The CUSP Show

Nate Checketts joins Joe and tom this week for a conversation on sports apparel. Nate is the founder of Rhone apparel, a new innovative sports apparel brand. They have since grown 250% year over year and have been named the “hottest active wear brand around.” Before founding Rhone, Nate worked for the NFL in their Business Development department.

In this episode, Nate talks about starting Rhone, from the genesis of the idea all the way to securing funding and growing the company into a powerhouse. Nate also shares his insights on the most effective marketing techniques for sports brands. Be sure to check out Rhone Apparel:  https://www.rhone.com/ You can find Nate on Twitter @natechecketts

 

The Facts

 

The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia University. You can get in touch with the program on Twitter @CU_SPS_Sports Our presenters are Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR).

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecuspshow.substack.com

With conference season startingg we have Columbia University Sports Management students Jasmine McGee and Matt Walker joining Tom and Joe to talk about their experiences at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.

Matt is Currently, a Master’s candidate in Columbia University’s M.S. Sports Management program and interning at Wasserman in Marketing Services on the NFL and Microsoft partnerships. He is the Co-founder and General Manager of the fitness start-up YogaBeyond in Sydney, Australia. He has also worked in a number of consulting and commercial finance positions at Coca-Cola, Macquarie Bank and Dell Inc. Jasmine is a Sports Management Graduate student at Columbia University with experience in finance and entertainment and currently working at Excel Sports Management in branding and marketing.

Matt and Jasmine talk about their positive and negative experiences at the Sloan Sports Conference, they also share some tips for people attending sports conferences and touch on some of the key issues in sports today. Joe also shares some of his experiences of his weekend in Vegas, ranging from college basketball and the UFC all the way to rugby and esports. You can find Matt on Twitter @mattjwalk and Jasmine @jazzzyfreshhh

The Facts

The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia University. You can get in touch with the program on Twitter @CU_SPS_Sports Our presenters are Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR).

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecuspshow.substack.com

Vince Genarro joins Joe and tom this week for a conversation on analytics in sports. Vince is the author of Diamond Dollars: The Economics of Winning in Baseball and a consultant to Major League Baseball teams. He is also the Director and member of the faculty of the Columbia University graduate program in Sports Management--a "Top 2" globally-ranked program. He is the host of a weekly radio show on SiriusXM, Behind the Numbers: Baseball SABR-Style and appears regularly on MLB Network's studio shows such as Clubhouse Confidential and MLB Now, sharing his insights about the game from the viewpoint of baseball analytics. Vince is also the President of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and the architect of the Diamond Dollars Case Competition series, which brings together students and MLB team and league executives and serves as a unique learning experience, as well as a networking opportunity for aspiring sports executives. This follows a successful business career, which is highlighted by a 20-year career at PepsiCo, and ownership of a pro sports franchise.

In this episode, Vince talks about his life prior to working at Columbia, owning a women’s basketball team, working at PepsiCo and his work at SABR. Vince also talks about his work at Columbia and shares some fascinating stories. Be sure to check out Vince’s bestselling book, Diamond Dollars: The Economics of Winning in Baseball! You can find Vince on Twitter @vincegennaro

The Facts

The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia University. You can get in touch with the program on Twitter @CU_SPS_Sports Our presenters are Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR).

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecuspshow.substack.com

Welcome to the CUSP Show, Basketball Edition. For the next couple of weeks, we will have an additional podcast where we dive into the stories of the people that make Columbia Men’s and Women’s Basketball so great.

For our ninth episode, we have Megan Griffith, the coach of the Women’s Basketball team, joining us this week for a conversation on the intricacies behind coaching an Ivy League team. Coach Griffith spent six seasons on the women’s basketball coaching staff at Princeton University, including the last four as an assistant coach and the team’s recruiting coordinator. The last two years, Griffith helped Princeton make back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament. During that span, the Tigers posted a 54-7 overall record, including an undefeated 30-0 regular season in 2014-15.This year marks her first as the coach of the Columbia Lions.

In this episode, Coach Griffith talks to Joe and Tom about all the work that is necessary to run the Columbia Lions basketball team. Coach Griffith goes in depth on the recruiting process and she shares some of the tricks she uses to get the most out of her athletes. You can find Coach Griffith on Twitter @mgriffith12 Be sure to also follow both Men’s and Women’s Basketball accounts on Twitter @CULionsMBB and @CULionsWBB. For more information and highlights be sure to check out http://www.gocolumbialions.com

The Facts

The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia University. You can get in touch with the program on Twitter @CU_SPS_Sports Our presenters are Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR).

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecuspshow.substack.com

Rick Peterson joins Joe this week for a conversation on leadership. Rick Peterson is a former pitcher and pitching coach in Major League Baseball. He was most recently the Director of Pitching Development for the Baltimore Orioles. He was a pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, but is most notable as the pitching coach for the Oakland Athletics, New York Mets, and the Milwaukee Brewers. Peterson is known for his unique use of biomechanical research and psychological principles to help pitchers improve their pitching motions. He is also a bestselling author with his must-read leadership book Crunch Time.

In this episode, Rick talks about his time working for the Oakland A’s during the Moneyball period. Rick also talks about his new book Crunch Time and shares some of his key leadership lessons. Be sure to check out Rick’s bestselling leadership book, Crunch Time!

The Facts

The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia University. You can get in touch with the program on Twitter @CU_SPS_Sports Our presenters are Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR).

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecuspshow.substack.com

Gina Antoniello joins Joe this week for a conversation on PR for the NBA Development League. Gina is in her third season with the Golden State Warriors organization as Director of Public and Community Relations for the Development League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors. Prior to the 2016-17 season, Gina also added broadcasting responsibilities to her role, joining the broadcast team full-time on the sidelines after having made several appearances during the 2015-16 season. Prior to joining the Warriors, Gina was the Director of Marketing and PR for Back9Network (now Swing-by-Swing) and part of the executive team that took the digital brand to its launch on DirecTV. Her start in professional sports was with her hometown team, the New Jersey Nets, as a broadcaster. Gina attended Columbia University for her MS of Sports Management.

In this episode, Gina talks about the inner working of the NBA D-League. Gina also talks about how the Development League has grown over the past few years, using the Santa Cruz Warriors as a blueprint. You can find Gina on twitter @ @G_Antoniello

The Facts

The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia University. You can get in touch with the program on Twitter @CU_SPS_Sports Our presenters are Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR).

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecuspshow.substack.com

Mark Noonan joins Tom this week for a conversation on the business behind surfing. Mark Noonan is the Global Chief Commercial Officer for the World Surf League (WSL), which is the worldwide sanctioning organization for men’s and women’s elite professional surfing. In this role, Noonan serves on the company’s Executive Committee and is responsible for securing and managing comprehensive partnerships across all WSL Tour properties. Prior to joining the WSL, Noonan was the President of FocalSport, a sports marketing and media agency he founded, where he worked with major sports entities such as the New York Mets on the groundbreaking naming rights deal for Citi Field, FIBA, the International Basketball Federation for U.S. broadcast rights, Major League Soccer and the R&A. From 2000-2004, he served as the Executive Vice President of Marketing at Major League Soccer (MLS) and Soccer United Marketing (SUM), and he was the Chief Marketing Officer for the U.S. Soccer Federation from 1998-2000.

In this episode, Mark talks about the groundbreaking digital strategy of the WSL both on social and with OTT. Mark also shares some key ideas for people looking to make it into the sports world. You can find Mark on twitter @MDNOONAN and WSL @WSL , be sure to check out his company’s website: http://www.worldsurfleague.com/

The Facts

The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia University. You can get in touch with the program on Twitter @CU_SPS_Sports Our presenters are Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR).

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecuspshow.substack.com

Michael Neuman joins Joe and Tom this week for a conversation on sports sponsorship. Michael is the Managing Partner, Scout Sports and Entertainment. Prior to Horizon, Michael was President and Co-Founder of Amplify Sports and Entertainment, a PROMO 100 agency.  His past clients include Samsung, Pernod Ricard, Allergan, Everlast, ING Direct, McDonald’s, Medco Health Solutions, Nikon, Pfizer, Inc., USTA, Volkswagen, Labatt USA, InBev, GSK and Pokemon.  Michael is a 25+ year sports and entertainment marketing veteran with experience putting together hundreds of dynamic sponsorship and marketing partnerships totaling well over $500mm.  Michael is also an Adjunct Professor of Sponsorship and Sports Marketing at Columbia University

Michael talks about his unusual entry in the sports industry and some of his famous work at Scout Sports and Entertainment, including his work for Burtger King. Michael also talks about the current state of the sponsorship industry. You can find Michael on twitter @ @michaelaneuman, be sure to check out his company’s website: http://www.horizonmedia.com

The Facts

The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia University. You can get in touch with the program on Twitter @CU_SPS_Sports Our presenters are Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR).

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecuspshow.substack.com

Welcome to the CUSP Show, Basketball Edition. For the next couple of weeks, we will have an additional podcast where we dive into the stories of the people that make Columbia Men’s and Women’s Basketball so great.

For our eighth episode, we have Devon Roeper, member of the Columbia University’s Women’s Basketball team, joining us this week for a conversation on collegiate basketball and sports philanthropy. Hailing from San Diego California, Devon is a senior of the Women’s Basketball team, Least season, she was named the ivy league honor roll three times and has always been a key player of the team.

In this episode, Devon talks to Joe and Tom about being a student-athlete at Columbia and she also shares the fascinating story behind her philanthropic sports work, setting up basketball teams in Uganda. Be sure to follow both Men’s and Women’s Basketball accounts on Twitter @CULionsMBB and @CULionsWBB. For more information and highlights be sure to check out http://www.gocolumbialions.com

The Facts

The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia University. You can get in touch with the program on Twitter @CU_SPS_Sports Our presenters are Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR).

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecuspshow.substack.com

Jeff Heckman joins Joe and Tom this week for a conversation on digitalizing Topps. Jeff is the Director, New Product Development & eCommerce Marketplace at Topps. He has been working at the company for four years and worked at SC Johnson before. Jeff has an MBA from the Kellog School of Management.  

Jeff talks about the changes at Topps, from being a trading card company to becoming a digital marketplace.  Jeff also shares some of the key marketing methods behind Topps recent success .

You can find Jeff  on twitter @heck44, be sure to check out his company’s website: https://www.topps.com/

The Facts

The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia University. You can get in touch with the program on Twitter @CU_SPS_Sports Our presenters are Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR).

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecuspshow.substack.com