In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly talk with David Rubenstein, co-founder of The Carlyle Group, about his recent purchase of the Baltimore Orioles. Rubenstein tells the hosts about why he bought his hometown baseball team, how he assembled the ownership group and what the Orioles mean for the city of Baltimore.

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly sit with tennis champions Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss to discuss the current buzz around women’s sports. King and Kloss, the dreamer and builder (respectively) behind Billie Jean King Enterprises, King says, tell the hosts about their investments in the Los Angeles Dodgers and Angel City FC, the story behind how they helped launch the Professional Women's Hockey League and the lessons they think athletes should learn about the business of sports. 

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On this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez shares his excitement for attending the Olympics as a fan, reminisces about historic moments of the Games and analyzes their impact on athletes’ careers and brands. The conversation then shifts to Masai Ujiri, founder of Giants of Africa and president of the Toronto Raptors. Ujiri tells Jason Kelly about his journey from scouting talent in Africa to leading social and economic development on the continent through basketball.

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In this episode of The Deal, Jason Kelly and Alex Rodriguez reflect on baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. and his influence on Rodriguez and the broader baseball community. Then Ripken tells Kelly about his business partnership with Josh Harris and David Blitzer, and their effort to expand youth sports. He also discusses the effect his father had on his career and the challenges of building a business that remains true to the Ripken family’s core values.

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In this episode of The Deal, Monarch Collective's Jasmine Robinson tells Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly about the business case for investing in women's sports leagues. Jasmine explains how her $150 million fund decided to invest in the NWSL and how she sees future growth opportunities for women's sports.

(Corrects to remove reference to the WNBA in first paragraph.)

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In this episode of The Deal, The Chernin Group's Jesse Jacobs tells Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly about a few of his notable deals, including Barstool Sports, the Professional Lacrosse League and his recent venture in Unrivaled Sports alongside Josh Harris and David Blitzer. Jesse shares his unique approach to business, the impact of digital media on sports and his thoughts on the evolving landscape of college and youth sports markets.

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In this episode of The Deal, entrepreneur Joe Pompliano tells hosts Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly about his rise in the sports media landscape, potential directions for sports valuations and future trends in sports media.

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In this episode of The Deal, Jessica Gelman, chief executive of Kraft Analytics Group, tells Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly how she navigates the intersection of business and sports with a special focus on the transformative impact of data analytics. Alex and Jason also discuss Willie Mays' legacy and the lessons they learned from Reggie Jackson at a celebration of the Negro League.

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With all the money pouring into sports these days, big-time investor Marc Lore says he has an additional metric for success: happiness. On the latest episode of The Deal with Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly, Lore lays out his thinking on some of his deals, including a few with Rodriguez. 

Lore and Rodriguez initially tried to buy the New York Mets, a race they ultimately lost to billionaire hedge fund manager Steven Cohen. Then came the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx, and the pair jumped. There’s currently a lot of happiness in Minnesota about the Timberwolves’ performance, given their initial success in the NBA playoffs.

The 52-year-old Lore made his fortune as an entrepreneur through a series of startups, including Diapers.com and Jet.com, which he and his partners sold to Amazon and Walmart, respectively. Those experiences pushed him toward a near-obsession with company culture and mission. He’s created a framework he dubs VCP—which stands for “vision, capital and people.”

The capital in Lore’s equation has come quickly and seemingly easily. Diapers was sold to Amazon for more than $500 million and Jet.com was acquired by Walmart for about $3.3 billion. Yet, Lore insists the drive was about more than the cash, a lesson he learned with the Diapers deal.

“After the money was wired to our bank account, we sort of said, ‘We should be celebrating right now,’” Lore says. “And we’re like, depressed. And it just goes to show you, it wasn’t about the money. Like the mission that we had set out was kind of crushed with the sale to Amazon.”

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Stephen A. Smith says he’s always been ambitious, but nothing fueled a burning drive to succeed like being fired from ESPN. His exit from the sports network in 2009 radically changed how he felt about himself, Smith says—and how he wanted to make a living.

After ESPN and Smith parted ways, he began the long road back, starting on radio and leveraging his experience as a print journalist to develop sharp points of view. He eventually built a following whose size effectively made his return to TV inevitable. 

After resuming his position in front of the camera, Smith quickly helped remake the modern sports media landscape. Now 56, he’s widely credited (or derided) for the “hot take” version of sportscasting that now dominates ESPN, Fox Sports and social media. It’s literally in the name of his flagship ESPN morning show, “First Take,” which he initially popularized with Skip Bayless. It now features Smith with a rotating cast of sparring partners, as well as moderator Molly Qerim. 

Yet Smith has constantly stretched himself beyond ESPN—and sports—most notably through his podcast, The Stephen A. Smith Show, which he created and runs through his own production company. With more than 600,000 subscribers to its YouTube feed alone, Smith says he’s more convinced of his ability to flex that popularity for another record contract with ESPN (his current deal is up next year).

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Serena Williams revolutionized tennis—that much is unquestioned. With her sister and fellow superstar Venus beside her and father Richard behind them both, Williams went on to transform the way the world looks at tennis stars. Having now put her racket down, she has moved on to the world of finance and started her own venture capital firm, Serena Ventures. But this time, she’s doing it all on her own. On the latest episode of The Deal with Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly, Williams explains just how these early financial lessons formed the basis of success in her second act.

In tennis, Williams is widely regarded as the greatest of all time. In business, she exudes similar ambition for her growing business empire. Williams says she’s built a team that she trusts while staying intimately involved with every major decision. Diving into the details is something she’s known for—Williams was literally at the table for her first big shoe endorsement deal, with Puma.

Serena Ventures has invested in more than 20 companies in its first fund, and that’s in addition to the dozens of angel investments Williams has made. She’s also focused much of the firm’s energy on investing in companies run by traditionally underrepresented founders, especially women and people of color. (Only 2% of venture capital goes to companies led solely by women, while just 1% goes to firms with Black founders.)

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Mark Shapiro has a habit of making the unlikely happen. From marrying Ultimate Fighting Championship with World Wrestling Entertainment to making the call to hire Stephen A. Smith at ESPN, Shapiro finds a way to get deals done. Now, as president and COO of Endeavor and TKO—the publicly traded combination of WWE and UFC—he and Ari Emanuel are reshaping sports, media and entertainment. On the latest episode of The Deal with Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly, Shapiro reveals their guiding principle: Even in the most turbulent of media worlds, people love to watch games.

Shapiro made his name as the brash young head of programming at ESPN, greenlighting some of its most iconic programs, including Pardon the Interruption, the long-running talk and debate show hosted by Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon. It was also Shapiro who overruled his direct reports by bringing in Stephen A. Smith for an audition, a decision that catapulted Smith to the very top of the sports media pyramid and redefined the medium around hot takes. (Smith is a guest on an upcoming episode of The Deal).

The pair work together still, with Smith now represented by Endeavor’s talent arm. Shapiro and his partner Emanuel (made famous by the fictional Ari Gold on Entourage) have built Endeavor into a multifaceted entertainment company heavily invested in sports. Its biggest deal was creating TKO, which went public last fall and now has a market capitalization of $16 billion.

Amid all the dealmaking, Shapiro—who in between ESPN and Endeavor ran Six Flags—says he’s focused on creating situations where talent inside his shop and out can keep moving forward.

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly discuss the state of Big Ten football after Rodriguez visits his daughter for a University of Michigan game. The hosts then interview Kevin Warren, president and chief executive of the Chicago Bears and the former commissioner of the Big Ten Conference, about lessons he’s learned from professional and college sports. Warren also shares the latest on a proposed new Bears stadium and the importance of relationships in business.

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Future Hall of Fame wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said he always expected to be coached. Just not by a Wall Street banker. So when Frank Bisignano—then a senior JPMorgan Chase & Co. executive and now CEO of Fiserv—pushed a twentysomething Fitzgerald to think about life beyond the National Football League, it changed his trajectory.

That led to a series of internships between football seasons, touching on everything from venture capital to real estate and mezzanine financing. Fitzgerald played football for more than a decade after his run-in with Bisignano, spending his entire pro career with the Arizona Cardinals. But thanks in part to that first internship (at JPMorgan), he’s since invested in more than 160 companies, ranging from tech firms to an Indian cricket team. One of his breakthrough business moments came in 2020, when he joined the board of Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc., a publicly traded retailer that now has a market capitalization of about $16 billion.

Arguably among Fitzgerald’s most interesting deals is one tied to his oldest passion: chess. He started playing as a kid, an effort by his parents to focus a restless young mind. His public affinity for the game led to a meeting with Danny Rensch, the “chief chess officer” of Chess.com. Fitzgerald invested in the company and played in a celebrity tournament. He even allowed Chess.com to create a bot trained on his previous matches.

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Twenty-five years later than expected and following several false starts, women’s professional soccer looks to finally be planting long-term roots. And at the center of it all is one of the icons of a US championship team.

Brandi Chastain, whose electrifying penalty kick in front of more than 90,000 screaming fans at the Rose Bowl sealed the 1999 Women’s World Cup, is a co-owner of Bay FC, the latest franchise to join the fast-growing National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). So what’s the difference with this league, this time, after two earlier failures? Solid investment for the long haul. 

The moment seems to have arrived for women’s soccer, as it has for the broader profile of women in American sports. Bay FC was taking the field this spring just as the women’s edition of NCAA March Madness kept breaking its own records, driven by outsized performances and personalities like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. This new era of attention and support for women’s sports hasn’t seen its equal since Chastain’s famous, jersey-shedding celebration of her World Cup victory. That team—and its successors—produced stars that broke through into the broader public consciousness: Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe among them.

But all that excitement needed money to sustain it. These days, Chastain has linked up with Sixth Street Partners, a global investment firm that’s developed a business case for women’s sports. 

Now, Chastain says, it’s up to her and her fellow owners to leverage not just the money, but the expertise. That means blending her experience as a World Cup winner, Olympic gold medalist and coach with the analytics generated across reams of Sixth Street spreadsheets to produce a winning team.

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From George Steinbrenner to Jerry Jones, Gerry Cardinale has done deals with some of the biggest names in sports.

These days, the Goldman Sachs alum is making moves under the auspices of RedBird Capital, the firm he created in 2014. His purchase of the AC Milan soccer franchise and the resurrection of American football’s XFL stem from two decades spent at the intersection of sports, finance and media.

At Goldman, Cardinale got a chance to give advice to none other than Steinbrenner, aka “The Boss,” most notably about the 2002 launch of the YES Network. That debut brought its own made-for-TV drama, pitting Steinbrenner against New York Knicks and New York Rangers owner James Dolan (who also controls Madison Square Garden). Cardinale was in the middle of that fight as a key adviser to Steinbrenner—and his work took him deep into the Yankees front office.

Cardinale and Rodriguez recall a Manhattan dinner they shared with Yankees President Randy Levine where they mapped out the roster that would ultimately deliver the 2009 World Series championship to the Bronx. Around the same time, Cardinale and Goldman teamed up with the Yankees and the Dallas Cowboys to create the hospitality company Legends, born in part out of Cardinale’s desire to link the ambition of Steinbrenner to the only other owner who could match him: Jerry Jones.

Leaving the lucrative confines of his Goldman partnership also opened up more opportunity for Cardinale to be an investor. He teamed with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Dany Garcia to restart the XFL, and the trio subsequently engineered its merger with the USFL, the other big springtime pro-football league, to create the UFL. The new-look league played its first game earlier this week. Cardinale then went a step further in soccer, buying AC Milan, one of the best-known clubs in the world.

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Hannah Storm’s analysis of how pro basketball got so big is pretty simple: That guy from North Carolina.

“What happened was Michael Jordan,” Storm said on the latest episode of The Deal with Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly. She should know, since the pioneering television broadcaster and ESPN anchor was there from before the beginning. She had a front-row seat—literally—to basketball’s popular explosion in the 1980s, when Jordan electrified not just the sport but the broader culture. Storm witnessed how basketball came to compete with and eventually usurp baseball in the national conversation. 

One of Storm’s key assets when it came to explaining basketball and other sports to viewers was her familiarity with the inner workings of the industry. Her father, the late Mike Storen, was the commissioner of the American Basketball Association (which ultimately merged with the National Basketball Association), as well as the first general manager of the Indiana Pacers. (In case you’re wondering, Hannah Storen became “Hannah Storm” thanks to a stint as a hard-rock deejay in the 1980s).

These days, basketball feels like it’s at another catalytic moment, as one generation (LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant) edges toward the end of long careers and make way for a new wave. That younger cohort includes players like Nikola Jokic and reigning most-valuable-player Joel Embiid.

As a sports broadcaster, Storm said her profession faces a challenge in covering the NBA. She explained that her colleagues must redouble their efforts to search out less obvious stories and characters rather than falling back on marquee names and teams.

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The Big Take from Bloomberg News brings you inside what’s shaping the world's economies with the smartest and most informed business reporters around the world. The context you need on the stories that can move markets. Every afternoon.

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George Steinbrenner’s decision back in 2004 to pair Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez—two generationally talented baseball players—turned out to be one of the biggest and arguably most successful deals in New York Yankees history. Or all of sports history for that matter.

The results that sprang from the Boss’s machinations became clear: a perennially contending team, a 2009 World Series championship and yes—a lot of headlines. For Jeter, all of that on-field success—and his ability to manage it so gracefully—made him one of the most sought-after athletes both during and after his baseball career. On the latest episode of The Deal with Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly, he tells the backstory of how Michael Jordan made him the first baseball player to be endorsed by a then-nascent Jordan Brand, and reveals some never-before-heard details of his tumultuous, three decade-long relationship with A-Rod.

Jeter distinguished himself during a 20-year career played entirely for the Yankees, winning five World Series rings during that time. The last of the titles (and the last time the Yankees won it all) was accomplished with Rodriguez just a few feet away at third base. The pair had known each other since they were teenagers and even shared a 1997 cover of Sports Illustrated.

Jeter was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, inducted into Cooperstown in 2020 with 99.7 percent of the vote. Shortly after retiring, he joined the ownership group of the Miami Marlins and served as the team’s chief executive (the first Black man to hold such a position in Major League Baseball), overseeing both the business and operations of the club. He resigned in 2022, citing strategic differences with his fellow Marlins owners.

Of late, Jeter has been splitting his time between his young family, investing, endorsements and broadcasting—reuniting with Rodriguez to provide on-air baseball commentary. 

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Back in the day, a professional athlete played, maybe made some money and then hung it up. When they retired, there was sometimes a chance to work for a local company to leverage whatever fame they had accrued. But a few players have realized there was much more to be done both before and after that final whistle blew. They also recognized it would be a good idea to get some help. That’s where Constance Schwartz-Morini comes in.

On the latest episode of The Deal with Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly, we speak with this National Football League executive-turned-manager who’s worked with everyone from Snoop Dogg to Erin Andrews.

Schwartz-Morini explains how she’s created one of the most successful playbooks for second acts—two high-profile examples of which are former football stars Deion Sanders and Michael Strahan. She says that Strahan embodies what she’s trying to do with athletes and entertainers: help them transcend sports into the broader culture.

One of her most prominent current projects is happening not in New York (her hometown) or Los Angeles (her current home), but in the Rockies. Schwartz-Morini is a primary architect of the post-NFL phenomenon that is Sanders, aka Coach Prime. A man who pushed himself into the zeitgeist as “Prime Time” back when he played for both the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Falcons, Schwartz-Morini managed to guide Sanders toward coaching, first at Jackson State and then now at the University of Colorado Boulder.

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Was Michael Strahan always going to be a ubiquitous presence—from Good Morning America host to NFL commentator to having his own line of clothing at Men’s Wearhouse? Maybe—but if you ask him, he would tell you it wouldn’t have happened were it not for his move from Texas to New York. There was also another thing: winning a Super Bowl.

On this episode of The Deal, the ex-football Giant says trial by fire in the most unforgiving of sports towns set him on the path to success in everything else.

Strahan has put together a post-NFL career that’s unique for its simultaneous proximity and distance from the game. On one hand, there he is every Sunday during the season, jawing with a coterie of ex-players and coaches on Fox NFL Sunday. But during the week, he’s a co-host of Good Morning America, alongside Robin Roberts and George Stephanopoulos. Then there are the apparel lines with JCPenney and Men’s Wearhouse, and an annual collaboration with Starter for the Super Bowl.

His co-architect in all of this is Constance Schwartz-Morini, a former NFL executive-turned-manager who’s also worked with Snoop Dogg, Erin Andrews and Deion Sanders. Much of that work has come under the auspices of SMAC Entertainment, the firm Strahan and Schwartz-Morini created in 2011. We also got a chance to sit down with Schwartz-Morini, who is our guest on episode three of The Deal, dropping March 15.

You can also watch The Deal on Bloomberg Originals, YouTube, or Bloomberg TV.

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Maria Sharapova, the global tennis icon who spent her career defeating the sport’s best, is looking for some losers. On the premiere episode of The Deal with Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly, she tells us exactly what she means.

For many, Sharapova is a figure frozen in time. It was 2004 when she stunned Serena Williams on Centre Court to win her first Wimbledon and first Grand Slam. Sharapova would go on to become (like Williams) one of the most recognized tennis players of her generation. These days, however, she’s turned her laser focus to dealmaking. 

Even as she was climbing to the top of the tennis world, the Russian-born star was already building a business resume—these days she’s reportedly worth in excess of $200 million. 

Now with her tennis career behind her, all of those off-court projects have become a full-time job. With an attitude forged in the highest-pressure sporting arenas, she approaches a range of partnerships with a sly worldliness. One thing she’s keen to find? People who have seen it all go sideways. Sharapova says that only those who have lost can eventually win.

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The Deal, hosted by Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly, features intimate conversations with business titans, sports champions and game-changing entrepreneurs who reveal their investment philosophies, pivotal career moves and the ones that got away. From Bloomberg Podcasts and Bloomberg Originals, The Deal launches on February 29, 2024. The Deal is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, Bloomberg Carplay, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch The Deal on Bloomberg Television, and Bloomberg Originals on YouTube.

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly discuss the influence of Latinos in the world of sports and how the Boys and Girls Club changed Rodriguez’ life. The hosts then interview ImpactX Sports Group CEO Xavier Gutierrez about the growing business of investing in sports. Gutierrez also shares the results of a Nielson report co-produced by his organization, Latinos in Sports, and why it’s important for teams and leagues to pay attention to this important demographic.

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly start off by discussing their excitement for the pro and college football seasons. The hosts then interview New York sports radio icon Mike Francesa about his legendary career at WFAN and his partnership with Chris Russo on Mike and the Mad Dog. Francesa shares his insights on the evolution of sports media, the future of baseball and what he says are the three biggest stories in New York sports.

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In this episode of The Deal, Jason Kelly and Alex Rodriguez discuss private equity’s move into the National Football League. The hosts then interview Midge Purce, a forward for Gotham FC, about how she’s taking on the world of business while navigating a soccer career. Purce tells the hosts why she wanted to launch a new reality show that follows the lives of players in the offseason, how she sees the National Women’s Soccer League gaining ground and why her dad’s advice never failed her.

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In this episode of The Deal, Jason Kelly and Alex Rodriguez discuss the 15th anniversary of the 2009 New York Yankees World Championship and why it was an emotional day. The hosts then interview Michael Kay, a Yankees play-by-play announcer for the YES Network and host of The Michael Kay Show. Kay tells the hosts how he doubled his salary as a sports writer, how he got involved with YES and the one fellow sports broadcaster he wishes he could work with.

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In this episode of The Deal, Jason Kelly discusses his recent interview with the owners of the Kansas City Chiefs, Clark and Dan Hunt, as well as the burgeoning sports betting industry. Kelly and Alex Rodriguez then interview Carsten Koerl, founder and CEO of Sportradar, about how his sports betting technology company partners with leagues and wagering platforms around the world. Koerl tells the hosts about how Ted Leonsis set him up with all-star investors like Michael Jordan and Mark Cuban, and how integrity in sports is at the center of the work he does.

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly discuss the conclusion of the Paris Olympics and the big wins for USA basketball. They also interview Keith Dawkins, president of the Harlem Globetrotters and Herschend Entertainment Studios, about how he is reinvigorating the 98-year-old exhibition basketball icon. Dawkins also tells the hosts about how he’s pivoting from a tour-based to media-based business model, how he quickly negotiated the first-ever residency for a sports team and why having the right people on your bench makes all the difference.

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez tells Jason Kelly about his experience in Paris during the Olympics. They also interview Kevin Burkhardt, Fox Sports’ National Football League play–by-play announcer and lead Major League Baseball studio host, about his journey in broadcasting and what it’s like to now work with Rodriguez. Burkhardt also tells the hosts about how he prepares for broadcasts, his approach to negotiating for himself and what he thinks about the current state of baseball.

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In this special episode, Jason Kelly speaks with Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly about how drivers aren't just racers in today's Formula 1 – they're global brand ambassadors, technical consultants, and brands unto themselves. Gasly discussed how he is building his empire through partnerships with fashion brands, an investment group, and an ownership stake in FC Versailles, on top of competing in 24 races every year around the world. 

This interview was part of the first episode of Bloomberg Originals' documentary mini-series, Power Players. 

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In this special episode, Jason Kelly speaks with Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali about how F1 is bringing its booming business to Miami, why he's excited about the addition of Cadillac to the F1 grid, how he's pushing to bring more women into racing through F1 Academy, and why he teamed up with the folks behind the Brad Pitt movie "F1." 

This interview was part of the third episode of Bloomberg Originals' documentary mini-series, Power Players. 

Listen to previous episodes of The Deal with Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly featuring Tom Garfinkel, CEO of the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium, and Susie Wolff, managing director of F1 Academy. 

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez tells Jason Kelly about his experience watching his Minnesota Lynx during the first round of the WNBA playoffs. Then, they speak with Catie Griggs about how she thinks about the business of baseball as President of Business Operations of the Baltimore Orioles. Griggs – who, like Alex, did a stint with the Seattle Mariners – tells the hosts what she thinks her team and Commissioner Rob Manfred need to do to continue to grow the MLB as a league, why she sees the city’s urban center and the team’s legendary history as strategic assets, and what she’s learned by working with Orioles owners David Rubenstein and Michael Arougheti.

You can also watch this interview on the Bloomberg Podcasts YouTube page.

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly speak with Jozy Altidore about his transition from legendary soccer player to entrepreneur and investor. Altidore tells the hosts why he loved FIFA’s Club World Cup this year and what he’s looking forward to at the FIFA World Cup next year, how he leveraged his own World Cup experience to develop his brand, and why he’s excited about his recent investments in the Buffalo Bills and TMRW Golf League.

You can also watch this interview on the Bloomberg Podcasts YouTube page.

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly speak with Pau Gasol about his Hall of Fame basketball career, both in the US and in Spain. Gasol tells the hosts how he sees the growth of basketball internationally, the power of the Olympics to grow the game, why he saw value in investing in the WNBA via Gasol16 Ventures, and what he learned both on and off the court from his friend and teammate Kobe Bryant.

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly talk about Bryce Underwood's $12.5M NIL deal. Then, they speak with Laura Correnti about how she came to found Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment, the first firm dedicated to commercial investment and growth opportunities in women's sports. Correnti tells the hosts how the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team inspired her to start her business, why she’s torn up her five-year plan so many times amidst the growth of women’s sports, and what needs to be done to create more “multi-hyphenates” amongst female athletes.

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly cover expansion and realignment in Major League Baseball. Later, they speak with Greg Olsen about his company, Youth Inc., and its mission to transform organized sports for kids. Olsen explains how his football career informs his work as a FOX Sports commentator, why the broader sports landscape is due for innovation, and the financial hurdles now confronting families involved in baseball.

You can also watch this interview on the Bloomberg Podcasts YouTube page.

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly talk about the state of baseball (including the sorry state of the Yankees) and break down Paramount's massive new deal with the UFC. Then, they speak with Allyson Felix about how she parlayed her legendary track and field career into unexpected activism in the world of business. Felix tells the hosts why it was important for her to stand up for mothers' rights in her fight against Nike and how speaking up – and changing the company's policies – ignited an entrepreneurial zeal to change the business of shoes (via her company Saysh) and talent management (her firm Always Alpha).

You can also watch this interview on the Bloomberg Podcasts YouTube page.

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly talk about Stanford’s surprising pick for its new athletic director, and the drama taking place at the NFL Players Association. Then, they speak with DeMaurice Smith about his time as the Executive Director of the NFLPA and his new book, "Turf Wars: The Fight for the Soul of America's Game," which gives an inside look at the league. Smith dishes on the NFL’s 2011 lockout, lessons learned about leadership and negotiation from other union bosses, and what it was like sitting across the negotiating table from giants like NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

You can also watch this interview on the Bloomberg Podcasts YouTube page.

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly speak with Haley Rosen about why she founded “Just Women’s Sports,” the media company focused solely on – you guessed it – women's sports. Rosen tells the hosts how she got investors to see the coverage as a real business and not a charity, how she is both creating and leveraging this moment of fandom for women’s sports, and why she thinks the media industry needs to “feel incredible urgency” to keep this moment going.

You can also watch this interview on the Bloomberg Podcasts YouTube page.

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez tells Jason Kelly about his plans for celebrating his 50th birthday. Then, they speak with Mayor Muriel Bowser about the biggest sports deal in Washington, D.C.’s history. Bowser tells the hosts what lies ahead for a D.C. Council vote on the deal to bring the Washington Commanders to RFK Stadium, how she got Ted Leonsis to keep the Washington Capitals, Wizards, and Mystics in the nations’ capital, and why sports and politics go together. 

You can also watch this interview on the Bloomberg Podcasts YouTube page.

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez tells Jason Kelly about his experience at the MLB All-Star Game in Atlanta. Then, they speak with Sam Kennedy about his “bold decision making” as President and CEO of the Boston Red Sox. Kennedy tells the hosts how he handles tough decisions like trading Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants, why buying Liverpool FC is proof that “there's really no bad ideas,” and why he decided to invest in the PGA Tour.

You can also watch this interview on the Bloomberg Podcasts YouTube page.

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly talk to Angel City FC controlling owner Willow Bay about how she sees her investment giving back to the community. They discuss how Bay helped change sports media culture when she hosted “NBA Inside Stuff,” how her work as dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism inspired her to acquire a team in the National Women's Soccer League and why team ownership is unlike anything she ever imagined.

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez tells Jason Kelly how he’s feeling leading up to his first press conference as the owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx at the NBA’s Summer League, and what he’s looking forward to at the MLB All-Star Game next week. Then, they speak with Will Ahmed about how he came to found the fitness tracker Whoop. Ahmed tells the hosts the unique way he got early adapters Michael Phelps and LeBron James to try his product, which investor he was most excited to bring on board, and what it’s like competing with giants like Nike and Apple.

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez tells Jason Kelly how he has felt since finalizing his ownership of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx. Then, they speak with Michelle Wie West about what she learned during her impressive golf career. West tells the hosts why she was excited to invest in Togethxr to promote women’s golf, why she sees potential in the new simulator golf league TGL, and what she learned from her father-in-law, the late NBA great Jerry West.

You can also watch this interview on the Bloomberg Podcasts YouTube page. 

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly talk with iconic football coach Bill Belichick and Bridgewater's legendary founder Ray Dalio about their guiding principles for success. Belichick tells the hosts how he was inspired by Dalio’s book “Principles” to write “The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football,” and why he’s excited for a new challenge coaching at the University of North Carolina. Dalio meanwhile recounts how his principles have become tools that can be applied across industries.

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly talk with David Blitzer, Blackstone’s chairman and the co-founder of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, about how his teams use data and analytics to improve fan experience. In this conversation, which was taped in front of an audience at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, Blitzer tells the hosts how a “failed athlete” came to be the first person to own teams in all five major American sports leagues, what he’s doing to invest in the “massively fragmented” world of youth sports and why having a favorite sports team is like having a favorite child. 

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly talk with Magic Johnson, the iconic point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. In their conversation, taped in front of a live audience at the Milken Global Conference, Johnson reveals what he’s learned from his “greatest deal,” becoming part of the Washington Commanders ownership group. He also explains why pitching himself as a partner to the Starbucks board was the hardest thing he’s ever done, and how much it meant to win an Olympic gold medal alongside Michael Jordan and Larry Bird.

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly talk with Susie Wolff, the managing director of F1 Academy, about how she’s helping more female racers try to advance into the ranks of Formula One. In this conversation, Wolff tells the hosts how she got all ten F1 teams to support cars in F1 Academy, why she wanted to sign makeup brand Charlotte Tilbury and what she hopes viewers will learn from watching Netflix’s new docuseries, “F1: The Academy.”

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In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly talk with Washington Commanders Owner Josh Harris about how he was able to bring the team back to the RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. In this conversation, Harris tells the hosts how he was also able to negotiate a deal with Comcast for the Philadelphia 76ers’ new arena, why his team was able to perform so much better on the NFL Players Association report card this year, and what he’s learned from owning teams in different markets. 

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