Jim Craig was America’s goalie in the monumental 1980 Miracle On Ice victory over the Soviets and for the entire gold medal winning run for the USA ice hockey team. The game, still considered the greatest sporting event in American sport history, celebrates its 40th anniversary this week. Jim and I converse on the memories, the Cold War and lessons learned via his Coach Herb Brooks. It’s with many of these lessons he is publishing We Win! Lessons on Life, Business and Building Your Own Miracle Team. Jim reflects on his own learnings and the epic success one can achieve when you are not looking for personal credit.

Erik Moses is Team President of the DC Defenders, part of the newest professional league in sports – The XFL. We journey back to last spring when he was hired and what he had to do build a team from the ground up. As you’ll hear, character means the world to Erik, he believes it and lives it and it was core to some of his early work. He understands the responsibility of a game day experience too, as they are “asking people for an investment in time, their most important possession”. We touch on a lot of subjects important to the Defenders - fan demographics, the incredible Audi Field they call home, the logo choice, and the importance of innovation. Wishing Erik continued success and momentum forward.

Emma (Gregson) Shuldham is the Managing Director at ITB Worldwide, a leader globally in influencer management, VIP relations and entertainment strategy. She is a long-time partner that is one of the few that really lives this space, day in and out. She has a pulse on what’s current and what’s coming. It’s a thoughtful conversation of culture, content and talent.

Matthew Berry is the Senior Fantasy Analyst for ESPN and widely regarded as a leading voice of fantasy football. Previously named Marketer of the Year by the Academy of Marketing Science for his role in fueling the national growth of fantasy football, his love/hate column he pens and his on-purpose love/hate persona continues to drive his brand forward. Incredibly, he gets 10,000+ comments per day on his social feed. We dig into his history including when ESPN acquired his business, key industry tipping points, the future of fantasy, daily betting and his successful Fantasy Life app. Don’t leave without hearing his pick for a special fantasy performance on Super Bowl Sunday and the fun celebrity leagues he partakes in.

John West is the Founder and CEO of Whistle, a sports-centric global digital company born out of a desire to authentically engage and connect with a young audience. The germ of the idea began in 2007 recognizing the shortening of kid’s attention spans around sports and new media consumption habits. Incredibly, they didn’t take it to market for almost six years – learning, studying and waiting for the right time – which was the advent of video on social. An unreal stat: their partnership with Dude Perfect began six years ago with 2 million YouTubefollowers. Now they have in excess of 50 million subscribers and 40 million more on other platforms. They’ve gone through audience growth (including 500+ creators), monetization and now scale. John’s incredibly passionate and shares how new habits and the gamification of content will make the future bright.

Deepen Parikh is a partner at Courtside Ventures, an early stage VC fund vertically focused on sports/media, fitness, wellness and nutrition and finally, gaming and esports. The fund is backed by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, Bruin Sports Capital and many others. We discuss what Courtside tried to prove in creating their first Fund four years ago, what they saw in the market to know the thesis of scaling these businesses was right and how they are adding fuel to that fire today. We jump from the professional media rights landscape in sports to cord-cutting and from data personalization to nutrition. Deepen also shares some wise advice and some personal learnings to fellow angel investors. Plus he gives a surprise shout out to a professional athlete that truly gets the angel investing space.

Denise and Katie Austin, mom-and-daughter health, wellness and fitness leaders join me this week on The Bond. You can hear their love for each other in their voices and the fun they have daily. It’s also why they complement each other’s businesses so well. Denise provides decades of business knowledge to Katie, while Kate can assist mom with every new social platform and with the tricks and tips of content creation. We dig into the differences of each social platform they use and how to engage with their audience (including not so favorable fan comments). They are an uplifting pair who are thriving in an ever-growing health and wellness space.

Harlem Globetrotter showman (and 3x Amazing Race participant) ‘Big Easy’ Nate Lofton and Global Director, Brand Marketing Brent Baldwin join me this week. I spoke with both separately yet it’s amazing how similar their tone is around the passion of the Globetrotters. Big Easy summarizes it best when he says – not everyone loves basketball, but everyone wants a smile on their face. He has already been to 90 countries on Tour including many U.S. Military stops and performing in front of the Pope. The Globetrotters are really one of the few places that is full family entertainment – where a toddler and grandparent, and all in between, can be equally amused and happy. Brent sets the stage about the 94 year history and brand strength of the Globetrotters and the Big Easy brings it home with truly great storytelling including a challenging childhood and how being forced to Houston because of Katrina set the stage for his 15-year career with the Globetrotters.

Micky Lawler is the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) President and someone I have learned from consistently over the past two decades. She is always trying to solve the next problem with an opportunity that satisfies all – a trait I have always admired. Our discussion shifts from the global growth of the sport to the differences of fan groups in the 90 countries represented by the professional women’s tennis players. As Micky shares in the pod, the most recent WTA Finals offered $14 million in total prize money greater than the ATP equivalent. An incredible result for the sport. We also touch on the players, the key drivers of the sport, and their non-stop travels and challenges and how to help them in the future.

Jason Stein is General Partner of Steins & Co, an investment and advisory business focusing on tech, consumer and media. Most recently, he built, sold and ultimately exited Laundry Service (considered by Fast Company of America’s Most Innovative Companies) and Cycle. Jason is a pro’s pro and we dig into the gap he saw in the marketplace via content creation and distribution and how he grew that business on Craigslist. Yes, Craigslist. The conversation then examines shifts in the Influencer marketplace, transformational brands to watch, capitalizing on incoming deals and marketplace trends.