Shripal Shah is back on the show to map the maturity spectrum of AI in sports and how data governance must come first to avoid ugly surprises. Most importantly, Shripal explains why AI won’t be the great equalizer – it will be the great divider.

You’ll hear a plain-English take on MCP (Model Context Protocol) as the “air traffic control” for AI across vendors, plus how AI agents can bridge legacy systems, stretch capex cycles, and free teams from grunt work so staff can focus on strategy.

Finally, Shripal previews his new book Unlocking Fan Loyalty, making the case that emotionally loyal fans are worth 300% more, and a modern, card-linked, 365-day program could conservatively add ~$30M/year for an NFL team. 

He also lays out the KPI shift from signups to incremental revenue per member and a phased path to move from points-for-merch to true lifetime value.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why real differentiation comes when teams apply AI to high-value areas like sponsor recaps, churn prediction, and personalized offers.
• How organizations risk exposing sensitive files when staff gain AI-powered search across company systems.
• The emerging Model Context Protocol that can help IT teams manage data permissions across multiple AI models without chaos. 
• How AI agents can turn 45–60 minutes of manual work into background automation. 
• How card-linked earning, “money-can’t-buy” experiences, and incremental revenue per member become the KPIs sponsors will pay for.

Resources and Links:

Connect with Shripal Shah on LinkedIn and check out his new book, Unlocking Fan Loyalty: From Frequent Flyers to Fanatics in the Age of AI.

Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future.

Next League is partnering with Sports Business Journal for the Rising Woman of the Year Award. Nominations are now open! Learn more here.