The Ticket Podcast is a motivational and education podcast created to inspire people to chase their dreams and achieve their professional and life goals. The Ticket Podcast is hosted by Sports Business & Leadership Association President, attorney, and former Ohio State University Football Player David Lisko and SBLA Tampa Bay Chapter President, tech entrepreneur, Air Force Captain, and former Air Force Academy starting quarterback Connor Dietz. On the Ticket Podcasts, individuals are interviewed that have achieved professional and life success, in part, because of their sports experiences. Interviews focus on how sports teaches people to overcome adversity, unite, and become champions.. The Ticket Podcasts are suitable for all viewers, including children. All guests, topics, and subject matters are treated with dignity and respect.
Dragos Sprinceana is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the United States. Dragos is the owner and founder of Gold Coast Logistics Group & DMG and Gold Coast Yachting Club. Dragos grew up in Romania under communism. He emigrated to the United States approximately twenty years ago. He was a standout basketball player in both Romani and the United States. He lived and worked in Chicago for the first eighteen years of his American life, initially working manual labor jobs and at restaurants but eventually becoming a banker for Citi Group. Just a few years ago, Dragos quit his job at Citi Group to become an entrepreneur, starting an interstate transportation company with two cargo sprinters. Gold Coast now has over seven hundred trucks and approximately one thousand employees. Dragos is a proponent of liberty, family, capitalism, and the American way.
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On this episode of The Ticket Podcast, we discuss the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity with the Chairman of the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity, Ryan Thompson. The annual Congressional Baseball Game for Charity will be played on September 29, 2021. For information about the game, and to purchase tickets, please visit https://www.congressionalbaseball.org/.
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Julie Green is the co-founder of Salem & Green and has been S&G’s Managing Shareholder since the law firm’s inception. Ms. Green has been in practice since 1983, first as an associate with a Wall Street law firm (1983-1990) and later as a shareholder with a large local Sacramento law firm (1990-1999). Ms. Green’s practice is devoted to counseling clients on business transactional, governance, securities and merger and acquisition matters. Ms. Green’s clients include real estate, healthcare or technology companies. Since 2001, Ms. Green has served as outside general counsel to a privately-held 300+ member Delaware limited liability company in the real estate industry that was an SEC-reporting company from 2001-2007. Ms. Green received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Southern California in 1980, where she majored in Political Science and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and received the Order of the Laurel (highest honor for graduating undergraduates.) At USC, Ms. Green was President of the Mortar Board and President of the Trojan Democrats. She played basketball for the USC Trojan’s women’s team from 1976-78. Ms. Green received her Juris Doctorate in 1983 from the University of Virginia School of Law. She is a past-President of the Sacramento County Corporate and Securities Bar Association (currently known as the Business Law Section).
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Mason Cathey Brady is the Executive Director at Positive Coaching Alliance in Tampa Bay. She joined the PCA from New Balance, where she was responsible for New Balance relationships with specialty running stores and oversight of New Balance's road race sponsorships throughout the State of Florida. Mason has been a PCA Certified Trainer since 2016 and has delivered more than 120 workshops. She grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and moved to the Tampa/St Pete area after coaching college track & field and cross-country for 10 years and running professionally. Growing up in an athletic and ambitious family, Mason had a passion for sports since early childhood. She won 13 state championships in high school and accepted a scholarship to run at the University of Florida (UF). After completing graduate school in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology from UF, she coached at Duke University and at the University Of Central Florida (UCF). She then found herself with the desire to train and compete once again. From 2008-2012 she ran professionally while continuing her coaching career. She coached the USA junior women's team in cross-country in Scotland and recruited for and worked with Butler University’s men and women. She finished 4th at the PanAmerican Games in Mexico, represented the USA in cross-country and track and field in Europe, and hit an Olympic standard automatically qualifying her for the finals in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2012 Olympic Trials. She then went on to coach at Oklahoma State University where she worked with Dave Smith, a multiple time recipient of Coach of the Year honors and with various NCAA National Champions. Since moving back and working for New Balance, Mason assisted in coaching at Tampa Prep in 2015-2016 and is a coach for Tribal Multi-Sport, a personalized coaching service.
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As Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, Eual Tyler Cathey provides leadership and guidance for a rapidly expanding commercial real estate firm handling billions of dollars in transaction volume. Ensuring the execution of strategic goals, Mr. Cathey is responsible for developing teams across multiple lines of business—in offices from Miami to Atlanta—and prioritizing the components of Franklin Street’s national growth. Mr. Cathey leverages a broad skillset, crafted over years of accomplishments in various fields. He has achieved success in athletic competition as a student-athlete at Muhlenberg College, in sophisticated litigation on behalf of national clients at Holland & Knight, and in serving as the principal advisor to Florida’s Attorney General on all legal and administrative matters. Mr. Cathey was responsible for running the operations of the Office of the Attorney General, and for overseeing nearly 500 lawyers and 1,300 employees.
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Congresswoman Kat Cammack proudly serves Florida’s 3rd Congressional District as the youngest Republican woman in the 117th Congress. Kat grew up on a cattle ranch and participated in equestrian sports and rodeos. In college, Kat played basketball. She is a proud alumnus of the Naval War College and she served as the longtime former deputy chief of staff for her district prior to her election in 2020.
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On this episode, David interviews the Founder, President, and CEO of Good Greek Moving and Storage, Spero Georgedakis, and Good Greek’s VP of Franchise Operations, Stacey Elliott. Good Greek is one of the fastest growing companies in Florida and is an official sponsor of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Heat, Miami Marlins, and others. Both Spero and Stacey credit their success, and the success of Good Greek, in part, to their sports backgrounds. Spero played college football and Stacey was a dancer in college.
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On this episode, David and Connor interview Jorge Valdes. At the age of 23, Jorge was making $30,000,000 per month as the leader of the Medellin Drug Cartel in the United States. Jorge was eventually arrested and served two terms in prison. Jorge reformed his life and went on to earn a PhD, create a successful company that he sold for millions of dollars, to become a bestselling author, and to become a philanthropist. Jorge credits his transformation to his relationship with Jesus Christ and his dedication to fitness sports.
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On this episode, David and Connor interview United States Congressman Blake Moore, who represents Utah’s First Congressional District. Prior to joining the United States Congress, Congressman Moore earned the recognition of Eagle Scout, was the recipient of Wendy’s National High School Heisman, played quarterback for Utah State University, served a religious mission, earned a Master’s in Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern University, served in the United States Foreign Services, and was a businessman. However, Congressman Moore’s most prized title is “Little League Coach.” Congressman Moore is married and has three children.
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In this episode David and Connor talk about our upcoming season 3.
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Denard Span is a former professional baseball center fielder. He played for the Minnesota Twins, Washington Nationals, San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners. Span batted and threw left-handed and at the height of his career was known as one of the premier leadoff hitters in baseball due to his exceptional on-base percentage. Span was selected by the Twins with the 20th overall pick 2002 Major League Baseball draft from Tampa Catholic and retired in 2019. Denard’s lifetime MLB batting average is .281; he hit 71 home runs; and he had 490 RBIs.
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Jalen Rowell (formerly Robinette) is an Air Force Academy graduate, the leading receiver in Air Force Academy history, and a former projected Third Round NFL Draft Pick. Jalen is currently in the Air Force Reserves and works at Northwestern Mutual in the financial services industry.
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David Meltzer is an entrepreneur, a best-selling author, the host of The Playbook Podcast, a business and life coach, a preeminent keynote speaker, and the CEO of Sports 1 Marketing. https://sports1marketing.com/
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Tom McMillen is a Rhodes Scholar, an Olympian, a former United States Congressman, the former Chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports, the former member of the Board of Regents for the University System of Maryland, and is currently the CEO and President of the Lead1 Association, an organization that advocates for Division 1-A Athletic Directors. www.lead1association.com
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Chris Polaszek is a lawyer, entrepreneur, and athlete. Chris is a co-owner of Diesel Fitness, the Chief Legal Officer of One Plant, the owner of Thunder Sports Management, and the owner of The Polaszek Law Firm. Chris formerly worked at Holland & Knight LLP, for Solomon Brothers, and on Capitol Hill for US Senator Bob Graham. Chris is a renaissance man with a passion for service and wellness.
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Barbara Martinez is a member of Holland & Knight's Global Compliance and Investigations Team and is based in Miami. After a distinguished career handling an array of significant matters as a federal prosecutor, Ms. Martinez focuses her practice on internal corporate investigations, corporate compliance and training, and white collar criminal defense. Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Ms. Martinez served as the chief of the Special Prosecutions Section at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida in Miami. In this capacity, she supervised federal prosecutors who handled cases involving international and domestic human trafficking, money laundering, child exploitation, extortion, international kidnappings and other transnational crimes. Ms. Martinez also served as the human trafficking coordinator and the Project Safe Childhood coordinator for the Southern District of Florida for more than a decade. As the coordinator for these programs, Ms. Martinez spearheaded coordination efforts among law enforcement, non-governmental organizations and prosecutors nationwide and globally to more effectively prevent and identify human trafficking and child exploitation, as well as to investigate and successfully prosecute cases. She routinely collaborated with foreign governments, private industries, non-governmental organizations and community members to assist in these efforts and raise public awareness. Ms. Martinez previously worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Economic Crimes Section for the U.S. Attorney's office in Miami, as well as a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) trial attorney for the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division in Washington, D.C. In these roles, Ms. Martinez prosecuted complex white collar cases involving healthcare fraud, bank fraud, mail and wire fraud, telemarketing fraud, identity theft and credit card fraud, computer intrusion, false statements and obstruction of justice. Ms. Martinez has tried more than 20 jury trial cases in federal court and more than 30 bench trials in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Some of her notable federal trials include:
In addition, Ms. Martinez has extensive experience teaching and conducting training courses. She conducted and created anti-trafficking and money laundering training sessions for law enforcement, prosecutors, victim advocates and members of the financial industry throughout the U.S. and in foreign countries, including Mexico, The Bahamas, St. Lucia, Barbados, Portugal, Latvia, Poland, Bulgaria and Iceland. She taught trial advocacy to law enforcement and prosecutors in Chile and a session about computer crimes to representatives of financial institutions in Peru. In addition, Ms. Martinez teaches a human trafficking seminar at the University of Miami School of Law. Ms. Martinez joined the DOJ in 1997 as a trial attorney through the Attorney General's Honors Program. She worked for the fraud section in the criminal division from 1997 until 2000, when she joined the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.
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Nicki Jhabvala is the Washington Post’s beat writer covering the NFL and the Washington Football Team. Nicki is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, where she studied journalism. She formerly worked for Sports Illustrated, the New York Times, and the Denver Post (covering the NFL and Denver Broncos).
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Dr. Steve Graef is a psychologist, an entrepreneur, an Ohio State Buckeye, and a man on an incredible journey through life. Dr. Graef can be found at www.mindurance.com. Dr. Steve played football at The Ohio State University (2002 National Champion), received an M.A. and PhD from the University of Akron, and was a sports psychologist at The Ohio State University for nearly 6 years before founding Mindurance. Dr. Steve has traveled the world and has a unique perspective on life, success, and the journey.
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Danny Vega is one of the most respected and most interesting people in the world of all things keto, carnivore, and being fat fueled. He is a nutrition and life coach to some of the highest performing people in America. Danny optimizes human performance. Danny played football at Columbia, was a strength and conditioning coach at the University of Florida (under legendary strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti) and Virginia Commonwealth University. He is the host of the Fat, Fueled, Family Podcas, can be found on Instagram @dannyvega.ms, and at www.couchtocarnivore.com.
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Rob Sanzillo is General Counsel & SVP of Lacrosse Operations for the Premier Lacrosse League. The PLL is a professional lacrosse league made of the best players in the world and has skyrocketed on to the scene since its conception in 2019.
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Warren Honeycutt is a decorated bodybuilder, personal trainer, motivational speaker, life coach, actor and voice actor. Warren is America’s only Masters Heavyweight to reach the National Physique Committee’s National Finals, a.k.a. Mr. America, for five consecutive years. He is also the man behind his own weight-loss system called Get Honeycutt.
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David played football at Harvard and is currently a Partner of Capital Health Partner, LLC. In order to help navigate these troubled times, Capital Health Partner has established a strategic alliance comprised of industry-leading companies that specialize in the safety and well-being of the communities in which we live and work. Capital Health Partner’s objective is to protect your health, safety, and economic interests through innovative services and products. David is an entrepreneur and skilled corporate operating officer. David has the cross-disciplined experience to create and execute a Company’s strategic plan alongside founders, advisory teams, key advisors, and partnerships. David began his career with a two year stop on the floor of the NY Stock Exchange working with then trading giant Speer Leeds & Kellogg. Then, over twelve years, successfully rising to Senior Vice President at Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, News America Marketing division, where he built new businesses and managed multiple teams generating hundreds of millions of dollars in sales annually gaining extensive operational, financial, sales and marketing experience. David quickly put to use his skills for business innovation as co-founder of two successful electronic | TV retail businesses spanning more than 24 years at HSN and QVC. A Harvard graduate, he is active in numerous entrepreneur trade associations, a SCORE Mentor and certified by the InBIA as a Developer of Business Incubators.
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Jacob Burke is of Canadian descent and is currently the President of The Look Company – Middle East (based out of Doha, Qatar). He has worked with The Look Company since 2005 as Sports Manager, and has worked with the Qatar Olympic Committee and delivered high profile international events including: Arab Games 2011, 212 Qatar Total Open, 2012 Qatar Exxon Mobile Open, 2011 World nine Ball Championships, and FINA World Diving Championships. Previously, Jacob played professional basketball in Europe and the Middle East. Jacob is also the President of The Just A Kid Foundation. The Just A Kid Foundation gives underprivileged children the opportunity to focus their time and energy on becoming better basketball players and ultimately using it as a vehicle to further their education through scholarships around the world. On behalf of the Just A Kid Foundation, Jacob travels to cities in third world countries building basketball courts, hosting basketball camps, and mentoring young aspiring student athletes.
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Doug Wright is Holland & Knight LLP’s Operations and Finance Partner. Mr. Wright works with the Holland & Knight's Managing Partner to manage Holland & Knight's legal practices. In addition to his practice management responsibilities, he oversees Holland & Knight's operations, including its Accounting and Finance, Human Resources, IT, Marketing, and Facilities functions. He also works closely with Holland & Knight's Legal Department. Mr. Wright’s legal experience includes corporate and tax planning as well as business and tax litigation. Mr. Wright attended the University of Florida for both undergrad and law school (including earning an LLM in Taxation Law). Mr. Wright played nose tackle for the University of Florida football team while in undergrad.
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Scott Gaffield is the General Counsel and a Coaching Agent at Athletes First. Scott attended Yale, where he was a four year letter winner on the Men’s Basketball Team. He attended law school at UCLA and went on to work for Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Octagon, and Under Armour before starting his employment at Athletes First.
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Anthony Gonzalez is a United States Congressman from Ohio’s 16th Congressional District. Anthony played football for The Ohio State University and was a First Round Draft Pick to the Indianapolis Colts in 2007. Anthony played in the NFL for 5 seasons and then attended Stanford Business School. Anthony worked in the private sector prior to becoming a United States Congressman.
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Jim Tressel attended Baldwin-Wallace University, where he played quarterback. He won four Division I-AA National Championships as the Head Football Coach of Youngstown State University. Coach Tressel became the Head Football Coach of The Ohio State University in 2001 and won one BCS National Championship and six Big Ten Championships. He is now the President of Youngstown State University. Co-Host David Lisko played football for Coach Tressel at The Ohio State University between 2004 and 2008. Go Bucks!
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Kyle Hooker serves as Executive Chairman of Tibbetts Lumber Co. LLC and Cox Lumber Ltd. Additionally Kyle serves and Chairman and President of Village Square Ltd. (one of the Tibbetts Family's grocery and real estate entities in the Cayman Islands) and co-manager of a family-owned real estate holding company. In addition, he is involved in the management and oversight of the family's real estate, investment, development projects, government and industry relations and operating business entities in the U.S. and the Cayman Islands. Kyle entered the Family's lumber business in 2003 and prior to the sale to The Home Depot in 2006 he served as general manager of three locations in the Orlando/Central Florida region for the former Cox Lumber Co. Over the past nine years Kyle has become a partner in several Tennessee private equity ventures specializing in real estate brokerage, residential development and new home construction, and commercial property development and management. Kyle serves as a director of Cayman Brac Power and Light Utility Company, serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Episcopal School of Knoxville, and has served on various non-profit boards. Kyle played collegiate baseball at the University of Kentucky, holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management from Maryville College and a Master of Business Administration from the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He also holds a FAA commercial pilots license. Kyle spends much of his work life in Florida and the Cayman Islands but he and his wife currently reside in Knoxville, Tennessee with their three children. He is originally from Atlanta, GA and holds dual citizenship in the Cayman Islands where his family extends several generations. Kyle spends his free time boating, golfing, jet skiing, scuba diving and coaching his children's baseball, soccer and football teams and hopes to get back into aviation recreationally in the future.
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Nate Checketts is the co-founder and CEO of Rhone, a premium men's performance lifestyle company founded in 2014. www.rhone.com Prior to Rhone, Nate worked for and consulted with some of the biggest technology and entertainment properties in the world including Cisco, The National Football League, Legends, FanVision and Sport Radar. Nate is also an avid entrepreneur who founded and launched 4 companies before the age of 30, including Rhone and Mangia Technologies, whose patents were later acquired by the San Francisco 49ers. In addition to Rhone, Nate also serves as Chairman of the Board to Beyond Type 1, a non-profit dedicated to the community of those with Type 1 Diabetes. Nate graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in Finance
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Kevin Sorbo is an international celebrity that is best known for his roles as Hercules in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and as Captain Dylan Hunt in Andromeda. Sorbo is also known for acting in the Christian drama films God's Not Dead and Let There Be Light.
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David and Connor talk with legendary NFL agent and philanthropist Leigh Steinberg. The lead character in the hit motion picture Jerry McGuire was based on Leigh's success as an NFL agent.
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Jeff Nischwitz is a former college baseball player, an attorney, a keynote speaker, an author (Arrows Of Truth and Unmask), and the founder of The Nischwitz Group. Jeff is a business and life coach to c-suite executives and high performing individuals of various professions. You can find Jeff at http://www.nischwitzgroup.com/.
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Jack is a Legendary NFL agent. Jack has represented the first pick in the NFL Draft spanning four decades (most recently Cleveland Browns starting quarterback Baker Mayfield). The Dicky Fox character from Jerry Maguire is based on Jack Mills.
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JC is the President and CEO of NAC Semi. JC played college and professional baseball before becoming a successful businessman, which he credits with helping him overcome poverty and an abusive father.
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Eric is the son of NFL Legend Tony Dungy and is now a successful real estate agent at Compass in Tampa, Florida. Prior to becoming a real estate agent, Eric played receiver at the University of Oregon and the University of South Florida.
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Casey Edgar is the Co-Founder of Rhone and the Director of High Yield and Distressed Sales for Barclays. Casey attended the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where he played football.
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Charley is the long snapper for the Cleveland Browns. Charley graduated from the University of Central Florida and was an unsigned free agent before launching his career with the Cleveland Browns, ultimately signing the largest contract in NFL history for a long snapper.
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Rana is the General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Aspen Skiing Company. Rana is a graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Law School. Rana was formerly the General Counsel of Madison Square Garden and the United States Olympic Committee.
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Matt Mika is currently the Director of Government Relations for Tyson Foods. Matt is a former congressional staffer that worked for the Congressmen Dave Camp and Tim Walberg. Matt is the President of the Sports Business & Leadership Association’s Washington, D.C. Chapter. On June 14, 2017, Matt was at the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity practice when he was shot multiple times, along with U.S. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, U.S. Capitol Police Officer Crystal Griner, and congressional aide Zack Barth.
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Robert Tarola. Robert is currently the President of Right Advisory LLC, the Director and Trustee of Legg Mason Mutual Funds, and he is a board member of Vesta Outdoor Inc. Prior to his long and distinguished career in finance and auditing, Robert played football at Temple University and attended the Fox School of Business.
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Joey is the Founder and President of GameTime, an app that connects athletes with opportunities. Joey is also the former starting center for the University of Central Florida.
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John Higgins. John is the General Counsel and Senior Vice President of the Tampa Bay Rays and Tampa Bay Rowdies. John attended the University of Notre Dame – Mendoza School of Business and Duke University School of Law. Prior to becoming the first employee of the Tampa Bay Rays, John was a business and real estate attorney in Tampa Bay.
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Megha Parekh. Megha is the General Counsel and Senior Vice President of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Megha is a graduate of Harvard undergrad and Harvard Law School. Megha is on the Board of Directors of the Sports Business & Leadership Association.
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Ed is a sports agent at CAA. Ed drafts and negotiates marketing and sponsorship deals for some of the world’s biggest professional athletes, including Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Ed is also a Christian Pastor and for former receiver at the University of Kentucky.
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Tyson Gentry. Tyson is currently the President of the New Perspective Foundation. Tyson is also a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. Tyson attended The Ohio State University and played football. On April 14, 2006, Tyson an injury at practice and was paralyzed. Since that day, Tyson has gotten marries, had two children, and helps hundreds of paralyzed children obtain therapy and assistance via the New Perspective Foundation.
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Hosts David Lisko and Connor Dietz interview each other and introduce the audience to The Ticket Podcast.
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In this episode David and Connor review the 2019 season and discuss the upcoming 2020 season.
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