Only 2-3% of Manchester City fans will ever set foot in the stadium. So how do you build a business around the other 97%? Ron Li has spent his career figuring that out.

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Ron Li is VP of Data Intelligence & Strategic Partnerships at the Phoenix Suns, where he oversees AI and data strategy across five properties — the Suns (NBA), Mercury (WNBA), Valley Suns (G League), Footprint Center, and the team's hospitality portfolio.

Before the Suns, Ron was employee #4 on the PGA Tour's international business team and helped build EA's competitive gaming division from scratch. He's also a former professional esports player.

In this episode, Ron breaks down:

• Why sports teams can't think of themselves as an events business anymore
• How the Suns use visual AI to measure sponsorship value in real-time
• AI agents handling season ticket billing, lapsed fans, and new prospect lists
• The Verizon 5G practice facility partnership and what "strategic" really means
• Why a clean data foundation matters more than any AI tool
• His hiring philosophy: curiosity over credentials
• The e-bike analogy every business leader needs to hear

  
  If you lead a team figuring out where AI fits in your business, this conversation is a blueprint — not theory.

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