🔥Upside Chat: Dr Ron Dick, Duquesne University, Ex NBA/NCAA Exec on the Super Bowl & NFL Draft, NBA/NHL Season & Standings, MLB Spring Training, College Sports, Potential WNBA Lockout.

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 watch the video interview below or you can listen to the audio interview above:

📝Show Notes: Through this interview, we touched on:

• 2026 Super Bowl recap,

• NFL draft in Pittsburgh on April 23-25,

• 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy,

• NBA update,

• NHL update and standings,

• MLB spring training & World Baseball Classic,

• College sports: Football, Basketball March madness coming

• Potential WNBA lockout

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

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

1. Super Bowl Recap

“It did over 124.9 million views, which makes it the second most viewed TV event in history. Only last year’s Super Bowl did better. Obviously it went really well from a ratings standpoint, even if some people thought the game itself was a little boring. From a business perspective, it continues to show the dominance of the NFL.”

“There were 40 brands that advertised, and 32-second ads cost between eight to ten million dollars each — that’s an all-time high. We saw a lot of artificial intelligence commercials, and we saw a lot of pharmaceutical ads. It really highlights how massive the advertising ecosystem around the Super Bowl has become. It’s not just a football game anymore — it’s the biggest marketing platform in America.”

“From player one to player 53, that’s one of the most solid rosters I’ve ever seen. They’re built to be a little bit of a legacy team. I think they’ve got legs — they’ll be competitive again next year and the year after. When you look at how quickly the Patriots turned things around from the fall of ’24 to the fall of ’25, you have to give that coaching staff a lot of credit.”

---

2. NFL Draft in Pittsburgh (April 23–25)

“The NFL is the number one sport in ratings and number one in revenue in this country — and it’s 12 months a year. The draft coming to Pittsburgh on April 23rd, 24th, and 25th is going to be enormous. We are anticipating over 750,000 people in the city who are normally not here.”

“These are what we call ‘heads in beds.’ Where are these people going to eat? Where are they going to sleep? That’s where the economic impact really comes from. Two years ago, Detroit generated $213 million from hosting the draft. Last year in Green Bay, it created about a $100 million economic impact, even with limited hotel capacity.”

“You do have to pay a hosting fee — anywhere from one to three million dollars — and the NFL takes a portion on top of that. But obviously for the cities, it’s well worth it to pay that money upfront to get that kind of exposure and additional revenue.”

---

3. Winter Olympics (Milan & Cortina)

“TV ratings have been incredibly strong. NBC and Peacock are killing it. They’re up 60% compared to 2022 when we were coming out of COVID. That’s a significant bounce-back for the Winter Games.”

“To have five million people and lead the medal count — that’s stunning to me. Norway has about five million residents, roughly the size of a major U.S. city, and yet they’re dominating the medal table. That speaks to how deeply winter sports are embedded in their culture.”

“We have to think about athlete longevity too. We worry about pitchers’ arms, we worry about CTE in the NFL — we hope these athletes live into their seventies, eighties, nineties and above. The long-term health conversation is becoming just as important as the medals.”

---

4. NBA Update & Standings

“I believe Wemby could potentially be your first $100 million-a-year athlete. We’re already seeing players in the $60 million range annually, and when you look at his talent, his size, and his global appeal, he might be the one to break that barrier.”

“He is incredible. A person that size shouldn’t be that agile. He’s seven-foot-four like Ralph Sampson was, but far more polished offensively at a young age. He’s generational.”

“This is most likely going to be the last year for LeBron. I wouldn’t be surprised if he closes the door behind him after one more run. He’s had an unbelievable career, but the league is clearly transitioning into the next era.”

“All six of those top teams are over a 60% winning percentage. The depth and parity across both conferences is impressive right now.”

---

5. Potential WNBA Lockout

“I think there’s the Grand Canyon between where the owners are as far as salary and salary cap, and what the players are thinking. That gap is real, and it’s significant.”

“We definitely saw a bump with Caitlin Clark and other star players coming into the league. There’s more visibility, more ticket sales, more media coverage. The league is showing progress in revenue streams.”

“They now don’t have to fly commercial — they can fly charter. That’s a big step forward in professionalism and player treatment, but it’s also much more expensive.”

“I’m all for paying the players. The question is how much — and that’s up for debate. But there’s no doubt the salaries need to reflect the growth we’re seeing.”

---

6. NHL Season Update

“The best division in the East right now is the Atlantic, and in the West it’s the Central. The Avalanche, at 83 points at this point in the season, are by far the best team in the NHL.”

“What’s stunning to me is the Florida Panthers. They’ve won back-to-back Stanley Cups, beating Edmonton both times, and now they’re sitting right on the precipice of missing the playoffs. That’s a massive swing year-over-year.”

“They have enough talent left from those championship runs, but they’re going to have to make up a lot of ground between now and the end of the season.”

---

7. MLB Spring Training & World Baseball Classic

“There’s no better time in the world — pitchers and catchers reporting, the smell of the grass, the sound of the ball hitting the glove. Late February, early March — it’s one of the greatest times of the sports calendar.”

“Most people are calling this the best USA baseball team in history. When you look at the pitching depth and the coaching staff they’ve assembled, it’s incredibly impressive.”

“But I want to offer a dark horse — I believe the Dominican Republic could steal this thing. Many of their players have been playing winter ball, and they’re already in Miami for the later rounds. If the U.S. doesn’t win it, people are going to ask: how did the greatest team in history not win it?”

“I hate when politics collide with sports. The fact that Venezuela has a team competing despite everything going on in their country — that in itself is amazing.”

---

8. College Sports (Football & March Madness)

“Houston has very little NIL money, and it’s amazing how well they’re doing. Meanwhile, some programs that are spending heavily on name, image, and likeness are running $70 million-a-year deficits. That’s not sustainable long term.”

“There are no guardrails in place. I’m all for paying the players, but is the contract enforceable, and who’s enforcing it? Courts are getting involved, judges are making eligibility decisions — and the NCAA seems unsure what to do.”

“Sometimes they don’t necessarily want you at 18. But they’d love to have you at 22 or 23, when you’re physically more mature. The transfer portal has completely changed roster construction.”

“As for March Madness, it’s wide open. I’m not ready to make predictions yet — I’d like to see a few more games — but it feels like one of those years where anything can happen.”

You may also like: