On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including a breakdown of the various ways that the election and a second Donald Trump presidency could impact sports.
They discuss Trump’s campaign boast that he could broker a deal between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, which have been in merger talks for more than a year, and Rory McIlroy’s words of support. They also talk about Trump’s relationship with UFC CEO Dana White. Trump has appeared at a number of UFC events, and has used the MMA company (and his relationship to White) as a valuable platform in the last few years. Outside of billionaire Elon Musk, White is perhaps one of the public figures who stands to gain the most from his close relationship with the next president.
The hosts also talk about what a Trump presidency might mean for owners in the major U.S. leagues. Trump feuded very publicly with the NFL during his first term, despite the fact that many NFL owners donated to his campaign and/or his inauguration fund. The Republican also recently spoke on a podcast about looking into the price of sports tickets, and his tax policies for capital gains, income and estate planning could impact M&A activity among the wealthiest Americans.
They close the politics portion by discussing whether athletes were less active in this presidential election than they were four years ago. Celebrities like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé gave rare endorsements, but a number of prominent athletes stayed away from the topic, including some who did the opposite in 2020. NBA coach Steve Kerr recently said he thought athletes were fatigued, and that “at some point people just want to go on with their lives and live their lives.”
They close by giving their takeaways from Sportico‘s recent “Invest in Sports” event in New York. It included appearances from Patriots owner Jonathan Kraft, Orioles owner David Rubenstein, Spirit owner Michele Kang and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
(You can subscribe to Sporticast through Apple, Google, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever else you get your podcasts.)
