Wait, What? Sportsbiz Chat with DP & McGhee – Details, episodes & analysis

Episode 125 | DP & McGhee

David and Tim return from the long weekend ready to dive into a packed episode filled with college football, NASCAR drama, and Ryder Cup anticipation. From major wins on the field to intense battles off of it, this episode covers the latest developments across multiple sports while featuring two powerhouse guests from the world of golf.

Here’s what they cover:

🏈 College Football Kickoff
UNC gets trounced in their season opener.
Florida State makes a statement with a huge win over Alabama.
ESPN's College GameDay posts record ratings as they bid farewell to Lee Corso in his retirement send-off.

🏎️ NASCAR News & Drama
Intense legal battles heat up between NASCAR, 23XI Racing, and Front Row Motorsports — a fight that’s now public and very personal.

🏁 Motorsports Spotlight
Big storylines in F1, including success of F1 the Movie and major sponsorship news surrounding McLaren.

⛳ Ryder Cup Special Guests
DP and McGhee are joined by Jeff Price, Chief Commercial and Philanthropy Officer of the PGA of America, and Richard Bunn, Chief Revenue and Content Officer of the DP World Tour, to discuss:

• What makes the Ryder Cup one of the most unique and exciting events in sports.

• Their go-to-market strategy for attracting and retaining commercial partnerships.

• The impressive lineup of blue-chip sponsors backing the event.

This episode brings a perfect mix of analysis, breaking news, and insider perspectives — a must-listen for sports business fans as the fall season heats up!

—
Smart takes. Occasional nonsense. Always at the corner of Sports & Business.

Wait, What?

𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟭𝟮𝟰 | 𝗗𝗣 & 𝗠𝗰𝗚𝗵𝗲𝗲

In this episode, David and Tim sit down with Keith Gill, Commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference, for an open and wide-ranging conversation on the future of college sports. Gill shares his perspective on the College Football Playoff expansion, the transfer portal, and reflects on his own journey as a student-athlete at Duke University.

Before Gill joins the show, DP & McGhee break down some of the hottest topics in sports business:
⛳ PGA TOUR initiative: CEO Brian Rolapp establishes a new Future Competition Committee, with Tiger Woods as chair
⚾ MLB’s evolving media strategy: Netflix secures streaming rights to the Home Run Derby
🏀 NBA ownership moves: Finalization of the Celtics and Trail Blazers team sales
👏 WNBA milestone: Record-setting league attendance

And, a tribute to a motorsports marketing legend, Humpy Wheeler. 🏁

A jam-packed episode covering pro leagues, media, and the ever-changing college sports landscape.

𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗚𝗶𝗹𝗹, 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲

𝗪𝗮𝗶𝘁, 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁?

Smart takes. Occasional nonsense. Always at the corner of Sports & Business.

115 | DP & McGhee

What's behind the headlines in sports this week? DP & McGhee serve up another fast-paced rundown of the latest in the business of sport:

 PGA TOUR Enterprises makes a power move, naming Brian Rolapp (former NFL media chief) as CEO. What does this mean for the future of the TOUR and any potential reunification with players on the LIV Tour?

 Scott O’Neil and Chris Heck are back together—this time at LIV Golf.

 JJ Spaun stuns the field and captures the U.S. Open—we look at what his win means.

 FIFA Club World Cup struggles to sell tickets in the U.S.—Was this a complete miss by FIFA?

 WNBA is in talks with ION for renewing media rights. Should the players be at the table?

 NASCAR was in Mexico City—What was the reception? You'll hear a few different narratives.

🎧 Fast takes. Smart analysis. Always at the intersection of sports and business. Don’t miss this episode of Wait, What?

DP & McGhee open their 25th episode talking about MLB’s recent decision to allow clubs to sell sponsorships to CBD companies and whether we’ll see cannabis sponsors at any time in the future. They also talk about Naomi Osaka’s most recent success as a sports agent, and the PGA TOUR’s most recent response to LIV Golf (spoiler alert, a reconciliation doesn’t seem to be in the cards anytime soon). The hosts are then joined by long-time NBA executive and current Drone Racing League president, Rachel Jacobson. Rachel flies across a number of topics, speaking in detail about how she thought she could make a difference when she joined the upstart league, and boy has she ever.

WNBA Commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, joins DP & McGhee to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX, its impact on her personally and professionally, the state of the league as it continues to grow, and the latest on the Brittney Griner situation. The hosts also discuss recent developments around LIV Golf and the spate of new sponsors across several leagues. They even work in a random reference to Miley Cyrus.  All in a day’s work for your intrepid podcasters.

The sport of Lacrosse gets headline billing in our latest episode as USA Lacrosse CEO Marc Riccio joins DP & McGhee to talk about the growth of the sport, the upcoming Women’s World Championships and the chances we’ll see lacrosse in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Once again, the show takes up the biggest story in golf since the development of the mashie niblick, LIV Golf. It has roiled the golf world, with geopolitical implications and ongoing impact on players, broadcasters, sponsors and fans. Additional topics include the NBA Finals, Apple TV+ and MLS’s blockbuster announcement, and more.

With just two weeks before NASCAR makes the leap from Fox Sports to NBC, DP & McGhee are joined by NASCAR on NBC commentator, Jeff Burton.  A 21-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series, Burton talks about the differences between when he raced and the experience his son Harrison is having as a Cup Series Driver today. He also talks in great depth about the importance of sponsors and how the drivers, fans and sponsors all benefit from each other. Also discussed on episode 22: the crazy money being thrown around by LIV Golf, the disappointing NBA Finals ratings (to date), Jersey Mike’s at Roland Garros, and Dan Snyder’s continued troubles.  

At the opening of every episode of "Wait...What?," it is stated that the podcast takes a “sometimes serious” look at the business of sports.  That was definitely the case this week as DP & McGhee discuss the sports world’s response to the horrible tragedy in Uvalde, TX.  As the show continues, your co-hosts talk about this past weekend's Indy 500 (raced in front of a capacity crowd at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway) and also lobby for media credentials, shuttle tickets and housing for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar. As we enter the conference finals stage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the NHL’s Chief Business Officer, Keith Wachtel, joins the #sportsbiz chat to talk about how sponsors, betting opportunities, and the new broadcast partners have created more and deeper fan engagement opportunities.

DP & McGhee cover a lot of ground in their 20th episode.  They start by discussing the upcoming NCAA Lacrosse Championships and segue into the historic agreement that guarantees pay equity in US Soccer.  They then discuss the recently completed PGA Championship and the sponsorship fallout for players choosing to play in the upcoming LIV Golf events.

Seasoned sponsorship marketer, Mike McCann then joins the program to talk about Amazon’s approach to sponsorships, including the strategy behind their unique naming rights deal of Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena.

DP & McGhee are joined on this episode by Donald Dell, the legendary sports marketer who was one of the industry’s true pioneers.  Dell talks about the evolution of the sports marketing industry from its beginnings over 50 years ago to the global business it has become, and drops a lot of knowledge about persistence, relationships and, yes, tennis. The hosts also talk about the latest news in the LIV Golf/PGA TOUR saga, the “sportswashing” being done by the Saudi government to attract top athletes and events, and then transition to a discussion about the prospects for continued growth in women’s sports.