For sports business leaders, operators, and founders tracking where sports and technology intersect. Every Tuesday: what's shifting across the industry - and why it matters before it's obvious.
Ready to share what I've been building
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A while back, I mentioned I was working on something new. It took longer than expected, but it's finally ready to share. Here's where it landed. Beyond the Whistle is now a podcast and newsletter covering the intersection of sports business, technology, and analytics — and how they're shaping the future of sports. This is for the people making those decisions, not just watching from the sidelines. Starting next week, you'll get a short email every Tuesday morning: one sharp take on something happening in the industry, a handful of stories worth your attention, and a link to the latest podcast episode. Before that kicks off, I have one ask: hit reply and tell me what's on your radar right now — a trend you're watching, a decision your org is wrestling with, a question you wish someone in this space would actually answer. I read every reply, and it will shape what I cover. If this isn't for you anymore, no hard feelings — there's an unsubscribe link below and I won't take it personally. If this is for you — you're in the right place. Beyond the Whistle is where sports business leaders learn what's next. Glad to have you here for it. Odell |
Beyond The Whistle
For sports business leaders, operators, and founders tracking where sports and technology intersect. Every Tuesday: what's shifting across the industry - and why it matters before it's obvious.
Issue 9 Opening Take The Senate just passed the Protect College Sports Act, 77-22, sending it to the House. It goes after problems the industry has argued about for the past few years. It sets transfer limits, addresses conference sizes, and creates an agent registry with capped fees. It also replaces a patchwork of state laws and court rulings with one national standard. That last piece matters most for mid-major and low-D1 programs. Power conference schools can absorb legal uncertainty. A...
Issue 8 Opening Take MLB just agreed to give its official game data to FutureSports, a Chicago-based startup that turns team performance into financial indexes. Each of the 30 clubs gets its own index, which opens the season at 7,500 points and moves in real time based on 70 statistical factors, from runs scored to strikeouts. CME Group plans to list futures contracts on those indexes, and fund companies have already filed with the SEC for ETFs built on top of them. Earlier this month, we...
Issue 7 Opening Take Texas Sen. Ted Cruz walked onto the ESPN College GameDay set this past weekend to lobby for the Protect College Sports Act - and got booed by the crowd. The optics were easy to laugh at, but the underlying question ESPN suddenly had to answer was a real one: when does a sports media platform become a political platform, and who decides where that line is?The PCSA itself is worth understanding regardless of where you land on it. At its core, the bill would give schools...