Michael Yormark, President of Roc Nation: Will Vinicius Junior Win the Ballon d'Or? | Ep.42

This week, we are joined by one of the most influential figures in the world of sport and entertainment: Michael Yormark, President of Roc Nation Sports International. With a career that spans the intersection of business, marketing, and global talent representation, Michael has redefined what it means to manage athletes and entertainers.
For the agency established by Jay-Z, Michael has been the driving force behind Roc Nation’s global expansion in sport, instrumental in representing some of the industry’s biggest names, including Vinicius Jr, Kevin De Bruyne, Endrick, Siya Kolisi. Included in that remit; creating groundbreaking partnerships, and shaping the future of athlete empowerment as brand.
From orchestrating these multimillion-dollar brand deals to advocating for social justice initiatives, Michael is a visionary leader who’s not just pushing boundaries, he’s setting new standards.

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro
(01:03) What "The Family" Means at Roc Nation
(02:14) The US-to-UK Transition in Talent Representation
(07:05) How Roc Nation Was Brought to Sports Industry
(08:44) How Proactive Are Athletes About Planning Post-Career vs. Needing Guidance?
(11:41) How Are Agents Often Misaligned with Talent?
(13:26) Key People Behind Roc Nation's European Representation Model?
(17:01) Navigating Family Involvement in Athlete Representation
(21:21) How Has Vini Jr.'s Response to Racism Shaped His Sense of Social Impact?
(24:05) Why Do Young Stars Often Fail to Reach Their Potential?
(25:37) Is Jay-Z Involved in Talent Relations at Roc Nation?
(31:04) Why Vini Jr is The Most Disciplined Athlete
(31:52) How Did Siya Kolisi Join Roc Nation’s Rugby Development?
(34:38) Balancing Commercial Engagement & Personal Well-Being for Athletes
(36:07) How Can Rugby Cultivate Global Superstars?
(40:12) Which Sport Will Rise in Popularity in the Next 5-10 Years?
(42:02) How to Improve MLS
(48:20) Is Reliance on Star Players a Vulnerability for US Sports Franchises?
(52:21) Taylor Swift’s Impact
(54:55) What Would Michael Change About His Job?
(56:36) Unmade Decisions
(59:42) Quick-Fire Round
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On today’s show we discuss:

The role of an agent:
How to gain the trust of the biggest sports, media and entertainment stars.
Building the Roc Nation family: person over revenue. If the best interest of the talent is put first, more often than not, everyone wins in the long run.
What learnings were brought over from Roc Nation’s work in the music industry that have been applied so effectively to sport?
All the best athletes, from Ronaldo to LeBron James, have had big teams around them to help them achieve greatness. What do these teams look like?
Build the hype - why should Vinicius Jr win the Ballon D’Or?
International expansion:
The move from the US to Europe was driven by Michael’s willingness to move and set up from scratch. How did he go about building one of the most influential international sports talent agencies?
What surprised Michael most about the difference between European and US sport?
How did Roc Nation communicate their vision to the top football and rugby players to bring them into the family?
What is it like representing Kevin De Bruyne, Vinicius Jr, Endrick, Gabriel Martinelli, Siya Kolisi, and how do you decide who is the right fit for the business?
Athlete as brand:
Players now need to be more than just their on field performance to maximise the role they can play in society. How do you help them achieve this?
The difference between the star culture driven US sports environment and the collective team based one we see in Europe.
Helping Vini Jr combat racism: how has the Roc Nation family supported their player as he encountered numerous racist interactions, often very publicly on the field?
The biggest challenge for rugby players in maximising their profile? The game doesn’t want them to. Why?
How important is it to commercial partners that the talent they partner with has a standing in society away from the sport they play?

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