FanwayZ: Sports & AI collide with Ken Troupe
Ken Troupe is a sports business veteran and co-founder of Sports Biz Advisors, working with teams and technology companies across professional and collegiate athletics. With decades of experience in ticket sales, relationship-driven revenue, and now sports technology consulting, Ken's seen every wave of "the next big thing" — and he's got a healthy skepticism about who's actually using AI versus who's just slapping the label on their pitch deck.
In this episode, Ken breaks down what's actually happening with AI adoption in sports business, why relationship-driven sales still can't be replicated by bots, and where teams are finding real value (and where they're just chasing buzzwords).
In this episode:
Why only 18-19% of sports professionals are actually using AI tools — despite everyone claiming they are
The AI buzzword problem: vendors saying "we're AI" without being able to articulate what they're actually doing
How AI is making individual jobs more efficient (note-taking, email cleanup, content creation) before it tackles bigger organizational challenges
Why ticket sales jobs aren't going away: the human relationship factor AI can't replicate (yet)
The hilarious story of a team that accidentally named their AI sales bot after a successful adult film star
How user-generated content platforms like Fanways are using AI to extract metadata (number of TVs at a tailgate, what beer fans are drinking) and feed it directly into CRM systems
Ken's approach to AI in the classroom at SMU: use it to refine your original thought, not replace it
What we're getting wrong: assuming everyone who says they're an "AI expert" actually knows what they're talking about
What we're getting right: staying curious about how AI can drive revenue in a results-obsessed industry
Connect with Ken Troupe & Sports Biz Advisors: LinkedIn & sportsbizbuilders.com & fanwayz
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