Angela Ruggiero is joined by Jessica Luther & Kavitha Davidson authors of Loving Sports When They Don't Love You Back: Dilemmas of the Modern Fan on this week's episode. Their book focuses on the difficult issues sports fans face when supporting the teams and players they love. In an age where athletes are using their platform to advocate for the social causes they care about, Fluid Fans want to express those feelings as well. Jessica and Kavitha's book is filled with case studies and interviews that challenge the reader and the modern fan to think differently about the sports industry and really find out what matters to you.

On this week's episode, Lou Kovacs, the President, Marketing & Events in North America at Octagon joins Angela Ruggiero to discuss the new sponsorship trends in sports. Lou has coined the term "new endemic" as these non-traditional properties are beginning to make their way into sports. As COVID continues to make waves in the sporting world, Lou explains the long term effects and impact the global pandemic will have on the sponsorship market as well as the brands that are helping push the industry forward.

On this week’s episode, Angela Ruggiero is joined by Mike Reed, the VP Olympic & Sports Solutions at Dow. Mike discusses Dow’s push into sports, their sustainability efforts at the Olympic Games, Dow’s Seek Together motto, and the company’s inclusion efforts. As a member of our Fluid Fan Leadership Board, Mike knows the importance of next-gen sponsorship and explained how his team makes an effort to create a partnership ecosystem that facilitates deals across the industry. Tune in and learn how Dow is working to ensure the sports industry is more sustainable and eco-friendly.

On this episode, Angela Ruggiero is joined by Athletes Unlimited CEO and Co-Founder, Jon Patricof. Athletes Unlimited is a new network of professional sports leagues that are disrupting the traditional sports model and has been working with Sports Innovation Lab from the inception of the league. Angela and Jon discuss how AU's model is empowering athletes, offering them more control in the league, the innovative scoring model and much more. The two will also discuss the launch of AU's first league, softball, this weekend in Chicago.

On this edition of the Fluid Fan Podcast, Angela Ruggiero is joined by Brian Josephs VP of Digital Sport at Sportradar. Angela and Brian will discuss how Sportradar has been working with its clients to create innovative and immersive experiences for Fluid Fans. Brain explains how Sportradar knows the Fluid Fan Behaviors that are core to their business, and how that has helped them make decisions. Learn from a leading executive in the Digital Sports industry, and find out how Sportradar is helping their clients capture the attention of Fluid Fans.

This week’s episode of the Fluid Fan Podcast includes a fantastic interview with WWE Chief Brand Officer, Stephanie McMahon. Growing up inside the wrestling world, Stephanie has been around the brand her entire life and is still very passionate about the company and the WWE Universe. She’ll share stories on the commitment to the community, the path to achieving a billion social media followers, the growth of women in the WWE, and how the business has handled COVID-19. Learn from one of the most prominent executives in the sports and entertainment industry.

Angela welcomes Sports Innovation Lab Senior Strategist Abe Stein back on the show to discuss the state of sports media. In a time of uncertainty with media rights, the sports industry has a chance to rethink the model. Abe talks about the need for media convergence, our Fluid Fan Studio model, and a sneak peek at our upcoming report, The Future of Watching Sports, dropping next week. Learn about the research that is shaping the sports media industry, and the best practices and technology that is capturing the Fluid Fan.

This episode of the Fluid Fan Podcast features an interview with Andreas Heyden, CEO of DFL Digital Sports GmbH (Bundesliga) to discuss how the DFL was able to return to live sports. As a member of our Immersive Media Leadership Board, Andreas knows the value of a social, accessible, and interactive broadcast for Fluid Fans. Learn how Andreas is using innovation and technology to broadcast live Bundesliga action during the pandemic.

This week’s episode of the Fluid Fan Podcast features an interview on immersive media and the return of live sports. Angela Ruggiero is joined by Lawrence Epstein the Senior Executive Vice President and COO of the UFC. The two will discuss Lawrence’s role in growing the UFC from a $2 million entity to a $4 billion dollar sports property, as well as, the protocols and technology needed to be the first live sporting event in the US to return during the pandemic. Lawrence is a member of our Athlete Driven Media Leadership Board and explains how important it is for the UFC to work with its athletes to build up their brands outside the octagon.

This week on the Fluid Fan Podcast, Angela is joined by her good friend and global media expert, Yiannis Exarchos the CEO of Olympic Broadcasting Services and Executive Director of Olympic Channel. The two will discuss how important storytelling is to the athletes and the Olympics, creating content on a global scale, and the push towards digital media. Learn about all the technologies and innovations that will be on display in Tokyo next summer, as well as the partnerships helping to create immersive content on the Olympic Channel.