Podcasts about sports fans

Freelance journalist Joon Lee joins Scott Korzenowski to talk about a piece he wrote about outrageous cost of being a sports fan today, where those costs come from, and if anything can be done to bring the prices down.

Freelance journalist Joon Lee joins Korzo at the top of the hour to discuss his piece in the NY Times about the very high costs of following your favorite sports teams today in the streaming era. Plus, tree expert Tom Prosser talks about Minnesota's progress in slowing down the Emerald Ash Borer and Scott rants about his least favorite highway in the metro.

Big O talks South Florida Sports Fans

This also helps explain why many people never become sports fans, but more broadly likely explains what's going on in our heads when we're particularly passionate about any particular thing.  

The Cubs may not be leading the division, but one thing is clear: Pete Crow-Armstrong has arrived. In this episode, the guys break down the Cubs' rollercoaster season and spotlight the breakout no one saw coming. Is PCA really an MVP candidate? Can the Cubs ride his momentum into October? We're talking highlight-reel plays, clutch hits, and what's still holding this team back. If you're a Cubs fan or just love a good baseball breakout story, this one's for you. Crack a cold one and join us.

The guys take a call from an usher at Little Caesars Arena, who gives some unique perspective on fan behavior.

In episode #154 of

On today's Daily Puck Drop, Jason “Puck” Puckett is joined by Brad Adam of ROOT Sports and Mitch Levy from Mitch Unfiltered joins the live show.   Mike Garafolo, NFL Network, will join Puck on Friday's show. Puck opens the show discussing the Mariners game, their recent poor play, Cal's historic season and the inevitable heartbreak and anger tonight watching the Thunder win the NBA title. Brad Adam, ROOT Sports, joins Puck from Chicago and is eager to get this weeks show over so he can go play golf!  The M's are off to a rough start in the month of June, but their pitching is getting healthier which is a good sign.  Puck wonders why J.P. Crawford had a day off Thursday and why Dylan Moore was hitting leadoff.  Even though they were facing Garrett Crochet, Puck still wanted to see Cole Young in the lineup.  The Rafael Devers trade sent shockwaves through the baseball world, why weren't the Mariners involved?  How active will they be at the deadline and will they trade Harry Ford?  If they don't trade Ford, can they please bring him up immediately to replace Mitch Garver.  M's offense may be getting some help with the return of Luke Raley.  When Raley returns, who's out?Mitch Levy, Mitch Unfiltered, joined Puck during the live show, but Puck only gives you a sneak preview of the episode, which airs in it's entirety during the live show, but once it's podcasted, it's only for Puck's Posse members.  Join today at PuckSports.com .  On this week's show, Mitch tells a hilarious story about work getting in the way from him not being able to go with his late father to watch the Syracuse basketball team at the Final Four.  After Mitch departs, Puck wraps up the show with “Hey, What the Puck!?”  Heartbreak in the College World Series last night with the Arkansas team and in particular their left fielder, Charles Davalan.  (1:00) Puck on the M's June, Cal's historic season and the anger in anticipation of watching the Thunder win an NBA title (25:18) Brad Adam, ROOT Sports (53:00) Mitch Levy, Mitch Unfiltered (1:05:28) “Hey, What the Puck!?”  

This week, Joon Lee's New York Times Op-ed struck a chord, arguing that “fandom isn't being nurtured anymore. It's being mined.” He joined Jacob Feldman to discuss why he thinks recent growth—from new investors to new media deals to new international efforts—could threaten the bonds that made sports a central component of American culture in the first place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are in the thick of multiple sports seasons: the NBA finals are happening, and baseball and soccer are in full swing. For devoted fans, emotions can run pretty high during a game. Cognitive anthropologist Dimitris Xygalatas has long been fascinated by that intensity — and how uniform it can be across fans. So, he and fellow researchers at the University of Connecticut decided to look into what exactly makes fans so deeply connected to their team and to fellow supporters. It turns out that connection may have less to do with actual gameplay and more to do with rituals. Their research was recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.Questions about sports science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Brock and Salk talk through the Mariners win on Tuesday along with how different the offense looka on anightly basis. They then get into a fascinating article written by Joon Lee of Yahoo Sports regarding the tough costs of being a sports fan and what the ramifications of these sports moving forward could be. In Blue 88, topics include Lofa Tatupu's opinion on the new Seahawks defense, a fear that Brock has regarding the state of college football and a national opinion about eh optimism of the Seahawks.

How do the Mariners balance a need to be aggressive at the trade deadline with the lack of top tier talent expected to be available? Then, Joon Lee joins us to talk about his NYT piece on how private equity and streaming services are making it more expensive and less communal to be a sports fan.

In the second hour, the guys continue the Titans edition of best case, worst case, for L'Jarius Sneed. Adam presents to the guys an article by Joon Lee, "How American Sports League Sold Out and Shattered the Sports Culture." They then discuss a possible solution.

Henry Lake talked with Vineeta today about two late inning let downs doom the Twins in Houston. All while people try to process the horrific news over the weekend.

Henry Lake talked with Vineeta today about two late inning let downs doom the Twins in Houston. All while people try to process the horrific news over the weekend.

This is the second episode in a series of 5 focused on #Innovation and hosted by Leanne Bats, a former All Blacks and FC Barcelona executive now leading innovation for a regional sports trust in New Zealand. On this week's episode of the Sports Pundit Innovation Podcast, Leanne is joined by Tareq Nazlawy, co-founder and CEO of Trace, a new product focused on recognising the 99% of fans who aren't at the game.Tareq brings a rare blend of strategic, digital, and creative expertise to the world of sport from his early days at BCG to leading global digital innovation at Adidas, including its groundbreaking entry into Web3. Now at Trace, he is building a new way for fans to collect and own the moments that matter most, digitally. Whether you're in the stands or halfway across the world, Trace captures the emotional electricity of live sport, transforming into verified digital memorabilia for fans to collect, share, and build identity around.In this conversation, we'll unpack Tareq's journey, the future of fandom, how the technology can deepen these fan connections, and why sports organisations need to start seeing their global audience as active participants, not just spectators.Timestamps02:00 Tarek's Journey from BCG to Adidas and Beyond...06:00 The Birth of Trace: A New Era for Fans15:00 The 99%: Recognising Remote Fans22:00 The True Size of Your Stadium: Engaging All Fans28:00 Introducing Trace: The Fan Credential System34:00 Case Studies: Formula One and ATP Tour Success Stories44:00 Challenges and Misconceptions in Fan Engagement49:00 Closing ThoughtsAdditional LinksConnect with Tareq on LinkedIn - ⁠Here⁠Connect with Leanne on LinkedIn - ⁠Here⁠

I talk about the changing tide of sports fandom

Being a sports fan is about far more than cheering on a team. It is family. It is community. It is a lifestyle. Stefan and Tyler rattle on why being a diehard sports fan is far more than just a hobby.

WNBA Episode 3 | Dijonai Carrington VICIOUSLY YANKS LA Sparks Player's Hair, BACKLASH from Sports Fans on WNBA, Carrington goes ATOMIC, Angel Reese Twerks Again, ESPN TURNS ON Angel!

Big O talks being a Sports Fan 060425

Mike Schopp and The Bulldog take a call from someone who suggests sports is just entertainment and they are fine with Winning and don't get to down about losing because of what the Bills have been through.

5.30.25, Denton updates you on the recent sports news across multiple leagues including the NFL and NBA.

Hour 4: Ike and Fritz wrap up the show by continuing to talk Eagles/Phillies and how Philadelphia fans would handle an Eagles dynasty or any dynasty for that matter.

Wednesday's 7am hour of Mac & Cube started off with the guys returning to say how they enjoyed the sports-filled weekend and tried to figure out why there aren't that many die-hard celebrity sports fans; then, the fellas weigh in on Greg Sankey allegedly being the bad guy and why everyone is wrong about the Commissioner; later, speaking of Sankey, is it his responsibility to do what's best for CFB of the SEC; and finally, what SHOULD the format for the College Football Playoff be. "McElroy & Cubelic In The Morning" airs 7am-10am weekdays on WJOX-94.5!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joey Chestnut uncertain about his return to Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Competition. ESPN's Jay Williams' comments on American athletes being uncoachable compared to kids growing up in Europe. Head of the SEC, Greg Sankey's comments during the SEC spring meetings. BET MGM Network sports betting analyst, Sammy P joins Cofield & Company's Eye on Sports Gambling to review the Oklahoma City Thunder's performance during the 2025 NBA Playoffs, recap the New York Knicks' 106-100 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and share his top winning totals bets for the AFC East during the 2025 NFL season, presented by Jacksons Bar & Grill.

What can a week in Sweden can teach us about the future of sports media? StreamTime Sports host Nick Meacham unpacks his recent trip in the Nordics, where he hosted a Two Circles event to uncover the key trends shaping the industry - from the rising value of fandom to the stark realities of media rights and piracy. We also hear from Dugald Macdonald, CEO of Sportable on how real-time performance data is enhancing the fan experience and broadening its media impact.  Key Points:Two Circles predicts four billion global sports fans by 2033 - driving a 50% increase in content consumptionNearly 50% of all sports fandom is formed before age 14 and why making youth focused content is more vital than everThe Nordic region leads in streaming adoption, but also highlights major piracy challenges 'Friction is the enemy,' paywalls, user experience, lack of time, and share of wallet are major blockers to lifelong fandom Sportable's performance data is key to unlocking serving super fans with knowledge 

- NBA Playoff Weekend Roundup, Ken Rosenthal Calls Nats "Bottom Feeders" - DC Sports Fans Can Be Homer Fans - Ted Leonsis is always looking to buy professional sports teams

We caught up with Jerry Plush, Chairman & CEO of Amerant Bank, at the Latinos In Sports event in Miami, FL to talk about the growing intersection between sports, community, and culture.As presenting sponsor, Amerant is making major moves across South Florida—partnering with teams like the Florida Panthers, Miami Heat, Tampa Bay Rays, and now Fort Lauderdale United. Jerry shares how the bank's initiatives support not only the Latino community, but also veterans, women in sports, and the broader mission of inclusion through athletics. From Stanley Cup wins to grassroots impact, this conversation is all about showing up where it matters.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comEthan Strauss is a straight shooter in a (slightly) crooked profession. As a writer who follows sports and culture, the Substacker and podcaster has a land grab on pointing out things that others have become reluctant to acknowledge. He talks with Nancy and Sarah about the contradictions of the WNBA, the popularity of Caitlin Clark and the reluctance of sneaker brands to give her a shoe (at least first), how men have changed the audience for women's sports, and NBA teams as a mini-Game of Thrones, replete with palace intrigue. We also discuss Bill Belichick and his very young girlfriend Jordon Hudson, third-runner-up to Miss Maine.REMINDER: Don't forget our whisper-soft launch over on YouTube! Please subscribe to the SMOKE EM channel, which costs you nothing and brings us joy. Also discussed:* “Nancy knows she's a narcissist”* When selfies kill (mostly men) …* Do all sports announcers sound like Marv Albert?* Why authors hated when Stanley Kubrick made movies of their books* Sports betting meets the WNBA* “Girls can do anything” era meets “Girls can't win” era* Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant's widow, may NOT the best person to negotiate the future of her late husband's brand, but please don't aggregate this.* Sorry, Dirk, we don't buy shoes for centers* Luka, the hot girlfriend Dallas lost* Why people can't leave Bill Belichick's age gap relationship alone* “Did he get a real blowjob, and lose his mind?”* The most romantic philosophy book Belichick ever signed* Viagra, the body hack with consequences* That time Sarah matched with a silver fox who was 72 …* The Boomers won't leave!* Did Kerry really love Logan on Succession?* The problem of an aging father who is also single* Which former NFL superstar hangs around Dallas's Katy Trail without his shirt on, chatting up the ladies?* The surprisingly tender story of Anna Nicole Smith's old rich husband* The best role Tom Cruise ever played, and it's not MagnoliaPlus, why Nike should have made an ad about girl dads, that time Nancy discovered Steve Nash, Ethan doesn't know how Australians learn to read, and much more!NOTE: Ethan's new show, RANDOM OFFENSE, premieres this Friday at 4pmET/1pmPT. Fancy Pommelmann will be there, and you come too!LOVE WINS, when you become a paid subscriber.

We've heard of streaming platforms realizing the power of live sports. But what we haven't heard much buzz about is the growing audience who's watching. And they have more than $3.6 trillion dollars in buying power. Bloomberg's Lisa Mateo explains.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hour 3 includes a visit with author Caitlin Yager about her new book on visits to 50 small towns in Missouri; how irrational are sports fans; Twilight Thursdays are back in Forest Park.

Togethxr is rewriting the playbook for women's sports media with storytelling, viral merch, and brand partnerships that drive real impact.For more on Togethxr and show notes click here.    Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

Need to keep track of everyone during a busy week or a night out? Check out these location sharing apps!   Glympse App Official Website: https://corp.glympse.com/ Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/ SnapChat: https://www.snapchat.com/ Contact the Agent Survival Guide Podcast! Email us ASGPodcast@Ritterim.com or call 1-717-562-7211 and leave a voicemail.   Resources: Apps to Take with You on Your Next Road Trip: https://lnk.to/asga77 Best Apps for Sports Fans: https://lnk.to/asga78 The Power of Listening & Laughter: https://lnk.to/kDjaoK   References: Google Maps, Google, https://www.google.com/maps/. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025. “Less Social Media. More Snapchat.” Snapchat, https://www.snapchat.com/. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025. “Share Your Real-Time Location with Others in Google Maps.” Google Maps Help, Google, https://support.google.com/maps/answer/15437054?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025. “Streamline Operations and Enhance Productivity with Real-Time Location Intelligence.” Glympse, https://corp.glympse.com/. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025. What Is Family Center? – Snapchat Support, https://help.snapchat.com/hc/en-us/articles/7121384944788-What-is-Family-Center. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.   Follow Us on Social!  Ritter on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/RitterIM Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/ritter.insurance.marketing/ LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/company/ritter-insurance-marketing TikTok, https://www.tiktok.com/@ritterim X, https://x.com/RitterIM and YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/user/RitterInsurance     Sarah on LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/sjrueppel/ Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/thesarahjrueppel/ and Threads, https://www.threads.net/@thesarahjrueppel  Tina on LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-lamoreux-6384b7199/   Not affiliated with or endorsed by Medicare or any government agency.

When Mark Lamping, Rockhurst University class of 1980, was camping out for World Series tickets in the 4th grade, he wouldn't have dared to dream of running the team one day. Ironically lucky for him, a 1994 strike and cancelled season found those same St. Louis Cardinals in need of the longtime Anheuser-Busch marketing executive. The national pastime – our summer storyline that unspools slowly and satisfyingly – had been stolen from fans. It was a call to repair and rebuild. In episode 15 of Formative, we talk about the commercial value of fan emotion; why the NFL remains the last form of American mass culture amidst fragmentation; and taking a mid-life leap from professional comfort and stability to go build a billion-dollar stadium for New York City.

Happy trails to the Greatest Coach of All Time New York owes me nothing How do YOU travel the friendly skies? Abdul Carter needs to learn a little shame Annual LeBron injury announcement LOL Clippers Giannis to H-Town NBA Playoffs Round 2 - FIGHT! WNBA is almost here, and the Dream have expectations Guest: Justin - @Ljay90   Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode!     Follow us on Twitter: @Dpalm66 @UDPod @TheMTRNetwork Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account! Check out our Sponsors! TweakedAudio.com using the code ‘reviews' to get 33% off & free shipping. Shop at our Amazon Store to support the site  

In the second hour, Mac & Bone address the backlash they got yesterday when talking about the NBA, and t hey try to find out what's behind the haterd for the sports, What the Bleep returns with a story involving a woman pooping on a car in public, and they talk about the latest in possible NIL reform See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

American cheese may or may not be food. Blue is a flavor. As is purple. Cosplayers and Sports Fans are basically the same. Raisins are definitely not food. There is crying in the zombie apocalypse. These are the hills we shall defend until the bitter end. And this episode makes no sense. We're not going to pretend otherwise. Enjoy. And be sure to email us to argue about any of these hills we are willing to lay down up to defend. We love to argue and we'd love to hear from you, what hills have you climbed to the top of? Email us childproofmail@gmail.com Merch: Click HereYoutube: Click HereClick Here for the video promised on what exactly is Blue Raspberry from Weird History Food.

Rob and Lonzo talk College GM's, NBA Playoffs, and She's Not a Sports Fan

NIL seems to change the narrative in certain areas.

As the Bucks are 0-2 in round one of the playoffs, Drew decides to try to become a more positive sports fan. Plus, Rob becomes mimosaless. This week's brew is Badger State Brewing's Green Chop Midwest Pale Ale. 

Firestone Walker Brewing Company's CMO says connected TV has made it easier to reach its sports-loving customers. Episode TranscriptPlease note, this transcript  may contain minor inconsistencies compared to the episode audio.Damian (00:01):I'm Damian Fowler.Ilyse (00:02):And I'm Ilyse Liffreing.Damian (00:03):This week we're really excited to talk with Dustin Hinz, the Chief marketing officer of Firestone Walker Brewing the craft brewery based in California.Ilyse (00:12):Dustin has been the chief marketer at Firestone for almost six years. He's an award-winning marketer who knows how to build a culturally relevant brand.Damian (00:21):Also, he's a musician and he helped build Guitar Center into that powerhouse brand It is today. He worked there for 17 years and you can ask any guitarist about Guitar Center and its Importance. And then he was an Ernie Ball music man, which is famous for its guitar strings, which I love. I'm curious though, Ilyse, do you play the guitar?Ilyse (00:40):I wish, but Okay. Damian, we're here to talk beer and how to market it in a crowded marketplace. So let's begin. So Dustin, can you tell us a little bit about Firestone and the brand 805? It seems it really has a West Coast vibe just like me. I'm from the West coast so I can see that. I feel it.Dustin (01:04):Firestone Walker is the culmination of David Walker and Adam Firestone's love for beer. And they met back in the nineties when David fell in love with Adam's sister and there's great stories about that. And then they found they had this mutual love for beer and the central coast of California. David being an expat in British and Adam being a Californian, they founded this amazing brewery on the central coast and really focused on just a few craft beers. DBA was their first beer and then Union Jack and there was a lot of craft was sort of an early movement. And then back in 2012 they stumbled upon this idea of 8 0 5 and 8 0 5 is the area code for the big swath of the Central coast, a big piece of California all the way down to Ventura County where actually I grew up. We like to say that the goal of 8 0 5 is to be the most globally recognized, regionally available beer in the world.Ilyse (02:03):Very cool. But there are a lot of beers out there, even craft beers. What would you say is the point of differentiation? Is it the taste? Is it the West coast vibes? What would you say?Dustin (02:15):I think the biggest point of differentiation in beer is the brand position. Obviously great brand position and great marketing is not going to solve a lousy product, so you got to have amazing product and we're trying to focus on being odds of the evens and really investing in our own legend and trying to stand for something and be the alternative choice. And thankfully beer is so big and there's so much opportunity that you can carve out a pretty nice size of the pie for yourself if you want to focus on being the alternative premium choice.Damian (02:43):One of things that you just said about the importance of marketing and how marketing can drive the business seems key to this. Is there anything that you could point us to that you'd say, this was the moment where I created brand awareness above and beyond or something like that?Dustin (03:05):The first one with the traditional 8 0 5, the black can I was very lucky to inherit five and a half years ago a slogan called Properly Chill and Properly Chill sort of was the slogan for this idea that life on the central coast was a little different, right? And what we did last year and then going into this year, and I believe that this is going to come out right around this new campaign is going to drop, is this idea telling the story of our brand through the lens of our customer. We have this amazing roster of ambassadors, we call them Authentico and eight oh five Authentico and Professional surfers, motocross Riders, boxers, MMA, fighters, artists, tattoo artists, you name it, it spans the spectrum. There's over 50 of them and they kind of cover every single different customer group that we believe the brand represents and we tell the story of that brand through those consumers or through those athletes.(04:06):And then a couple other examples were what we did was Summer of Cervesa when we launched the extension of 8 0 5, the first extension after 10 years, which was a Mexican lagger themed version of 8 0 5 with a little bit of lime in it. And the idea at the time was when you were looking at the marketplace, Mexican laggers were really on the rise. Corona obviously as an incredible background. Modelo has now at this point become the number one brand in the US surpassing Bud Light and Consumers were definitely reaching for this idea of sort of an escapism beer. So when we launched the campaign with summer survey, so we realized that we had to do something to stand out and create some differentiation between 8 0 5 blonde and 8 0 5. And so the 8 0 5 cervesa campaign was the first time we ever showed the product in color. 8 0 5 has been black and white since its inception in 2012. And with 8 0 5 Cervesa was the first time we ever put the product in color in the advertising. And it was a game changer. I mean, we sales went from moderately successful to up 20% pretty consistently because we were able to create that differentiation in the idea that Cervesa was a light and refreshing product.Damian (05:24):Wow, I love that just by adding color. But it is interesting that you started out in black and white as a kind of campaign. Why black and white?Dustin (05:32):I think they realized they needed to do something different to stand out back then. And trust me, it is a conversation pretty regularly when we're working on new ideas of, there is a lot of consternation around the idea of how do we maintain the brand identity and not stray from it because we want to be timeless, not timely. So we're very, very focused on, hey, every decision we make is going to have an impact a decade from now, two decades from now. Because the greatest brands in beer are multi-generational.Ilyse (06:02):Totally. And I know we talked about this earlier because it can be really difficult to market alcohol products, especially on platforms like social media where there are age roadblocks. What are the channels that you decided to lean into for these campaigns and are there any that you're experimenting with now?Dustin (06:24):I'd say at-home is a good third of our total media investment and then a big shift to TV about two years ago. And with connected TV platforms continuing to become more robust, it's made it a hell of a lot easier for us to get more geo-targeted because I think that spray and prey doesn't work when you're a regional brand and you want to get really focused on zip codes and you want to try to drive measurement. And so connected TV has been huge for us and whether that's through our partnerships with the World Surf League or we're just doing a sports our brand, what we know though is that from all of our consumer data is that a huge percentage of our customers are sports fans. They watch a lot of football, they watch a lot of baseball. So what we do is we take our brand to those channels and through partnerships like ESPN, we've been able to really connect with consumers and drive some really nice measurable lift for the brand. You're watching a sports game and you're going to see beer brand X or insurance brand X with an athlete for that sport. And then you see our spot, which might have a bull rider in it or a surfer or a motocross rider, and it just stands outIlyse (07:33):With your brands embrace of sports and kind of that measurement piece of CTV, you must love that more live sports are coming into the connected TV space.Dustin (07:47):I think the beneficiaries of this sort of democratization of content and it's making things more competitive. So as you see the Disney Network, Hulu, ESPN, or you go to YouTube TV and some of the other platforms that are continuing to open up, it makes it really easy to be competitive in the space or to at least have a voice. I think our team's been really good at identifying those opportunities, proving the efficacy of those investments so that we can continue to do them.Damian (08:15):You hinted at something about the seasonality of marketing and I'm kind of interested in that as a marketer of beer and I guess in lots of ways, as you said, you're kind of marketing lifestyle, you have associations with surfers and athletes and the summer. I'm curious how often you think about the need to refresh campaigns and how do you keep them relevant to the culture cultural moment?Dustin (08:42):Yeah, great question. You definitely have to, in beer, especially with the retail partners, you need to be seasonal. I spent the first 20 years of my career on the music side as a retailer, so I know what retailers want. They're going to want, Hey, it's Memorial Day, I'm going to have a display in my store for a week and a half, two weeks. It better fit the theme of Memorial Day. Now how you do that, you can do that without just stars and stripes. There's other ways to do that, but the I idea of escapism and patriotism to a degree, but when you look at the retail calendar, there are a myriad, there's like 16 major temples that you have to win. So our team is definitely working to make sure that we're taking the overall thematic of our brand and pulling that down into those temples.(09:33):And that fits the larger brand story because obviously you don't want to have 16 different TV spots throughout the year. So we'll have several different campaigns throughout the year, but then those drop down into Cinco de Mayo or Day of the Dead or 4th of July. So you have to, depending on the channel that we're in, yeah, some stuff has to be far more granular to make sure that it's serving the need of that retailer or the desire of that retailer, and as well as making sure that we're still maintaining the brand identity that we want to have. While everybody else does Super Bowl and does football, we're doing the World Surf League pipeline, which is the Super Bowl of surf, so is the official beer of the WSL when everyone's doing Super Bowl, we're doing surfing.Damian (10:10):Now, Dustin listeners can't see this, but I know behind you you've got some fantastic vintage guitars there, which I wanted. I know that you are a musician and before you worked at 8 0 5, you worked as a marketer in the music industry, including for Ernie Ball, music Man and Guitar Center. And I'm kind of interested in the kind of synergies that you might have found there between marketing to musicians and the kind of now the position you're in now marketing beer.Dustin (10:42):It's really sort of a story of serendipity. I got my first guitar when I was 14 years old and it sort of changed my life. Music just bordered became this obsession and it's what I wanted to do, started a band and typical story, didn't go to college, was like college, I'm going to be in a band, mom, what are you talking about? So I begged her at the time she was working, she was the executive assistant to the CEO O of Guitar Center back in the nineties when they were still a small company. And I said, Hey, just give me a job in the mail room or something, and so just give me the summer. Let me prove to you that my band can be in great before I have to go to college. And so she got me a job in the mail room and said, three months, that's it. And three months turned into 18 years.(11:35):I worked my way up to vice president and that typical age old story. But what I found really early on when I got there was, and I remember there was a moment, I was there a couple of months working in the mail room, excited in the mail room is right next to the marketing department and there was a great VP of marketing. It was Mike. I still talk to him to this day, 20 something years later. He always says, his joke is, you're the best hire I ever made. But I remember looking at the marketing materials and saying to the guys like, Hey, we're not marketing to, I'm the customer. Why don't you talk to me? We should change the way that we talk to the customers because this doesn't make sense. I'm the customer, I don't want to read this. So I pitched him some ideas and he's like, yeah, that's a great idea. You want a job in marketing?(12:18):And I went from $4 and 50 cents an hour to $9 an hour. I thought it was rich. I'm 18 years old. And I started that journey. And I think what I realized really early on, and what was great about Guitar Center was that our mission was to mint new customers. We realized early on through a great visionary, CEO, we had Marty Albertson was that we had to make sure that we were creating musicians. There wasn't a lot of 'em. When you think about the population of the world, it think it's like 2% our musicians. So if you want to continue to sell guitars and you want to continue to sell instruments, you've got to inspire people to want to play music. So our mission became taking this great feeling and propelling that and perpetuating it to get more people excited about it. And we became a platform for artists and creating, over the course of my 20 years, I got to create TV shows and write documentaries and make slashes documentary.(13:09):I got to things that you would only dream of when you were a kid to make art with other artists that inspired the world. And I think the common thread through all of that was that great marketing, great brands stand for something clear and enduring. I'm very, very lucky that as a songwriter and a musician early on, that I found this extension of that creative process to sort of keep me inspired. I mean marketing in a lot of ways, your writers, your songwriters, your creatives, and you get to do that while also tackling, for me at least the necessary evil of lift analysis, analytics andDamian (13:46):Some of those things that come with the business. Our musicians have to be marketers these days anyway. Right.Ilyse (13:50):That's very true. And that 2%, we at least have two in our miss because Damian's a musician as well. But yeah, it's so interesting that you talk about that area of the population and in some ways it's almost harder to reach those very niche communities.Dustin (14:09):Yeah, there's that great quote. I don't know if it came from Nike, it was probably Nike, but what's that speak to the core loud enough that everyone else can hear? I mean, I think that's been a mission of music. I mean, remember the indie movement or the punk movement, it was like everybody didn't want to be mainstream, and it was just like, do this thing, own your audience. And then what happens is the cool thing, everybody wants to sit at the cool table. Everybody wants to be a part of the movement, but you can't market to the people that want to be in the movement. You have to market to the people who have started the movement, and then what happens is then you can maintain some credibility.Damian (14:40):I'm just curious to get your high level perspective on what do you think needs to change in the ad marketplace today, which as we all know, is very much digital programmatic.Dustin (14:52):I think product placement right now, especially on podcasts, is just incredibly oversaturated. And I understand that when you've got a major budget and you're moving money around and you're trying to do everything you can to drive eyeballs, but I have this conversation all the time with the agency. I'm not interested in the most amount of eyeballs. I want the right ones. And when I look at a podcast and I just see energy drinks on tables and then right behind it, I see a Starbucks cup and the cans aren't open, I just think there's too much of that going on. To me, there's not real connections. So I think one of the things for me that's just unfortunate is because of the amount of money and the amount of ad money that's available and it's all moving from different platforms, is that sort of approach has created, I think a really high level of high bar for entry into some of these categories.(15:40):The expectations of money that are tied to some of these opportunities are so overblown. So I think that to me, that's always been something that I've always struggled with that I always hope is going to work itself out and well. I think that you go through ebbs and flows, especially when times get tough, people will cut back on their marketing, they cut back on sponsorships, and that's when opportunities open up. And if you're smart and you manage your money effectively and you have dollars, when other brands are carving back, that's when you can start to find really interesting opportunities. But for me, yeah, influencer marketing, product seating, I've never been excited about it. One of the things that we say all the time at Firestone Walker is keep the main thing, the main thing. And by doing that, we put on ourselves from chasing too many squirrels in the backyard.Ilyse (16:30):I love that.Dustin (16:31):Yeah.Ilyse (16:32):Is there anything you are obsessed with figuring out right now?Dustin (16:35):I mean, we sell millions of cases of beer and our first party data. We've done an amazing job of our first party data, emails building customer attention, but there is this weird thing with social, and I'm just obsessed with trying to figure out what it is. And our agency's got great relationships with meta and these platforms, and nobody, one can seem to give me the answer of what is happening on the backend within the algorithms that is preventing some of the biggest brands in the world with tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions of consumers. This ability to create real audiences on these platforms, because we live in a world now where all content is consumed through just a few channels. When you think about YouTube, whatever happens with TikTok, Instagram Meta, et cetera, there's a only handful of channels where a majority of all of the content consumption is taking place.(17:31):And if every single one of those has a toll booth between you and your customer, but then there's also a filter that is preventing you from really building your audience. I'm obsessed with trying to figure that out. If we do believe in this idea of the zeitgeist and that culture matters and that brands stand for something clear and enduring, the world is going to continue and down this digital path. And sure, point of sale and billboards and TV advertising are great ways to tell people about your brand, but it is the way to get your arms around them. It's going to be on these platforms and the ones that are coming. And I think that's what the industry as a whole is always the industry as a whole struggles with this. And I think it can be dangerous in the sense that you over obsess it and then you put too much money into like, well, I got to grow followers, or I got to grow my audience. Versus like, well, I just got to drive, drive affinity in purchase intent. And so that's, I think the balance of how do we focus on stuffing the funnel, creating a tremendous amount of energy for our brands. The right partnerships is omnipresent in the right cultural segments that we want to be in, but at the same time try to figure out how we can expand our tent and get more people into it.Damian (18:46):Wow. Ali, I love that conversation with Dustin. I mean, it's not every day you get to talk to somebody who's a musician and a marketer and who's able to tie both of those things together so well as he did. But what was the standout thing to you that he said?Ilyse (19:02):I think what really stuck out was kind of playing how Firestone and Dustin kind of play that fine line of keeping consistent, but also not being too rigid and trying new things with customers. I know with 9,000 plus breweries, it's kind of crazy that there's so much competition to stick out and beer brands have to stick out. But what he said was really interesting about staying consistent with an agency and measurement and really trying to find, making sure that what you're making art essentially actually makes sense.Damian (19:45):Yeah, I agree with you and I feel like one of the most powerful things he said to me was when he was at Guitar Center, when he was there for 17 years, his vision was to mint new musicians and identifying that only 2% of the world population, 2%, I think he said musicians. So you have to inspire more people to want to create music. And taking that sort of core philosophy and applying it to his current role at 8 0 5 seems to be something that's driving him as a mission driven marketer. I think as he said, great brands have to stand for something enduring. So in that regard, I think he's really smart, and to do this at this cultural moment where there's so much fragmentation, that is one way to help him clear through all the clutter and stay focused.Ilyse (20:30):Yeah, I think one of my favorite quotes too was like keep the main thing, the main thing, and that keeps us basically from chasing those squirrels.Damian (20:44):That's it for this edition of The Current Podcast. I'm Ilyse, and I'm Damian, and we'll see you next time.

Megan Lynch continues her conversation with Drea Ranek, Chief Creative Officer at Lusso and Melissa Nieberle CEO of Lusso about how tariffs are impacting the goods they create for sporting franchises.

Today on The Riff, Jeremy and Justin sit down and discuss 4 different ways of thinking. Scientist, Sports Fan, Attorney, Zealot. I can't wait to find out what I am. It's like taking the Disney princess test... but better. We hope today is helpful and hopeful. Thanks for listening!!

Some say Philadelphia's sports fans are the worst in the United States, while others say they are the worst in the world. But is the reputation justified, or are they just misunderstood? If you’d like more Sports Bizarre, become a member of Bizarre Plus. Click here to join today As a member, you’ll get: A weekly bonus podcast Access to all past episodes Exclusive behind-the-scenes access Access to the members-only chatroom Ability to vote on future episodes Early access to any live show tickets See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a textCary Knox is a Christian nonfiction author and retired head coach who has just written a one-of-a-kind personal devotion book that blends sports and faith, with a special emphasis on Illinois athletics. In I Believe!, Cary explores the legacies of Illinois sports legends like Red Grange, Dick Butkus, and George Halas, drawing powerful connections between their stories and Christian moral teachings.This devotional isn't just for sports fans—it's for anyone needing a spiritual jumpstart to their day who loves sports!This intersection of athletics and spirituality provides deep insight into the natures of discipline, perseverance, and purpose—essential qualities for any athlete, or any Christian's success.In this episode we explore faith as it relates to sports, the ever evolving landscape of college athletics and the hope for change.Cary's book can be found on Amazon

Ike, Spike and Fritz start the show by discussing if the mentality of Philadelphia fans have changed for the better or worse after recent championships.

Big O talks American sports fans and Soccer

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