Super Bowl LX Radio Row Interviews, Day Two

0:01Bloomberg Audio Studios Podcast Radio News.

0:30Really unlocking the streaming platform for sports fans. Sports valuations are rising. We'll see when they peak. You don't have to be the best in your sport to make a whole ton of money. Bloomberg Business of Sports from Bloomberg Radio. Welcome to the Bloomberg Business of Sports where we explore the big money issues in the world of sports. I'm Vanessa Perdomo. Joining me this week is our usual friend of the show, U.S. sports business reporter Randall Williams. We're on the ground in Radio Row here in San Francisco during the lead-up to Super Bowl 60. In this special edition of the podcast, we are speaking to current and former NFL players about the big game, plus their ventures on and off the field.

1:12First up, I speak with former NFL quarterback and Amazon Prime analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick, and he gives us his insight on how the game will shake out on Super Bowl Sunday. So, Ryan, thanks so much for joining the Bloomberg Business and Sports. It's great to have you here. Yeah, thank you for having me. So we're here, Super Bowl week, so I've got to get a couple of picks from you. Today is NFL Honors. Tell me who you think is going to win MVP. Matthew Stafford is going to win the MVP. He was incredible all year long. I think the problem that we have when we start talking about these guys, just because I love what Matthew Stafford did this year, doesn't diminish anything that Drake May did.

1:50And the guys that want Drake May to win, it doesn't diminish anything that Matthew Stafford did. They both had amazing seasons. but Matthew Stafford, I think his performance against Seattle and what he did, even though it was in a losing effort, the games that he's put together, he's had an incredible year. Tell me a little bit more about the quarterback market right now. You obviously mentioned Matthew Stafford and Drake May there. Obviously Sam Darnold has an amazing story. Similar isn't to yourself that he played for so many different teams and now he's found this amazing place right now with the Seahawks.

2:22Yeah, it's such a difficult position to get right. There's so many different shapes and sizes that people come in. I think the things that you realize and what make these great quarterbacks, a lot of it is the intangibles. A lot of them have the physical skills to do it, but how they interact with their teammates, their work ethic, how they perform in high-pressure situations, those are things that are hard to measure until you actually get your hands on them and get to see them in those situations. But a guy like Sam Darnold I'm so happy for and so proud of because of the ups and downs that he's been through.

2:54And it was a lot more downs than ups earlier in his career. You know, his time with the Jets, you would say, was a failure, but he didn't look at it like that. He looked at it as a learning experience to keep going, to pick himself up off the mat and continue to get better. And so it's great to see a guy like that who even last year in Minnesota was doubted, didn't get re-signed there, to be in Seattle, to be in this game, and to come out the other side. It's been very fun to watch. Yeah. So are there either one of them that you are rooting for more for the big game? This is a hard one for me because I love Sam and I would love to see Sam win.

3:30I also love Mike Rabel and would love to see Mike win as a coach. I love Matt Collins. So you get tied to so many of these guys with the relationships that you have that it becomes difficult. But in the end, I have to put my analyst cap on and I have to break it down. And for me, Seattle is the better football team, But will they be the better football team on Sunday? That's the big question. I think New England sneaks away with a win in this game. From what you've seen, is it you think that Drake May is going to be able to come up bigger in these moments? Or why do you think the Patriots are going to go out?

4:04I think there's a lot of pressure on both teams, obviously. But the narrative all week has been almost that New England doesn't belong in this game. This is Seattle's game to lose. And so as the game goes on, if it stays close, the pressure is going to be on Seattle. They're going to be more tense and tight in those moments. And I think Josh McDaniels would be the big X factor, offensive coordinator for the Patriots, who's been in a ton of these Super Bowls. I think he's going to be able to manage it the right way. And New England, all year long, people have just been waiting for them to lose and to fall down, and they find a way to win these big games.

4:39I think that's a great quality that they have and a great quality that Mike Vrabel has brought to the Patriots. So you said just before that you had to put your analyst hat on, And I want to talk a little bit about that, about your career as an analyst and how you've kind of taken it to another level. Now you have a podcast that you host. Tell me why you've really decided to dive in on it. I think I got really lucky because the year that I retired just so happened to be the year that Amazon was looking for four analysts to come and join their team. And for me to transition from 17 years in the NFL and being on nine different teams into this new team with Amazon.

5:13and I just am so lucky from the people behind the scenes and the producers and everybody that it takes to put on a production to the on-air talent to be able to do it with Tony Gonzalez, Richard Sherman, and Andrew Whitworth. It's been fun to be part of that team, but it doesn't work without Carissa Thompson. Carissa has been amazing. Three of us were brand new to TV, had no idea what we were doing, and she did such an amazing job and continues to do such an amazing job of keeping us herded and wrangled and letting our personality show, but also making sure that we're putting together a show. I don't think people appreciate Carissa Thompson as much as they should for what she has to do and go through to get a successful show.

5:58She's certainly the leader of our show. For you, what was it like trying to bring your own personality to yourself as a media personality, but at the same time trying to make sure that you still have that media hat on? I always try to remind myself that I'm in this position because of my personality and who I am. And there's an authenticity that you have to show. Because the great thing about TV, and it's the same thing in a locker room, is if you're not authentic, people see through it right away. And so I just want to be myself and hopefully people enjoy that. But I also got to the point where I have 17 years of knowledge in the NFL and being through a bunch of different systems and a very unique experience that not many people have had.

6:40so how do I share that with the viewer and how do I allow them to have fun on a broadcast but also to learn a little bit about some of the experiences and perspectives that we've been through. Is that why you started the podcast because you felt like there was just so much more you had to say? You know the podcast thing I've been asked a couple different times and it just really wasn't a great fit for me and then when Andrew Whitworth and I started talking about it it's a guy that I really enjoy having conversations with so it's very cool just to be able to sit down with him for an hour we've had a ton of awesome guests whether it's GMs or coaches or players even CEO of Amazon Andy Jassy came on Roger Goodell to be able to sit down and have some of these interesting conversations and get some personality out of these guys that maybe some other people haven't seen before that part of it's been really enjoyable for me yeah so I mean we're at the Super Bowl, it's the last game of the year.

7:33After the last game of the year, you know, people, or I mean, before, you know, the joke's always, oh, it looks like they're headed to vacation. Yeah, yeah. You know, you have on this tropical shirt. Tell me about where you go on vacation. So my wife and I never really get to go away by ourselves. We have seven kids. It's just been busy. We've been married for almost 20 years, and we had the opportunity to go to Aruba, somewhere we had never been before, and we had such a great time. It had a great blend for us of like the white sandy beaches and the beautiful hotels. But then it was the adventure, being able to get away, being able to go on hikes, being able to go into this natural swimming pool, snorkeling, all the things that you would love to do on a vacation like that.

8:14But it also, they call it one happy island for a reason. You go, you just feel refreshed and rejuvenated. Even after returning home, there's just a lightness to us from being able to go and have that time together in a special place. So it was very fun for us and would certainly recommend it to anybody that wants to get away and just refresh for a little bit. Yeah, absolutely. But also, you know, with Aruba, they talk about being a responsible tourist. Can you tell me a little bit about that and making sure? No, there's a lot of stuff they do. They're very proud of their island. And so that was walking away from it.

8:47That was something that really touched us was how kind all the locals were and how proud they were to share their island with everybody else. Tourism is a big part of what they do, and so they certainly appreciate people being there. And when you go to places you haven't been before, concerns for me, one of them is just safety. And we felt right at home and safe the whole time and had a lot of fun with the locals. Yeah, absolutely. So as we're talking about travel, I want to get your perspective on what the NFL has done to have football go to a global audience. And, I mean, done such a great job going to a bunch of different places, just announced Paris.

9:24when you're thinking about that like tell me more about how they've been able to grow the game and how you've seen it change as almost a global sport to this point yeah i think they've so one thing roger goodell has done is he wanted to make it international he wanted to increase the fan base he wanted to share our great game with everybody and i think initially players were a little bit hesitant you know they didn't really look forward to the games and having to go overseas and the travel and taking you out of your routine. But as time has gone on, players have really embraced it. I think players enjoy it.

9:56You can use it as a time for your team to get closer together, have three or four days together in a foreign place without the familiar around you. So that makes your bond a little bit tighter. And then it's just been a great response globally as well. My favorite last year was the game being played in Dublin, Ireland. That was really special. I had been over there that summer to meet some of the people of that great island. And it was wonderful. But growing the game, continuing to expand, I think players have really embraced it. And hopefully people enjoy the game of American football around the world.

10:31Yeah. So one of the things that they've talked about is potentially putting a team somewhere else, expanding in that way. Do you think that would be a feasible thing? I think that is very far away. The logistics, I think they've thought about it. They've tried to work through it. You know, one of the things I heard a few years ago was what if you have a team home base in Florida, say you spend a month in Florida, then you do a month in London and back and forth. But I think the logistics are very difficult on that. And so we're still a very long way away from that being a possibility. Yeah. If you had to pick a place to put a team, where would you put it?

11:08If I had to pick a place to put a team, Dublin, Ireland, baby, only because I would love to go and visit. Maybe I would try to be part of the management of that team so I could live and double. All right, we're going to see you in investment, I think, maybe, potentially. I love it. I love it. That was former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Don't go away. More Bloomberg Business of Sports from Super Bowl 60 when we come back.

11:33This is Bloomberg Business of Sports from Bloomberg Radio. Welcome to the Bloomberg Business of Sports. I'm Vanessa Perdomo with Randall Williams live from Radio Row in San Francisco for Super Bowl 60. Now we will speak with New Orleans Saints defensive captain Demario Davis about being nominated for Walter Payton Man of the Year again and the Saints upcoming game in Paris. Demario, welcome to the Bloomberg Business and Sports. It is so great to have you here. Oh, thank you for having me. I'm excited about this. So it's Super Bowl week. We're here. There's some big things coming out. Big night for you tonight.

12:07NFL honors nationwide, Walter Payton Man of the Year. Tell me what it means to be nominated for this, and not the first time, right? Yeah, to be nominated again is a tremendous honor. This award isn't just about me. It's a award for New Orleans, representing a city that has really poured into my family, and we've been able to just pour into it back. It's just been incredible. when you think about this award and what it means for for the NFL the NFL is you know one of if not the biggest platform in our country and one of the biggest in the world and for it to be the greatest award or the highest honor inside of our game it just talks about a great game not just what we do on the field but off the field that's what the NFL really represents and how we show up in community and show up for people I got to give a shout out to the NFL I got to give a shout out to the Peyton family, shout out to Nationwide for really having elevated this award to the level that it is that it really elevates the work that these guys are doing in the community.

13:10So many guys are doing great work, but to be one of 32 community champions, what Nationwide has really been able to do in partnership, pouring $4 million into player organizations, it just helps scale the work. And so you can work at a local level, but to really take it Nationwide, you have to have resources. you have to have connections you have to have resources um you have to have networks and and elevating it to this this level allows that and so it's a tremendous honor i don't take it lightly uh grateful to be one of the the 32 guys and even the guys we're we're working here in san francisco coming together and collaborating on ways that we can take it even further you know our work together yeah together yeah yeah so it's a collaboration is everything and we really want to set that precedence that it takes everybody and we get a chance to do that.

14:01So even when all 32 of us are being on this stage together is one thing, but we're also going to Old School Cafe, which is a restaurant here, you know, kind of bought out the entire venue. It's a restaurant here in San Francisco that does work, mentorship and workforce development for at-risk youth. And so being able to support them and all of us just being in a gathering place to just being able to break bread together and talk just in a private, intimate way about work that each guy is doing. But how can we collaborate and support each other? How can we partner with the NFL and continue to take it forward?

14:36So the NFL has created space for us to be able to do that. And those things are happening and it wouldn't be able to happen without the platform that we have today. How deep do those conversations get? I mean, that's like pretty amazing that you get to have that time with other players and really get to see why they care about a certain topic. And And I'm assuming you don't get to have those conversations all the time, or do you? Yeah, you don't get a chance to have them all the time, especially not at that level with guys who are having scalable impact in their communities and with a heart to really reach the country.

15:08And when you think when 10 guys come together, 15 guys come together, 20 guys come together, with the level of influence and the level of credibility that we have, that's a tremendous signal that we can send into the community. Like that cuts through a lot of noise. It's like, man, people are going to galvanize around that. And so we're able to move in a way. And so it's a tremendous responsibility. So getting a chance to talk through different things that guys care about and find two or three central ideas to really kind of get behind. If you look at the partnerships that we have with the NFL, with my cause, my cleats, if you look at the social justice initiatives that are happening, all those are player-led things.

15:47Those are things that have come from player conversations and then haven't gone to the league. And so it's like, okay, so what's our next thing? How do we do this at an even greater capacity? How do we do this at an international level? Those are the things that we're talking about is how do we use our platform for good? And how do we do it in a way that the end goal is the amazing fan base are watching what we do. And it ignites them to go and have causes of their own and pour out and say, you know what? These guys are doing this. I can do something. That's what we really, that's stewarding the platform.

16:17Right. And talk a little bit more about that. the platform that you guys have and the influence that you guys have and why it was important for you to use your voice in that way? And when did you decide to do that in your career? Yeah, to whom much is given, much is required. I've always been a person that was going to give back. I mean, that was instilled in me when I was very young. My grandmother used to be making plates and we would take them around the neighborhood to people who couldn't get around. You know, and I saw that, you know, as early as first and second grade. But when I got to college, I noticed a gap in the education system because many of my peers who I grew up with they had struggles in the classroom and I didn't know why but I realized it was things like reading comprehension and math literacy skills and things like that and so one size fit all model doesn't work and so we started to work around education and mentorship but as I started to get later in my career I realized other guys had initiatives that they cared about and wanted to pour into and it was like okay well this something that's a common ground between athletes how do we collaborate and come together but we have so many millions of people who are watching our game and the thing that we have is we have influence, but we also have their trust.

17:22We have their credibility. That's why they look at us and feel like they can relate to us. That's why they wear our jerseys. That's why they want to know our backstory. They feel like they can connect with it. It's like, okay, well, we have this. We have their attention. What can we do with that? Well, we can inspire them not to just want to mimic us or wear our jersey, but mimic with us what we're doing in the community. Mimic, look at us as like we're using our resources and what we have to go and give back and it's like no matter what scale it is everybody can play a part everybody can do something it's like man just look at somebody around you and try to figure out a way to put a smile on their face figure out a way to lift them up figure out a problem that's going on and somebody that's kind of struggling and what can you do to help them it may be a one day thing it may be once a week thing it may be once a year thing but everybody can do something you talked about how you know just the fact that the walter pate manor of the year award is so highly sought after and you know highly sought of you know thinking of in the NFL what it says about the league but what do you think it says about the players I mean like did you was it a thing that when right when you come into the league everyone knows hey this is what we care about we care about you know making a difference or was it something you learned over time yeah I think this award has really been elevated by the NFL by Nationwide and the Walter Payton family to it has really grown exponentially.

18:39I mean, Nationwide is pouring over$4 million into players' causes. So that attention of all those partners coming together and saying, hey, we really want to elevate this award has really just moved into a space of most players are going to resonate with that. It's about being more than a player. Okay, if this is the highest honor in the league, if I'm coming in and I want to be the best I can be, I want to strive towards being that. And so it's like, okay, what do I got to do? Okay, well, I got to do more in the community. I need to figure out what are the things that I care about. And that ignites and elevates the locker room to, yeah, we want you to be the best players you can be, but we also want you to figure out how you can use this to pour into the community.

19:24Like, this is what the model looks like. And when you do that, that's also being modeled in society. NFL has tremendous influence. It's an entertainment business, and so many millions are watching what's happening. Well, it's also elevating society. Society is looking at that and saying, OK, well, I can have my career. I can have the thing that I'm focused on. But how am I helping people? How am I using what what what I'm experiencing? I'm getting fulfillment in to bring fulfillment to somebody else. That's what is modeled being modeled in society. And that's what we want. We want that ripple effect because for our country to move forward, it takes everybody.

19:58And it's really about raising this belief that when when we live on these principles, when we all kind of come together, there's no problem that we can't solve and it's like we look around it's like it feels like it's problems all around us but yeah but we can be we can be the answer to those problems we don't need you know government to kind of come in and take care of everything it's like we as people can come together and and help the people who are beside us and it's just everybody having that belief and it's really just if you really believe that you'll move like that and that's what we want to ignite is that belief in people right I mean I feel ignited right now yeah if you don't then And you're not listening, right, for real.

20:35So the last thing I want to talk to you about is, you know, the New Orleans Saints. I know you're, you know, trying to figure out your contract, but the New Orleans Saints was just announced as a game in Paris. Tell me, you know, how exciting would it be to play in Paris for you? Man, that is unreal. New Orleans has really just changed the game. Shout out to the NFL with its international expansion. And I feel like Roger Goodell has been instrumental in that and really taking and elevating this game to a place that it's never been. And New Orleans just positioned itself at the forefront of that.

21:03Paris is the most toured city in the world. And, you know, shout out to Miss Benson for her forward thinking, getting in front of that, you know, locking in exclusive marketing rights. And so it's an extension of Saints Nation that's going into Paris. That game is going to be like no other game that has happened internationally. It's on the Olympic stage. It's on the World Cup stage. It's tied to France. That stadium is going to be played at. So you think about just the excitement level. I was over there this past summer, and, man, those people love football over there. It's such a rich hunger, and I know who that nation is going to travel.

21:44It's going to be unreal, and the New Orleans Saints, a relatively smaller market in the NFL, really just positioned itself as number one in the international market and just excited for that. That was New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis. Don't go away. More Bloomberg Business of Sports from Super Bowl 60 in San Francisco when we come back.

22:11This is Bloomberg Business of Sports from Bloomberg Radio. Welcome to the Bloomberg Business of Sports. I'm Vanessa Perdomo with Randall Williams live from Radio Row in San Francisco for Super Bowl 60. Next is a legend of the game, arguably the greatest wide receiver of all time, three-time Super Bowl champion with the San Francisco 49ers, Jerry Rice. He joined us alongside the NetApp Chief Marketing Officer, Gaby Boko. We are here with Jerry Rice and Gaby. How are you all today? I'm doing fantastic. Very good. Okay, Jerry. This is like your 100th Super Bowl week at this point, right? How are you feeling?

22:50No, man. You know, every Super Bowl is special. Super Bowl 60. You got to think about that. And I would have loved for my San Francisco 49ers to be participating right now. But you've got two great teams with the Patriots and also the Seahawks. Gabby, you're here with NetApp, of course. I want you to tell me what you're doing that's special with Jerry, with the NFL. What makes you and your company brilliant? Oh, I love that. You know, NetApp is a data company. We believe that data is, it powers everything. And especially when you think about what it does for the NFL and what it does for the 49ers, and especially as it comes to life for Super Bowl 60, data is behind everything, right?

23:34This is the most intensive data sports moment for data in sporting. And what NetApp does is it basically creates this layer of what we call an intelligent data infrastructure. It's basically what moves that data and allows the players and the coach and fans ultimately to experience the game at a high magnitude. I think what's really important, though, when we partner with Jerry is it's when you think about players like Jerry on the field at like a Levi's Stadium, you're taking a stellar. I'm going to I'm going to love on you a little bit. OK, I appreciate that. There's a lot of people that do.

24:11So I'm going to love on you a little bit. But this is a guy who has so many stats that have broken records. That kind of data combined with a field like Levi's Stadium, you've got kinds of data that really tells our story really well. So that's why we partnered with Jerry. That's what we're excited about with Super Bowl, and that's why we're here. Listen, I think you're going to be partnering with Jerry forever because some of his records are just not going to be touched. I agree with you. We agree. 22 ,000 receiving yards, it's just not going to be touched. No one's going to play as long as you did, at the level you did, as long as you did.

24:45I played for such a long time because I actually love playing football. Sure. You know, I didn't play for the money. I didn't, you know, I didn't play for the stats and all of that. But I felt like I owed the fans something that was unique. You know, anytime you paid your hard-earned money to come to a football game, I wanted you to witness something that was going to be real special. I wanted you to leave that stadium and say, oh, my God, Did you see him make that catch or score that touchdown or whatever? Now for you, Jerry, with NetApp, a lot of data. If you had the data. If I had this. If I had NetApp back in the day and to have all that information right in front of me and be able to get that information so quickly and stuff like that, maybe I would have been able to double all my stats.

25:34You think you would have had 40 ,000 receiving yards? Yeah, from the 22 ,895 yards, the 1 ,549 reception, the 208 touchdown, the 37 records or more. I would have doubled that. So now tell me the ways that NetApp and data are impacting athletes in ways that they don't know. Because we see a lot of teams hire data officers and bring in people from analytics. How is that impacting athletes from behind the scenes? You know, I think it's really how the coach takes what their strategy is and is using what the sensors are that are on players now, what's happening inside the stadium and pulling all that together.