Sportstravel Podcast

Greg Cruse is no stranger to surfing. He’s been participating in the sport since he was middle school-aged and was on one of the original high school surf teams in Huntington Beach, California, that was part of the genesis of the National Scholastic Surfing Association. He later became active in the administration of the sport for years, reorganizing Surfing America into USA Surfing when the organization earned national governing body in stats in 2017 in the lead up to the Tokyo Games. Surfing was one of several sports to make its Olympics debut in Tokyo but it’s of course not new to the sporting world. The question for surfing, though, like other new entrants to the program such as skateboarding and climbing that have their own unique cultures, is how the sports would adapt to the international requirements that the Olympics demand. The answer is that is adapted very well. Carissa Moore earned gold for the U.S. women, becoming the first athlete to win gold the sport at the Games. And while there were early c

In only a few months, it will be the 20th anniversary of the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, one of only three destinations in the United States to have hosted the Winter Games. The 2002 Games was Utah’s introduction to the world and was held under high security with 9/11 having happened less than six months before the Opening Ceremony. The Games ended up turning a huge profit that led to the creation of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, which continues to this day, and every venue that was used in the 2002 Games remains operational. With that in mind, Salt Lake City will be bidding to host the Olympics again, either in 2030 or 2034. In this episode, SportsTravelSenior Editor MattTraub sat down with FraserBullock, the chief operating officer for the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City and current president and chief executive officer of the Salt Lake City–Utah Committee for The Games that is bidding again to discuss the legacy of the 2002 event and Bullock'

USA Rugby has gone through a lot during the past year-plus. Not only was it dramatically affected by the pandemic like every other national governing body in the Olympic movement, it had to file for bankruptcy protection last year. Having come through the process with a streamlined operation, USA Rugby now looks ahead to the Olympic Summer Games, where it has men’s and women’s rugby sevens teams competing in Tokyo. USA Rugby has also announced it will move forward with proposals to host either the 2027 or 2031 men’s World Cup, along with the 2029 women’s World Cup. SportsTravel Senior Editor MattTraub talked with USA Rugby’s Chief Executive Officer RossYoung, about the state of rugby throughout the United States, the planning process toward bidding for a World Cup and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There have been many books written about sports. But not many books have focused on the fans themselves. In his new book “Fans: How Watching Sports Makes Us Happier, Healthier and More Understanding,” author Larry Olmsted details scientific studies that are proving the benefits of following sports not just on the health of the fans themselves, but on the communities that host those events. In this episode of the SportsTravel Podcast, SportsTravel Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz sits down with Olmsted to discuss the findings of these recent studies, learn why it is that sports fans in general are more happy, and what destinations and venues can take away to make the case for why the events they host are so important to the health of the community at large. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cal Ripken, Jr. is baseball's all-time Iron Man. He retired from the game in 2001 after a career that spanned 21 seasons. While he's best known for his incredible streak of 2,632 consecutive games played, he also redefined the position of shortstop before being inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. In his post-playing career, one of his passions has been growing Ripken Baseball, a youth baseball organization that manages a group of sports complexes in Maryland, South Carolina and Tennessee, hosting a series of Ripken Experience events. Ripken Baseball will bring its Ripken Experience tournament play to The Legends Showdown in Round Rock, Texas, in partnership with Ryan Sanders Sports & Entertainment. Charged with leading Ripken Baseball’s growth is MikeKenney, a seasoned industry professional with experience with the Harlem Globetrotters and Comcast Spectator. SportsTravel Senior Editor MattTraub talked with Cal and Mike recently about expanding the Ripken brand into Texas, how Ripken Base

Scott O’Neil spent eight years working as the chief executive officer at Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, best known as the owners of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s New Jersey Devils. Under O’Neil’s leadership, HBSE grew into a sports and entertainment franchise that spans two professional teams, an esports business, the owner and operator of the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, along with the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex, the Sixers Innovation Lab and becoming one of the partners in Elevate Sports Ventures, a sports and entertainment agency. After nearly a decade of growth and innovation and almost more awards than one could list, O’Neil also released his first book, "Be Where Your Feet Are," in June. Those successes made it all the more surprising when at the end of June, O’Neil announced that he would be leaving HBSE. Two days after that announcement was made, he joined SportsTravel Senior Editor Matt Traub on the SportsTravel Podcast to discuss what went into the decision, h

Jimmy Johnson coached the Dallas Cowboys to two Super Bowl victories and the University of Miami to a national championship. In August, he’ll be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But he knows more than football. His pro fishing tournaments have become some of the biggest purses in the sport and are now expanding to new locations. This year, the Jimmy Johnson Quest for the Ring fishing tournament in Atlantic City, New Jersey, will mark the first of his events to be held outside the state of Florida. In this conversation with SportsTravel Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz, Johnson discusses his love of both fishing and football. We also discuss some of the issues facing the league today and his upcoming induction into the Hall of Fame. Also, learn what it’s really like behind the scenes each week on “Fox NFL Sunday.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2022 PGA Championship was scheduled to be held at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, before the PGA of America in January announced that it would move the event instead to Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where the 2021 Senior PGA Championship was recently completed. The PGA Championship then received a giant burst of attention when this year’s event at Kiawah Island, South Carolina, was shockingly won by PhilMickelson, making him the oldest player to win a major in golf history. It comes right as the PGA of America is about to make tickets for the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club available exclusively online through a registration process for the first major to be played at Southern Hills since 2007. In this episode, SportsTravel Senior Editor MattTraub talks with BryanKarns, championship director for next year’s PGA, about what goes into the planning for a major championship, the similarities and differences between the PGA and Senior PGA that was recently complete

Helen Maroulis became the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling when she won in Rio in 2016. Not only did she break new ground for women’s wrestling in the United States, it was the magnitude of victory that also impressed. To earn the gold, she beat the most dominant wrestler of all time, three-time Olympic gold medalist and thirteen-time World champion Saori Yoshida of Japan. Her career seemed full of possibilities, but a concussion suffered during a competition two years later put everything on hold. Eventually, with considerable outside help, she fought her way back. And at the recent Olympic Wrestling Trials in Fort Worth, she earned her way back on to the team headed to Tokyo, winning in a dramatic match over Jenna Burkert. In this conversation with SportsTravel Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz, we talk about Maroulis’ start in wrestling, the journey to the Olympic Games, her epic comeback from her concussion and the victory at the Trials. Special thanks to one of Helen’s spon

Allyson Felix is an Olympic legend. In June, she will compete at the U.S. Track & Field Olympic Trials for a spot in what would be her fifth Olympic Summer Games. In her previous four (2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016), she has earned six gold medals and three silver medals, making her one of the most decorated track stars of all time. She also has 18 world championship medals to her name, — a record for men or women — including 13 golds, the most recent of which came in 2019 in the 4x400m and the 4x400m mixed relay. But this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, held during a global pandemic, will be unlike any for which she’s prepared. In this conversation with SportsTravel Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz, hear how Felix is preparing for the competition, her thoughts on Eugene, Oregon, as a track destination and as host of the upcoming World Championships, what cities she’s enjoyed competing in the most ,and what the best events do well when it comes to taking care of athletes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy

Tim Schneider, the chairman of the Sports Division at Northstar Meetings Group, is the founder of SportsTravel magazine, the TEAMS Conference and Expo and the EsportsTravel Summit. In this conversation with SportsTravel Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz, we talk with Schneider about the origins of SportsTravel and the sports-event industry itself, the growth of sectors such as esports and the role that sports-related travel will play in the nation’s economic recovery. It’s a wide ranging conversation that holds many lessons that still apply today for professionals who are involved in the organizing and hosting of sports events at all levels. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Melissa Stockwell's road to the Paralympics began in Iraq in 2004 when a roadside bomb took her leg, making her the first female American solider in history to lose a limb in active combat. After earning a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for her service, she turned her attention to the Paralympics, becoming the first Iraq War veteran to qualify for the Paralympic Games. She competed in swimming at the Beijing Games in 2008, coming away without a medal but being selected to serve as the Team USA flag bearer at the Closing Ceremony. She then switched to paratriathlon, where she really found her calling. In 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, she won a bronze medal, part of a U.S. sweep of the podium. Now she is training for the Tokyo Games in hopes of besting that performance. In this conversation with SportsTravel Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz, Stockwell discusses her journey to the Paralympics, how to prepare for a Games that will be unlike any other and how she is encouraging youth adaptive sport athletes to give tria

The WNBA bills itself as a league that features the most accomplished and highly skilled women in the world of basketball who are passionate about the game they love. One of the biggest names in the league is Elena Delle Donne, who in seven years has racked up one of the longest track records of success in the league’s recent history. In this episode of the SportsTravel Podcast, SportsTravel Senior Editor Matt Traub talks with Delle Donne about preparing for this season after offseason back surgery, being vocal on social issues that matter to her and the WNBA, balancing her community and charity work with playing basketball at the highest levels, her Olympic memories of Rio and preparing for this year’s Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo, her new YouTube series and much more. Special thanks to one of Elena’s sponsors, Proctor & Gamble, for helping to arrange this conversation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leigh Steinberg is the original sports super agent, the inspiration for the movie “Jerry Maguire” and the representative for current NFL star Patrick Mahomes. In this episode of the SportsTravel Podcast, SportsTravel Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz talks with Steinberg about his career as an agent and his epic comeback after years out of the business. We also get Steinberg’s unique take on some of the NFL’s biggest events from an agent’s perspective, including the NFL Draft, the Super Bowl and the NFL Combine. He’s also an event organizer himself, hosting one of the biggest ancillary events around the Super Bowl, one that will return next year in his hometown of Los Angeles for Super Bowl LVI. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Professional Fighters League 2021 season will be held in a bubble environment at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey, with former world champions Fabricio Werdum, Anthony Pettis and Clarissa Shields all participating in the PFL for the first time this season, in addition to returning champions Kayla Harrison, Lance Palmerand Nathan Schulte looking to defend their crowns. In this conversation with SportsTravel Senior Editor Matt Traub, Dan Ghosh-Roy, chief digital officer of the Professional Fighters League, previews the PFL’s season, what went into the choice of Atlantic City as the choice for the league's bubble and much more about what sports organizations can and should be doing when it comes to promoting themselves on social media platforms while embracing technology. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dale Murphy is a legendary Major League Baseball player who won two National League Most Valuable Player and five Gold Glove awards and appeared in seven All-Star Games during a career largely spent with the Atlanta Braves, but that also included stops with the Philadelphia Phillies and the Colorado Rockies. Today he is executive vice president of sports for LiveView Technlogies, which provides portable security cameras that add to an event or venue’s security plans. In this episode, SportsTravel Editor and Publisher Jason Gewirtz talks with Murphy about his career in baseball, his thoughts on getting a younger generation interested in the sport and his new role in the sports-events industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

HotelPlanner has been around for 17 years helping organizations book group travel. Bruce Rosenberg, the company’s president of the Americas and chief operating officer, has been part of that leadership team since 2012 after a career in hospitality that included 13 years with Hilton Hotels. As the travel industry has tried to get back on its feet after a devastating 2020, one area that already is standing out is sports-related travel. Especially at the amateur level, destinations and hotels are seeing steady business in group hotel stays from traveling teams and the expectation in 2021 is that sports will continue to be a bright spot for the industry. HotelPlanner is certainly banking on that business. In recent weeks, the company has signed partnerships at the professional level with Harris Blitzer, owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, the New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center in Newark, but also with USA Pickleball, the USL soccer league and a promotional deal with American tennis player John Isner, all of wh

The 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing season is set to kick off March 11 in Gainesville, Florida, a 23-race schedule culminating with the season-finale near Los Angeles in November. NHRA drivers are among the fastest in the world, navigating their 11,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars down the track at speeds that exceed 330 miles per hour. Every ticket is a Pit Pass, allowing fans to walk through the pits and enjoy an up-close look at the cars in between rounds of racing. Fans also can walk right up to their favorite drivers to pose for a picture and get an autograph, while children 12 and under can get in for free. In this conversation with SportsTravel Senior Editor Matt Traub, three-time series champ AntronBrown and eight-time national event winner LeahPruett discuss the NHRA’s devoted fan base, how they got started in auto racing and what stands out for them when they travel across the country. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Women’s basketball is one of the biggest growth markets in the sports event industry. The NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Tournament has been one of the best showcases for women’s sports each year and this March’s event will be no different. Held in a controlled environment in San Antonio, the tournament — in addition to broadcasts on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU — will have at least six nationally broadcast games on ABC starting with the opening day of action on Sunday, March 21, guaranteeing an audience for every one of its 63 games leading to the championship on April 4. In this conversation with SportsTravel Senior Editor Matt Traub, NCAA Vice President of Women's Basketball Lynn Holzman and Jenny Carnes, San Antonio Sports senior vice president and chief operating officer, discuss everything that is going into the planning for this year’s tournament from the viewpoint of both the tournament organizers and the host destination, and what they’re looking forward to the most about the event. See omnystudio.com/

The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament is one of the biggest events on the sports calendar each year. But last March, as college basketball conferences were about to start their postseason tournaments, the coronavirus began to sweep throughout the United States and forced the cancellation of the 2020 event. This year the tournament will be held in a controlled environment centralized in Indianapolis with a majority of the games at four venues throughout the city along with early-round action hosted at Purdue University and Indiana University. In this conversation with SportsTravel Senior Editor Matt Traub, NCAA Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt discusses the tournament’s organization with a focus on health and safety, what went into the original November announcement that the event would be held in a controlled environment, the shifting landscape upon which this season has been held and what aspects of this year's event the NCAA may be able to use going forward at future tournaments. See omnys