John WilliIs, Accelerate Sports Ventures - High School Sports the New College Sports?

John Willi is President of Accelerate Sports Ventures; John brings a uniquely holistic perspective to sports business, boasting a diverse career that spans every tier of the industry. From rolling up his sleeves as a young GM in minor league baseball and driving collegiate media rights at IMG College, to handling corporate partnerships for the New York Jets and advising World Cup host committees with Playfly, John has spent decades connecting with audiences from the grassroots to the global stage.

Today, John is leveraging that deep experience to scale Accelerate Holdings across the collegiate and high school sectors. While Accelerate's collegiate arms focus on NIL consultancy and alternative revenue generation, John leads Accelerate Media, a division dedicated to professionalizing the high school landscape. By executing regional market rollups, building premium broadcast networks like the Super Football Conference Network, and embedding revenue-share models that fund local scholarships, his team is unlocking a massive, historically fragmented market.

John unpacks the untapped potential of a high school sports industry that draws 500 million attendees annually. They dive into the strategy behind building localized, college-style media networks, how high schools are competing against the travel club circuit, and the mechanics of structuring deals through school district red tape. Finally, they discuss the critical responsibility of commercializing youth sports while protecting the amateur experience, highlighting the growing need for athlete education, mental health resources, and keeping the game fun.

Podcast Chapters:

02:39 John Willi’s Journey in Sports Management

05:19 Understanding Accelerate Media's Role in High School Sports

07:51 Strategic Approaches to High School Sports Media

10:42 The Impact of Club Sports on High School Athletics

13:16 Structuring Partnerships and Revenue Models

15:52 The Success of the Super Football Conference

18:54 Cross-Pollination of Opportunities within Accelerate

21:39 Future Trends in High School Sports Media

24:09 Challenges and Responsibilities in Youth Sports

26:48 Engaging Diverse Audiences in Sports Broadcasting