Recent Articles from Stewart Schley
Working in Colorado’s Professional Sports Industry is Not as Glamorous as You Think
Want a career in the business side of sports? Better stock up on sleep. You’re likely to need it, given the demand for long days, hard work and little respite from the grind even during the off-season. In other words: maybe not so terribly different from your current job. So, a pro-tip: Before you hit […]
The Messi Effect — How One Player is Drastically Changing the Global Sports Media Industry
We have seen the future of televised sports. It wears No. 10. The jersey belongs to one Lionel Messi, captain for Argentina’s national soccer team and more recently a forward for the Major League Soccer team Inter Miami, where in short order he has become a pink-shirted human highlight reel whose powerhouse left foot routinely […]
Is the Future of Luxury Sports Suites Less… Luxury? Or Just More Practical?
The Broncos are down by seven against the Texans with just 12 minutes to go, but Russell Wilson and Co. are on the march, staring down a first-and-ten on the opponent’s 22-yard line. On the lookout for a one-on-one matchup, Wilson scans the defense. And then sees it: Wideout Eric Saubert, lined up in the […]
The Butterfly Effect: How MLB Rule Changes Are Reshaping Baseball and Businesses in Denver
More action, fewer delays and baserunners scampering like fire ants are welcome contributions of 2023’s MLB rule changes. That, and a clampdown on a moment even hard-core loyalists detested: Watching a light-hitting infielder adjusting his batting gloves between pitches with the determination of a Parisian chef finishing off tonight’s amuse bouche. Ball one. Delay for […]
How the Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) Revolution is Changing the World of College Sports
Thanks to an assist from the U.S. Supreme Court, more than $1.1 billion is expected to flow to college athletes during the current sophomore year of the “Name, Image, Likeness” (NIL) revolution. Wait: Make that $1.1 billion plus another $13. The extra dollars went to Duante Davis, a Colorado State University football player newly enriched […]
Altitude Vs. Comcast — The Changing Economy of Sports Media
Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax that fella behind the tree! — The kicky chant coined by former Louisiana senator Russell Long encapsulates the quandary affecting whether the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche show up on your television screen. The fault here lies with: Other Guy. Not the cable company, not the Altitude […]
Navigating Sports Politics as College Football Evolves — CU Buffs Aim High
Addressing reporters at the Pac-12 conference media day this summer, University of Colorado head football coach Karl Dorrell looked every bit the man in the maelstrom. For starters, the former UCLA coach used the words “challenging” and “disappointing” to describe the previous season, when the bowl-less Buffaloes ended up 4-8. But that was then. Now, […]
Perfect Pitch
D’Cota Dixon’s tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lasted less than two seasons. But Dixon was still fast, smart and, pressing 205 pounds, sturdy enough to take down NFL runners with names like Fournette and Henry. Which is why last summer Dixon was working out daily in Miami, determined to stay in game shape. As […]
Live from Colorado: The Future of Sports Betting
On a sunny Saturday afternoon last October, Denverite Richard Terry did something audacious: bet that the Oklahoma Sooners would win a football game. It was midway through the annual “Red River Showdown” against the University of Texas. The Sooners were getting drubbed 28-7. Terry, a 37-year-old corporate relocation specialist, was about to leave a friend’s […]
A Token of Their Appreciation
The question of the day for sports memorabilia collectors: To funge or not to funge? OK, that’s not even a word. Still, you know what we’re talking about: The explosion of interest in “non-fungible tokens,” or NFTs, has turned the sports world into a giant breeding ground for the selling and trading of digital creations: […]
A deep dive into the wide world of sports podcasting
They’re great for listeners and good for brand-building. When it comes to making money, however, podcasts look a bit like the utility shortstop on a minor league ballclub: Full of hope, but at least for the moment, short on cash.
Denver Sports Commission leader hopes to bring the 2026 World Cup home
The executive director of the Denver Sports Commission is determined to bring to Denver’s Empower Field at Mile High five or six World Cup games, along with the economic outpouring and international acclaim that ride along with them.