Joe Favorito kicks off the first episode of 2026 by welcoming longtime coach, administrator, and now college basketball analyst, John Giannini, for a wide-ranging look at where college athletics, and especially men’s basketball, stands in the NIL and transfer-portal era. Giannini traces his journey from a Division III national championship at Rowan to Division I success at the University of Maine and La Salle, before reflecting on his current work as an analyst, calling games across ESPN, CBS, NBC, and more. The conversation tackles the good, bad, and ugly of modern college sports: uncapped NIL deals, constant roster turnover, lost academic accountability, and why collective bargaining, and likely congressional intervention, may be the only long-term fix. Giannini also explains why the NCAA Tournament remains a “national treasure” worth protecting, how mid-major programs are fighting to stay relevant, and why today’s coaches must evaluate character as carefully as talent. On the optimistic side, he highlights why the quality of play is as strong as ever, how international talent is reshaping rosters, and which coaches and systems are pushing the game forward.

Connect with John: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-giannini-444580170/

The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR) and produced by Sam Henry (@s_henry11), LJ Holmgren (@LJ_Holmgren), and Danny Hagenlocher (@DhColumbiaSPS), with social media efforts led by Lissa Ruiz.

Joe Favorito and Tom Richardson mark a milestone, 10 years of The CUSP Show, by welcoming Aggregate Sports CEO Chris Pearlman for a conversation on career-building, Olympic marketing, and the realities of the global soccer business. Pearlman retraces his path from early internships and sales roles at ESPN and ABC to working at Van Wagner, and a pivotal leap overseas as the Chief Operating Officer at Swansea City FC, where he learned firsthand how deeply clubs “belong” to supporters, and why American-style fan experiences don’t always translate in the UK. He also explains how Aggregate Sports evolved from a European football rights-aggregation idea into a fast-growing agency helping Olympic NGBs package, sell, and service sponsorships across events, broadcast inventory, and athlete-driven storytelling, while navigating the constant reach vs. revenue tradeoffs of a fragmented media landscape. Pearlman breaks down what “sports marketing” really means across property sales, consulting, naming rights, and media rights, and digs into why he created the Aggregate Academy, which has become a talent pipeline for young professionals in the sports industry. Pearlman closes with practical advice for young professionals, which is to network authentically, and reflects on the moments that have shaped his journey, from Swansea memories to Olympic-relationships that continue to shape where his business is headed.

Connect with Chris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-pearlman-483b8b53/

Aggregate Sports: https://aggregatesports.com/

The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR) and produced by Sam Henry (@s_henry11), LJ Holmgren (@LJ_Holmgren), and Danny Hagenlocher (@DhColumbiaSPS), with social media efforts led by Lissa Ruiz.

Joe Favorito and Tom Richardson welcome Columbia Sports Management student and Lebanese taekwondo standout, Ward Selman, for a powerful conversation about resilience, identity, and building a career in sports beyond the mat. Selman, who began taekwondo at age four and joined Lebanon’s national team at twelve, discusses her TEDx talk on “Resilient Dreamers,” shares what it meant to pursue a “non-traditional” sport for women in a tight-knit society, how her parents shielded and supported her through early skepticism, and how public perception shifted as her results made her impossible to ignore. She reflects on the moment she truly believed an Olympic run was real (a bronze at the 2022 Asian Championships), the heartbreak of missing Paris 2024 by a single point, and the hard-earned lesson that a career can’t be defined by one outcome alone. The talk also explores Lebanon’s sports landscape with the challenges of limited infrastructure, why individual sports can sometimes outpace team sports in resource-constrained countries, and how Ward’s competitive drive shows up everywhere, from Ivy League tournaments to a love of extreme sports like skydiving. Now navigating her first months in the U.S. and NYC, Selman discusses her emerging interests in sports events and player-facing roles, and her long-term dream of creating a roadmap and support system for Lebanese athletes,so the next generation doesn’t have to build it from scratch.

Connect with Ward: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wardselman/

Follow Ward: https://www.instagram.com/ward.selman/?hl=en

The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR) and produced by Sam Henry (@s_henry11), LJ Holmgren (@LJ_Holmgren), and Danny Hagenlocher (@DhColumbiaSPS), with social media efforts led by Sydney Cristall, Emily Kim, and Lissa Ruiz.

Joe Favorito welcomes ViewLift President & Co-Founder Manik Bambha for a behind-the-scenes look at the streaming infrastructure powering modern sports consumption. Bambha traces his path from an early role at MySpace to building one of the first OTT movie platforms and launching some of the earliest apps on iPad, Roku, and connected TVs, before turning that technology into ViewLift’s white-label streaming business. He explains how ViewLift now supports clients like Monumental Sports, NESN, LIV Golf, and NBCUniversal’s cable brands, how U.S. streaming differs from Asia, and how device quality, bandwidth, and Android fragmentation shape fan experience around the world. The conversation digs into RSNs going direct-to-consumer, quad-screen viewing, dynamic ad formats, and how legalized sports betting integrations are being woven into team and regional streams, as well as the tradeoffs of AI-powered live translation versus traditional language booths. Bambha also looks ahead at AI’s impact on media operations, makes the case that every job seeker needs a concrete answer to “how do you use AI?”, and shares how he structures a global, 24/7 team to keep live events running smoothly through holidays, late nights, and the next wave of tech disruption.

Connect with Manik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bambha/

The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR) and produced by Sam Henry (@s_henry11), LJ Holmgren (@LJ_Holmgren), and Danny Hagenlocher (@DhColumbiaSPS), with social media efforts led by Sydney Cristall, Emily Kim, and Lissa Ruiz.

Joe Favorito and Tom Richardson welcome Pro Sports Assembly CEO & co-founder, Laura Dixon, for a deep dive into why the sports industry went so long without its own professional trade association, and how she’s fixing that. Dixon, the former head of External Relations for the San Antonio Spurs, explains what “external affairs” really means inside a team front office, why informed and inclusive leadership is at the core of Pro Sports Assembly, and how member resource groups and small leadership cohorts are quietly driving best (and worst) practice sharing across leagues, teams, unions, and venues. The conversation touches on hot-button issues like sports betting regulation, infrastructure and real estate plays, private equity, NIL, and the structural challenges facing women’s sports and emerging properties. Dixon also shares her philosophy treating each job as “big time,” the importance of hearing directly from Gen Z, and the mentors and moments, from the Spurs to Game Changers, that shaped her path.

Connect with Laura: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraddixon/

The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR) and produced by Sam Henry (@s_henry11), LJ Holmgren (@LJ_Holmgren), and Danny Hagenlocher (@DhColumbiaSPS), with social media efforts led by Sydney Cristall, Emily Kim, and Lissa Ruiz.

Joe Favorito sits down with Mark Neifeld, the Founder, and current Commissioner & CEO of the Sport Fishing Championship (SFC), for a conversation about how an emerging league can scale into a global sports property. Neifeld explains how he went from working in the NHL, NFL, MLB, and collegiate athletics to identifying a massive opportunity hiding in plain sight: more Americans fish than play golf and tennis combined. Neifeld breaks down how SFC built a media-first, live-broadcast product by using modern technology to stream directly from the ocean. He discusses the league’s team-ownership model, featuring names like Scottie Scheffler, Raheem Mostert, Randy Moss, and Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley, as well as the structure of a season, from hospitality-focused events to hosting championships in Cabo San Lucas and beyond. He also reveals SFC’s global ambitions, including planned expansion into Australia and the Persian Gulf, the launch of a major new studio venture in Fort Worth, and why fishing’s massive participation base, loyal sponsors, and deep regional roots create a uniquely scalable product.

Connect with Mark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markeneifeld/

Mark’s Profile: https://www.sportfishingchampionship.com/mark-neifeld

The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR) and produced by Sam Henry (@s_henry11), LJ Holmgren (@LJ_Holmgren), and Danny Hagenlocher (@DhColumbiaSPS), with social media efforts led by Sydney Cristall, Emily Kim, and Lissa Ruiz.

Joe Favorito and Tom Richardson welcome longtime college football coach and current ESPN/ACC Network analyst as well as Executive Affiliate at the Wake Forest School of Business, Dave Clawson for a wide-ranging conversation on how big-time college football is being transformed by NIL, the transfer portal, and donor influence. Clawson traces his journey from Fordham, Richmond, and Bowling Green to an 11-year run at Wake Forest, and explains why he ultimately chose to step away from the sideline. He breaks down how donors have effectively become “team owners,” why some players now treat college like true free agency, and what a future split between “professionalized” programs and everyone else might look like. Clawson also dives into the rise of sports science and analytics, from Catapult data and sleep tracking to hiring specialists to make sense of the numbers, while stressing why relationships, character, and a genuine love of the game still matter.

Follow Dave: https://x.com/CoachClawson

The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR) and produced by Sam Henry (@s_henry11), LJ Holmgren (@LJ_Holmgren), and Danny Hagenlocher (@DhColumbiaSPS), with social media efforts led by Sydney Cristall, Emily Kim, and Lissa Ruiz.

Joe Favorito welcomes Columbia Sports Management Program alumna, and content creator, Aliyah Funschelle for an in-depth conversation on the intersection of women’s sports, digital storytelling, and the growing creator economy on social media. As a sports reporter, and the founder of Sports With Aliyah, she discusses her journey from Wichita State to Columbia, and how she turned her passion for women’s sports into a thriving multimedia business. Funschelle shares how authenticity, community building, and showing up both online and in person have helped her collaborate with major brands like DoorDash, Dove, and Sephora, while growing an engaged fan base across the WNBA, NWSL, and others. She emphasizes the importance of posting content that you wouldn’t be able to see on a traditional broadcast, but rather the uncut and uncensored moments that fans truly enjoy.

Follow: https://www.instagram.com/aliyahfunschelle/?hl=en

Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliyahfunschelle/

The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR) and produced by Sam Henry, LJ Holmgren (@LJ_Holmgren), and Danny Hagenlocher (@DhColumbiaSPS), with social media efforts led by Sydney Cristall, Emily Kim, and Lissa Ruiz.

Joe Favorito and Tom Richardson welcome Kati Fernandez, Chief Content Officer at TOGETHXR, for a conversation on leadership, innovation, and the fast-changing world of sports media. A former ESPN executive, Fernandez talks about how women’s sports have become a booming business, as well as dives into the strategy behind TOGETHXR’s short & long form video, and podcast production. She emphasizes how it is important to show up IRL as well as URL for events like the NWSL Championship, the Women’s World Cup, Winter Olympics, and LA28. Fernandez also offers insights into audience engagement, Latino market growth, and the balance between creativity and data in modern media.

Visit - https://www.togethxr.com/KatiFernandez

Connect - https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiuska-fernandez/

The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR) and produced by Karthik Iyer, Sam Henry, LJ Holmgren (@LJ_Holmgren), and Danny Hagenlocher (@DhColumbiaSPS), with social media efforts led by Sydney Cristall, Emily Kim, and Lissa Ruiz.

Joe and Tom sit down with Mike Abdenour, the longtime head athletic trainer for the Detroit Pistons and one of the most respected figures in the NBA. With decades of experience on the sidelines, Mike shares how the role of athletic trainers has transformed - from old-school tape jobs and gut instincts to cutting-edge technology and sports science. He offers rare insight into what it takes to keep elite athletes performing at their best, along with stories from a career spent behind the scenes of professional basketball. The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR) and produced by Karthik Iyer, Sam Henry, LJ Holmgren (@LJ_Holmgren), and Danny Hagenlocher (@DhColumbiaSPS), with social media efforts led by Pragna Prasanna, Breah Banks, and Lissa Ruiz.