The Tao of Sports Podcast – The Definitive Sports, Marketing, Business Industry News Podcast

Since 1959, Lee Landers has worked in minor league baseball, seeing the various trends and attitudes of sports marketing. Landers discusses how he started out as well as how the game has changed off of the field in the perception of promotion. Landers talks about crazy promotions gone bad because of weather, and some of the ways that ownership groups have finally come to terms with sharing ideas.

Mark Burns returns to the podcast for a second go-around after Ep. 697, leaving two online publications behind to start his own digital venture, the Sports Business Chronicle. Burns reflects on some of the choices that he made in order to initiate his own reporting microsite, including taking a chance on himself and whether enough subscribers would buy-in to what he built. Burns talks about the negativism he encountered and how he shrugged it off. Twitter: @markjburns88

Christopher Asa returns to the podcast after almost five years in between episodes (Ep. 161). In that time, he's worked for MiLB at the Montgomery Biscuits, the ACC's Florida Seminoles and with the Florida A&M Rattlers. Asa's role with FAMU oversees revenue generation for ticket sales, fundraising and overall external relations. Asa talks about the challenges as well as the successes of working at a HBCU, especially when it comes to the impact on student-athletes of working at FAMU.

Jennifer Piorkowski has an ambition to kill the porta-potty in all tailgate lots national wide. Piorkowski discusses her disdain for the plastic wall commode and suggests the alternative of using a portable bathroom solution. Piorkowski talks about the growing fan experience outside of the stadium which influences attendance, especially when it comes to female fans. Not to mention all of the data that can be harvested from a portable bathroom solution as well. Twitter: @tgsmsportsmktg

As the world of esports gaming explodes, so does the opportunity for player representation. Matt Jessep is a sports agent in Australia's National Rugby League, who is helping redefine player rights and values within the esports industry. Jessep discusses some of the issues surrounding the game today, including how promoters treat esports players as well as whether the prize money guarantees are legitimate.

Dr. Chad McEvoy comes on the podcast to chat about sports management degrees and their viability in the marketplace. Are sports management programs expected to generate job opportunities or to develop critical thinking skills? Is it an either-or scenario? McEvoy discusses whether sports sales managers even want sports management programs to train students on sales, or if that is still training preferred done by the sports sales managers themselves. Twitter: @ChadMcEvoy

Dave Rowan oversees the financial operations for the 32-year-old National Lacrosse League, which is focused on smart, efficient franchise expansion with great partners such as ownership groups like Comcast-Spectacor and Alibaba. Rowan shares his vision of how the digital growth of the NLL on Twitter and OTT has increased not only awareness of the sport of box lacrosse, but also gained traction with younger demographics.

The Rochester Rhinos of the USL have announced that they won't be playing for the 2018 season. Chief Business Officer Mark Washo returns to the podcast (Ep. 113) to discuss how the decision came down, as well as his return to sports after spending time in the cruiseliner industry. Washo discusses some of the issues around professional soccer, including how one of the biggest problems is an internal one, with soccer's hardcore fans. Twitter: @SoccerWasho

Before 2017, Jim Hayes never thought about who owned his Denver Broncos tickets. He always thought that he did. Since 2011, after being on a 75,000+ waiting list for 6 years prior, Hayes had been a Denver Broncos season ticket holder. But when he decided to resell his tickets through the official Ticketmaster exchange, he unwittingly had his information weaponized against him.

In her 20 years with the San Francisco Giants, Annemarie Hastings helped craft one of the largest client relations programs for a Major League Baseball team front office. Hastings discusses how the Giants approached season ticket holders, renewals, and high-level client retention as well as building a strong brand through their front-line ambassadors at the ballpark and through their call staff.

As the president of NACMA for 2017-18, Ayo Taylor-Dixon comes on the podcast to present the 2020 strategic plan for the marketing arm of college athletics administration. Taylor-Dixon discusses how the organization has taken a deep-dive into understand what its membership want, both at convention as attendees and as non-attending members in their athletic departments.

Rick Horrow has a media sports business legacy that spans over two decades, along with a sports consultancy firm which has amassed a portfolio of clients ranging from major leagues to individual sports stars. Horrow discusses his approach to the industry, interviewing well-known and unknown front office personalities, and working with inside information without divulging everything to the viewing public.

John Barrows represents a new type of sales training with old school skills, focused on technology companies and building relationships through workflows. Barrows discusses the process of creating a dynamic relationship within the sales team, and initiating it into a formidable strategy. Twitter: @JohnMBarrows

Richard Harris is known as one of the top sales trainers in the country and has come on the podcast to take on the tactics and acumen applied to sports ticket sales. Harris goes through scenarios of how to engage with a prospect, as well as to transition the conversation into a buying experience. Harris refers to his thoughts on management and improving the sales pipeline for a sales team. Twitter: @rharris415

The Vodafone Warriors may sit one of the rugby hotbeds of the world, but that doesn't mean that the National Rugby League team doesn't have to fight for attention, especially given that one of the top rugby squads internationally, The All-Blacks, is nearby. Glenn Critchley discusses the challenges for the Vodafone Warriors, which do not designate their brand with a city name, but instead a corporate sponsorship.