Career developing in college athletics is the cornerstop of NextLevel Sports. Senior Vice President Will Reece talks about some of the ways that young college administrators are gaining a foothold into learning more about the industry, including what mentorships are out there in order to build their resume. Reece expands on the various issues surrounding the idea of moving too quick or not quick enough and whether candidates gain a reputation for “dancing” with a hiring committee during a job search. Reece discusses the third annual AD Symposium held in Oct. in Chapel Hill by NextLevel and what attendees can expect from this year’s lineup. Twitter: @NextLevelReece

Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg draws over 130,000 into the St. Petersburg downtown core to witness one of the most exciting U.S. races annually. Giles Dowden talks about presenting good B2B opportunities at that event, and his role in providing VIP, suite, loft engagement for some of the largest sponsors in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area for the Honda Grand Prix. Dowden discusses his career, working for two NFL teams, an NHL team, a NBA team, and MLB team, and how he got into sports by writing a letter to the athletic director at Washington State University Athletic Director Jim Livengood while he was an undergrad at WSU.

The world of franchise value is explored in this episode with Michael Rapkoch, who has clients in all four major leagues, consulting on the sports value of seven MLB, four NFL, eight NHL, eight NBA teams during his company’s ten years in business. Rapkoch has performed over 90 valuation engagements within professional sports, working directly with teams, leagues and potential investors.  Rapkock talks about the issues surrounding a sale, what value can truly be, and how the price can be driven up by the media if interested buyers haven’t inquired enough yet.

Greg Coleman runs one of Mandalay Sports Entertainment’s baseball properties, the Erie Seawolves, and discusses the mindset of MSE in terms of its points of light mission statement. Coleman discusses the role of a president to push not only the brand, but continue selling, as well as mentoring young sports executives, and the importance of moving to further a sports career. Coleman talks about some of the larger issues in sports, as well as protecting the price point, even if it means walking away from relationships when the other side is getting everything for free. Twitter: @SeaWolvesGM

Fan Engagement in the NFL is becoming a larger priority for teams than ever before. Hussain Naqi talks about how the Jaquars are rethinking fan engagement, whether that be through community relations, secret shoppers, fan experience models or even WiFi in private lounges. Naqi also discusses his role in bringing the Super Bowl to Met Life Stadium, and as leader of the group, attacking the issues head-on such as traffic and weather, in order to bring the NFL’s largest game to one of the largest cities in the world despite cold weather, something never done before by the league. Twitter: @CornellHkyFan

The world of marketing, branding and whether or not we’re telling too many stories instead of actually activating products is discussed with Tom Hansen. Explored in this episode are how the relationships between brands and consumers matter, whether traditional media still holds relevance in consumer’s hearts as it had in the past (i.e. Mad Men era), and if the GEICO Caveman advertisements were harmed by the brand extending to an actual television sitcom. Hansen talks about starting the Kane County Cougars Baseball team in the heart of Chicago within the territory of the Cubs & White Sox, yet making it successful despite critical skepticism whether the venture would work. This episode goes far beyond sports, examining how sponsorship, marketing, branding and activation tie into each other to build a greater consumer product. Twitter: @THansen30

Well, 199 episodes prior, Matt Harper began the journey to record the first episode of the Tao of Sports Podcast on his last day in California before heading up to Eugene, Oregon to begin his role at UO. Now, as the podcast hits its 200th episode, recorded during a blistering hot day in Orlando with the air conditioning shut off in the hotel room, Harper returns to talk about his initial decision to take an chance on doing the podcast, being the first guest and how the podcast has grown since. Harper provides an extensive status update as to his role with the University of Oregon as GM of DuckTix, and whether jumping to a BCS FBS school has changed him or his attitude. Twitter: @MattHarper_UO

Taking foreign sports brands into new markets is a specialty of Fred Popp, who oversees Teamup’s operations in London. Popp discusses how Teamup helped improve the European branding of Under Armor, build a recognizable Al Jazeria football club brand from a gameday crowd of 2,000 to 30,000 fans in the United Arab Emirates, and helped “localize” Arsenal FC during the club’s Asian tour. Popp examines how the perception of sold-out English Football matches isn’t always an accurate depiction and how some of the US sports sales approaches to branding are starting to make their way into the United Kingdom sports landscapes. Twitter: @FredPopp

The Ironman Triathalon isn’t merely a sport, it’s a way of life for most of its athletes. Meg Nolte talks about the relationship between the athletes, Ironman and its corporate sponsors, each who develop a cohesive partnership in order present great events. Nolte also talks about her experience working for ISP, selling college sponsorship as well as her time overseas as a student, which broadened her global perspective on how partnership activation works within different cultures.

The Canadian Broadcast Company’s Sports Division has delivered some of the best quality live entertainment in the world. Christopher Doyle oversees product development for CBC Sports, covering everything from Hockey Night In Canada to the Olympics to the CFL. Doyle discusses how broadcasting platforms have to achieve new activation for their sponsors to consumers who are now using digital means to access content. Doyle also talks about his role in creating the World Fishing Network and ensuring that fishing was presented 24/7 in order to deliver on that brand promise. Twitter: @ChrisDoyle