Bloomberg Business of Sports

Golden State Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts discusses an array of topics related to the defending National Basketball Association champions, including the team's plan for a new arena in San Francisco (the Chase Center), and what the franchise is worth today. Welts, who oversees all business-related activity for the team, also discusses how the business and basketball sides of the franchise work in concert. 

Prior to joining the Warriors in 2011, Welts spent nine years with the Phoenix Suns, the last two as president and CEO. Before that, he spent 17 years at the NBA office, rising to become third in command as chief marketing officer and president of NBA properties. In 2011, in a front page story in the New York Times, Welts became the highest-ranking executive in men's professional team sports to publicly acknowledge he is gay. 

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If anyone is privy to the inner workings of the National Football League it's sports industry consultant Marc Ganis, who regularly advises Commissioner Roger Goodell and the 32 owners on an array of business matters. Ganis talks about a number of issues related to the business of the NFL, including whether Roger Goodell is in jeopardy of losing his job because of a squabble with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Ganis also talks about the business problems created by players kneeling during the National Anthem and what the league's next broadcast contracts might look like. 

Ganis is the founder of Chicago-based consulting firm Sportscorp Ltd. Because of his close ties to the NFL, he has been dubbed the NFL's 33rd owner. 

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Former National Football League player and union President Domonique Foxworth discusses a host of topics related to the business of the game, including President Trump's criticism of the league and its commissioner, Roger Goodell, who thus far hasn't mandated that players stand for the National Anthem. A graduate of Harvard Business School, Foxworth also recounts lessons learned at the bargaining table. He also touches on displeased NFL sponsors, the relationship between owners and players, and whether the NFL is still the best investment in U.S. pro sports. 

Foxworth, 34, played for the Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens from 2005-2011. While an active player, he served as president of the NFLPA during labor talks with the owners.  The University of Maryland graduate previously worked as chief operating officer of the National Basketball Players Association.

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Houston Astros owner Jim Crane discusses a host of topics surrounding baseball, including his team’s trip to the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Crane, who played baseball at Central Missouri State University, also talks about mushrooming team valuations, his club’s focus on data analytics, globalization, the rise of digital media and how the Astros have helped Houston to recover in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

Crane, a native of St. Louis, grew up rooting for the Cardinals. MLB approved Crane as owner of the Astros in 2011, when the group he led bought the club from Drayton McLane for about $680 million. The Astros are now worth $1.45 billion, 13th among the 30 major-league clubs, according to Forbes.

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Former All-Star Keith Hernandez, a postseason analyst for Fox Sports, discusses a host of topics related to Major League Baseball, including the  mental effect of being traded for the first time and how the New York Yankees would be better served by dropping Aaron Judge in the lineup. The former New York Mets' first baseman also discusses his beloved plasma television, baseball's attempts to win millennials and speed up the game, and how the ballpark experience has changed over the years ... and not for the better. 

Hernandez, who is also an analyst on Mets' telecasts on SNY in New York, spent 17 seasons in the big leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals, Mets and Cleveland Indians. He was selected to five All-Star teams and along with Willie Stargell was the National League Most Valuable Player in 1979. He hit .296 with 162 home runs and 1,071 runs batted in over his career. 

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Newly minted Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta talks about a host of topics related to his record-setting $2.2 billion purchase of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, including why --  for this asset -- he disregarded EBITDA. He also talks about the synergies with his other business interests, the promise of legalized sports betting and why he’d be willing to sell a tiny piece of the team to pop superstar Beyonce. Fertitta also gives a host of reasons why the team will be worth $3 billion in a few years. 

Fertitta has a net worth of about $3 billion. He’s the sole owner of Landry’s Inc., one of the largest restaurant chains in the U.S., and also owns all of Golden Nugget Inc. He is also the host of CNBC’s Billion Dollar Buyer program.

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Former Duke University basketball player and ESPN analyst Jay Bilas discusses the most recent college basketball scandal, including whether hall of famer and Louisville coach Rick Pitino should lose his job. Bilas talks about how college sports has mushroomed into a multibillion-dollar industry that doesn't allow its players to share in the revenue that they help to generate. He also touches on how the universities and sneaker companies created a system whereby players are paid under the table, and suggests a course of action for the student-athletes.  

Bilas, who is also an attorney, joined ESPN in 1995 and is one of the best-known analysts in the game. A four-year starter at Duke under Mike Krzyzewski from 1982-86, Bilas helped the Blue Devils to the 1986 title game. While at Duke, Bilas was only of only two student athletes appointed to the NCAA's long-range planning committee, serving from 1984-86. Since 1992, he has been an attorney with Moore & Van Allen, where he specializes in commercial litigation.

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Apollo's Josh Harris and Blackstone's David Blitzer this week established Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, a holding company that'll guide their sports investments. The man in charge at HBSE is Chief Executive Officer Scott O'Neil, who talks about a host of topics, including cable television and new media, what presiding over ``Linsanity'' taught him and whether the Philadelphia 76ers strategy of stockpiling draft picks was a good one. O'Neil also discusses esports and his penchant for being first. 

O'Neil oversees HBSE, which includes the 76ers, NHL's New Jersey Devils, the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, where the hockey team plays, English Premier League team Crystal Palace and an eSports team. He joined the 76ers as CEO in 2013, and was charged with rejuvenating the franchise's business operations. 

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New England Patriots President Jonathan Kraft talks about the business of the National Football League, including whether owners are concerned about declining television ratings. The chairman of the league's digital committee, Kraft discusses how Amazon, Facebook, Yahoo, Twitter and other companies are disrupting the traditional media model and what it means for the bottom line. The son of Robert Kraft also talks about working the early shift, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and the growth potential of Major League Soccer. 

Jonathan Kraft is president of the Kraft Group, the holding company that includes the NFL's Patriots and MLS's Revolution. As president of the football team, he oversees the management and strategic planning of each department. He also works with his father to represent the Patriots in all league matters and serves on multiple owner committees. 

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Laura Froelich, global head of sports partnerships at Twitter, covers a host of topics, including her global search for content -- and the accompanying frequent flyer miles. She also discusses  Twitter's portfolio of sports assets, how the company monetizes sports and whether the platform is a friend or foe to linear TV. Froelich also talks about social media's place in enhancing traditional sports broadcasts and why a younger demographic is appealing to advertisers. 

Froelich joined Twitter in 2014 and became global director of sports partnerships early this year. Prior to that she spent five years at CBS Interactive, developing marketing programs for advertisers. The native New York also touches on her affinity for the New York Jets.

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