Welcome to episode 210 of Sports Management Podcast.
Today?s guest is Szymon Szemberg, a reoccurring guest who first appeared on episode 5, almost 5 years ago ? and a lot have happened since.
Szymon recently wrote an article about the NBA closing in on a league in Europe and if this could lead to an NHL-driven ice hockey league in Europe as well.
This topic became even more relevant when NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently stated that such a league could start already in 2027 or 2028.
Szymon is the perfect person to discuss this topic.?He has been a player, coach and later sports director and managing director of an elite basketball club in Sweden.?He has worked as a sports reporter, covering both basketball and hockey. Between 2001-2014, he served as Communications Director for the International Ice Hockey Federation.?He was the Champions Hockey League?s project lead and later COO (2013-2015) and?most recently he was the Managing Director of EHC, Alliance of European Hockey Clubs, from which he just stepped down after 10 years.
We spoke about:
- Why the NBA is planning a new European league
- How such a league could be structured
- If NHL can go the same route, and if so how the league look like
- Szymon explains the possible 4 scenarios, from least to most likely.
- We also cover the financial and political implications
And much more! ?
Time stamps:
00:01 Intro?
02:00 NBA's European League Plans
03:30 The NBA?s move to control the global basketball ecosystem
13:30 The NHL?s current strategic advantage
15:45 Expanding NHL franchises directly into Europe
20:45 Financial and Market Considerations for European Leagues
28:50 Potential NHL European League Scenarios and Strategy
35:00 Long-Term Vision and Regional Opportunities
40:00 Outro
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