The Compounding Effect: Start Times, Districts, and the AI Land Grab

The Compounding Effect: Start Times, Districts, and the AI Land Grab

This week it's just the three of us. Brice, Adam, and Caroline step out from behind the guest chair for a wide-ranging conversation on the stories moving sports business right now — and the single idea tying them together: compounding effects. One small change is almost never just one change. We start with Major League Baseball's quiet race to beat 7 PM, and why moving first pitch earlier is far more than a scheduling tweak — it reshapes who can attend, how long they stay, and how much they spend. From there the conversation widens to the mixed-use districts replacing the mall as America's gathering place (and how that model is cascading down to minor league, youth, and even high school facilities), the "land grab" of AI companies pouring into sports sponsorship, and what it actually takes to turn an AI partnership into something operational — including a look inside SmartDaaS, the Smart District as a Service platform powered by ROAR. Where sports, real estate, and revenue converge — in one conversation. * 00:00 — Catching up: the rebrand, Caroline's hosting, and the community throughline * 03:20 — Beating 7 PM: why moving first pitch earlier is more than a tweak * 06:47 — The counterintuitive case for the suburban family (end times, not start times) * 10:14 — Compounding effects: one small change, many revenue streams * 16:33 — From ballpark to district: malls, gathering places, and mixed-use * 18:18 — Why games ran late, and how streaming and the RSN decline reset the math * 22:00 — Pitch clock, ABS, and turning rule changes into partnership assets * 24:16 — Cascading down: minor league, youth, and high school sports real estate * 29:24 — The sports AI land grab and "business-backed" partnerships * 38:13 — Enterprise risk, top-of-funnel attention, and Oracle Red Bull Racing * 41:05 — Inside SmartDaaS: making AI actionable for sports, real estate, and revenue * 46:34 — What's ahead for The Roar Podcast

The ROAR Podcast: George Barrios

Adam Grossman sits down with George Barrios — former Chief Financial & Strategy Officer and Co-President of WWE, co-founder of ISOS Capital, board member and investor in Global Sport Group, and author of the new book Sometimes Wrong, But Never in Doubt. George helped take WWE from a company worth less than a billion dollars to a valuation north of nine billion, architected its merger with UFC, and — alongside his longtime partner Michelle Wilson — wrote a playbook that reframed how the sports industry thinks about intellectual property, content, and the fight for a fan's time. In this wide-ranging conversation, he unpacks the WWE Network gamble, the "swamp of despair" that forged an 18-year partnership, getting fired in 2020, the triumphant return to negotiate the UFC deal, and why he believes AI is foundational technology on the scale of the integrated circuit — not the internet. Chapters * (00:00) Welcome & introductions Adam welcomes George to the show and sets the table for the conversation. * (00:58) A "not so long" career — Time Warner to WWE to ISOS George traces the arc: early finance, management, and strategy roles at Time Warner, HBO, and the New York Times Company, the move to WWE, and the founding of ISOS Capital and Global Sport Group. * (03:55) The book — Sometimes Wrong, But Never in Doubt Where the title came from, the Harvard-surgeon origin story, and why confidence rooted in preparation isn't the same as bravado. * (08:41) The IP unlock: it's not sport, it's live The 12–18 months of consumer research and first-principles thinking that led to repositioning WWE around live, tribal, passionate, multi-generational content — and the "content factory" strategy. * (09:22) Launching the WWE Network Cannibalizing a hugely profitable pay-per-view business to build an SVOD service for the most passionate fans — the criticism, the cannibalization fears, and the climb past two million subscribers. * (13:03) Working with Vince McMahon What it was actually like — not the loud TV persona, but a stoic who was hard to read — and selling him on "killing the baby" of the pay-per-view business he created. * (19:13) The "swamp of despair" The emotional journey of doing something big: naysayers, public-market pressure, and the three-to-four-year wait for the economics to manifest. * (22:49) The Michelle Wilson partnership How two high-powered executives built an 18-year partnership, why the co-CEO model is so hard, and the Venn diagram of intellect, integrity, and energy. * (30:40) Getting fired — January 2020 The wind-down with Vince, the decision to leave, the abrupt ending, and the stock drop that followed. * (39:05) The dinner, the call, and the return Reconnecting with Vince in 2020, the 2023 phone call to bring back "the A team," and rejoining the board. * (43:06) Architecting the UFC merger The strategic process, the conviction around scale ("one plus one is more than two"), and why the deal has looked better every day since. * (48:22) What "data-driven" really means The difference between dabbling in data and doing the hard work — cross-platform content measurement, data engineering vs. analysis, and building the infrastructure from scratch * (51:51) Closing question: Artificial intelligence Why George thinks AI is foundational like the integrated circuit, the danger of "dabbling," sports' competitive moat, and the discipline of not duct-taping AI onto an old business model. * (55:35) Where to find the book & wrap-up

The ROAR Podcast: Everett Sands, Lendistry

The conversation covers Everett Sands' career journey, Lendistry mission, partnerships in women's sports, Lendistry's role in capital deployment, connecting women's sports and community development, using data to evaluate partnerships, supporting small businesses in sports and entertainment districts, and leadership priorities. Key takeaways include mission-driven finance, access to capital, and impact investing. Takeaways * Mission-driven finance * Access to capital * Impact investing Chapters * 00:00 Career Journey and Lendistry's Mission * 19:20 Supporting Small Businesses in Sports and Entertainment Districts * 37:19 Leadership and Priorities

The ROAR Podcast: Alex Teodosi, Chicago Sky

The conversation covers the rapid growth and evolution of the WNBA, the impact of this growth on the organization, the role and responsibilities of Alex Teodosi, strategic partnerships and community initiatives, changing conversations with brands, operational growth and evolution, the practice facility and business growth, adoption of data and analytics, and the use of AI-driven insights. The conversation delves into the impact of AI in sports and entertainment, highlighting the use of AI for data-driven insights and narratives. It also explores the organizational impact of SmartDaaS and the expectations of senior leadership regarding the use of AI. Takeaways * Rapid growth of the WNBA * Evolution of data-driven partnerships AI in sports and entertainment * Leveraging AI for data-driven insights Chapters * 00:00 Use of AI-Driven Insights * 20:35 The Impact of AI in Sports and Entertainment * 33:46 SmartDaaS and Organizational Impact

Best of The ROAR Podcast: Craig Sloan

The conversation with Craig Sloan covers his journey in sports media, the evolution of local media, the seismic changes in sports media, and Playfly's involvement in college sports multimedia rights. It delves into the impact of non-traditional sports providers, changes in data usage, and the future of multimedia rights in college sports. The conversation delves into the impact of multimedia rights and the challenges and opportunities of working with student athletes. It also explores the innovative approaches to revenue generation and the influence of data and technology on the industry. Takeaways * Evolution of Media * Seismic Changes in Sports Media Innovation in revenue generation * Impact of multimedia rights * Challenges and opportunities of working with student athletes Chapters * 00:00 Journey in Sports Media * 06:09 Evolution of Local Media * 19:28 Multimedia Rights in College Sports * 26:00 Multimedia Rights and Revenue Generation * 31:33 NIL and Revenue Sharing * 40:26 Data and Technology Impact