Fox spends on soccer ‘so the U.S. women can continue to be the best in the world and the men can win a World Cup’
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel on careers in the soccer industry at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. The speakers came from a wide range of roles across the game, and we discussed a wide range of topics. Below, you can listen to a podcast of the event.
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel on careers in the soccer industry at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. The speakers came from a wide range of roles across the game, and we discussed a wide range of topics. Below, you can listen to a podcast of the event.
The panelists were:
- David Nathanson, head of business operations for Fox Sports and negotiator of the network's major soccer rights deals
(It's worth noting that this discussion happened before Turner Sports beat Fox to the next round of UEFA Champions League and Europa League rights.)
- Parisa Howard, group director in the sports marketing division of Octagon
- Rick Resnick, senior vice president of sports partner solutions for Univision
- Gabriele Marcotti, columnist for ESPN, the Times of London and Italy's Corriere dello Sport
- Adrienne Lerner, former researcher and production assistant at NBC Sports, and graduate of the FIFA International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport degree program
- Scott Rosner, associate professor in Wharton's Legal Studies and Business Ethics Department, and faculty associate director of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative
Our topics of discussion included:
- Whether the U.S. national team program (including the men and women) will continue to be the biggest driver of soccer's growth in this country
- How the global soccer community views Major League Soccer and its lack of promotion and relegation (yes, we went there)
- The Hispanic community's influence on soccer in America, and what it can be
- The brand power of the U.S. women's national team's big stars, and how that translates to real money and jobs in soccer
- What Americans who want to work abroad should know
- How receptive the global soccer community is to Americans and American ideas - The future of player development, salaries and international signings in MLS and American soccer as a whole
The podcast runs for just over an hour. I know that's long, but we covered a lot of ground and had a great time. Hopefully you enjoy it.
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