Sports Management Podcast

Release Date: 01-26-2026 00:30

Welcome to episode 227 of Sports Management Podcast.

Today's guest is Alan Arlt, founder of Ultimate Hoops and co-founder of ARLT Consulting.
Alan built a recreational basketball league into a highly-engaged sports product with stats, highlights, and experiences that made everyday players feel like pros and he sold it with an 18x return in under two years.

In this episode, we spoke about:

What makes a sports product truly 'sticky'

How to scale without losing quality

How AI is changing the future of participation sports.

And much more!

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Listeners of the?Sports?Management Podcast?get an exclusive?20% off?on?SportsPro+ with the code?SMPOD20.?All you need to do is head to?sportspro.com/membership and start exploring today.

Time stamps:

00:00 Intro
00:58 Building "sticky" sports products with ARLT Consulting?
02:16 From sports nerd to sports entrepreneur?
02:59 The Ultimate Hoops idea (treat everyone like Kobe)?
03:42 From 6 teams to 40 teams in under a year?
03:42 Acquired by Lifetime Fitness (18 months in)?
04:26 The Carmelo Anthony moment ("I think I'm done")?
05:11 The 18x return (and why he didn't plan an exit)?
05:58 The "sticky product" flywheel (daily engagement)?
06:54 Passion vs practicality (unit economics matter)?
08:22 The 2-step decision process (gut ? diligence)?
09:46 Why athlete partnerships are everything (B2A mindset)?
11:51 AI changed everything (stats + highlights at scale)?
13:28 How ARLT uses AI with clients today?
14:18 Why this model works for every sport?
15:06 The golden rule (people want to feel special)?
15:45 The post-game interview that proved the concept?
17:24 Why AI will create "1,000 Ultimate Hoops"?
19:53 The mindset shift (leaving Discovery to take the leap)?
21:36 Why side hustles are the new advantage?
22:50 The biggest founder mistakes (too fast vs too slow)?
24:10 Best advice for founders (just get started)?
25:47 How to use AI without losing the human edge?
27:07 Leadership style (do every job, stay in the weeds)?
30:28 Hiring without a vacuum (team fit matters)?
32:11 Scaling too fast (when it stopped feeling like Ultimate Hoops)?
33:02 COVID shutdown (the hardest stretch)?
35:25 Letting 85% of the team go (and rebuilding)?
37:02 Guest recommendations (SportsVisio + AIM Sports Group)?
39:00 Outro

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