Vince Thompson

Honored to be named to @AtlantaMagazine's Atlanta 500 for the 6th straight year. Grateful for the people and partnerships that made it possible. @meltatl sbrew.link/LxJ92x5Q #Atlanta500 #Leadership #MELTATL #BuildBrandYou

High school sports now have a transfer portal. 7,000+ moves in a year. NIL didn’t just change college It changed the entire pipeline. MELT has been at the center of youth sports for decades. #NIL #SportsBusiness espn.com/college-footba…

2003: Coca-Cola signs LeBron. Problem: Can’t show him in an NBA uniform. Powerade had signed LeBron James. couldn’t show him in an NBA uniform because of Gatorade’s category rights, but Sprite could. So they turned to MELT to develop, create, and execute a never-done-before solution. We built a character. King James. With DC Comics + David McKillips → 10-issue series → Distributed via Flava 23 gift-with-purchase Then scaled it: • NASCAR at Bristol • Helicopter entrance • 3M comics • ~100% key customer & retailer take rate This wasn’t marketing. It was building a platform early. wsj.com/sports/basketb… @FOS @Sportico @SBJ @SBJDaily @On3sports @TheAthletic @Forbes @WSJ@CNBC @USATODAY @nytimes @SportsBizMiss @MMcCarthyREV @sportsrapport @TerryLefton @AbeMadkour @ajc @RodneyHo @ksugiuraajc @darrenrovell @heitner @Roberts_Matthew @Topgolf @meltatl @ESPN @ESPNCFB @ESPNPR @AdamSchefter @wojespn @Finebaum @KirkHerbstreit @ReceDavis @CollegeGameDay @FOXCollegeFB @CFBONFOX @FOXSports @RobStoneONFOX @BruceFeldmanCFB @CBSSports @CBSSportsCFB @CBSSportsHQ

@GiveMeThaHook @CelliniNick @chrisdimino Yes!

&”@CelliniNick @chrisdimino y’all get Vince back on & let’s break it all down

24-team CFP. Conference title games are gone. $300M–$700M upside. This isn’t expansion. It’s a full reset of college football economics. #CFP #SportsBusiness @darrenrovell @heitner @Roberts_Matthew @D1ticker @NIL_wire @HowieLongShort @jasongay @ksugiuraajc @AJCRodneyHo @_JHokanson @JTalty @finebaum @JakeCrain_ @ShannonTerry @achristovichh @DanielLibit @Sports_Biz_Prof @EricaTNews @Bretjust1T @Madkour @SBJ @rachelcboucher @arhooptalk @BizBash @sherman4949 @MikeOzanian @drubinger @mattwake @_NickKelly @JulietMacur @joedrape @julsouza

Is anyone thinking about the student-athletes? Travel. Wear & tear. Time. Or just more games, more inventory, more monetization? March Madness to 76 teams? Feels like a solution looking for a problem. More games = more inventory = more monetization. But what happens to urgency, exclusivity, and the magic that made it great? Business may make sense. Optics don’t. sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2026/… #MarchMadness #NCAA @darrenrovell @heitner @Roberts_Matthew @D1ticker @NIL_wire @HowieLongShort @jasongay @ksugiuraajc @AJCRodneyHo @_JHokanson @JTalty @finebaum @JakeCrain_ @ShannonTerry @achristovichh @DanielLibit @Sports_Biz_Prof @EricaTNews @Bretjust1T @Madkour @SBJ @rachelcboucher @arhooptalk @BizBash @sherman4949 @MikeOzanian @drubinger @mattwake @_NickKelly @JulietMacur @joedrape @julsouza @meltatl

Excited to be part of the Sports & Business Network @Sportsbiznetwork community alongside incredible leaders like Rennie Curran @RennieCurran53 and others, building in this space. Rennie’s journey speaks for itself: 3x All-American, Team Captain, and MVP at the University of Georgia, followed by time in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans. We’ve known each other for a while, including when Rennie spent time with our interns at @meltatl, sharing his journey from athlete to entrepreneur and what it takes to lead at a high level. That perspective is exactly why he’s built something meaningful with Game Changers, working with organizations like Coca-Cola, Chick-fil-A, and others. This is the kind of community where sports, business, leadership, and relationships all intersect, and one person in this industry should be paying attention to. Looking forward to the upcoming mixer on May 20 and continuing to build alongside this group. MELT #SportsBusiness #Networking #Leadership #SportsIndustry #BusinessCommunity

Are other sports next, and who’s going to follow suit here? Amazon entering college sports with Duke Basketball is bigger than it looks. This isn’t just 3 streamed games. It’s: • NIL integration • commerce + media convergence • direct athlete monetization • a tech platform testing college sports rights Traditional TV controlled college sports for decades. Now streamers are entering the ecosystem with: • data • subscriptions • commerce • advertising • global distribution Question: If Amazon is first… who follows next? Netflix? Apple? YouTube? This feels less like a media deal and more like the beginning of a new college sports business model. espn.com/mens-college-b… @darrenrovell @heitner @Roberts_Matthew @D1ticker @NIL_wire @HowieLongShort @jasongay @ksugiuraajc @AJCRodneyHo @JHokanson @JTalty @finebaum @JakeCrain @ShannonTerry @achristovichh @DanielLibit @Sports_Biz_Prof @EricaTNews @Bretjust1T @Madkour @SBJ @rachelcboucher @arhooptalk @BizBash @sherman4949 @MikeOzanian @drubinger @mattwake @_NickKelly @JulietMacur @joedrape @bradwolverson #SportsBusiness #NIL #CollegeBasketball

People love the spotlight. They hate the work it takes to earn it. There’s no shortcut to mastery. Just discipline, repetition… and doing the hard things when no one’s watching. #maythe4th #starwars #jedi #discipline #starwars #starwarsday #maytheforcebewithyou #maythefourthbewithyou #maythefourth

The Big 12 just took private capital. Not equity. Not control. $500M+ available. This isn’t a bailout. It’s a shift. College sports is becoming a capitalized business. Execution > access. @darrenrovell @heitner @Roberts_Matthew @D1ticker @NIL_wire @HowieLongShort @jasongay @ksugiuraajc @AJCRodneyHo @JHokanson @JTalty @finebaum @JakeCrain @ShannonTerry @achristovichh @DanielLibit @Sports_Biz_Prof @EricaTNews @Bretjust1T @Madkour @SBJ @rachelcboucher @arhooptalk @BizBash @sherman4949 @MikeOzanian @drubinger @mattwake @_NickKelly @JulietMacur @joedrape @bradwolverson sports.yahoo.com/college-footba…

College stadiums were “sacred ground.” Empty 350+ days a year. Now? 65,000+ fans at @MorganWallen. This isn’t a concert. It’s a business model shift. • @AggieFootball: $3.9M net • @UMichFootball: $1.7M • @AuburnFootball: $5M–$8M target Asset utilization > tradition. @darrenrovell @heitner @Roberts_Matthew @D1ticker @NIL_wire @HowieLongShort @jasongay @ksugiuraajc @AJCRodneyHo @JHokanson @JTalty @finebaum @JakeCrain @ShannonTerry @achristovichh @DanielLibit @Sports_Biz_Prof @EricaTNews @Bretjust1T @Madkour @SBJ @rachelcboucher @arhooptalk @BizBash @sherman4949 @MikeOzanian @drubinger @mattwake @_NickKelly @JulietMacur @joedrape @bradwolverson

NCAA Tournament → 76 teams. This isn’t expansion. It’s economics. • ~$1.1B annual media deal • More games = more inventory • Power conferences gain more at-large bids More access = more control. March Madness is changing quietly. @darrenrovell @heitner @Roberts_Matthew @D1ticker @NIL_wire @HowieLongShort @jasongay @ksugiuraajc @AJCRodneyHo @JHokanson @JTalty @finebaum @JakeCrain @ShannonTerry @achristovichh @DanielLibit @Sports_Biz_Prof @EricaTNews @Bretjust1T @Madkour @SBJ @rachelcboucher @arhooptalk @BizBash @sherman4949 @MikeOzanian @drubinger @mattwake @_NickKelly @JulietMacur @joedrape @bradwolverson espn.com/mens-college-b…

Youth sports streaming is a $10B+ business and is scaling. • 60M+ kids in youth sports • Families + recruiting driving demand • PE + platforms investing in infrastructure What started as convenience → is now a real media layer. While pro rights get all the attention… This market is quietly building. sbrew.link/CkefUgPo @darrenrovell @heitner @Roberts_Matthew @D1ticker @NIL_wire @HowieLongShort @jasongay @ksugiuraajc @AJCRodneyHo @JHokanson @JTalty @finebaum @JakeCrain @ShannonTerry @achristovichh @DanielLibit @Sports_Biz_Prof @EricaTNews @Bretjust1T @Madkour @SBJ @rachelcboucher @arhooptalk @BizBash @sherman4949 @MikeOzanian @drubinger @mattwake @_NickKelly @JulietMacur @joedrape @bradwolverson

Flag football isn’t coming. It’s scaling. • 2.5M+ girls playing • +283% youth growth • 60+ college programs forming Low barrier. NFL backing. Olympic sport. This isn’t a trend. It’s infrastructure. And the brands that understand where this is going, not where it’s been, will win. @MELTATL has been in “the game” for 26 years. If you need navigational help in the sponsorship space, we are here for you. @darrenrovell @heitner @Roberts_Matthew @D1ticker @NIL_wire @HowieLongShort @jasongay @ksugiuraajc @AJCRodneyHo @JHokanson @JTalty @finebaum @JakeCrain @ShannonTerry @achristovichh @DanielLibit @Sports_Biz_Prof @EricaTNews @Bretjust1T @Madkour @SBJ @rachelcboucher @arhooptalk @BizBash @sherman4949 @MikeOzanian @drubinger @mattwake @_NickKelly @JulietMacur @joedrape @bradwolverson

The NFL Draft isn’t just talent. It’s capital allocation. • $20M–$40M+ per first-round pick • NIL → brand-ready prospects • Players entering as assets, not just athletes 800K people showed up… to hear names called. That’s a machine. Can the NFL help stabilize college football? @darrenrovell @heitner @Roberts_Matthew @D1ticker @NIL_wire @HowieLongShort @jasongay @ksugiuraajc @AJCRodneyHo @JHokanson @JTalty @finebaum @JakeCrain @ShannonTerry @achristovichh @DanielLibit @Sports_Biz_Prof @EricaTNews @Bretjust1T @Madkour @SBJ @rachelcboucher @arhooptalk @BizBash @sherman4949 @MikeOzanian @drubinger @mattwake @_NickKelly @JulietMacur @joedrape @bradwolverson