Mellody Hobson Is Investing in a Big Sports Opportunity | The Deal

In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly talk with Mellody Hobson, co-CEO and president of Ariel Investments, about her firm’s newly launched fund, “Project Level,” devoted to investing in women’s sports. In this conversation, which was taped in front of an audience at Bloomberg’s Invest conference, Hobson tells the hosts why she decided to personally invest in the Chicago White Sox and the Denver Broncos, how F1 racer Lewis Hamilton taught her to speak more positively to herself and what she learned from a specific seat at the table of the Starbucks Board of Directors.

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00:00 - 01:17 Intro
01:17 - 05:34 Mellody & John Rogers' partnership
05:34 - 09:28 How Mellody got into sports investing
09:28 - 10:48 Ariel's playbook for sports
10:48 - 15:56 Denver's NWSL expansion team
15:56 - 18:07 Ariel's Competitive Advantage
18:07 - 20:28 Bringing Jason Wright in to run Project Level
20:28 - 25:19 Denver Broncos Investment
25:19 - 30:56 Mellody's Friendship with Lewis Hamilton
30:56 - 32:52 How women's sports can succeed
32:52 - 36:45 Why Mellody always sat next to Howard Schultz
36:45 - 39:46 How Mellody chooses opportunities
39:46 - 43:24 Bill Bradley's advice
43:24 - 45:30 Rapid Fire

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Post from Bloomberg on May 21, 2025

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