With FIFA World Cup fast approaching, DP & McGhee are joined by FIFA Head of Partnership Marketing, Eduardo Solis, before he heads off to Qatar. One of the biggest spectacles in sports, World Cup delivers nearly a month of the world's most popular sport to millions of fans around the globe. Solis talks broadly about the beautiful game, including FIFA’s commitment to social causes, the growth of the women’s side, and FIFA’s blue chip partners.

This episode also covers the potential sales of the NFL's Washington Commanders and Premier League's Liverpool FC, which could net their owners a combined $12B and would shake up sports finance going forward. Of course, the hosts couldn’t let the recent news about Mark Cuban’s and Anheuser Busch’s recent investment in pickleball go unmentioned. And before some quick hits, they touched on the Kyrie Irving situation and why it’s not just uneducated, but potentially dangerous.

As we move to the final stretch of the college football season, LEARFIELD Chief Revenue Officer John Brody joins the #sportsbiz chat to talk about the changing landscape of collegiate multi-media rights and the opportunities they provide brands.  Brody brings experience from a variety of senior-level roles at WWE, Major League Baseball, Wasserman and the NFL. DP & McGhee also talk about the dramatic performance of Ross Chastain at Martinsville Speedway, which once again earned its nickname of the Half Mile of Mayhem, the dysfunction surrounding the Brooklyn Nets, and Lionel Messi’s reported move to MLS. Tired of pickleball? Get ready for some disc golf talk, which doesn’t typically get a lot of attention.

With League of Legends Worlds 2022 heading toward the finals, DP & McGhee welcomed Dave Bialek, a sports industry veteran who made the jump to esports in 2016 and is now the president of Infinite Reality Entertainment and Co-founder and CEO of ReKTGlobal. Dave gives a tutorial on all things esports with a focus on how brands can best utilize esports and gaming to build relationships with customers. Our hosts kick of the show talking about F1, including the recently completed US Grand Prix in Austin, the new ESPN broadcast deal, Red Bull Racing celebrating success while mourning the passing of its iconic founder, and MoneyGram's new Haas F1 Team sponsorship, in which DP was involved. A bunch of quick hits touched on Kanye West and Adidas, Brittney Griner, Jim Nance's final NCAA dance, the European Super League and, of course, pickleball.

With so much swirling around the college sports space, Pac-12 Networks Executive Vice President Steve Tseng joined DP & McGhee to talk about the current state of affairs in college athletics, and how the Pac-12 approaches securing and engaging its blue chip roster of partners. The show opens with a look at the success MLS has realized this season boasting solid growth in social engagement, viewership and attendance.  As MLS looks towards its new streaming deal with Apple, it will be interesting to see if they can keep the momentum going into 2023 and beyond.

It’s hard to get through a show in the autumn without discussing the NFL, and the 40th episode of Wait…What? is no different.  Daniel Snyder continues to make headlines, and we ask the question, “Will he or won’t he be forced to sell?” In a Spotlight on Sponsorship segment, both Tim and David found Spotify’s decision to feature Drake’s logo on the FC Barcelona jersey a unique and innovative way to leverage the content on their platform, and offered up the podcast for Spotify to use the next time. It's a no-brainer.

On the Wait...What? #sportsbiz podcast we like to say we take a sometimes serious look at the sports business. The recent report from former Acting Attorney General, Sally Yates, detailing the abuses in the NWSL is one of those times. We talk about the path forward for a league that has had great success on the pitch and in securing league partners. Of course, we have some fun with the "sport of the future," pickleball, as well as cheating in...chess?

DP & McGhee are joined by Mark Lazarus, Chairman of NBCUniversal Television & Streaming. Leading one of the world’s largest media companies, Mark is consistently ranked among the most influential people in the industry. NBC Sports' premier portfolio of properties serves as the backdrop for the far-reaching discussion and Mark shares his thoughts on a variety of subjects, including soccer’s growth trajectory in the US, his bullishness on motorsports, the importance of the Olympic Games, and even LIV Golf.

At the top of the show,  David and Tim talk about the NFL’s latest black eye with the Tua Tagavailoa situation, LIV Golf (what else is new?), some quick hits and Tim’s feelings on pickleball (spoiler alert, they’re not entirely positive).

On their latest episode, DP & McGhee are joined by Stephen Chriss, VP of Digital Commerce and Omni-Shopper Marketing at Campbell's, to talk about his over quarter-century career in partnerships.  Stephen talks about what it means to "play in culture" by being relevant to consumers and giving them a reason to put the product in the basket.  He also talks about his personal passion for pizza and how that passion has turned him into a content creator.

Your hosts always hit on a variety of topics and this episode is no different.  DP pays tribute to Roger Federer upon his retirement, before turning his attention to the big news from the NFL about the revamped Pro Bowl and Apple Music stepping in as the Super Bowl Halftime Show sponsor. They also talk about the potential legal issues facing Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre and embattled Phoenix Suns/Mercury owner, Robert Sarver’s decision to sell the club.

When DP & McGhee’s guest cancels at the last minute due to unforeseen circumstances, your intrepid hosts are forced to adjust on the fly. And adjust they did.  Creating a veritable potpourri of #sportsbiz chat combined with a healthy dose of popular culture (Pop Culture is a relative concept, keep in mind). The show starts like most other episodes with a discussion ranging from the (Amazon) Prime Video Thursday Night Football production to the NBA’s handling of Suns’ owner Robert Sarver. Quick Hits included the NASCAR race in Wilkesboro with a nice anecdote from DP about riding through the woods of Caroline, the soft opening of Lusail Stadium in Qatar, Yvon Chouinard’s decision to give away Patagonia, and the feud between Luka Doncic and his mom. After the break, things really take a turn with the conversation running from song lyrics about baseball, great sports movies, and our favorite/unfavorite topic, LIV Golf.

Enjoy the show.  We sure did making it!

DP & McGhee are joined by George Pyne, the founder and CEO of Bruin Capital, an investment and operating company specializing in working with capital partners and management teams to build best-in-class, global sports, media, entertainment, marketing, and technology companies. George has been at the center of some of the biggest stories in sports over the past 25 years, including the explosive growth of NASCAR in the 1990s and the consolidation of collegiate multi-media rights in the new millennium. He shares his thoughts on where the sports industry is growing, and the importance of technology to that continued growth. Much to the enjoyment of the show's hosts, George also shares his personal feelings on being the father of a big-time college student-athlete. Many other topical issues are touched on during this episode, including the recently completed US Open, MLB rule changes, and NFL opening night ratings. And before welcoming their guest, DP & McGhee take a rare opportunity to toot their own horns during the "Spotlight on Sponsorship" segment.

As we close the book on summer, our focus shifts to the big news coming out of college football (off to a roaring start, by the way), the approaching NFL season, and the changing of the guard at the US Open. DP & McGhee were honored to welcome Mike McCann, director of the Sports & Entertainment Law Institute at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law. In addition to addressing the myriad legal matters facing the sports industry, Mike provides a captivating narration of his career journey. Never ones to rest on their laurels, DP & McGhee formally introduce a new feature entitled “Quick Hits," which, of course, means one thing: another segment theme parody. DP is completely incorrigible.

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