471: Laura Dixon on Building the Trade Association Pro Sports Never Had

Joe Favorito and Tom Richardson welcome Pro Sports Assembly CEO & co-founder, Laura Dixon, for a deep dive into why the sports industry went so long without its own professional trade association, and how she’s fixing that. Dixon, the former head of External Relations for the San Antonio Spurs, explains what “external affairs” really means inside a team front office, why informed and inclusive leadership is at the core of Pro Sports Assembly, and how member resource groups and small leadership cohorts are quietly driving best (and worst) practice sharing across leagues, teams, unions, and venues. The conversation touches on hot-button issues like sports betting regulation, infrastructure and real estate plays, private equity, NIL, and the structural challenges facing women’s sports and emerging properties. Dixon also shares her philosophy treating each job as “big time,” the importance of hearing directly from Gen Z, and the mentors and moments, from the Spurs to Game Changers, that shaped her path.Connect with Laura: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraddixon/The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR) and produced by Sam Henry (@s_henry11), LJ Holmgren (@LJ_Holmgren), and Danny Hagenlocher (@DhColumbiaSPS), with social media efforts led by Sydney Cristall, Emily Kim, and Lissa Ruiz. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecuspshow.substack.com