The BOSS Podcast (The Business Of Southern Sports)

Dan Corso - President of the Atlanta Sports Council

May 07, 2020 Roger Manis
The BOSS Podcast (The Business Of Southern Sports)
Dan Corso - President of the Atlanta Sports Council
Show Notes Transcript Chapter Markers

The Atlanta Sports Council is the group responsible for bringing major sporting events to Atlanta. Their success over time is astonishing. We will talk with Dan Corso, the President of the Atlanta Sports Council, about the Council's long run of success. From Super Bowls to College Football Championships. Atlanta has long proven to be a great destination for the biggest sporting events out there. 

However, one recent major event, the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We will discuss that loss, but also look to the very bright future. The 2021 MLB All-Star game is scheduled for Atlanta, and the Council is pursuing other events like the FIFA World Cup. 


Announcer:   0:06
Broadcasting from our studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It's time for the business of Southern sports. Or as we like to call it, the boss. The boss is presented by dirty girl mixers. Get your mix fix and by Rec Tec grills join the Rec Tec lifestyle. Now here is the host of the Boss. Roger Manis.  

Roger Manis:   0:30
Okay, How about another round of applause there for our fictional house band? That's Herschel in the Heismans. Getting it started here on the boss podcast. The boss, of course, being an acronym for the Business of Southern Sports. And we're joined today by the president of the Atlanta Sports Council. Dan Corso. Dan, how are you doing? You could

Roger Manis:   0:48
Okay, How about another round of applause there for our fictional house band? That's Herschel in the Heismans. Getting it started here on the boss podcast. The boss, of course, being an acronym for the Business of Southern Sports. And we're joined today by the president of the Atlanta Sports Council. Dan Corso. Dan, how are you doing? You could

Dan Corso:   0:48
be with you despite the times that we're in. Yeah, you do it somewhere a little bit more fun than our home offices

Roger Manis:   0:56
at. I'm sure that people can tell based on the audio quality. Were were conducting this via Zoom. So we're social distancing. You are. You're at your residence in Atlanta. I'm my residents in Atlanta, but it's great great time to talk about the world of sports and how it's been impacted by the pandemic. But first and foremost, how are you and your family doing through this issue?

Dan Corso:   1:20
Yeah. Thank you. Well, you mentioned Zoom. I think everyone in the world now it's become a zoom meeting professional on. You always start zoom meetings with that reminder about Hey, don't forget the nuclear, Mike. If you're not speaking, because I think there's been some stories out there of some things that have been captured over to my people don't mutes all. We sure you hear when appropriate.

Roger Manis:   1:44
Well, it's just you. It's just you. It is just you and me. So it's fun. You never know in my house what you

Dan Corso:   1:49
might hear. I got teenagers. Uh, but it is in the morning now, So they are sleeping, you know, as teenagers are want to do. So thank you for asking. We're good. You know, like you just trying to adapt to, kind of, I guess, is what not is the new norm is the Now more people are calling, it's the now normal and just how we're doing business, You know, currently and how we're navigating life. Uh, you know, in the midst of this of this crisis and so good, I appreciate you asking Were good

Roger Manis:   2:25
getting off on a little tangent with teenagers in the house. Have you been forced to home school? Are you bought boning up on the algebra? Oh, yeah. I

Dan Corso:   2:33
have older teenagers who have a graduating senior. Not gonna be walking a little out. And then we have a daughter who's a junior on. She's bummed out that there's no problem. So they're both bombed out for different reasons. So it's funny how our school system here, where we live. Uh, metro Atlanta. Uh, they allowed students. Um, back when the close of schools happened, they allowed students to drop any classes in which they had a great They were satisfied, uh, and so are doing actually pretty well. And they dropped everything but one glass. And I'm like, It's like then that's what we told our son. It's like you're already in college. Now. You have link last. You sleep till 10. You get up in your log into your the class log, and then you're done, you know? So he's preparing for Tallahassee, where he will go. This

Roger Manis:   3:28
was always going going to be a no television, telling you that's not what the real world is like. The real world is you don't find out on their own. I've just heard some horror stories to this pandemic of, ah, parents home schooling or and having to review their own. You know, their own algebra memories and having to re acquaint themselves. And I would not be able to

Dan Corso:   3:54
touch the math history. Aiken dio history, But not,

Roger Manis:   3:58
of course. Everybody on the front line is doing a great job, the teachers and the first responders and healthcare. Everybody is working hard to get us get us going again. But this all really started back. Of course, we heard rumblings and January February coming from China and everything, but But we're it affected. The sports world was that weekend that the end of that week of the A, C. C and the college basketball tournaments the conference tournaments, the March 11th 12th 13th. Take us back to your take us back to what was going on then, in your world is Atlanta was prepared to host the Final Four. How did it all unfold from

Dan Corso:   4:32
your perspective? So So you know our role at the Atlanta Sports Council and just your your viewers and listeners understand every city in the country has a group like ours were all dedicated to driving sports events to our respective city and recruiting them to our cities and then hosting them the drive economic impact to our respective cities and also help provide a really good quality of life of the people who live here. Eso, as you said we were preparing to host our fifth men's on a four here in Atlanta, had been planning on hosting that event for about two years with the NC Double A in our time plan. On it was Wednesday, March 11th when I think it all began to kind of unravel. You know, Rudy, go bare. I think from the n b. A was kind of where it all started. If you trace it back, perhaps on the n B A. You know, shut down And then the college tournaments shut down and they know it was kind of over from there. But yeah, way we got that news in that week that Thursday the 12th of WAAS. You know, the Final Four was going to cancel the tournament altogether was gonna cancel. But not only did they cancel the men's and women's basketball terms, but they canceled all of the winter and spring. Jim pitches just on one cut, so I didn't to show everyone how real it was. They were just, you know, cutting something that was 2 to 3 weeks in advance. They were They were canceling things that were 2 to 3 months in the bets. And so it was, you know, so surreal moment. We understood why. But you still wanted Teoh. You know, after all that time we wanted to see come to fruition. We were on such a great run of sporting events here in Atlanta consecutive years that we really wanted to have that. Men's Final Four.

Roger Manis:   6:18
You mentioned the consecutive years you'd have the 2018 college football national championship that next year was the Super Bowl was held here at Mercedes Benz Stadium. Then the Final Four was going to be the third year in a row of a major event. Obviously, Atlanta, under your leadership at the Sports Council over the past. Well, when did you become the president? I know you've been with a council for probably

Dan Corso:   6:37
2020 20 plus years, and then 2000 late. Take 2009. Early 2010

Roger Manis:   6:44
so So the Sports Council has just been a vital part under your leadership of bringing these major events to Atlanta. Um, I kind of want I'm a bounce back and forth here, so I apologize if I seem a little like all over the map. But what is what was the economic impact to the loss of the Final Four? What were what were we expecting in Metro Atlanta dollars?

Dan Corso:   7:08
Well, we had a study done preliminary events study done by Georgia State University, and their study came back to say it was going to be a conservative 100 plus just over $100 million to the state because they get economic impact that happens in the city. And then it kind of matriculating out to the state before leads the state. And so all told, it was about $100 million so that's money that you know our economy won't see or you didn't see. But at the same time, it is also kind of, you know, there were jobs that were created temporary jobs and people's jobs at venues and other places, security in public safety that we were employing to put on that event that, you know, that didn't happen. So beyond the pure visitation economic impact, you know, there's a local impact on jobs. And so, yeah, and we're not just feeling it here in Atlanta is happening everywhere around the world now that people are just suffering, um, economically and professionally, obviously, personally, but professionally from the cancellation of sports

Roger Manis:   8:19
throughout the world, sport shut down there so many jobs attached to it. Obviously not just the athletes, but that you mentioned all the all the tangential jobs as well. How much money had been pumped into the the the lead up to the Final Four. So that's just a flat out loss. Yeah,

Dan Corso:   8:37
well, it's a good question. It's there. I could I could tell you. It's actually there's some silver lining if you look at it just from a pure project standpoint. So our host budget to put on the event as required and planned with the It was just a little over $13 million so again, that's over a two year build up a time of cancellation. We had spent about 30% of that budget on things like staffing and PR and promotion are volunteer program where we had about 2000 volunteers, apparel and trained and ready to go. So we had to build up costs that we had occurred out of that over budget, leading up the cancellation. The rest of that budget, the remaining 70% or so, was going to be spent The weekend following the cancellation with are set up of Mercedes Benz Stadium with the basketball court, other production elements for the live concerts and public safety costs, which would have kicked in the last two weeks leading into the tournament itself the Final Four itself. So that's money that we were able to claw back and say, And so you know why we did spend about 30%? And that's money gone. You know, we were able to, you know, put it this way to been a lot worse than if it had been a few days before the tournament. Well, we were overspending.

Roger Manis:   9:59
So so is there another final four down the road that we're hoping Atlanta just they make it up to us and drop us in line for the next one to secure?

Dan Corso:   10:09
That would be nice kind of automatic, I guess. Ensure no they build bid like they say in the tournament when teams get in. Um, you know, we've had those conversations with the incident where they're they're really good people, you know, at the end of the day and good partners and they understand what cities go through and what they spend both financially. But just time energy, uh, putting on planning, you know, they're championships in particular, the men's Final Four in the men's tournament. So we have had that dialogue about Okay, how do we reset and perhaps host another year? Coincidentally, the incidentally will go into the bid process next summer of 2021 for the cycle of 27 through 2031. So that fits that. They're already placed through 26 27 through 31 men's basketball. Final Four will be bit out next summer, 21. So our conversations are Hey, we sure would like to make you just get one of those years is a do over and not have to go through the bid process. And so what? We're having that conversation now.

Roger Manis:   11:13
So many so many years in advance. Things have to be planned. It strikes me. I saw Kirby Smart speaking a banquet in Atlanta in Athens, one time the Georgia head football coach. And he was talking about how their schedule has gotten really lined up with great power. Five opponents out of the conference for years down the road. And his comment was, I don't know who the Georgia coach is gonna be then, but he's gonna have a hell of a schedule. Yeah, well, that's kind of what I was thinking is

Dan Corso:   11:39
like OK, so we get safe 29. Enjoy it. Whoever's heading up this organ, my, frankly, other partners in the in the community who knows where we'll be at that time. But, you know, Roger, you bring up a good point that the reason that these big sporting events bid their events out so far in advance is because they're large events, right, and they tracked a lot of people on. So therefore, you need the bigger stadiums and you need the hotel capacity Well. Cities with large hotel capacities are usually convention cities, and so conventions book. If you think sports events book out foreigner, you should look at conventions there booking 15 20 to 25 years in advance and so for in order for sports events to kind of keep up with that and secure the hotel rooms and the venues of size, they need a bit out or in advance is what

Roger Manis:   12:28
that is interesting that I never had thought about that. I've often thought when you go to pitch to bid to try to recruit on event here, you're competing against other cities bids. But in reality, you're also having toe work on the logistics within your own town about what facilities are available on. Don't

Dan Corso:   12:45
we all hope that I mean, there are events that we would love the host here in Atlanta and that we could very well host year sometimes and then that we that at the past like the back at the time of year that it's Hill is over. Ah, high convention period in our city. And we're blessed to have, you know, a city that just hosts fantastic conventions in great business through conventions. We just can't get the dates we can't find space and or hotel, so we're not able to pursue those sports of it.

Roger Manis:   13:13
Okay, I want to shift gears here a little bit because of your job lots of Ah, I'm hoping that people will be listening to this podcast that might be younger. People trying toe chart their path within the sports and business industries. And you're sitting in a really, really, really cool spot. Get a really good job. Um, what was your career path to get? Where you are where dio for those who don't know you are Lee Corso, son. Ah Lee Corso of, ah, College Football Game Day, the legendary analyst and former coach. So I do want to ask you about your childhood with him. Yeah, but just what was what was your life like being his son? And then how did you charge your career? Professionally.

Dan Corso:   13:53
So you know, most of the years that I remember Aziz job watching. My dad was in Bloomington, Indiana, when he was the coach and I you, which is historically then currently still not the best football university. But they do. You know that their competitive here and there, so, you know, grew up on the practice field in his office, kind of watching, you know, but not really understanding what was going on, but just being around on in the locker room and traveling the games. I remember traveling the you know Ross Aid Stadium in West Lafayette to watch Indiana, Purdue and sometimes to the Horseshoe in Columbus to launch into. You gonna get crushed by Ohio State, you know, at the time. But as a kid, you know, it's like a great experience because you know, you're waist high or your small kid and these college kids look micromanage, you know? So it was It was a unique experience to kind of see that. Can't say that correlates to my career and sports. I think I got more into the career that I'm in just through an interest in marketing. I was a marketing grad out of Florida State, and my first job was in an advertising agency. So did that for a few years and ended up getting a job in sports marketing around 1995 here in Atlanta. Uh, that's about when sports marketing really kind of started to take off in the late eighties or nineties some, and so I hooked up with an agency here and later on. My wife and I just got married that year when we moved up working, you know, she's like a mature Atlanta's where we want to be. We're from Florida, you know. We were living in Orlando. It's time. Well, let's just try it for, you know, a year. We'll see how it goes when we were here six months and we're like, we're never leaving Atlanta. You know, it just kind of grabs you, you know, once you put your roots and so we did that. And so I realized OK of job that I'm doing now in sports marketing is great, but the clients I have arm or nationally based not a lot of Atlanta based company. So I need to get a little bit more entrenched in the Atlanta community here if we're gonna make this a long time home. So I started volunteering down at the Chick fil A Beach ball, and at the time the Peach Bowl in the Atlanta Sports Council were one staff, Uh, and um, did various jobs for the Peach Bowl and got to know a lot of good people within the local Atlanta sports industry cause it's, you know, one of our top events in the city. The Peach Bowl was then and and continues to be Gary Stoke in wins, the president of both of the Peach Bowl and the Atlanta Sports Council at the time, and he and I developed a relationship. And, you know, there was an opening on his staff on the Atlanta Sports Council side, and he brought me on thankfully. And we worked together for a long time and and then a TsUM point time during that. Peaceful in the sports Council split and had different staffs versus one staff. And so we kind of grew the Atlanta Sports Council businesses. The Peach Bowl business continue to grow. You know, he did a wonderful job, just kind of putting us where we are in the industry. And then I had the opportunity to take over for him when he went on to run the Peach Bowl solely back in 2010 as I mentioned earlier Have been there presents

Roger Manis:   17:12
also. It's interesting that you you were just going to do marketing and I kind of found your way back into sports, which is

Dan Corso:   17:20
sports and marketing, and it's really more the business side. It's not the hobby side of sports, it's business side of sports. I think people kind of get that those confused when it was like, No, this is business. We're marketing a city much like you would market a product. You know, our consumer is the inside of lay or customers against Double A or the NFL. Worse is, you know, a products, consumers. The general problem. We're still trying to market our message and our brand and our capabilities to, you know, a naughty insists just a different way.

Roger Manis:   17:53
So, in essence, you are. You are recruiting somebody to come to Atlanta on event to come to Atlanta. So, did you learn in the recruiting tricks from your dad when he was recruiting football players? Teoh. Funny hats. One course gets paid. I don't think there's an

Dan Corso:   18:07
a t l had I would ever. He's cornered that I want to do that. No, it's It's very much like economic development, you know, like when. So when cup. When cities air, uh, trying to lure a big corporation to move their headquarters to their community or expand in office in their community. Your It's the same thing with the sports event. You have to kind of tell why what? Your narrative Why why would our community welcome you and embrace you, you know, and how we would, you know, do successfully to organize a host, your event to make it successful because they want to go to places. They know that they'll have success because it's important to their

Roger Manis:   18:47
well, what is interesting. If you bounce around the Atlanta Sports Council website, you're your board of directors. It's a who's who of major brands you mentioned coming out of marketing. But we're talking Coca Cola and Chick fil A and Home Depot. How important are those relationships to the mission of the council?

Dan Corso:   19:04
It's our life lug Roger not only financially, but also just support and engagement and helping to tell our story, you know, which would try to be very selective with the folks that served on our board. We're thankful for H and every one of them, and we've had some people that have been on the board, but as individuals and certainly as organizations over the for the full 20 plus years I've been in the organization. So I think that speaks a lot of people in organizations understanding and committing to the mission of the Atlanta Sports Council of our On and wanted to be a part of, You know what we do. And we're very selective on who we add to the group. Uh, both corporately and personally, we want to make sure that, you know, we're not just putting people on just the build a list. We want people that are gonna really match what we do and believe in what we do. Because for all of them, on any given time, there's not always a return on investment, right? You can't You know, a men's Final Four here in Atlanta might not help all of them directly on their bottom line. But there's an intangible benefit to them that they see for their employees and or through their business by hosting a major sporting event here. So we want to tap into that and get them involved as much as possible.

Roger Manis:   20:22
So when you go before the NFL or the double A or whatever entity, it might be to pitch to try to recruit them, to come to Atlanta. Obviously, we've now got a great track record of major event hosting, but what do you specific are you mean we're giving them? Here's our Here's the number of hotel rooms. Here's Marta here is the proximity to restaurants. Is that all part of it? What? What are you selling? Exactly?

Dan Corso:   20:45
Yeah, well, I think they all look for different things, yet they kind of look for the same things. You know, they want to go where they are going to be. Let's just say where the hosting their Venice cost efficient. So I think anything can offset some of their expenses on the host there. They're thankful for that. So those air called enhancements on. So we try to find ways, But we're not really in a position to pay cash for events which never happened and, quite frankly, don't really believe in doing that because those tend to be the one of Dunne's, you know, because they don't have the backing to put on a good event. They don't have the infrastructure to put on a good event, and so you may by in a bit one time. But if it's not successful, it's not gonna come back. So we can a judge, like most cities who are successful like we are, you know, you know what event is a really good event when it wants to come back? You know, and when, In the case of the incidental and a Final Four, this would have been our So you know, I think that's a good indication of how the Final Four or works here. We've had three Super Bowls. You know, we've had one of the first college football playoff national championships. We want to get that back, you know So but your question, our biggest sales pulling when we're out there talking and it's kind of known, I mean that Iran is a hub, right, and everyone knows it. 80% of the US population can get here on 12 hour flight. That's a a lot of people with easy access. And so that makes it easy for an event to get either their partners, their clients or media or fans to the city to Atlanta. That's very appealing. But at the end of the day, once we get people here very easily, we have a set up in downtown, where the core is Mercedes Benz Stadium, right next door to State Farm Arena, which is right next door. The judge, the World Congress Center, which is right next door to Centennial Park, next to the world of Coke next to all the other attractions surrounded by 12,000 hotel rooms. Okay, so and it's all walkable. And so now you, Roger you come into Atlanta, perhaps, is a media rep. Or just as a general fan, you fly into the world's busiest airport, take uber Course or Marta, however, you'd like to get here into downtown, You check into your five star or three star or four star hotel, which of your preferences and then you are literally walking to everything throughout that entire weekend because of the set up that's unbeatable. There's only a couple cities in the entire country that have that type of set.

Roger Manis:   23:16
It's almost like it was designed perfectly for you. Well, yeah, I don't know. I'm not

Dan Corso:   23:22
been devolved, Right? Hope you insure you go back. I mean, you're a long time or you go back to Atlanta back before the Olympics. You know what it looked like? What it is now. So, yeah, it's a ball, but certainly, and it continues to get better. You know, there's more things, covers more hotels. There's more event venues coming into downtown, and so it just continues to evolve over the years.

Roger Manis:   23:47
How much. Are you involved from a Sports council perspective? If it all with the daily goings on with the arena's now on everything through the pandemic with there's there's no events going on, are you in any way, shape or form related to any of the local teams in their operation or just staying in touch with him or you more big picture bringing big event?

Dan Corso:   24:06
Yeah, it's more of the latter. The big the big event. Recruitment in the big event host planning on hosting. But a lot of the big events are tied to one of our local teams. So in the case of a Super Bowl, start to the Falcons, right? You know, we talked about our run that we're on now. We also have the 2021 MLB All Star Game next. So right, right? And so that's tied the Atlanta Braves. So we work very closely with the braids on that bid process and then in the planning. Georgia Tech was our partner on the men's Final Four, so the proteins and the colleges and universities in the community have their own businesses to run when it comes to the recruitment and hosting of exporting events that they could be connected to. That's where we worked with them, another that we just, you know, service advocates and as much of a promoter for their business as we possibly can.

Roger Manis:   24:53
I guess I'm gonna ask you to look into a crystal ball here. Nobody really knows what's going to happen with the pandemic. But, um, sports is such a vital key part of culture and community. What's the future look like here with what's going on? Crystal ball it for me if you can. When you when we're going back in stadiums.

Dan Corso:   25:12
Every city is kind of looking at that big and small and beyond sports. I just think it's gonna go is, uh, as Kobe goes, I get They were planning on the 21 All Star Game, you know, and hopefully this doesn't interfere with that. We've got bids that were active on right now for future years. We've got a bid in for the A future in men's basketball regional, which is the Sweet 16 elite eight ground during the men's tournament. So we've got a bid in for a future year for that, just just

Roger Manis:   25:46
just a future year. We don't know the specific year?

Dan Corso:   25:48
Well, 20 we've got have been in for 23 24 25. You have to have one of those trips at State Farm Arena on. Then we've got a bit inactive bid along with other cities in the U. S. Trying to be a part of the 2026 People World Cup. So, as you know, the some could say, the biggest event in the world. And so, uh, and one that the U. S. Hasn't hosted since 1994. So you can imagine how huge that event will be in 2026.

Roger Manis:   26:17
So how are you finding work through the pandemic soon calls. Yeah, social distancing.

Dan Corso:   26:22
Everything is the same. Yeah, it's just the process is different. And so instead of in person meetings, it's zoom meetings or phone calls, and I work seems to be as efficient wasps. And that's a good thing, you know, it z interesting. And I think we talked a lot of companies and a lot of corporations. They're all doing the same thing, and I think they're all finding that their work in their productivity is as good, if not better than pretty cope. So I think the whole going back to the office on and win and where and how is being discussed now. And it's gonna be an interesting few months over the summer as to how people kind of go back to that corporate office. It.

Roger Manis:   27:04
So what's the future for the sports Council? Just doing what you're doing. Continue to try to recruit and growth, grow here in Atlanta and bring more

Dan Corso:   27:11
event. It's just more than nature of how we work, everything that we work on a so far in advance as we are talking about. And so bids for future events that are 7 to 10 years down the road are still go, and we're still working on those now. It's just a matter of how, you know, how do we do? How do we do them? How do we adjust to the now norm of working remotely and working virtual or digital meetings that were doing You and I are doing here, you know, on regard to the FIFA World Cup. Ah, a lot of that work is not gonna take place with the ventilator this summer, early fall. And so by then things may kind of go back to some type of more mostly or things that way. We've seen it in the past where we can be in person and or travel, either FIFA coming to Atlanta to meet with us or we traveled to meet with them. So we'll see. But we've got a plan, whether we do it in person or through zoom. Well,

Roger Manis:   28:10
one of the things that has been interesting to me, not only from the national level, it's how TV and media are adjusting, but even here at the local level or the regional level with classic games. The Fox Sports South recently redid, reported the 1995 Atlanta Braves World Series all six games. How have you noticed people adapting and adjusting that air, that air in the sports industry or tangential to it, and how people are adjusting like you have had to do.

Dan Corso:   28:41
You made a faras, uh, digesting and taking in sports. Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, So I think it's interesting that the Jordan Siris on ESPN is just highly ready. It's quality, but it's also the only thing going that kind of I think is dramatic. Like no sports events are, um, e sports in the eye racing is really taken off, which is amazing. I think that also is indicative of just our hungry people are for sports of some type of live sporting event. Um, I just on the personal opinion, I don't do I don't do pass sporting events, historical sporting events very well. I just can't watch something that happened a long time because to me it's a It happened. It was great. It's over. Give me the new You know, I like it. Knew I like it live. I do just just, you know, just to kind of past time that you know what I want to get some sports in. But I can't watch old masters. I want real golf, you know, I just can't. So I miss golf the most. I think I missed watching golf. I enjoy watching

Roger Manis:   29:48
Uh um, I'm missing baseball right now, but if this was happening during football season, I would definitely be missing that. Well, you could forget we

Dan Corso:   29:56
were in a whole another stratosphere. If if either pro or college football is on the shelf, so

Roger Manis:   30:02
let's save that. Let's hope we figure out a way to get

Dan Corso:   30:06
bring out over that one. That's going to be an interesting, interesting scenario. Or hopefully don't get bright.

Roger Manis:   30:12
See if we can figure out a way to get good crowds back in tow events and started on time. I it's it's just been a you mention not liking to watch the old events. Um, I did tune in for Game six of the 1995 World Series on the Fox Regional Channel, where they were REBROADCASTING it, and I know what happens. Tom Glavine throws. Ah, goes eight innings, throws a one hitter. Wohlers comes in to close it out. David Justice. It's the only home run a one to nothing Braves win to win the world title. I know what's going to happen. And my heart was still pounding.

Dan Corso:   30:45
Yeah, well, well, that's because you have a direct affinity for the brains, right? Your passion. So I get it. But say the same thing. If you were watching the 1987 World Series in Game six. No, I you know, I just it's gotta be now. It's gotta be. I

Roger Manis:   31:05
get it. But you mentioned office like I wonder I wonder if some sports will be able to come back sooner without fans, and it really not affect the competition. Golf being one. Perhaps that doesn't rely on a huge crowd noise in arena energy. But they're smarter people than I am are working on all that.

Dan Corso:   31:24
But then it also gets in the athlete and participants. Safety, right? Right, So you have to factor that. And so it's It's crazy, crazy time. But like you say, there's really smart people that can kind of navigate through this and come up with solutions that I think we'll come through.

Roger Manis:   31:40
But in the meantime, the business for the Atlanta Sports Council, in addition to whatever you're working on bid wise, the next thing coming to our area 2021 All Star Game is that the next huge event. That's okay,

Dan Corso:   31:53
So we're trying to get one major event, if you will, per year for the next 10 years. That's ambitious, but you know we can do that. The other challenge with these big events is that become very costly, you know, expensive to put on. While there's a big economic impact into the region from hosting, it does take some money to have to put on the amendment so we have to really strategize against that as well. So but we're trying to get one big one each and every year. You know, the big one in the middle of this decade. A forceful people World Cup. But we will not know before a confirmed host city for that event until sometimes second quarter of next year. Maybe first quarter problem.

Roger Manis:   32:33
And has the success of the Atlanta United helped in that bid?

Dan Corso:   32:37
Yes, without a doubt. I mean, if you look at what Atlanta United Brand is globally, you know, and how it impacts spot soccer globally, not just nationally, without a doubt, I mean, it's really helped us in relation to Mercedes Benz Stadium in the quality of that venue for soccer, as Atlanta United have shown the atmosphere and the buzz and the energy that's created inside that facility, the from high level Stocker, I think, really speaks well to our message for the world is that you know it's going to be one of the top venues for the feet. Work well,

Roger Manis:   33:13
Dan, I appreciate your time. I know there's there's a lot going on, but we're all trying toe model our way through it. Um so good luck to you on the mission of the Sports Council. Moving forward. Hope we're playing ball soon and though changed,

Dan Corso:   33:26
no more repeat masters or old baseball games.

Roger Manis:   33:29
Let's get the live of its going. We're crowds, but we we just got to get through covert together. So, Dan, appreciate your time and congratulations on all your success. I mean, um, you know your your critical to the growth of Atlanta because you're the You're the tip of the spear in bringing a lot of the sporting events here, um, that shine this this great light on our area. So thank you for all that you do. And that's nice. You

Dan Corso:   33:53
say there's a lot of people that go into that process and a lot of good organization because not one group can do it alone. And so I think we're a good example of working together. It becomes very successful and thank you known each other for a long time. So it's nice to connect with you again.

Roger Manis:   34:07
Well, I appreciate you joining us on the boss podcast. And, of course, the boss is an acronym for the Business of Southern Sports. And when we talk business of Southern sports. It comes right across your desk, So appreciate it. Dan Gonna have Herschel in the Heismans are fictional house band Play us out.  

Announcer:   34:26
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Welcome, and life during the pandemic
When Sports stopped and the cancellation of the Final Four
Economic Impact of Final Four Cancellation
Chances Of Hosting A Future Final Four
The Bid Process
Corso's childhood memories of his father Lee
The Atlanta Sales Pitch
Relationship with local teams and venues
Future Events and Bids
Adjustment for media and fans regarding sports consumption during the pandemic
What's on the horizon for the Atlanta Sports Council?
How the success of the Atlanta United is helping the FIFA World Cup bid