🔥Upside Chat: Dr Ron Dick, Duquesne University, Ex NBA/NCAA Exec on the MLB Playoffs, NFL Season Debut, NHL/NBA training Camps, NBA Global Expansion, Alcaraz Vs Sinner, Cowboys Netflix Doc, NIL.

This week we had the honor to interview again Dr. Ron Dick, associate professor of sports marketing at Duquesne University in the school of business. Ron also worked for 20 years in sports, including 15 years in the NBA with the Sixers and the Nets, and then five years in the NCAA.

You can read the full transcript of the podcast interview with Ron located at the top of this blog post.

You can watch the video interview below by clicking on the Youtube link. You can also listen to the audio interview by clicking on the link at the top of the page:

📝Show Notes: Through this interview, we touched on the following topics:

1. MLB playoffs

2. NFL 1st week

3. NHL/NBA training camps start.

4. NBA Expansion: NBA going global. China, Paris, Berlin, London

5. Alcaraz Vs Sinner..the new rivalry in pro tennis?

6. Netflix doc on Dallas Cowboys

7. College sports & the NIL

Here are some of the best quotes of our conversation with Ron:

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MLB Playoffs

“What an exciting time to be a sports fan, right? Coming up into September and October, we’ve got the Fall Classic on the horizon, and our Fighting Phils are looking strong—up 10 games in the Eastern Division. In the Central, the Brewers and Cubs are in a dogfight, while out West you’ve got the Dodgers, Padres, and Giants all jockeying for position. Over in the American League, Toronto has a narrow lead over the Yankees and Red Sox, Detroit looks like they’re going to run away and hide in the Central, and then in the West, Houston, Seattle, and Texas are all right there. It’s going to be an absolute thrilling finish, especially for some of those wild card spots. That’s what makes this time of year so incredible—you’ve got meaningful games every night, and on top of that, the NFL, NBA, NHL, and college football are all starting up. It’s one of the best stretches on the sports calendar.”

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NFL 1st Week

“When the NFL kicks off, you can feel the energy—it really feels like business time. Every single week is so critical that it feels like a playoff game, because if you start losing, the season can slip away quickly. What’s fascinating this year is the international expansion—we now have seven regular season games across five different countries. We’ve already seen the Chiefs and Chargers play in Brazil, and for the first time ever we’ll have NFL games in Dublin, Ireland, and Madrid, Spain. The Steelers are going to face the Vikings in Ireland, the Dolphins will play the Commanders in Spain, and then of course London continues to be a hub with its 40th regular season game, followed by more in Berlin. This is where the growth is—the U.S. market is saturated, the NFL is the number one sport domestically, but going global is the next frontier. Just like the NBA did years ago, the NFL is laying the groundwork for international players and fans to become part of the ecosystem.”

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NHL/NBA Training Camps Start

“Believe it or not, NHL training camps are already here. Rookies started on September 12th for orientation, the veterans return on the 18th, and then by September 20th we’ll already see preseason action. The regular season begins October 8th, and it’s a huge year for storylines. One of the biggest rumors swirling is around Sidney Crosby—he used to say all the time that he’d be a Penguin for life, a one-jersey guy. But lately, when asked the same question, his answers have shifted. He’s not saying it as definitively anymore, which makes you wonder: could he be traded in what might be his final chapter? Imagine him finishing his career in Montreal or Toronto, bringing a championship-starved franchise like the Maple Leafs back to glory. Toronto hasn’t won a Stanley Cup since 1967—that’s astonishing for a franchise with so much history and resources. A Crosby trade could both replenish the Penguins with picks and young players, while also giving a city like Toronto the kind of storybook ending LeBron James gave Cleveland. It’s only a rumor for now, but it’s one of the most intriguing possibilities of the season.”

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NBA Expansion: Global (China, Paris, Berlin, London)

“The NBA is pushing hard on global expansion. We’re seeing preseason games like the Raptors vs. Nuggets in Vancouver, and the Suns vs. Nets in China, cultivating huge markets. Regular season games are going global too—the Pistons and Mavericks will play in Mexico City, the Magic and Grizzlies will tip off in Berlin on January 15th, and then three days later they’ll square off again in London. Everyone in the league knows that the real growth is outside the U.S.—we’ve got 325 million people here, but billions around the world hungry to see NBA basketball live. And it’s not just about the fans. Of the 450 NBA players, between 90 and 100 were born outside the U.S., and that number keeps rising. Players like Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić, and Victor Wembanyama aren’t just participating—they’re MVP-caliber players redefining the league. The average salary in the NBA is now over $11 million, and the pipeline of international talent is only getting stronger. Basketball has become a truly global game, and the NBA is leaning into that future with these expansion moves.”

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Alcaraz vs Sinner – The New Rivalry in Pro Tennis?

“We might be witnessing the birth of the next great rivalry in tennis. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are already dominating the sport—Alcaraz just beat Sinner in the U.S. Open Final, number one vs. number two in the world. If you look at the past year, they’ve been squaring off in almost every major final, and it feels reminiscent of Nadal vs. Federer in the early days. What makes it even more compelling is what Novak Djokovic himself admitted: ‘If it goes into five sets, there’s no chance I can beat those guys.’ That’s Djokovic—the ultimate competitor—acknowledging that these young stars have surpassed him in stamina and intensity. Alcaraz, at just 20, is already being called the new Nadal because of his versatility on every surface—he can win at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and the French. Sinner, who grew up as a skier in Italy before choosing tennis, brings a completely different style, but just as much fire. This feels like the beginning of a rivalry that could define the next decade of men’s tennis.”

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Netflix Documentary on the Dallas Cowboys

“The Netflix documentary on Jerry Jones and the Cowboys was absolutely captivating—I binge-watched it straight through. It tells the story of how Jones wasn’t even supposed to own the team; Jerry Buss of the Lakers actually offered more money, but the NFL owners rejected him over his Playboy lifestyle. Jones, down to his last big drilling bet, struck oil and used the windfall to buy the Cowboys for about $90–100 million in 1989. What followed was one of the great turnarounds in sports history—hiring his college teammate Jimmy Johnson, enduring a brutal 1–15 season, then building a dynasty through the Herschel Walker trade and shrewd draft picks. But the documentary also shows the pitfalls of ego. Jones and Johnson couldn’t share the credit when they started winning, and their rift ultimately ended one of the most promising dynasties in NFL history. Imagine how many more Super Bowls Dallas could have won if they had stayed together. The film also doesn’t shy away from the mishandling of Tom Landry’s firing or Michael Irvin’s controversies, though Jones still controlled the narrative to make himself look good. Still, as someone who lived through that era, I can say it’s must-watch television for anyone who cares about the NFL’s history.”

College sports & NIL

“The only other quick thing I wanted to announce—we talk about the collectives, the whole name, image, and likeness (NIL) system that’s paying players—It doubled this year. We now have the final numbers: $1.9 billion was spent on college football players this year. That’s up from $950 million the year before, so essentially it has doubled in just one year. And I only see that number continuing to rise over time”.

“We’re only one or two games into the season, but already the top 10 is shaping up with powerhouses like Ohio State, Penn State, LSU, Oregon, Miami, Notre Dame, Texas, Georgia, Illinois, and Florida State. Locally, we were supposed to have the Backyard Brawl—Pitt versus West Virginia—on national TV at 3:30 Saturday, but because West Virginia lost at Ohio University, they flexed that game out for another matchup. Still, it’s an exciting start to the season.”

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