A global brand born out of a motorcycle crash.

An ultra-premium hospitality business built on the word no.

A once-paralyzed NFL player who reviews a hundred deals a week.

A nine-figure investor betting on the evolution of the trick shot.

Four best friends building their own golf universe.

Identical twins with four Super Bowl rings between them.

A founder who hired a private investigator to track down beloved 90s IP.

An emerging manager who won a US Open match at age fifteen.

A father whose son sits under the brightest spotlight in college football.

An investor who walked into a Seattle coffee shop in 1992 and bet on the people.

All real people, all real conversations. Here’s the full run >

There’s no better way to learn an industry than going direct to the people running it and asking the questions you actually want answered. I’ve treated these past forty episodes as an ongoing education, and I'm learning in public on purpose. One-on-one, unscripted conversations with the decision makers building, investing in, and operating the Sports Economy. Every one of them was generous with time they didn’t owe me, and every single conversation handed me something different to carry forward.

What I didn’t expect was how much would compound. These conversations, paired with my own research, have helped me build real conviction about what I believe in across sports, media, and entertainment. Every few episodes, someone changes my mind on something I thought I’d settled, and that’s exactly the point. Best of all, this has been an incredible way to build real relationships in the space.

Here’s a recap of who joined me over the past 40 episodes, grouped by category:

Investors

Founders & CEOs

Media

A few quotes that have particularly stuck with me:

“Our potential is this big dining room table, but we spend almost all our time living on a little platter in the middle of it. Push out to the edge once in a while, and you find out what you can actually do.” – Dr. Marcus Elliott

Luck is being prepared when the time is right.” Dr. Jason Wersland

“Put yourself under extreme pressure in practice, or you’ll never be ready for the big moments in a match.” CiCi Bellis

“You bet on people. The investment business isn’t complicated. You find these exceptional people, and then you ride that horse.” Michael Moe

I don’t need to be admired. I just need to be respected for the work.” Marques Colston

“Put me in the desert, I’ll find my way to the water.” Terrence Murphy

“The good guy rule goes so far. The wind blows a bunch of different ways. But if you’re around good people who work hard and do the right thing, at the end of the day you’re going to sleep well.” Cooper Manning

Here’s to the next 40. I hope you’ll follow along.

ICYMI: This week’s podcast episode with Lewis Burik, Co-Founder & CEO of DubClub ⬇️

I publish an essay every other Thursday.

Stay tuned and share this with someone who should be paying attention to where the Sports Economy is headed.

 If you’re building, investing, or advising within the Sports Economy — please reach out!

Brent

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