Episode summary
Bloomberg Power Players hosts Athletes, Investors, Leaders in International Sports | Bloomberg...
Bloomberg Businessweek Daily
· · 45 min · Hosts: Carol Massar, Tim Stenovec · Guests: Jason Kelly, Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, Randy Levine, Candice Storey Lee
Summary
The episode focused on how sports has become a major investment category, with the discussion centering on women’s sports, franchise values, and the business models that now surround teams, leagues, and athletes. The host and guests argued that the rise in attention to women’s sports has been driven by better media access, social media, star players, and a new wave of investors who think in terms of ecosystems rather than just buying teams.
The conversation also linked sports ownership to broader cultural and financial shifts. One guest said team ownership should still be understood as stewardship of a community asset, even as valuations rise and institutional capital enters the market. Another emphasized that the appeal of live sports remains durable in an AI-heavy world because the unpredictability and human stories cannot be replicated by machines.
The episode then turned to baseball labor tensions and college athletics. A guest warned that the MLB’s next labor deal needs to avoid a lockout, while another made the case for federal college sports legislation, saying the current NIL and transfer environment has too many loopholes and too little consistency. Vanderbilt’s athletics director argued that athletes should be compensated but the system needs guardrails to preserve the college model.
Key takeaways
- The host and guests said women’s sports has shifted from a niche bet to a growth market, helped by media access, social platforms, and star power.
- One guest argued that sports owners should act as stewards of community assets, not treat teams as purely financial products.
- A guest said AI may improve scouting and fan development, but live sports remain valuable because the human drama cannot be automated.
- The Yankees president warned that MLB’s next labor negotiation needs a deal to avoid another lockout and said competitive balance remains the core issue.
- The Vanderbilt athletics director said NIL should continue, but college sports need federal guardrails because the current system is too chaotic and uneven.
Notable quotes
“women's sports specifically is just a growth market. When you think about what we've seen in the WNBA in terms of valuations, in terms of revenue growth”
“I think as an owner, your responsibility is you are a steward of a community asset”
“If if this isn't fixed now and this bill isn't passed, there's not going to be a college sports soon”
“the idea that young people would be connected to generating so much revenue and not share in that revenue is not good”
How the episode opens
Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio, news. This is Bloomberg Business Week Daily. Reporting from the magazine that helps global leaders stay ahead with insight on the people, companies, and trends shaping today's complex economy. Plus, global business, finance, and tech news as it happens. The Bloomberg Business Week Daily podcast with Carol Masser and Tim Stenbec on Bloomberg Radio.
Jason Kelly needs no introduction. Who does it? — He's longtime co-anchor for with Carol Masser of Bloomberg Business. — Anybody who can put up with me for that long. — You're getting close, but — Oh, we are just so happy to have you here, Jason. Welcome back.
Great to be here. — So, talk to us about what you're going to be doing up on on stage. um someone well known to the Bloomberg community, his wife well known to the sports community. — Exactly right, Alexis O'henian. So this is the first uh husband wife duo we have had on the deal across a couple of years. Alexis O'hane of course co-founder of Reddit uh I would say and I'll say this on stage in a little while. So quick preview of that. I mean arguably one of the most influential sports investors of of the modern era and not because of buying you know huge stakes in by the
Lakers or the Celtics or or another or the Commanders or something like that. But founding investor of Angel City Football Club, which obviously really moved the needle for that league, the NWSL, has been a huge proponent of, you know, some of these sort of upand cominging leagues around track and field. Um he's been involved in collectibles.
He is he really does an amazing job of looking around corners. We're going to talk a lot on stage about his purchase of the Chelsea women's side um which was a big deal again sort of as women's soccer gets more and more global and more and more competitive.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- us open tennis
- sports investment
- team ownership
- college athletics
- popularity growth
Companies and tickers mentioned
- Gotham FC
- Next 3
- New York Yankees
- Vanderbilt University
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Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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