MarketScale Sports & Entertainment 1/4: The Common Bond of Sports

 

This week’s episode of the MarketScale Sports & Entertainment podcast opens with some evidence that the NFL hasn’t slipped as much in terms of popularity as many have tried to claim. We have the numbers to illustrate why the NFL is still king when it comes to viewership in the United States.

This episode also features a conversation with Andy Barr, the Founder and CEO of Innovate Performance. He spoke to our correspondent Sam Kingma about his process for helping athletes reach their full potential through physical therapy. We also had a conversation with Symon Perriman of FanWide about their mission to bring sports fans together over their common love of particular teams.

FROM CAREER-ENDING INJURY TO CAREER-SHAPING

Andy Barr, founder and CEO of Innovate Performance, used to be a professional soccer player with superstar aspirations. That is, until an injury ended his career. He didn’t leave the sports world though; instead, he took his experience and turned it into a philanthropic cause for the culture he loves so much.

Currently, he works as a physical therapist and high intensive trainer, helping other athletes stay in shape and achieve their dreams. On today’s Sports & Entertainment Podcast, Andy joins us to discuss the P.T. field, the problems with sports science, as well as upcoming tech that will change physical therapy for the better.

For more content from Andy, you can follow him on Twitter, Instagram, or head to Innovate Performance’s website.

FAN CLUBS FOR EVERY FAN

Anyone who’s ever moved to a new city knows that finding where you belong in a new place can be challenging. Symon Perriman and the people at FanWide are doing their part to bring people together over their common love of sports.

“We’ve developed the world’s largest fan club network,” says Perriman. “Our whole goal is connecting remote fans with a local fan club for every team in every city.” As someone who has lived different parts of the world throughout his life, Symon understands the challenge of finding a group of people who cheer for the same teams. FanWide makes it easy to find those fans and create a community.

FanWide also partners with bars & restaurants to host these events, creating an ecosystem of cooperation between fans, venues, teams, and fan clubs. Fans can also begin earning rewards through their partnership with FanChain in 2019.

For the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the Sports & Entertainment Industry, be sure to subscribe to our industry publication.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!
Twitter – @SportsEntMKSL
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

Adrienne Mageors
Allowing Purpose to Lead: Adrienne Mageors on Building a Career Grounded in Inclusion and Community Impact
November 12, 2025

Sometimes, purpose finds you when you least expect it. For Adrienne Mageors, it came in the form of a question she couldn’t ignore—one that pulled her out of corporate marketing and into a life of service and inclusion. What began as a career pivot became something bigger: a mission to build spaces where every…

Read More
college
The New Playbook for College ROI: Podium Education’s Scalable Model for Real-World Learning
November 12, 2025

The debate around the return on investment (ROI) of a four-year degree has reached a fever pitch. As tuition costs rise and employers question the value of traditional credentials, higher education leaders are rethinking how to make college more career-relevant. Experiential learning—work-based and project-based education embedded within curricula—is emerging as one of the most promising…

Read More
Trades
Heating Up the HVAC Industry: Closing the Gaps in Mentorship, Training, and Trust with Joshua Griffin
November 11, 2025

A rapidly changing HVAC industry is being shaped by refrigerant shortages, a deepening labor gap, and shifting expectations from homeowners. With refrigerant regulations evolving and long-trusted standards like R410A being phased out, contractors and technicians are navigating not only technical complexity, but also a growing need to rebuild trust and transparency with customers. The…

Read More
talent solutions
Redefining Talent Solutions in the AI Era: Soft Skills, Purpose, and Flexibility at the Center of Career Growth
November 11, 2025

As careers become less linear and more purpose-driven, workers are increasingly drawn to environments that value adaptability, culture fit, and soft skills for career growth. These capabilities are proving just as critical as technical expertise, especially as AI, remote work, and flexible paths reshape the labor market. According to McKinsey, 70 percent of workers…

Read More