What does it REALLY take to fuel the explosive growth of women’s sports and ensure it lasts?

From grassroots grants to elite athlete support, Danette Leighton, CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation, shares how her organization is tackling inequality and building a healthier, more inclusive future for sports.

Danette and Dave explore how legislation like Title IX set the foundation for today’s momentum, and why it’s still just the beginning. With stats to back it up, she explains the direct links between sports participation and leadership, mental health, academic performance, and economic advancement, especially for young women.

Whether you're a brand, executive, or athlete, this episode offers a powerful reminder: investing in women’s sports isn’t charity: it’s smart business.

Tune in to learn why the ecosystem matters, what needs fixing in college athletics, and how every level of the pyramid contributes to long-term success.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why 71% of women attribute their leadership skills to youth sports participation
• The biggest opportunities (and threats) facing women’s sports, including elite leagues and college athletics
• What every policymaker needs to understand about the real value of sports for girls
• How the Sports for Life and Travel & Training grant programs are filling critical funding gaps
• Why brands are finally recognizing women’s sports as a smart business move, and how that’s impacting media deals, salaries, and fan growth

Resources and Links:

Connect with Danette Leighton on LinkedIn and learn more about the Women’s Sports Foundation.

Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future.

What if you could watch a live UFC fight or a Premier League match in a dome-shaped venue designed for immersive, shared experiences? Devin Poolman, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Cosm, joins the show to share how his team is reinventing live entertainment.

Devin dives into the origin story of Cosm and how they use planetarium technology, 8K live capture, and Unreal Engine-powered rendering. These cinematic viewing environments blur the lines between tech, storytelling, and hospitality.

Whether you're in the sports industry, media production, or tech innovation, you'll gain an inside look at how Cosm is scaling its venue model globally, offering fans a high-end, social, and hyper-localized alternative to passive viewing. From the layout of the building to the quality of the food, every detail is engineered for connection.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How a cell phone video of an LED dome sparked Cosm’s immersive venue concept
• Why Cosm acquired a planetarium company first, and how that decision shaped the foundation for everything that followed
• What Devin learned from early Olympic watch parties that pushed the team to raise the bar from 4K to 8K live capture in just six months
• How Cosm’s proprietary cameras, 8K+ workflows, and Unreal Engine-powered CX Engine are reimagining sports broadcasting
• Why high-end hospitality, venue architecture, and local flavor are just as important as the tech when creating fan-first environments

Resources and Links:

Connect with Devin Poolman on LinkedIn and learn more about upcoming events on Cosm’s website.

Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future.

In a streaming-first world, how does the NBA keep fans engaged while reimagining the local broadcast model?

Chris Benyarko, EVP of Direct-to-Consumer Products at the NBA, is here for a compelling conversation around the NBA’s approach to innovation (not just through flashy tech!) through a deep understanding of their global fans and evolving content consumption habits.

You’ll hear about the NBA's personalized fan experiences, the complexities and opportunities of going global, and how technologies like optical tracking are changing everything from officiating to mixed-reality broadcasts.

Chris also shares candid thoughts on RSN disruption, delivering localized content at scale, and the power of being both a creator and consumer of sport.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The NBA’s approach to innovation and how they cultivate curiosity and embrace change across leadership, fans, and players
• Why optical tracking is the next big leap for officiating accuracy and unlocking new experiences in mixed and shared reality environments
• How the NBA App is personalizing the fan journey with vertical highlights and immersive fantasy integrations
• The upsides and complexities of being a global league across 130 currencies and multiple languages in its DTC business
• RSN disruption and how it’s positioning the NBA to deepen fan engagement through local DTC offerings within the NBA app

Resources and Links:

Connect with Chris Benyarko on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future.

One of the most trusted voices in the sports industry is joining the show today to unpack the seismic shifts reshaping how games are distributed, monetized, and consumed.

Doug Perlman, Founder of Sports Media Advisors and former media executive at the NHL and IMG, is bringing his decades of experience to a wide-ranging conversation on the business of sports in 2025.

Doug and Dave dig into why women’s sports are finally commanding real commercial value, how college sports have become a minefield of media rights, NIL, and transfer portal chaos, and what it means now that tech giants and betting companies are major players in the rights game.

They also explore the complexities AI introduces to rights deals and why younger audiences are “following” sports without actually watching full games.

Whether you work on the property side, media side, or investment side, this episode is packed with hard-earned insight on the trends that matter and the decisions that will shape the next era of the industry.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The current chaos in college sports: realignment, NIL, and why coaches are now recruiters and retainers
• Risks and rewards of AI in sports media deals, including who REALLY controls the rights to new content
• Why Gen Z's content habits are pushing properties to rethink full-game broadcasts and prioritize social-first storytelling
• Why women’s sports are now commanding real commercial value (and how that shift is changing negotiations)
• How sports betting has increased audience engagement and transformed how properties pitch value

Resources and Links:

Connect with Doug Perlman on LinkedIn and check out his website, Sports Media Advisors.

Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future.

Major League Baseball is a leader in sports technology and innovation. In this episode, Chris Marinak, Chief Operations & Strategy Officer at MLB, takes us inside the league’s evolving approach to tech.

You’ll hear about their groundbreaking partnerships with Apple and Google, their use of AI, data analytics, AND streaming advancements to enhance the fan experience.

Chris also shares insights on how MLB is using technology to engage younger fans, improve media distribution, and expand globally. Recent rule changes even lead to one of the most successful attendance surges in decades!

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How MLB is using generative AI to automate content translation for international fans and personalize the MLB app experience
• The role of partnerships with Apple, Google, and Adobe in shaping the league’s technology strategy
• Why rule changes, like pitch clocks and bigger bases, are revitalizing fan interest and increasing attendance
• Why MLB invests in first-party fan data and what it means for ticketing, media rights, and the future of sports consumption
• The global growth of baseball in London, Korea, and Mexico, and why Shohei Ohtani is a worldwide phenomenon

Resources and Links:

Connect with Chris Marinak on LinkedIn and check out the MLB website.

Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future.

The Professional Women’s Hockey League has rapidly grown into a powerhouse in women’s sports.

Amy Scheer, EVP of Business Operations at the Professional Women’s Hockey League chats with Dave and shares her career journey from working with the New Jersey Nets and Madison Square Garden to leading the business side of the PWHL.

She offers an insider’s look at the league's expansion plans, the business strategy behind its rapid growth, and how the team is navigating challenges as a startup.

Amy also discusses the league’s impressive fan engagement, with over 500,000 fans and more than 50 corporate partners on board. She highlights the growing momentum behind women’s sports, the impact of Olympic-level talent, and how the PWHL is positioning itself as a global force.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How the PWHL launched 6 teams in just eight months, breaking records
• Why the league is strategically targeting specific cities for their expansion
• The PWHL’s approach to securing 50+ top-tier partnerships
• Amy’s leadership playbook for building a winning culture, including the key traits she looks for in her team
• How PWHL athletes are set to dominate the Olympic stage and boost league visibility

Resources and Links:

Connect with Amy Scheer on LinkedIn and check out the PHWL website.

Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future.

NASCAR collects an astonishing amount of data, from cars racing at 200 MPH to the digital footprints of millions of fans.

But how much data is TOO much to the point where you overwhelm a new fan, and how much is just enough that they get an appreciation for it?

Today we’re talking to Tim Clark, NASCAR’s Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, to discuss how the brand is using data to redefine fan engagement, including his take on how AI and predictive analytics could transform race-day operations and sponsorship opportunities.

Tim and Dave also discuss how NASCAR’s brand perception has evolved, including the bold decisions they took to signal a more inclusive direction for the sport.

Plus, you’ll hear the surprising role that iRacing has played in developing real-world racing talent.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• NASCAR’s approach to first-party fan data, creating both vertical and horizontal value propositions for partners
• Why NASCAR brought its digital rights in-house and how that fostered innovation throughout the organization
• How iRacing is creating a legitimate pathway for simulator racers to become NASCAR champions
• The reason NASCAR has been cautious about implementing AI technology
• Why NASCAR's Confederate flag ban was not just a moral stance but a strategic business decision to change brand perception

Resources and Links:

Connect with Tim on LinkedIn and learn more about NASCAR on their website. We also discuss iRacing, the ultimate racing simulation.

Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future.

What does it take to lead Team USA on the world’s biggest stage?

Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee is here to pull back the curtain on the high-stakes world of Olympic leadership — where sports, politics, and global competition collide.

With her deep experience in sports business and governance, she and David discuss the high-stakes decisions behind resource allocation, how Team USA prepares for global competition, and what the future holds as the Olympics return to U.S. soil in 2028.

Sarah also reveals behind-the-scenes details from the Paris Games, the challenges and opportunities of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, and why the 2028 Olympics will be a historic moment for the country.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The politics of sports, and why Sarah’s role is as much about international diplomacy as it is about athletics
• How the LA fires have impacted the planning process for the 2028 Olympics and what makes Los Angeles uniquely positioned to redefine the Olympic experience
• How Team USA decides where to allocate resources and why medal potential drives investment
• What the success of the Paris Olympics means for the future, and how Milan-Cortina is shaping up as the next great Winter Games
• How Team USA is evolving its approach to mental health and athlete support

Resources and Links:

Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn and learn more about Team USA and the upcoming Olympic Games.

Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future.