Description:

This episode of On Stage takes us deeper into the SBJ archives than ever before, revisiting a keynote interview from the 2016 Intercollegiate Athletics Forum with Paul Tagliabue, the longtime former commissioner of the National Football League. 

Tagliabue, who led the NFL from 1989 to 2006, oversaw one of the league’s most transformative eras: four expansion franchises, high-profile franchise relocations, and landmark decisions that reflected the NFL’s influence on culture and society—from postponing games after 9/11 to moving a Super Bowl over Arizona’s refusal to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020, his impact continues to shape the sports landscape today. 

In conversation with SBJ’s Publisher and Executive Editor Abe Madkour, Tagliabue reflects on leadership, governance, social responsibility, and the business of sports during his time at the helm. Listening now, nearly a decade later, provides unique perspective: a reminder of how far the industry has come and how timeless lessons in integrity, vision, and adaptability remain. 

This is the beauty of On Stage: giving important conversations from SBJ’s archives new life, showing how they continue to inform the issues and debates of today. 

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