117 NCAA Basketball Legend Coach Fran Dunphy on Lessons from 600+ Wins

136 How The Armory Became the Home of Indoor Track & Field

The Armory is home to one of the world's fastest indoor tracks, the historic Millrose Games, and the National Track & Field Hall of Fame. But it's also a nonprofit that helps thousands of young people through education, fitness, and community programs. In this episode, Jake sits down with Rita Finkel and Jonathan Shindell, Co-Presidents of The Armory Foundation, to discuss what it takes to operate one of the busiest track & field venues in the world. They talk about venue operations, fan experience, community impact, youth development, and how The Armory has become a destination for everyone from first-time athletes to Olympians.

135 Major League Table Tennis CEO Flint Lane on Lessons from Building a Pro League

Flint Lane is the founder, CEO, and commissioner of Major League Table Tennis (MLTT). After spending more than two decades building Billtrust into a publicly traded company, Flint came out of retirement to launch the first professional table tennis league in the United States—a league that has quickly grown to 10 franchises, secured a national television partnership with CBS Sports, and attracted world-class athletes from around the globe. Flint shares the lessons he brought from the software industry into sports, including why launching an MVP matters, how MLTT thinks about broadcast distribution, fan acquisition, sports betting, and multiple revenue streams beyond ticket sales. He also discusses the league's long-term vision, expanding franchise ownership, and what it will take to turn table tennis into a mainstream spectator sport in America. Whether you're building a startup, investing in sports, or fascinated by emerging leagues, this conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at creating a modern sports business from the ground up.

134 Running a 2,700-Player Youth Soccer Club with LMSC President, Michele Burns

What does it take to build one of the nation's premier community-based youth soccer clubs while staying true to your mission? On this episode of the Sports Business Leaders Podcast, Jake Voorhees sits down with Michele Burns, President of Lower Merion Soccer Club (LMSC), a nonprofit organization serving more than 2,700 youth athletes annually with a player-first approach to development. Together, they discuss Michele's journey into youth sports leadership, how LMSC balances recreational and elite pathways, and why developing confident, resilient young people matters just as much as developing great soccer players. The conversation also explores the rapidly evolving youth sports landscape, including private equity, club consolidation, community-based programming, and what vendors need to know before trying to do business with youth sports organizations. Michele shares practical advice on authentic relationship-building, sustainable club growth, and why keeping families at the center of every decision has been the foundation of LMSC's success.

133 The Business of Emerging Sports with RRE Ventures & Disc Golf Pro Tour

In this live Sports Business Leaders panel, we sit down with James Robinson, Investor at RRE Ventures, and Dominic DiFebo, President of the Disc Golf Pro Tour, to discuss how innovation is reshaping the sports industry. The conversation explores what investors look for in emerging sports businesses, how new leagues attract fans and sponsors, the role of technology and media in driving growth, and why niche sports are creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors alike. Whether you're building a sports startup, investing in the industry, or simply curious about where sports business is headed, this conversation offers valuable insights from two leaders helping shape its future.

132 Zach Henderson on The Future of Revenue Generation in Sports

Zach Henderson has spent more than a decade helping some of the biggest organizations in sports grow revenue, holding leadership roles with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals, Indianapolis Colts, and Comcast Spectacor before joining WolfCycle as Director of Client Success. In this episode, Zach shares lessons from leading sales teams across the NFL and MLB, what separates organizations that consistently grow revenue from those that don't, and how AI is transforming the way teams engage fans and drive ticket sales. We also discuss the importance of personalization, building a 360-degree view of the customer, adopting new technology, and why the best leaders focus on solving problems—not just identifying them. Whether you work for a team, league, or company selling into sports, this conversation is full of practical insights on sales, leadership, innovation, and the future of fan engagement.