Sporticast 524: Speaking With the 49ers’ New CEO
On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams speak with San Francisco 49ers CEO Al Guido about hosting the Super Bowl for the second time in a decade.
Guido was promoted to CEO after 10 years as the NFL team's president. He also serves as CEO of Elevate, a global sports consultancy that helps pro and college sports partners handle anything from hospitality and sponsorship sales to ticket pricing and hiring.
More from Sportico.com- Diageo Sale of Royal Challengers Cricket Team Could Land $2 Billion
- Sports Leagues Could Punish Epstein-Tied Owners
- Mission Accomplished: NFL to Hit Goodell's $25B Revenue Goal
This week's Super Bowl is being played at the 49ers' home stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. Guido talks about the process to bring the event back to the Bay Area-the 49ers also hosted in 2016-and how the NFL's priorities have changed in the past decade. He also talks about some of the perks for the host team, including a portion of tickets and high-end hospitality that are made available for the team's season-ticket holders.
They also talk more broadly about the NFL's business. The world's richest sports league is on the cusp of surpassing $25 billion in revenue, a goal set by commissioner Roger Goodell in 2010. Guido talks about where the league's biggest business growth resides moving forward. Much of that is in media, of course, but he discusses the growth of flag football as a way to spread participation to new places and new demographics. He also mentions the sport's global aspirations. Much attention goes to the NFL's overseas games, but the league has also deputized its teams to help spread the sport in other international markets.
Guido talks about how hosting the Super Bowl compares to hosting the World Cup, which Levi's Stadium will do later this year. He also discusses the possibility of the Buffalo Bills hosting a Super Bowl in the team's new outdoor venue in upstate New York.
Lastly, Guido addresses a story that has gained steam on social media in recent weeks: the possibility that the team's woes could be related to the electrical substation adjacent to its practice facility. He says that the league is yet to see any evidence that the substation is contributing to injuries but that players have expressed concern and that the franchise takes those concerns seriously.
(You can subscribe to Sporticast through Apple, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts.)
Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.