The Business of College Sports

You can follow Kristi on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.

You can find more of her analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

Mike Snee, executive director of College Hockey Inc., joins the podcast to discuss how his organization has been working to support and grow men's college hockey for more than 10 years. We talked about the current state of college hockey, how the organization supports the addition of new collegiate programs and how both USA Hockey and the National Hockey League helps support the organization's mission.

Tune in to learn more about how College Hockey Inc. helps interested universities explore the addition of hockey, what a program needs to succeed and why Mike thinks men's college hockey is one of the best ways to engage alumni. We also talked about the current state of college hockey and how it's been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Note: University of Alabama at Huntsville cut its men's hockey program after we recorded this episode. More on that here, including Mike's comments.

You can follow College Hockey Inc. on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.

You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com, on Forbes and Entrepreneur. 

You can follow Kristi on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.

You can find more of her analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

Nate Appleman, the director of HOK’s global Sports + Recreation + Entertainment practice, joins me to discuss the current state of construction and planning while much of the country is under stay-at-home or safer-at-home orders as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We talked about whether projects are proceeding as scheduled, if plans are being adjusted and how facilities might look different in the future as a result of new safety and health concerns.

You can follow HOK on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.

You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com, on Forbes and Entrepreneur. 

You can follow Kristi on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.

You can find more of her analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

I'm joined once again by Blake Lawrence, co-founder and CEO of Opendorse to chat about NIL and the opportunities available for student athletes as social media influencers. We chatted about how brands activated around this year's virtual NFL Draft. How much were student athletes entering the draft really able to earn from social media partnerships? Turns out it was even more than Opendorse expected!

Listen in as Blake and I chat about the NFL Draft, social media monetization for student athletes, the latest developments in NIL legislation and whether any of those coaches with the cool digs at home upped their own earning potential during the draft (we're looking at you, Kliff Kingsbury).

You can follow Opendorse on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.

You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com, on Forbes and Entrepreneur. 

You can follow Kristi on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.

You can find more of her analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

This week I'm joined by Rachel Baribeau, founder of I'm Changing the Narrative. A sports broadcaster with a storied career covering college football, Rachel founded I'm Changing the Narrative to address issues facing student athletes she met on campus, from mental health to dating, home life and other pressures. She's a regular speaker on college campuses across the country, vulnerably sharing her own struggles with domestic violence and suicide.

Rachel developed #ImChangingtheNarrative with student athletes in mind and a belief that one crooked course made straight is everything. One misstep not taken means one less victim in the world. And one less life thrown away because of a split second bad decision.

If your athletic department is looking for ways to better communicate with your student athletes and address mental health and domestic issues, this episode is a must-listen!

You can follow I'm Changing the Narrative on Twitter or Facebook, and you can follow Rachel on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.

You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com, on Forbes and Entrepreneur. 

You can follow Kristi on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.

You can find more of her analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

I'm joined by Gail Sideman, a former SID turned publicist who has a wealth of experience in strategic communications, including crisis communications.

We chatted about several football head coaches who've made the headlines lately and how those situations can be mitigated going forward. We discussed whose role it is to get the athletic department on the same page when we find ourselves in a situation that lends itself to so much personal opinion. What role do athletic directors play right now in communications and messaging? What about SIDs?

We also discussed student athletes and what should be communicated to them right now and how to help them responsibly manage their own communications.

If you've either experienced a "foot in mouth" situation in your own department or want to avoid one in the future, this is the episode for you.

You can connect with Gail on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.

You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com, on Forbes and Entrepreneur. 

You can follow Kristi on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.

You can find more of her analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

Nebraska Athletics recently partnered with Opendorse to create the first-ever program designed to help individual student athletes build their personal brands. The program, being called Ready Now, will afford all 650-plus Nebraska student athletes the opportunity to improve their personal brands on social media so they can maximize their earning potential once NIL legislation is ultimately enacted.

I wrote about this program on Forbes when it was first announced, but in this episode I was able to chat with Opendorse co-founder and CEO Blake Lawrence about what his company currently does with professional athletes and how his platform will benefit student athletes as NIL legislation is enacted. We discussed how Opendorse currently works with its approximately 75 collegiate partners and how the Nebraska partnership takes that to the next level. From providing actionable data to matching athletes with brands, we chatted about everything Opendorse does and how student athletes will be able to maximize their monetization opportunities once NIL legislation is enacted.

You can follow Opendorse on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.

You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com, on Forbes and Entrepreneur. 

You can follow Kristi on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.

You can find more of her analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

The conversation around sports has quickly changed from winter and spring sports being cancelled to whether or not we'll have a normal college football season in the fall. I'm joined in this episode by my friend Erin Kraebber, Associate Athletics Director for Marketing at UAB. We dug in deep on what she and her team are doing right now to plan for football season, including how they're approaching all the unknowns. From season ticket sales to the construction of their new stadium, we hit on everything happening in Birmingham and if/how plans are being adjusted.

Erin also happens to be a client in my group PR program, From the Shadows to the Spotlight, where she's been working on growing her blog that's all about the intersection of being a mother and having a career. She joined me for today's business tip to talk about how she got started and how she balances it with her work at UAB and her family.

You can follow Erin on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and connect on LinkedIn.

You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.

You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com, on Forbes and Entrepreneur. 

You can follow Kristi on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.

You can find more of her analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

Over the past couple of years, I've covered an unusual, and first-of-its-kind, bowl sponsorship between Elk Grove Village, a village just outside of Chicago, and the Bahamas Bowl. Today, I'm joined on the podcast by Mayor Craig Johnson of Elk Grove Village and Dan Migala of 4FRONT to discuss how this unusual partnership came to be and what it's been like the past two seasons (hint: it's been really good for them!). Plus, what are the plans going forward?

You can read my pieces on Forbes about this partnership here:

Elk Grove Village Makes History With Sponsorship Of Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl (2018)

Unique Bahamas Bowl Naming Rights Partner Experiences Direct Benefit From Its Deal (2019)

You can follow Dan on Twitter and also follow 4FRONT.

You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.

You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com, on Forbes and Entrepreneur. 

You can follow Kristi on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.

You can find more of her analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.

Today I'm joined by Bruce Floyd, Social Media Manager for the University of Florida athletic department. We discussed how he's approached social media strategy and messaging during the COVID-19 outbreak that has canceled all winter and spring NCAA sports.

We chat about the types of content that can be posted now, creative ideas for engaging fans, and how you can plan for the future with so much uncertainty.

If your athletic department is doing something unique or that's producing increased engagement at this time, shoot me a DM on Twitter or an email and tell me all about it!

You can follow Bruce on Twitter: @BruceFloyd.

You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.

You can find more of my analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com, on Forbes and Entrepreneur. 

You can follow Kristi on Twitter and Instagram to discuss further, ask additional questions or suggest future episodes.

You can find more of her analysis on the business of college sports at BusinessofCollegeSports.com and Forbes.