🔥Upside Chat: Dr Ron Dick, Duquesne University, Ex NBA/NCAA Exec on Lebron James, WNBA, the MLB Season, NFL camps, Messi, College Sports, NHL Camps, Spain's Victory, Jannik Sinner

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:

1. MLB season

2. NBA: LeBron James’ trade to the Sixers.

3. WNBA’s 2nd half of the season and controversies.

4. NFL camps

5. College sports

6. NHL camps

7. LIV golf is saved for now

8. Spain’s victory at the 2026 World Cup. Messi’s dad’s passing

9. MLS’s 2nd half of the season. Griezmann’s and Lewandowsky’s debut in the MLS.

10. Tennis: Jannik Sinner’s Wimbledon victory. Can he win the US Open?

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. MLB season

“Vegas and a lot of fans think the Dodgers are going to three-peat. I would pump the brakes on that a little bit. Milwaukee is running away and hiding, the Atlanta Braves are right there with the Dodgers, and the Cubs are on quite a roll and looking really strong.”

“Do the Dodgers really want to see the Phillies again in the first round—or the Padres, who constantly have that battle with them? There are several good teams that could make the postseason very difficult for Los Angeles.”

“In the East, Tampa Bay—doing it with that budget and that facility—has the best record in baseball. Boston has come from nowhere and would make the playoffs, too. Baltimore and Toronto are also competitive. There are a lot of good teams in the American League.”

“We still have 2027 looming: the salary cap, reducing the draft to 12 rounds, and not allowing high school players to be drafted, similar to the NFL. These are all issues that will have to be worked out. But let’s stay positive and see how the World Series goes this fall.”

2. NBA: LeBron James joining the Sixers

“LeBron is obviously chasing rings. He’s going to join one of the best teams that needed a final piece, and that starting five will be fabulous. Philadelphia fans like to take care of their own and want players to be part of the community, so if he lives in New York, that may be bad optics—but it’s something they’ll have to get over.”

“He signed a two-year deal for the veteran minimum of $4 million per year, with a player option for the third year. That was probably the only money Philadelphia had available under the salary cap, so it’s an extremely exciting move.”

“One of my students recently sold about $400,000 worth of Sixers tickets in four hours through mini-plans and full-season packages. They’re going to sell out almost every game. When they play Miami, Cleveland, New York, Boston or the Lakers, those games will be automatic sellouts.”

“It’s exciting for the NBA. My Philadelphia people are going crazy—they’re really into it. It has become almost must-watch television.”

3. WNBA’s second half and controversies

“College basketball is a coach’s league, but the NBA is a player’s league. Most WNBA teams are playing in NBA arenas, and what drives the NBA is the star power of the players—not the coaches. The WNBA needs to figure that out as well: it’s a star league, so celebrate the stars.”

“The top-selling jerseys in the WNBA belong to Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham. The league is thriving: salaries have doubled, tripled and quadrupled, teams are chartering flights, and sponsorships, television ratings, concessions, parking and ticket sales have increased.”

“If calling it the ‘Caitlin Clark Effect’ makes certain people uncomfortable, then don’t call it that. Just call it success. The value of these teams has exploded over the last five years, and leadership needs to make sure everyone understands that.”

“If I were Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, I would meet with every team and explain the extraordinary growth the league has experienced. Let’s put the pettiness behind us. They need to approach it the way the NBA does: it’s a star league, so celebrate the stars.”

“We also have to give the referees more power. Too many fouls are being called common fouls when they are actually flagrant fouls. That needs to be addressed on the court.”

4. NFL training camps

“The NFL is really heating up. We’ve already had a game in Canton, and more preseason games are coming. Veteran players with guaranteed contracts may not need these games, but they will make or break certain backup quarterbacks.”

“For players roughly 40 through 60 on the roster, it comes down to how they perform on special teams and what else they can bring to the field. That will determine who makes the 53-man roster. These games mean everything to those players.”

“The physically unable to perform list is always something you have to monitor, but teams cannot protect everybody. Injuries will happen during the season, so some players who are cut will eventually be brought back over the following 17 weeks.”

“Financially, the NFL keeps splintering where games can be seen. Some Christmas games require Netflix, certain nights require Amazon Prime, and other games will be spread across ESPN, ABC, Fox and CBS. Fans are being forced to buy multiple streaming services to watch all their favorite teams.”

5. College sports

“The first major college season will be football, and we already have some massive heavyweight matchups. Mark your calendar for Ohio State versus Texas. That game will tell us a lot about college football.”

“On the same day, Oklahoma plays at Michigan. These are big-time nonconference matchups involving Big Ten and SEC programs, and they will give us an early indication of where these teams stand.”

“Then we have LSU at Ole Miss—the Lane Kiffin Bowl. It’s always fun to have the game within the game, especially when a coach faces his former employer. Do you think he might get booed out of the stadium that day?”

“There are some major matchups to watch, and it is going to be a great college football season.”

6. NHL training camps

“The NHL is quite amazing. Training camps begin around September 16, 17 or 18, and then teams start playing real games around the 21st. The players barely know each other’s first names—they have about three practices and then it’s, ‘Let’s go play a game.’”

“Veteran players love the shorter preseason because it means less wear and tear on their bodies. But just like in football, there are players trying to earn a place on the main NHL roster instead of being assigned to the AHL.”

“Of the four major sports, hockey has the greatest difference between watching on television and watching in person. Live hockey is incredibly intense. You are close to the ice, you can see the players’ facial expressions, and you can feel how badly both teams want to win.”

“One of the greatest sporting events I ever saw was a 2009 playoff game between the young stars of the Penguins and the Capitals. It was one of the most competitive events I’ve ever witnessed. Hockey live is great—it really is.”

7. LIV Golf is saved—for now

“Scott O’Neil says LIV has a sponsor that will subsidize the league from this point forward. I don’t think it is Saudi money again, but LIV is operating around the globe and saying all the right things.”

“I looked and looked, and I’m still curious about who that sponsor is. I’m sure that, in time, we will find out who it is.”

“They are still alive. The LIV Golf Group has a heartbeat. Good for them—and if Scott O’Neil can straighten it out, I’m sure he will.”

8. Spain’s World Cup victory and Messi’s father

“If you look at the totality of the World Cup, Spain dominated from A to Z—beginning to end, from soup to nuts. They were very dominant, appeared to be a close-knit group and benefited from great coaching.”

“Argentina has nothing to be ashamed of. They represented themselves very well, and Messi’s performance as a 38-year-old runner-up was remarkable. The way he moves with the ball, scores and sets up his teammates immediately gets your attention.”

“Messi isn’t the biggest guy. He isn’t the fastest guy, and he isn’t the strongest guy. But he is magical with the ball at his feet. That’s why some people consider him one of the greatest players of all time.”

“Sadly, his father passed away at 68. That was a sad day in soccer, especially after everything Messi had just accomplished at the World Cup.”

9. MLS’s second half and new European stars

“In the East, Nashville, Miami, New England and Chicago are all doing well. In the West, Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Jose and Houston are all performing well.”

“It should be an exciting period as we move into the fall and finish the MLS season. There are several competitive teams, and it should be quite a battle.”

The discussion of Robert Lewandowski joining Chicago Fire FC and Antoine Griezmann joining Orlando City SC was primarily led by Julien. Ron’s response was:

“You’re much more up to date on the transactions than I am. But as we move into the fall, it should be exciting. The new additions should bring more attention to the league and contribute to an interesting finish.”

10. Tennis: Jannik Sinner and the US Open

“This Italian player, Sinner, has now won back-to-back Wimbledon titles. How about that? We’ve already had the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon, and now the US Open runs from August 23 through September 13.”

“The question for you and your listeners is whether Sinner can win again. Can he continue this run and win the US Open this year?”

“The US Open is always a major event in New York City. Sinner will have strong competition, so we’ll have to see whether that prediction holds true.”

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