Sports Business Podcast with Prof. C - Fordham Gabelli School of Business

Official Partners Everywhere: The NFL's Business of Sponsorships

What does it really mean to be an "official partner" of the NFL? In this episode of The Sports Business Podcast with Prof. C, Professor Mark Conrad explores how sports sponsorships have become increasingly specialized and increasingly more valuable in today's business landscape.
Host and Executive Producer: Mark ConradProducer: Victoria IlanoAdditional Production: Jeffrey HaynesArtwork: Pamela V. WhiteMarketing: Paola Curcio-KleinmanMusic: ”MarcusWay/Energetic Pop Punk/Tribe of Noise”

The Author's Series: The Rise of American Sports Gambling with Danny Funt

In this episode of The Author Series on The Sports Business Podcast with Prof. C, Professor Mark Conrad speaks with journalist Danny Funt, author of Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling.
Funt examines the rapid expansion of legalized sports betting in the United States and offers a critical perspective on the forces driving its growth, including the evolving role of professional sports leagues, media partnerships, and major betting operators.
The conversation explores how the rise of mobile and in-game wagering is reshaping fan engagement, while also raising important questions about regulation, consumer protection, and the integrity of competition. Funt also addresses growing concerns surrounding problem gambling and the broader implications of an increasingly accessible and normalized betting environment.
This episode provides a timely and thought-provoking look at one of the most consequential developments in the modern sports industry, and what it may mean for its future.
Host and Executive Producer: Mark ConradProducer: Victoria IlanoAdditional Production: Jeffrey HaynesArtwork: Pamela V. WhiteMusic: ”MarcusWay/Energetic Pop Punk/Tribe of Noise”

Sports Betting vs. Prediction Markets: The Next Legal Showdown

In 2026, a new competition is reshaping the sports betting landscape and it has nothing to do with athletes or teams. Instead, it is a legal and regulatory conflict between state-licensed sports betting operators and a new class of federally regulated prediction markets.
In this episode, Prof. C explores how this dispute could redefine sports betting regulation, shift billions of dollars in tax revenue, and permanently alter the balance of power between state governments and federal regulators.
Host and Executive Producer: Mark ConradProducer: Victoria IlanoAdditional Production: Jeffrey HaynesArtwork: Pamela V. WhiteMarketing: Michelle MillerMusic: ”MarcusWay/Energetic Pop Punk/Tribe of Noise”

Sports Betting's Unintended Consequences

In this episode of The Sports Business Podcast with Prof. C, Professor Mark Conrad takes a compelling look at how the rapid growth of legalized sports betting is reshaping the integrity of both professional and collegiate athletics.
With recent scandals involving athletes and coaches drawing new attention to the issue, Prof. C breaks down how modern wagering systems and the structural forces behind today's betting landscape have created pressures and vulnerabilities few anticipated.
Host and Executive Producer: Mark ConradProducer: Victoria IlanoAdditional Production: Jeffrey HaynesArtwork: Pamela V. WhiteMarketing: Michelle MillerMusic: ”MarcusWay/Energetic Pop Punk/Tribe of Noise”

The Author Series: How the NFL Became a Juggernaut with Ken Belson

The National Football League isn't just a sports league - it's an economic and cultural empire. NFL games dominate television ratings, team valuations are skyrocketing, and the league's global expansion shows no sign of slowing down. Commissioner Roger Goodell rules as Regent, while team owners reign as the Princes and Princesses of this powerhouse kingdom.
How did the NFL become the envy of the sports world? How did it monetize its product so effectively, and wield such bare-knuckled ruthlessness in dealing with politicians, the media, and even its own partners? Those questions are explored in Every Day is Sunday: How Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft, and Roger Goodell Turned the NFL into a Cultural & Economic Juggernaut, the new book by veteran journalist Ken Belson.
In this episode of the Sports Business Podcast with Prof. C, Ken shares behind-the-scenes stories, insider insights, and lessons from covering the league's most powerful figures, and what the NFL's future might hold.
Host and Executive Producer: Mark ConradProducer: Victoria IlanoAdditional Production: Jeffrey HaynesArtwork: Pamela V. WhiteMarketing: Michelle MillerMusic: ”MarcusWay/Energetic Pop Punk/Tribe of Noise”

Protecting Athletes and Driving Change: The Army of Survivors with Julie Ann Rivers-Cochran and Grace French

In recent years, reports of sexual assault involving young athletes have revealed a troubling side of sports. Abuse by coaches, medical professionals, managers, and even fellow athletes has occurred in the United States and abroad, leaving lasting scars on victims, both women and men. These cases raise pressing questions: Have sports organizations and law enforcement done enough to hold perpetrators accountable, protect athletes, and prevent future abuse?
The Army of Survivors is a leading voice for athletes who have experienced sexual assault, working to raise awareness and drive systemic change from the perspective of survivors themselves. In this episode of The Sports Business Podcast with Prof. C, I speak with two of the organization's leaders to discuss its history, mission, and the future: The Army of Survivors' Executive Director, Julie Ann Rivers-Cochran, and its President and Founder, Grace French.
Join us for a powerful and timely conversation you won't want to miss.
Host and Executive Producer: Mark ConradProducer: Victoria IlanoAdditional Production: Jeffrey HaynesArtwork: Pamela V. WhiteMarketing: Michelle MillerMusic: ”MarcusWay/Energetic Pop Punk/Tribe of Noise”

Accountability and Reform: The Future of the NFL Players' Association

Labor unions were formed to represent workers in negotiations with their employers, built on the promise of transparency and accountability. But what happens when union leadership operates behind closed doors, keeping members in the dark about key strategies and decisions? The National Football League Players' Association has faced its share of transparency challenges; the latest culminating in the resignation of both its executive director and president. How did it come to this, and can the union be reformed? Find out in the latest episode of the Sports Business Podcast with Prof. C.
Host and Executive Producer: Mark ConradProducer: Victoria IlanoAdditional Production: Jeffrey HaynesArtwork: Pamela V. WhiteMarketing: Michelle MillerMusic: ”MarcusWay/Energetic Pop Punk/Tribe of Noise”

The Authors Series: "More Than Play" with Dionne Koller

Millions of children and teens participate in some form of organized sports activities. But millions of others do not. Some stay involved throughout their childhood and teen years, while others quit by adolescence. This poses some serious questions.
While the benefits of youth sports have often been repeated enough to be a truism, that general notion often skips some warning signs. Is the present system of organized sport the best way to support youth and teen well-being? Are there too many other stakeholders affecting the youth sport experience, including parents, coaches, schools, media, and the college and Olympic sports movements? Should the legal norms and political atmosphere be changed? 
Addressing these questions is today's guest, Dionne Koller, professor of law and director of the Center for Sport and the Law at the University of Baltimore Law School. Her book, More Than Play: How Law, Policy and Politics Shape American Youth Sport, has just been published by the University of California Press.
Dionne is the first guest in a new series spotlighting authors of important new books addressing key issues in sports. Tune in for an informative and timely conversation.
Host and Executive Producer: Mark ConradProducer: Victoria IlanoAdditional Production: Jeffrey HaynesArtwork: Pamela V. WhiteMarketing: Michelle MillerMusic: ”MarcusWay/Energetic Pop Punk/Tribe of Noise”

High Stakes: The Gamble Behind Legal Betting

Since the U.S. Supreme Court allowed states to legalize sports betting, 37 states and the District of Columbia have created regulated sportsbooks. From a financial standpoint, the results have been striking: since 2018, over half a trillion dollars have been legally wagered on sports in the U.S.
But is this surge in legal sports betting good for society?
In the latest episode, Prof. Mark Conrad - known as Prof. C - explores this question. Drawing on his 2024 article in the Harvard Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law, he discusses the potential harms of widespread gambling and outlines his proposals to limit advertising and promotional tactics.
Read the full article: Harvard Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law (2024)Listen now to the latest episode of the Sports Business Podcast with Prof. C.
Host: Mark ConradProducer: Victoria IlanoAdditional Production: Jeffrey HaynesArtwork: Pamela V. WhiteMarketing: Michelle MillerMusic: ”MarcusWay/Energetic Pop Punk/Tribe of Noise”

Jackie Robinson's Enduring Legacy: Civil Rights, Baseball, and the Future of DEI

On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and became the first African American athlete in modern times to play for a major league baseball team. When he donned number 42 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, he became a civil rights icon who endured a great deal of abuse and whose patience was tested in every game during the first few seasons he played. After he retired from baseball, Robinson became more active in the civil rights movement. What would he think of the Trump Administration's policy scrapping DEI initiatives if he was alive today? Tune in to this episode of the Sports Business Podcast with Prof. C. to find out.
Host: Mark ConradProducer: Victoria IlanoAdditional Production: Jeffrey HaynesArtwork: Pamela V. WhiteMarketing: Michelle MillerMusic: ”MarcusWay/Energetic Pop Punk/Tribe of Noise”