at that highest level is that its glass showcase courts can be stationed just about anywhere. In fact, international events have been staged outside the pyramids in Egypt and on building rooftops, to name a few. Where exactly it will be staged in Los Angeles remains to be seen — as will its potential place in the 2032 Games in Australia and beyond. But as you'll hear in this conversation, the sport has plans to grow regardless of its upcoming presence on sport's largest stage.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're familiar with the sports history of the city of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it may be as the site of the famed “Rumble in the Jungle” boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. But in recent years, another effort is aiming to attract visitors to the African nation and build a lifelong culture of sport through running. Since they launched the Congo River Marathon, Rolly Kayumba and Nancy Bachmann have been slowly adding to the event's footprint, and using the opportunity to run along the Congo River and in the city of Kinshasa as a way to develop runners domestically and visitors internationally. Like all new events, it has had its challenges and opportunities, many of which are not unique to those faced by organizers around the world. But this year's race, which is scheduled for June 2, 2024, may be the biggest effort yet. In this episode, SportsTravel Executive Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz talks with Kayumba and Bachmann about how the race began, how it has grown and how running is being used as a method to promote sports tourism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

USA Swimming is known around the world as one of the powerhouse teams in the sport and this year expectations are high as always ahead of the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris. This year's Games will be the second for Chief Executive Officer Tim Hinchey but the first in which he does not have to lead the national governing body under pandemic-related conditions. With a high-profile year that includes not only the Olympics but the World Aquatics championships that recently started in Qatar and a host of national level meets around the country, we caught up with Tim recently to discuss how USA Swimming places events around the United States, anticipation for this year's Olympic Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and much more. Among the topics in this episode USA Swimming's strategy in putting together this year's schedule of events with an eye toward athletes having their peak performances at the Olympic Summer Games in Paris (1:52) The U.S. Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, which starts June 15 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and how progress and anticipation is coming along (3:31) If a successful Trials would give USA Swimming encouragement to trying to do more events in NFL-sized and non-swim specific venues (5:48) When putting together an events calendar whether it be this year or years to come, what USA Swimming looks for in partner destinations and venues (7:41) His second Olympics with USA Swimming and the adjustment in being in a ‘normal' Olympic cycle this time around (10:07) The pressure of leading one (if not the) most dominant swimming teams in the world (12:30) The importance of a strong Paris 2024 performance in setting up the next four years ahead of LA28 (14:12) Thoughts on the plans for open water swimming in Paris to be held in the River Seine (16:09) Amount of time as a chief executive officer that he spends on swimming and athlete issues compared to sponsorship, SafeSport and more (17:55) Changes on the collegiate landscape and how it affects development of elite swimming prospects (20:55) The best perk of being USA Swimming's Chief Executive Officer (23:24) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The first weekend in February will be an extraordinary one in Orlando, Florida, which hosts the U.S. Olympic Trials for marathon on February 3, followed the next day by the NFL Pro Bowl Games are at Camping World Stadium. The big weekend comes on the heels of news that two of the city's recognizable sports venues will receive more than a combined $600 million in renovations in the coming years. We chatted with Jason Siegel, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission, about the process in landing the U.S. Olympic Trials for Marathon and the preparation that has gone into planning the event, what the big weekend ahead will be like for locals, the news of renovation funds committed to area venues and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Greater Columbus Sports Commission will host this year's U.S. Figure Skating National Championships, the first time the event will be in the Ohio destination. Nationwide Arena will host over 400 athletes, coaches, and officials, plus thousands of fans over the seven-day event. The venue is within walking distance of many hotels and restaurants to ensure a smooth fan experience. It's a major event to kick off a busy year ahead for the Greater Columbus Sports Commission and Linda Logan, which will host more than a half-dozen other collegiate and national governing body events in the first six months of the year. We talked with Linda Logan, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, and Jesse Ghiorzi, director of marketing at the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, about planning for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, what it took to win the bid and much more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sam Joffray is no stranger to the Super Bowl. He has been to every big game since 1997 in some capacity. Whether it was leading a bid for the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation or as a consultant or vendor, Joffray has a wealth of experience when it comes to the NFL's crown jewel. So when Las Vegas welcomed the Raiders to the city and built world-class Allegiant Stadium four years ago, they needed someone to run point on a Super Bowl bid. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority hired Joffray to be the president and chief executive officer of the Las Vegas Super Bowl Host Committee. Following a successful bid, Sin City will host its first Super Bowl on February 11. Joffray and his team have been hard at work to make sure the event is a success, and are hopeful that Las Vegas can get into the regular rotation of Super Bowl host venues is the coming years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last year the editors of SportsTravel got together for a year end recap for the first time and we thought it would be a great idea to do that again. In this episode, Managing Editor Matt Traub, Associate Editor Justin Shaw and Executive Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz take a look at their biggest takeaways from the past year, stories that resonated with them, stories that flew under the radar, the biggest international news and their favorite events to cover. But they'll also take a look at stories they will be following in the year to come and will each make a bold prediction for 2024. And pay attention to those predictions as last year, two of their three ended up coming true with Matt predicting chaos in conference realignment and Justin impressively calling that the Denver Nuggets would win the NBA championship with Nikola Jokic being named MVP. Jason's prediction of the University of Colorado winning the College Football Playoff National Championship failed to come to fruition — although for three weeks this fall when Colorado football was the talk of the nation, it seemed like even that one would come to pass. So sit back and take a listen to our year in review and our look ahead to 2024.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

J.C. Poma spent almost 7 years with Richmond Region Tourism, working his way up from manager to director to vice president before leaving earlier this year. He didn't venture far, as he went about 20 miles south of Richmond to the small city of Chesterfield, Virginia. Since arriving in Chesterfield, his task has been to build up the Play Chesterfield brand within the Sports, Visitation, & Entertainment department, and both utilize and upgrade the various facilities in the area. Poma's philosophy of building from within has Play Chesterfield focused on creating spaces for residents to play and interact, while also looking to bring in tournaments and events from outside the county to drive revenue. We talked with Poma about what his short and longterm goals are, how he and his team are promoting the new Play Chesterfield venture and the delicate balance of keeping the locals happy, while establishing the destination as a prime spot for sports tourism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flag football being named to the 2028 Olympic program earlier this year completed an impressive rise for the sport. Having the sport in the Los Angeles Games is a massive win for the NFL in broadening its global reach. On the IOC's part, having the NFL promoting the Olympics does the same in expanding its reach and marketing to fans of a sport who may have never bothered with the Games in the past. And having gender equality in flag football is a big reason why the IOC was open to the idea of the sport being on the program; more than half a dozen states have sanctioned girls' flag football as a varsity sport. We talked with USA Football Chief Executive Officer and President Scott Hallenbeck about the sport's inclusion into the Olympics, its rise among girls and female participants, and much more about the sport's global reach.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Khalid Cannon didn't have the most direct route to the world of Ivy League athletics, but he certainly made the most of his opportunity. Growing up on a chicken farm in Alabama, his father was incarcerated when he was just a toddler, a development that led him to sports as a youth as an outlet for the challenges his family naturally faced. Not only did he excel athletically in baseball, football and other sports, he excelled academically as well. So much so that when it came time to consider playing football in college, he caught the eye of coaches at Yale and eventually played offensive line for the Bulldogs while pursuing degrees in chemistry and geology. After graduation, his career included a stint at a gold mining corporation until a conversation with a fellow former Yale football player turned him on to a fledgling nonprofit called Put Me In! The mission of Put Me In! is to be a support to the more than 5 million kids who are estimated to have a parent who is incarcerated. CIPS, or children of incarcerated parents, are a group that doesn't get much attention in the world of sports-related travel. But Put Me In! exists to give those kids scholarships to cover the costs of sports equipment, league fees and travel to tournaments. The organization has started small but is rapidly expanding, bringing on Cannon recently as its first full-time employee in the role of president and chief program officer. As you'll hear in this conversation with SportsTravel Executive Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz, they've found perhaps the perfect person for the role. As the issue of equity in youth sports continues to rise to importance, Put Me In! is a terrific example of how some groups are looking to level the playing field.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like many elements of the incredibly fast-growing sport of pickleball, the PPA Tour does not yet have a long history, having been founded in 2018. But its growth has also been very much on the upswing. Today the tour offers 24 events nationwide and a prize purse exceeding $5 million. Carvana is on as a title sponsor and interest on all levels in the tour continues to rise. Recent months have also seen the signing of a slate of professional players, many of who are former tennis stars like Sam Querry, Jack Sock and Genie Bouchard to name a few. The recently announced merger with Major League Pickleball, an entity that has taken more of a team approach, also promises to grow the pie. And the PPA Tour recently became the first league to allow gambling on matches, opening the sport to a new audience of potential bettors on the action. In this conversation, we chat with tour's president, Bryce Morgan, about where the tour has been, where it's headed and trends the PPA is watching by way of venue development, site selection, participation rates and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Maryland Cycling Classic, a one-day competition sanctioned by USA cycling and UCI, the sport's international federation, is the centerpiece of a full Labor Day weekend of activities throughout the Baltimore region. The event is owned and operated by the Sport and Entertainment Corporation of Maryland, of which Terry Hasseltine is the president. We chatted with Terry recently about getting the event off the ground last year after two previously scheduled attempts were cancelled because of the pandemic, what goes into the planning and logistics of the event, if anything has changed from the inaugural year to this year and what the event could grow to be in future years. We hope you enjoy the conversation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The EsportsTravel Summit is the world's largest gathering of esports tournament and video-game event organizers and the only event focused on the travel side of the esports industry. Presented by SportsTravel and hosted by Destination Toronto, the 2023 EsportsTravel Summit was held July 12–14, 2023, in Toronto. One of the major programming sessions at the event was on grassroots esports. Recognizing the important work being done at the grassroots may be even more crucial to a destination's success in building an esports ecosystem of its own. In this session, attendees were able to hear the experiences and advice from a panel of experts that included Katie Briggs, president at LanFest; Melissa Burns, founder and chair of Esports Canada and Gerald Solomon, executive director of the NASEF. 2:15: What is the big-picture state of grassroots esports? 5:45: The differences between grassroots esports and the other disciplines of the industry 9:25: The value that grassroots esports brings to destinations around North America 14:50: Esports parents and the role they have with encouraging grassroots esports involvement 21:32: Sustainability in grassroots esports and having educational facilities encourage its involvement 27:37: The authenticity of grassroots esports and keeping that feel to encourage attendance and family involvement 32:57: How grassroots esports can serve as a model for the rest of the industry on various levelsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Council of Youth Sports has member organizations that go beyond just sports organizations. Destination marketing organizations are also involved as are groups whose missions it is to foster a great youth sports experience. But the sports organizations that belong to the National Council of Youth Sports represent some of the largest groups by participation in the country. Some 60 million young people are registered to play sports in these member organizations, making the council the perfect place to engage in deeper conversations about youth sports. And that's some of what we'll dive into in this deep conversation with Wayne Moss, who has been the organization's executive director since 2018. Specifically, we're going to discuss the top of safety in youth sports, a topic that encompasses not only emotional and physical safety in the form of abuse prevention but also physical safety when it comes to preventing injuries on the field of play. And as the country saw in real time last season when the Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin nearly lost his life during a Monday night football game, this topic is especially top of mind of late. Youth safety is one of several themes that will also be part of the council's upcoming National Youth Sports Week, an opportunity to engage in a deeper dialogue nationwide about youth sports. National Youth Sports Week will be the first week of October in 2023 and will coincide with our TEAMS Conference and Expo, which will be held October 2nd through the 5th in the Palm Beaches of Florida. Wayne Moss will be one of our featured speakers at the conference as we delve even deeper into the topic of youth sports safety. But in this conversation, you'll get a preview of that discussion and a greater understanding of the work that the National Council of Youth Sports is putting into that dialogue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sustainability has never been a more important factor in the sports market with events that are some of the most high-profile in the world. Tim Trefzer has led sustainability efforts at Mercedes Benz Stadium, SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, the Super Bowl, College Football Playoff and the Atlanta Falcons among others. He also co-founded the Sustainable Sport index, the sports industry's first benchmark of sustainability. SportsTravel Managing Editor Matt Traub talked with Tim recently on how sports organizations can use its events to educate people about climate change, how much sustainability has increased as a priority in sports and its venues, the most important topics of focus still needed for sports venues to be sustainable and much more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The second annual TEAMS Europe included leading experts from global organizations including the National Football League, the International Olympic Committee, World Rugby, the International Tennis Federation, LaLiga, Major League Baseball and more. TEAMS—the world's leading conference and expo for the sports-event industry—unites sport event organizers with destinations, venues and suppliers interested in hosting or supporting their events. The conference returned to the ExCeL Center in London from June 27–29, 2023. In addition to business development through a marketplace with pre-arranged appointments, the conference featured educational sessions focused on some of the most significant events and issues in the industry today. 1:48: How North American Professional Sports Have Found New Markets  12:00: Rugby World Cup: 2023 And Beyond 21:22: Games Learning: Best Practices from the Olympic Movement  29:10: The Legal Arena: Trends You Need to Know  36:35: Sustainability Now: How Your Organization Can Be More Responsible  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

USA Gymnastics is looking to build a national training and wellness center that will serve as the hub for the national governing body and has issued a request of expressions of interest directed at destinations and real estate developers targeting a 2026 project completion, said President and Chief Executive Officer Li Li Leung during a discussion on the SportsTravel Podcast. The NGB is seeking a partner to design, build, operate and maintain a campus comprising a modern training and wellness center and ancillary facilities for the national team in various disciplines as well as develop the overall grassroots growth of the sport. USA Gymnastics does not have a centralized training and wellness center currently. The new center may also become home to the NGB's national headquarters. In this episode, Leung discusses why the NGB is seeking the new location as well as preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You wouldn't be much of a sports fan if you didn't have a bucket list of events you want to see in person before you, well, kick the bucket, as it were. While plenty of people talk about such a list, few of us write it down, and even fewer of us set out to actually accomplish it. And that makes David Carter unique. Carter is a national authority on sports business and strategic marketing, and the author of four books about the sport business industry. He founded the Sports Business Group in 1999 following more than 10 years of consulting for the sports and entertainment industries, and he's an adjunct professor of management and organization at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business with an emphasis on sports. But perhaps of even greater interest, Carter has set out with his best friend to tackle their own bucket list of sports events — 25 events before they turn 75 years old. Carter is serious about the endeavor as well. He's put his list to a spreadsheet, with ground rules about what events he'd like to see and where. No country can be visited twice. No sport should be watched twice. These are just some of the ground rules. But the effort also comes with considerable planning and more than a few lessons about why you should put some thought into planning your own list should you try to tackle it. In this conversation, SportsTravel Executive Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz talks with Carter about what he's learned some nine events into his own list of 25 events and what observations he has about today's hottest issues and trends in sports events.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

USA Boxing Executive Director Mike McAtee discussed the years-long process in coming with plans for a new international federation in the wake of the IOC's expulsion of the International Boxing Association, the various issues the national governing body has had with the IBA — including fight manipulation — and more in this episode. McAtee also discussed the future plans for World Boxing; whether the international drama surrounding the sport has been a topic of discussion at USA Boxing events; and the recent news that the IOC has promised boxing's spot in the LA28 program is secure.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Kris Alexander had an upbringing not unlike many of us in that when he discovered the joy and excitement of video games, he never looked back. But unlike many of us, he has turned that passion into a successful career, not just playing the games but educating the future work force that will help the industry continue to flourish and thrive. As professor of video games at Toronto Metropolitan University, Alexander has built a program that now includes about 300 students and has produced the Red Bull Gaming Hub, an active events center that serves as not just a laboratory of sorts for his students, but a functioning venue that has hosted esports and other neighborhood events. As you'll see from this discussion, Alexander is passionate about video games and esports and has a compelling case to make as to the benefits that games can bring in educating students and as sources of continued business development. In this conversation with SportsTravel Executive Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz, Alexander goes into his own fascinating background in video games as a player, his transition to academia, the future of esports and video gaming and some behind-the-scenes insight on what it takes to successfulyl execute a TED Talk viewed by more than 1 million people.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jim Scherr was named the first chief executive officer of World Lacrosse in 2017. Prior to that, he was CEO of the United States Olympic Committee from 2003 to 2009. Scherr, who competed as a wrestler at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games, was the first Olympian to serve in that position with the USOC. Before joining the USOC, Scherr served as executive director of USA Wrestling from 1990 to 2000, and also was the National Collegiate Hockey Conference commissioner from 2012­ to 2013. During his time at World Lacrosse, Scherr has grown the sport globally ahead of the 2023 World Lacrosse Championships from June 21-July 1 in San Diego. Scherr discusses the World Championships with teams from 30 nations competing for the championship, getting a version of lacrosse on the docket for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, his background in the Olympic movement, the social media power of the Premier Lacrosse League and much more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Izell Reese is the chief executive officer of RCX Sports, a youth sports experiences business, running and operating leagues, camps, combines, tournaments and events. Reese has been the Executive Director of NFL Flag since October 2019, working closely with the NFL to expand the sport of flag football around the world. RCX has also recently entered into partnerships with the National Hockey League and Major League Soccer for youth programs. Before entering the youth sports world, Reese played safety in the NFL for seven years. Reese describes how his experiences in youth sports and the NFL influence how he works as CEO at RCX Sports; partnering with the NFL on NFL Flag and the exposure the sport got from the Pro Bowl; new alignments with the National Hockey League and Major League Soccer; strategies on increasing participation of girls in youth sports; and a special moment coming for him in his hometown of Dothan, Alabama See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of two international federations in the esports world, the International Esports Federation's mission is to further esports on a global scale. With 130 member national federations, IESF president Vlad Marinescu discusses esports on a global level, the international outlook for the industry, esports at the grassroots level around the world compared to the United States, the tightening of financial backing within the professional esports space, esports' possible place in the Olympic sports landscape and much more. This episode is sponsored by the EsportsTravel Summit, the world's largest gathering of esports tournament and video-game event organizers and the only event focused on the travel side of the esports industry. Presented by SportsTravel and hosted by Destination Toronto, the 2023 EsportsTravel Summit will be held July 12–14, 2023, in Toronto. The biggest brands in the esports world will attend the event and their representatives are featured as presenters. For more details on everything planned, please visit esportstravelsummit.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Houston and Dallas were recently in the spotlight as hosts for the NCAA Men's and Women's Final Fours. Each of the destinations hosted tens of thousands of visitors from out of town, providing a spotlight for Marriott, which has sponsored the NCAA for seven years through its Marriott Bonvoy program. The sports-related travel market was the first segment of the travel industry to come back in big numbers as the world started to reopen from the pandemic and the pace has only continued in the months since, a trend that Marriott executives have watched with interest. In this conversation between SportsTravel Managing Editor Matt Traub and Mandy Gill, Marriott vice president of global marketing for the United States and Canada (recorded on location at the Men's Final Four in Houston), we discuss the current state of the sports-related travel industry, Marriott's NCAA partnership and much more from the hotelier's point of view on the strength of the industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Until it just recently released its new report, Sports ETA as an industry association had not surveyed its members about their compensation and salary information for about 10 years. A lot has changed since then. And, of course, a lot has changed just within the past few years coming out of the pandemic, which led to massive turnover in the industry and a crop of new employees entering the space. The latest survey, which was sponsored and supported by Northstar Meetings Group, reveals some hard facts about not just what industry professionals are being paid, but how they are being compensated as well. [article_sidebar]In this conversation between SportsTravel Executive Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz and the leading researchers on the report — Jennifer Stoll of Stoll Strategies and Cambria Jones of SearchWide Global — we explore those issues. That includes how many sales people on average are employed at destination marketing organizations, what kinds of benefits those employees are now looking for, the concerns that still exist over how some of these organizations are funded and, of course, what industry professionals are being paid. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For years, the Sports & Fitness industry Association has studied which sports people participate in and how often. Perhaps just as important, they also track the number of people who say they don't participate in anything at all. For professionals in the sports-event industry, there is a tremendous amount of interesting data in the SFIA's recently released Topline Participation Report, including which individual sports are trending well and which team sports are trending well. If you're the organizer or a host city of a sports tournament or event, knowing where the interest lies could be the key to a successful future. As you'll hear, there is no doubting the incredible growth that pickleball has seen not just in the past year but for the past several years. But pickleball is not alone. In fact, all racquet sports are on the upswing, including tennis, which has the largest participation of all. In this conversation between SportsTravel Executive Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz and SFIA President and CEO Tom Cove, we take a deep dive into the organization's latest report and talk about what sports and trends he's keeping an eye on next.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The NCAA Men's Final Four, for the fourth time in its history, will be held in Houston starting with the semifinals on Saturday and the championship game on Monday. For the third time the games will be at NRG Stadium, home of the NFL's Texans and host to many events each year. The venue will also host the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship and be one of the host cities for the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup. SportsTravel Managing Editor Matt Traub talked with Janis Burke and Holly Kesterson from the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority about the planning that has gone into this weekend's events both on and off the court, working with the NCAA for years leading up to Saturday, civic engagement throughout the community, the hardest parts about putting on the event and what it means for the city to be the site for Jim Nantz to end his tenure as the play-by-play voice of the Men's Final Four.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lisa Motley has worked in the Las Vegas events and tourism industry for more than 20 years. She has held various roles in her six-plus years at Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. As senior director of sports and special events, Motley works tirelessly to bring all sizes of sporting events to Las Vegas. She was instrumental in organizing the 2022 NFL Draft, and has held a large role in securing some of the biggest sporting events in the world for Sin City. This November, Las Vegas will host Formula 1 for the first time, and then three months later will welcome Super Bowl LVIII to Allegiant Stadium. In this conversation with SportsTravel Associate Editor Justin Shaw, we talk with Motley about what it takes to bring these massive events to Las Vegas, and what to expect from the city as a host. We also discuss all of the college basketball action in Las Vegas, including this year's NCAA Men's West Regional Final and the 2028 Men's Final Four. Motley also divulges the one event that she still wants to check off her sports bucket list.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the biggest sports in each Olympic Summer Games is swimming, which has been part of the Olympic program since 1896. But what casual fans of swimming may not realize is that the sport's international governing body, World Aquatics, also oversees water polo, diving, artistic swimming, open water swimming and high diving throughout the world. The international federation has been around for decades but recently underwent a dramatic rebranding from FINA to World Aquatics. One of the leaders of the federation is American Brent Nowicki, who has been executive director at World Aquatics since June 2021 after spending more than eight years at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. SportsTravel Managing Editor Matt Traub talked with Nowicki recently about the organization's rebranding, the international scene especially in a time of turmoil in the Ukraine, the importance of the U.S. market five years out from the Los Angeles Games and how growing up in Buffalo has shaped his work ethic as an international sports executive based in Switzerland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gary Hernbroth spent 17 successful and colorful years in the luxury hotel business in sales and operations leadership, including stints with Westin, Fairmont and Park Lane Hotels. It was there, especially in Northern California where he lives now, that Hernbroth discovered the power of sports-related travel at a time when it took some convincing to explain the potential benefits of the market. Hernbroth did this in part by attracting professional sports teams to stay at his properties when they were in the Bay Area to play the region's professional teams. But once team travel secretaries began telling their counterparts about the services Hernbroth's hotels could provide, word traveled fast and the case for going after sports groups became easier to make. In 1995, Hernbroth founded Training for Winners, taking his years of industry knowledge and sharing it through motivational talks and workshops for others in the industry. Today, he travels the country speaking to groups to encourage their sales professionals and leaders to be the best they can be. In this episode, we talk with Hernbroth about his early awakening in sports-related travel, what makes the market different than other group segments, and what advice he has for sales professionals in the current climate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.