How do baseball players turn name, image, and likeness into lasting value?

Nick Elam talks with Evan Kaplan, President of MLB Players, Inc., about the commercial side of baseball, from licensing and sponsorships to trading cards, jerseys, video games, social media, and player brand opportunities.

Kaplan explains how MLB Players, Inc. supports active players, minor leaguers, and retired players while helping brands connect with players in ways that build fan engagement.

We also take a look at our newest fan-submitted innovation: should every type of play in sports be reviewable through a coach’s challenge? Nick weighs the promise and the problems of expanding replay review, including subjective calls, default rulings, and a possible neutral review panel.

The Season 1 finale closes with a “next to last” look at Breaking Bad’s Granite State and why the episode still works.

What You'll Learn:

• How MLB Players, Inc. helps players create off-field value

• Why social media has changed baseball player marketability

• What happens when limited opportunities like MLB The Show covers are available

• Why expanded replay review is harder than it sounds

• How fan-submitted innovations become part of Sports Rule Pod

Timestamps and Chapters:

00:00 Season 1 finale begins
01:15 Evan Kaplan joins the show
02:40 What MLB Players, Inc. does
05:35 Licensing, NIL, and player value
08:50 Active players and alumni
12:15 Social media and marketability
15:05 MLB The Show and limited deals
17:35 Kaplan’s career journey
20:30 The chase of player licensing
22:45 Should every play be reviewable?
26:35 A neutral replay review idea
29:10 Breaking Bad’s Granite State
32:00 Season 2 and final CTA

About Our Guest:

Evan Kaplan is the President of MLB Players, Inc., the commercial arm of the Major League Baseball Players Association. His work focuses on player licensing, sponsorships, brand opportunities, fan engagement, and commercial partnerships for active, minor league, and retired baseball players.

Frameworks or Strategies Discussed:

• MLB Players, Inc. group licensing: The commercial model that allows brands to use the name, image, and likeness of groups of MLB players.

• Player NIL and brand development: The process of helping players build commercial value through licensing, endorsements, products, social media, and fan engagement.

• Innovation segment: Sports Rule Pod’s recurring segment where Nick Elam evaluates sports rule changes, fan-submitted innovations, and ideas at different stages of implementation.

• Coach’s challenge replay review: The episode’s featured rule-change idea, focused on whether every type of play should be reviewable in sports.

• Neutral three-person review panel: Nick’s proposed alternative for replay review, designed to reduce the influence of default rulings and high overturn standards.

• Next to last segment: Sports Rule Pod’s recurring storytelling segment about the moment before the famous moment, used here to revisit Breaking Bad’s Granite State.

Subscribe to Sports Rule Pod on YouTube:⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@SportsRulePod⁠

Subscribe to our newsletter:⁠ https://www.podpage.com/sports-rule-pod-with-nick-elam/⁠

Got a rule change you want to see implemented? Tell us about it here, and vote on other suggested rule changes:⁠ https://www.podpage.com/sports-rule-pod-with-nick-elam/suggest-a-rule-change/⁠

The NCAA Tournament is expanding to 76 teams, but does that actually make March Madness better?

Nick Elam breaks down the new men’s and women’s tournament format, the added opening round games, and why this may be a solution in search of a problem. The episode also features Kristen Dozier-Williams, regional club leader for League One Volleyball, on LOVB’s youth-to-pro volleyball ecosystem, sports career journeys, entrepreneurship, mentorship, and the leap from corporate consulting into a growing sports startup.

You’ll also hear a next to last segment on the 2019 Wimbledon men’s final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, one of the most memorable matches from tennis’ Big 3 era.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why NCAA Tournament expansion may not improve championship legitimacy

• How LOVB is building a connected youth and pro volleyball ecosystem

• What Kristen Dozier-Williams learned from entrepreneurship and career risk

• Why rally scoring, the libero, and golden sets changed volleyball’s fan experience

• How the 2019 Wimbledon final became a defining Big 3 tennis moment

Episode Highlights:

• 00:00 Introduction and episode preview

• 03:10 Kristen Dozier-Williams joins

• 06:15 LOVB’s volleyball ecosystem

• 12:40 Building youth volleyball clubs

• 18:30 Career risk and joining LOVB

• 26:20 Lessons from pro volleyball

• 34:10 Volleyball innovations

• 41:30 NCAA Tournament expansion

• 53:00 2019 Wimbledon final

Guest:

Kristen Dozier-Williams is the regional club leader for League One Volleyball, also known as LOVB. She brings experience as a former professional volleyball player, entrepreneur, consultant, and leader in youth volleyball development.

Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned:

• Innovation segment: A recurring Sports Rule Pod segment where Nick evaluates sports rule changes, formats, and new ideas at different stages of implementation.

• Good idea scale: Nick’s rating framework for judging whether a sports innovation is practical, valuable, and worth adopting.

• LOVB volleyball ecosystem: League One Volleyball’s connected model spanning youth clubs, families, coaches, and the professional league.

• Rally scoring: A volleyball scoring format where a point is awarded on every rally, making the game faster and easier to follow.

• Libero: A defensive volleyball position that changed team strategy by giving one player a specialized back-row role.

• Golden set: A winner-takes-all volleyball format used to create a faster, higher-stakes deciding moment.

• Next to last segment: A recurring Sports Rule Pod segment that revisits the overlooked moment before a major sports ending.

• Choose-your-own-adventure bracket format: Nick’s proposed NCAA Tournament placement idea

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsRulePod

Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.podpage.com/sports-rule-pod-with-nick-elam/

Got a rule change you want to see implemented? Tell us about it here, and vote on other suggested rule changes: https://www.podpage.com/sports-rule-pod-with-nick-elam/suggest-a-rule-change/

College basketball and the NBA are both facing format questions that could reshape how fans experience the game.

Nick Elam talks with ESPN analyst and longtime college basketball coach Seth Greenberg about preparation, mentorship, leadership, NCAA Tournament expansion, player compensation, transfer rules, and the lessons that last beyond wins and losses. Greenberg also shares what he learned from coaching stops at Virginia Tech, South Florida, Long Beach State, and beyond.

The innovation segment scrutinizes the NBA’s proposed three two one draft lottery system, a reform aimed at reducing tanking while protecting competitive integrity. Then the next to last segment revisits the 2026 World Baseball Classic semifinal between the United States and the Dominican Republic, a game Nick argues belongs in the conversation as one of baseball’s greatest spectacles.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why NCAA Tournament expansion is likely tied to mega conference pressure

• How Seth Greenberg prepares for live ESPN college basketball coverage

• What coaching teaches about trust, habits, roles, and leadership

• Why the three two one lottery may shift tanking instead of solving it

• How the 2026 World Baseball Classic showed baseball at its most electric

Episode Highlights:

• 00:00 Episode preview

• 03:20 Seth Greenberg joins

• 06:45 ESPN preparation habits

• 13:30 Mentors and media lessons

• 20:15 Coaching identity and trust

• 31:40 Recruiting and program building

• 42:30 College basketball changes

• 50:10 NBA three two one lottery

• 01:02:30 World Baseball Classic classic

Guest:

Seth Greenberg is an ESPN college basketball analyst and former head coach at Virginia Tech, South Florida, and Long Beach State. He brings decades of coaching, leadership, recruiting, and media experience to a conversation about where basketball is heading.

Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned:

• Three two one draft lottery system: A proposed NBA draft lottery reform that assigns teams three, two, one, or zero lottery entries based on standings and postseason position.

• Good idea scale: Nick’s recurring evaluation lens for judging whether a sports innovation is practical, effective, and worth adopting.

• Cola Draft Mechanism: A draft reform proposal discussed in a previous Sports Rule Pod episode as an alternative way to reduce tanking incentives.

• Fight, flee, or flow: Seth Greenberg’s way of describing how coaches can respond to major changes in college basketball.

• Next play: A coaching principle Greenberg used to help players respond quickly to mistakes, adversity, and pressure.

• Investment equals expectation: Greenberg’s leadership phrase for connecting resources, preparation, and results.

• Next to last segment: A recurring Sports Rule Pod segment that revisits the overlooked moment before a major sports ending or milestone.

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsRulePod

Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.podpage.com/sports-rule-pod-with-nick-elam/

Got a rule change you want to see implemented? Tell us about it here, and vote on other suggested rule changes: https://www.podpage.com/sports-rule-pod-with-nick-elam/suggest-a-rule-change/

MLB All Star Monday could showcase more than home runs.

Nick Elam talks with Jerry Coleman, a longtime Baltimore sports media voice and host of the Bmore Baseball Podcast and Bmore Football Podcast, about Cal Ripken Jr.’s 2,131st consecutive game, Baltimore sports fans, the Colts leaving for Indianapolis, sports talk radio, podcasting, trust with sources, and why pickleball has become such a sore subject for tennis players.

The innovation segment looks at a fan submitted idea to improve MLB All Star Monday with a bunting derby, fielding, throwing, and baserunning skills competitions, plus a Home Run Derby twist based on total distance. Then the next to last segment revisits the top of the ninth inning in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, the strange half inning between Hal Smith’s historic home run and Bill Mazeroski’s walk off.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why Cal Ripken Jr. still means so much to Baltimore sports

• How Jerry Coleman builds trust with sources and former athletes

• Why Baltimore sports fans differ from D.C. sports fans

• How MLB could make All Star Monday more complete

• Why the 1960 World Series turned on one bizarre half inning

Episode Highlights:

• 00:00 Episode preview

• 03:00 Jerry Coleman joins

• 06:20 Cal Ripken’s historic streak

• 12:10 Baltimore versus D.C. fans

• 18:30 Sports media and podcasting

• 27:40 Pickleball, tennis, and rule takes

• 37:20 MLB All Star Monday ideas

• 46:30 1960 World Series chaos

Guest:

Jerry Coleman is the sports director of 100.7 The Bay in Baltimore and the host of the Bmore Baseball Podcast and Bmore Football Podcast. He has covered Baltimore sports for more than 30 years, including major moments involving the Orioles, Ravens, Cal Ripken Jr., and the broader local sports scene.

Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned:

• Innovation segment: Sports Rule Pod’s recurring segment for examining sports rule changes, fan submitted ideas, and innovations at different stages of implementation.

• Good idea scale: Nick’s recurring rating system for evaluating whether a sports innovation is useful, practical, and worth adopting.

• Fan submitted innovation: A listener idea brought into the show for review, scrutiny, and discussion.

• MLB All Star Monday skills competitions: A proposal to add bunting, fielding, throwing, and baserunning contests before the Home Run Derby.

• Total distance Home Run Derby: A proposed Home Run Derby format where winners are determined by accumulated home run distance instead of total home runs.

• ABS challenge system: MLB’s automatic ball strike challenge system, discussed as a recent baseball innovation that adds strategy and drama.

• Ghost Runner rule: MLB’s extra innings rule that starts a runner on second base during the regular season to help games end sooner.

• Pitch clock: MLB’s pace of play rule designed to keep games moving and improve the fan experience.

• Next to last segment: Sports Rule Pod’s recurring segment that revisits the overlooked moment before a famous ending.

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsRulePod

Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.podpage.com/sports-rule-pod-with-nick-elam/

Got a rule change you want to see implemented? Tell us about it here, and vote on other suggested rule changes: https://www.podpage.com/sports-rule-pod-with-nick-elam/suggest-a-rule-change/

A four point field goal sounds exciting, but would it actually make football better?

Nick Elam talks with Corey Parkman, a former NFL wide receiver, CEO of Corpas Holdings, founder of Minutemen Pre-K Leadership Academy, and author of The IVF Playbook for Men. Corey shares what he learned as an undrafted free agent, why versatility matters in pro football, how he moved into business acquisition and early childhood education, and why fatherhood has deepened his focus on being present.

The innovation segment examines the United Football League’s four point field goal for kicks over 60 yards and whether it rewards the wrong kind of offense. Then the next to last segment revisits the controversial final seconds of the 1972 Olympic men’s basketball gold medal game between the United States and the Soviet Union.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why NFL roster survival often depends on special teams versatility

• How Corey Parkman turned football lessons into business and education work

• Why early childhood leadership can shape confidence, character, and readiness

• How the four point field goal could change fourth down decision making

• Why the 1972 Olympic basketball ending still raises hard questions

Episode Highlights:

• 00:00 Episode preview

• 02:40 Corey Parkman joins

• 05:30 NFL lessons and special teams

• 13:10 Business after football

• 18:30 Minutemen Pre-K Academy

• 27:40 The IVF Playbook for Men

• 37:10 Four point field goal debate

• 47:30 1972 Olympic controversy

Guest:

Corey Parkman is a former NFL wide receiver, CEO of Corpas Holdings, founder of Minutemen Pre-K Leadership Academy in Indianapolis, and author of The IVF Playbook for Men. His work spans football, business acquisition, education, leadership, and fatherhood.

Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned:

• Four point field goal: A United Football League rule awarding four points for field goals made from more than 60 yards.

• Good idea scale: Nick’s recurring evaluation system for judging whether a sports innovation is practical, useful, and worth adopting.

• Special teams versatility: Corey’s key NFL roster lesson for players trying to add value beyond their primary position.

• Corpas Holdings acquisition model: Corey’s business focus on acquiring small businesses, especially from retiring owners without succession plans.

• Workforce housing: Corey’s real estate and development lane focused on affordable housing for working families.

• Minutemen Pre-K Leadership Academy: Corey’s all boys preschool model designed to build kindergarten readiness and early male mentorship.

• Social emotional learning: The academy’s focus on helping young children handle frustration, disappointment, sharing, and relationships.

• The IVF Playbook for Men: Corey’s book about supporting a partner and managing emotions through the IVF process.

• Next to last segment: Sports Rule Pod’s recurring sports history segment about the overlooked moment before the famous moment.

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsRulePod

Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.podpage.com/sports-rule-pod-with-nick-elam/

Got a rule change you want to see implemented? Tell us about it here, and vote on other suggested rule changes: https://www.podpage.com/sports-rule-pod-with-nick-elam/suggest-a-rule-change/

The NBA draft lottery has a tanking problem, and one new idea may offer a better balance.

Nick Elam talks with bestselling author and ICF certified coach Scott Doyne about sports media innovation, his years at Turner Sports, NASCAR digital products, March Madness on Demand, league partnerships, career transitions, and his book Navigating the Quarter Life Career Crisis. Scott shares why relationships matter in sports business and how career pivots often begin with one clear realization.

The innovation segment features Dr. TJ Haley of LaSalle University, along with students Tana Duncan and Ilya Volkov, explaining the COLA draft mechanism. The concept aims to help struggling NBA teams without rewarding losses. Then the next to last segment revisits a moving scene from Traffic, the 2000 film about the war on drugs and small victories that still matter.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why career change often starts before the layoff or crisis

• How Turner Sports approached fan first digital innovation

• Why the NBA draft lottery keeps creating tanking incentives

• How COLA could help weak teams without rewarding losses

• What Traffic reveals about small victories inside impossible systems

Episode Highlights:

• 00:00 Episode preview

• 03:10 Scott Doyne joins

• 06:30 Turner Sports and fan access

• 13:50 Sports data and relationships

• 18:40 Career transition stages

• 25:20 Quarter life career crisis

• 32:40 COLA draft mechanism

• 52:10 Traffic and small victories

Guest:

Scott Doyne is an ICF certified coach, bestselling author, and former Turner Sports executive. His work focuses on career transition, sports media innovation, leadership, and helping people navigate midlife and quarter life career change.

Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned:

• Realize, explore, articulate, execute: Scott Doyne’s four stage framework for navigating career transition.

• Navigating the Quarter Life Career Crisis: Scott’s book focused on Gen Z, early career stress, comparison pressure, and practical next steps.

• Squiggly Careers: A career concept referenced by Scott that challenges the idea of a straight line professional path.

• Race Buddy: A NASCAR digital product from Turner Sports that gave fans additional ways to follow races and drivers.

• March Madness on Demand: A digital sports viewing innovation that gave fans more control over which NCAA Tournament games they watched.

• COLA draft mechanism: The carryover lottery allocation concept designed to reduce NBA tanking while still helping struggling teams.

• Playoff track record: The COLA principle of using postseason history instead of regular season losses to identify struggling teams.

• McCarty COLA: A COLA variant that ties lottery ticket increments to wins and drought length to create a positive incentive to win.

• Good idea scale: Nick’s recurring evaluation lens for judging whether a sports innovation is practical, useful, and worth adopting.

• Next to last segment: Sports Rule Pod’s recurring segment that revisits the overlooked moment before a famous ending.

Additional info about the COLA Draft Mechanism can be found here: ⁠NBA Tanking Is Solvable: Four Candidates - T.J. Highley⁠

or here: ⁠NBA Draft: Simple COLA Ends Tanking

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsRulePod

Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.podpage.com/sports-rule-pod-with-nick-elam/

Got a rule change you want to see implemented? Tell us about it here, and vote on other suggested rule changes: https://www.podpage.com/sports-rule-pod-with-nick-elam/suggest-a-rule-change/

What makes a sports talk show part of someone’s daily routine?

Nick Elam talks with Marvin Prince, associate producer and Danette on The Dan Patrick Show, about his path from ESPN Radio to the front of the camera, what Dan Patrick has taught him about preparation, and why every show should feel like the Super Bowl. Marvin also shares favorite guest moments, UConn national championship memories, sports media lessons, fatherhood advice, and what may come next after The Dan Patrick Show.

The innovation segment scrutinizes two audience submitted ideas: a four point shot in basketball and a postseason best practice where teams wear only their primary jerseys. Then the next to last segment revisits John Elway’s final college drive before Stanford and Cal’s legendary band on the field finish.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why The Dan Patrick Show stands out in sports media

• How Marvin Prince moved from behind the scenes to on air

• Why UConn basketball titles mark different chapters of his life

• The difference between an exciting rule idea and a useful one

• Why Stanford’s drive before The Play still deserves attention

Episode Highlights:

• 00:00 Episode preview

• 03:10 Marvin Prince joins

• 06:40 ESPN Radio to Dan Patrick

• 13:30 Lessons from Dan Patric

• 21:00 Guests, Meat Friday, and UConn

• 33:40 Sports innovation rapid fire

• 43:20 Four point shot debate

• 51:10 Primary jerseys in playoffs

• 58:20 Stanford, Cal, and The Play

Guest:

Marvin Prince is an associate producer and Danette on The Dan Patrick Show. He brings behind the scenes sports media experience, on air perspective, UConn basketball passion, and a sharp eye for what makes sports talk work.

Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned:

• Every day is a Super Bowl: Dan Patrick’s mindset for treating each show as important because it may be part of a listener’s daily routine.

• Innovation segment: Sports Rule Pod’s recurring segment for evaluating sports rule changes, fan submitted ideas, and innovations at different stages of implementation.

• Fan submitted innovation: A listener generated sports idea that Nick reviews and scrutinizes on the show.

• Four point shot: A proposed basketball rule change that would add a shot worth four points, likely from extreme distance.

• Elam Ending: Nick Elam’s basketball end game innovation designed to create more natural and exciting late game play.

• Primary postseason jerseys: A fan submitted best practice suggesting teams should wear only their main home or road jerseys in the postseason.

• Next to last segment: Sports Rule Pod’s recurring segment that revisits the overlooked moment before the famous moment.

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsRulePod

Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.podpage.com/sports-rule-pod-with-nick-elam/

Got a rule change you want to see implemented? Tell us about it here, and vote on other suggested rule changes: https://www.podpage.com/sports-rule-pod-with-nick-elam/suggest-a-rule-change/

MLB’s automated ball strike challenge system could change baseball without changing how the game feels.

Nick Elam talks with longtime NCAA Tournament analyst Dan Bonner about more than three decades calling March Madness, working with Kevin Harlan, Gus Johnson, and other broadcast partners, preparing for first round chaos, explaining basketball clearly, and why the best analysts keep the game at the center. Dan also shares thoughts on NCAA Tournament expansion, youth sports, coaching, relationship building, and the career advice that shaped his broadcasting journey.

The innovation segment explores Major League Baseball’s ABS challenge system and why it may preserve the human element while improving accuracy. Then the next to last segment steps outside sports to revisit The Blue Comet, the next to last episode of The Sopranos.

What You’ll Learn:

• 00:00 Episode preview

• 03:00 Dan Bonner joins

• 06:10 Memorable NCAA Tournament calls

• 12:40 Explaining the game clearly

• 21:20 Broadcast partners and preparation

• 31:30 Tournament expansion and reviews

• 43:20 Coaching and relationship building

• 54:20 MLB ABS challenge system

• 01:06:30 The Sopranos and The Blue Comet

Guest:

Dan Bonner is a longtime college basketball analyst and one of the most familiar voices of the NCAA Tournament. His broadcasting work spans CBS, ESPN, ACC Network, and decades of March Madness coverage.

Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned:

• Hamlet theory: Dan Bonner’s broadcasting principle that the game is the thing, meaning the broadcast should serve the action on the court.

• Brute competence: Dan’s self described approach to staying prepared, reliable, clear, and useful as a broadcaster.

• ABS challenge system: Major League Baseball’s automated ball strike challenge system, where players can immediately challenge ball and strike calls.

• Automated strike zone: The technology behind ABS that checks whether a pitch crossed the strike zone.

• Good idea scale: Nick’s recurring evaluation lens for judging whether a sports innovation is useful, practical, and worth adopting.

• Human element: The debate around whether replay and automated systems reduce or enhance the role of people in sports.

• Elam Ending: Nick Elam’s basketball end game innovation, referenced through Dan’s early feedback and later implementation in live events.

• Next to last segment: Sports Rule Pod’s recurring segment that revisits the overlooked moment before a famous ending.

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsRulePod

Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.podpage.com/sports-rule-pod-with-nick-elam/

Got a rule change you want to see implemented? Tell us about it here, and vote on other suggested rule changes: https://www.podpage.com/sports-rule-pod-with-nick-elam/suggest-a-rule-change/