The Joe Pomp Show

Today's episode breaks down the financial situation at FC Barcelona. The historic club is roughly $1 billion in debt, and they are attempting to dig themselves out of the hole by creatively leveraging some of their most unique assets, including equity offers from Goldman Sachs, Fanatics, and others. Enjoy!

Donn Davis is the Chairman and Founder of the Professional Fighters League (PFL). The MMA organization has raised $200 million in venture capital and is currently valued at $500 million. We discuss the growth of MMA as a global sport, their plan to steal market share from the UFC, the future of media rights, why this can be a multi-billion-dollar company, and more. Enjoy!

Today's episode breaks down the epic origin story of what eventually became LeBron's James' billion dollar business with Nike. Enjoy!

Haider Rafique is the Global Chief Marketing Officer at OKX, one of the world's largest crypto exchanges. They have recently signed massive sponsorship deals with Manchester City and McLaren's Formula 1 team. So Haider walks me through the details, including how much these partnerships cost, what you can expect in return, the questions and concerns crypto companies are being asked, and more. Enjoy!

Lionel Messi is set to leave Paris Saint-Germain after the 2023 season and join MLS club Inter Miami, acquiring a 35% equity stake in the franchise, according to Alex Candal at DIRECTV Sports. Messi's camp has denied the rumor, but today's podcast breaks down the business case as to why this might make a lot of sense financially. Enjoy!

Today's episode breaks down two of the most recent topics in sports business — the United States being selected to host the Rugby World Cup and the future of crypto sponsorships in sports after a 50% drop in digital assets. Enjoy!

Brian Feroldi is an investor, writer, and content creator. Brian is one of my favorite people to follow on Twitter regarding personal finances and investing, and he joined me for today's episode to discuss his new book "Why Does The Stock Market Go Up?". Enjoy!

Today's episode breaks down Tom Brady's new 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox Sports, and Sportico's new list of the world's top 100 highest-paid athletes. Enjoy!

Matt Leinart is a college football analyst at Fox Sports. He won a Heisman Trophy and National Championship at the University of Southern California (USC) in 2004. He was the 10th overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, and he played in the NFL for six seasons. We talk about what it was like playing at USC, how NIL has changed college football, the new business he is launching to fill a void, and more. Enjoy!

Fredrik Haga is the co-founder of crypto analytics platform Dune. The business has only 16 employees and was founded just 3 years ago, yet just raised a $69,420,000 Series B funding round at a valuation north of $1 billion. We discuss his fundraising journey, building through crypto winter, the future of analytics on the blockchain, and more. Enjoy!

Yanni Hufnagel is a former college basketball coach for the California Golden Bears, Vanderbilt Commodores, and Harvard Crimson. But in 2017, Yanni left coaching and launched Lemon Perfect, a flavored cold-pressed lemon water brand. The business will do $60 million in sales this year, they have raised $40M+ at a $100M+ valuation, and their cap table now includes Beyonce, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, Channing Frye, Nick Young, Spencer Dinwiddie, and others. We talk about how Yanni came up with the original idea, what made him decide to go all-in, the lessons he has learned along the way, and how he thinks the business can go from a $100 million valuation to a $5 billion valuation. Enjoy!

Justin Marks is the owner of NASCAR Cup Series team Trackhouse Racing. We discuss the business behind owning a NASCAR team, why he thinks the sport is ripe for disruption, how he thinks about building a cohesive organization, the future of media rights in the United States, and more. Enjoy!

Chris Pronger is one of the best players in NHL history. He was the second overall pick in the 1993 NHL draft. He played 20 years in total. He won an MVP trophy in 1999, a Stanely Cup in 2007, and two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada. We talk about the pressure he faced early in his career, the financial lessons he learned along the way, how he thinks about investments today, and his advice for a younger generation. Enjoy!

Today's episode breaks down two of the most interesting topics in sports business — Netflix potentially getting into live sports and how Liberty Media grew Formula 1's US presence after buying the business for $4.4 billion in 2017. Enjoy!

Nicholas Horbaczewski is the Founder & CEO of the Drone Racing League (DRL), the world's premier professional drone racing property. Before founding DRL in 2015, Nick served as the Chief Revenue Officer of Tough Mudder, which he grew to over 60 global events and $100mm in revenue during his time there. We discuss the growth of drone racing globally, how he turned a niche activity into a 9-figure business, why it's valuable to own your tech stack, the challenges he has faced, and more. Enjoy!

Nat Eliason is one of my favorite writers in crypto. His blog (www.nateliason.com) eloquently breaks down complicated topics into simple concepts that anyone can understand. We discuss the crypto gaming market, Web3 projects, decentralized finance (DeFi), tokenomics, play-and-earn gaming, and more. Enjoy!

Tyree Burks is the founder and CEO of Players Health, a risk services and insurance firm that protects athletes and sports organizations with a risk management platform. We discuss his background, the current state of youth sports, raising $28 million in funding, and more. Enjoy!

Ice Cube is a rapper, actor, filmmaker, entrepreneur, and founder of BIG3. We discuss his ability to excel in several industries, why he's building the BIG3, his current investments, crypto, his favorite movies & diss tracks, and even who would win in a one-on-one game of basketball — him or Snoop Dogg. This episode was a lot of fun. Enjoy!

Today's episode breaks down one of my favorite business stories, the argument between Enzo Ferrari and Ferruccio Lamborghini that created two multi-billion-dollar brands. Enjoy!

Eric Thomas is a critically acclaimed author, world-renowned speaker, educator, pastor, and so much more. Known as “ET” to most, Eric has become a motivational mentor for some of the world's most popular sports leagues, teams, and players, including Chris Paul, Damian Lillard, Devin Booker, Cam Newton, and others. We talk about his path from homelessness to master motivator, the challenges that stop many people from accomplishing their dreams, how he learned to handle pressure, the keys to becoming a great public speaker, and more.

Today's episode breaks down the economics of the NFL draft. I talk about the first draft in 1936, ESPN asking to televise it in 1980, its growth since, and what might happen next. Enjoy!

Trung Phan is one of the internet's most prolific creators. He previously wrote for 1.5 million daily readers at The Hustle and now writes a popular newsletter, hosts a podcast, and contributes as a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. We talk about Elon Musk's attempt to buy Twitter, why Red Bull is really just a marketing company, where the next NBA expansion franchise might end up, and more. Enjoy!

Joe De Sena is the founder & CEO of Spartan, the world's largest obstacle race and endurance brand. Spartan host more than 250 events across 40-plus countries, and more than 7 million people have competed in a Spartan Race. We discuss why he left Wall Street to start the business, the impact that the mafia had on his life, the biggest challenges he faced along the way, the keys to a happy and healthy life, and more. Enjoy!

Today's episode is going to be a little different. I went on my friend Andrew Brandt's podcast last week, and we discussed why I left Wall Street to create sports business content full-time, the emergence of crypto within sports, Formula 1's meteoric rise in the United States, and more. Enjoy!

Jimmy “Jomboy” O'Brien was a wedding videographer just a few years ago, but after launching a popular podcast with his friend in 2018, he raised venture capital and has quickly built one of the fastest-growing media companies in sports today—Jomboy Media. We talk about his journey from wedding videographer to media CEO, how the business got so big so fast, their future expansion plans, and Jomboy even drops some breaking news at the end of our conversation. Enjoy!

Jasmine Maietta is the founder of round21, a creative brand that creates digital & physical art at the intersection of sports, community, and culture. In this episode, we discuss what Web3 really is, why today's athletes want to be entrepreneurs, the future relationship between sports & art, and so much more. Enjoy!

Jack Settleman is the founder of Snapback Sports, a sports media brand that started on Snapchat and has more than 1 million followers today. We discuss the changing media landscape, the broader creator economy, why Mark Cuban bought an Instagram meme account, and the launch of his new national food brand. Enjoy!

Rob is the co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Rally, one of the world's leading technology companies. Rally helps source and acquire the world's most unique and expensive collectibles, and allows users to buy, trade, and sell equity shares through fractionalization. We talk about the 21st-century portfolio, how Rally determines which assets to buy, the underlying price dynamics, the future of investing, and more. Enjoy!

Mike Tannenbaum has been around the NFL for more than 25+ years, serving as General Manager of the New York Jets from 2006 to 2012. We discuss what it takes to become an NFL General Manager, how analytics has changed football, why hard work always beats talent, the future of sports media, and more. Enjoy!

Andrew Brandt is the former Vice President of the Green Bay Packers and one of the sharpest minds in sports business today. So we sat down to discuss various topics around the NFL, including allegations Dan Snyder "cooked" the books, Buffalo's decision to spend $850 million of taxpayer money on a new $1.4 billion stadium, Deshaun Watson's record-setting, fully-guaranteed $230 million contract, and more. Enjoy!

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the United States, and Gary Vaynerchuk just purchased a professional team competing in Major League Pickleball (MLP). So I sat down with his partner Ryan Harwood (GM of the team) to discuss the economics of the deal, the future of the sport, and more. Enjoy!

AJ Vaynerchuk is the co-founder and CEO of athlete representation firm VaynerSports. He previously served as the COO of VaynerMedia and is an angel investor in several large companies like Twitter, Uber, Venmo, Snapchat, Coinbase, and more. We discuss the qualities that all world-class entrepreneurs share, the balance between hard work, family, and health, the pros & cons of angel investing, and much more. Enjoy!

Michael Jordan is the wealthiest athlete of all time. But here's the part that you probably didn't know — less than 4% of his total net worth came from his NBA salary. So for today's episode, I break down Michael Jordan's two best investments: a unique partnership with Nike & a well-timed acquisition of the Charlotte Hornets. Enjoy!

WAGMI Untied, a new brand at the intersection of crypto and sports, has acquired Crawley Town FC, an English Football League Two club. The plan is to "bring a digital-first, community-powered approach to the club and turn Crawley Town into the soccer team of choice for the global Web3 community." So for today's episode, I sat down with the club's new directors, Preston Johnson and Eben Smith, to dig into the details. Enjoy!

Today's episode is with Mike Rabil, co-founder & CEO of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). The PLL has raised millions of dollars from the world's best investors in an attempt to build the next major US professional sports league. Mike walks me through how difficult it was to raise capital, the challenges they face today, their road to profitability, and what he has learned as an entrepreneur and leader. Enjoy!

Ninety of the world's best golfers will travel to Augusta, Georgia, this week to compete in the 86th annual Masters golf tournament. But here's the part you didn't know — Augusta National and the Masters reportedly leave more than $200 million on the table. So for today's episode/newsletter, I break down the (financial) details and attempt to explain why tournament organizers don't fully maximize profit. Enjoy!

Wrestlemania is taking over AT&T Stadium this weekend, with an estimated 200k people from 47 countries getting together for the largest event in pro wrestling. So for today's episode, I broke down the money and business behind WWE. Enjoy!

Today's episode breaks down the growth of Formula 1 in the United States, including how Liberty Media pulled it off and what it means (financially) for the future of the sport. Enjoy!

Avi Dabir is the Vice President of Business Development at FTX. He has been committed to spending more than $500 million on sports partnerships, including deals with the Miami Heat, Major League Baseball, the Mercedes Formula 1 team, Tom Brady, Stephen Curry, Naomi Osaka, and Shohei Ohtani. So when Avi came into the studio this week, my brothers and I asked him exactly how these deals get negotiated, what it's like working with Tom Brady, how their Super Bowl commercial with Larry David came together, and what might be next for FTX. Enjoy!

The Buffalo Bills are getting a new $1.4 billion stadium, and $850 million (60%) is coming from public taxpayer funds. Today's podcast breaks down whether that is a good or bad deal. Enjoy!

Nicolas Julia is the co-founder and CEO of Sorare, an NFT fantasy soccer platform built on the Ethereum blockchain. The company has raised over $700 million and is currently valued north of $4.3 billion, becoming the fastest startup to reach a multi-billion-dollar valuation in European history. Nicolas and I discuss how NFTs can change the world, the future of blockchain gaming, how he has changed as a leader and operator, the tricks to keep churn low, potential geographic expansion, and more. Enjoy!

Dejan Pralica (known as DP) is the co-founder and CEO of SoleSavy, one of the world's largest online sneaker communities. We discuss entrepreneurship, the value of a strong community, the future of fundraising, and Dejan gives me a complete breakdown of the economics behind the $30 billion sneaker resale market. Enjoy!

Marc Lore is one of the world's best entrepreneurs. He has founded, built, and sold multiple companies, including Diapers.com, which he sold to Amazon for $550 million in 2011, and Jet.com, which he sold to Walmart for $3.3 billion in 2016. We discuss: • The qualities that make a successful entrepreneur • How to get comfortable with failure • The importance of an idea vs. the actual execution of that idea • The questions Marc asks during every interview • How he negotiated the Timberwolves deal • His next multi-billion startup idea • Current investment trends (Crypto, NFTs, etc.) Enjoy!

Today's episode is with Dana White and Rich Kleiman. We discuss how Dana built the UFC, why Rich is so bullish on collectibles, the shift from pay-tv to streaming, and they even share a few epic stories about the most significant challenges they've faced in business. Enjoy!

Patrick Mouratoglou owns and operates the largest tennis academy in Europe and has personally coached Serena Williams for the last ten years. We discuss: • How he built his business • What makes Serena Williams great • How to improve your mental strength Patrick also breaks the news on a special project that he has been working on. Enjoy!

Today's episode breaks down recent events across sports, business, investing, and finance. • The impact of the Russia-Ukraine war • Chelsea's $4 billion sale • Calvin Ridley's $11 million mistake • MLB's $600 million deal with Apple Enjoy!

Today's episode is with Cincinnati Bengals Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie. We discuss: • Playing in the Super Bowl • What he spent his first million dollars on • Investing in private businesses • Crypto, NFTs, and more Enjoy!

I spent the last ten days in Eastern Africa visiting water-stressed communities & climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro with the Waterboys Organization. Our group raised over $140k, which will fund multiple water wells & provide clean, accessible water to thousands of people. It was a life-changing experience, and today's episode breaks down all the details. Enjoy!

Today's episode is with David Barnett and Pat Perry. David and Pat are the founders of Tour Junkies, a popular media network that provides weekly podcasts and blogs on everything related to professional golf. We discuss: • The Saudi-backed golf league • Potential changes to the PGA Tour • Sportswashing • The 2022 Masters • Tiger Woods • Augusta National Golf Club • Stories about caddying for Will Ferrell Enjoy!

Kenny Florian is an MMA legend, sports broadcaster, and investor. In this conversation, we discuss the business of MMA, UFC fighter pay, Joe Rogan, distrust in media, Bitcoin, central bank digital currencies, inflation, and more. Enjoy!

Jerod Mayo was the 10th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, and he played eight seasons with the New England Patriots, winning one Super Bowl and playing in another. Jerod is now a coach for the New England Patriots. We discuss: • Transitioning to the NFL • What it's like playing for Bill Belichick • How much NFL players get paid in the playoffs • The future of athlete investing • And more Enjoy!