Transcript

The transcript below has been lightly edited for readability and clarity. Click any starting timestamp to jump to that exact point in the YouTube video.

Podcast Introduction

[00:00] Don Costante:

Welcome to the Rundown Podcast, hosted by Don Costante, a nationally recognized event presentation expert with over 30 years of experience and author of Beyond the Scoreboard. This podcast takes you behind the scenes with industry leaders to unpack the insights, strategies, and creative tactics that drive unforgettable live experiences. Let’s get started.

Five Lessons From Producing League Championships

[00:26] Don Costante:

When a team reaches the championship stage in professional sports, event presentation can change significantly. It shifts from team-driven to league-driven. That means new challenges, higher pressure, and the need to adapt on the fly while still delivering unforgettable fan experiences. My guest today knows this world better than most. Joe Legaz, director of game operations and live experience for the Seattle Sounders FC, has spent 27 years in sports, working with nine professional teams across all five major leagues. Along the way, he’s helped execute five championships, including two World Series, a Super Bowl, and most recently, the 2025 MLS Leagues Cup. Today, Joe takes us behind the scenes and shares his five lessons from producing league championships. These are real-world insights you won’t find on the highlight reel, but they’re the lessons that make championship events truly successful. I’m ready to get started. Let’s meet Joe Legaz. Hey, Joe. Thanks for joining me on the Rundown.

Meet Joe Legaz

[01:36] Joe Legaz:

Absolutely. Happy to be here.

Joe Legaz’s Career Path

[01:37] Don Costante:

I want to start by taking a moment to have you share your career path, how you got to become the director of game presentation and live experience for the Seattle Sounders FC.

[01:48] Joe Legaz:

Absolutely. For me, I feel like there was no shortcut. I started from the bottom. I knew at a young age that I really wanted to work in some form of creative marketing. I love sports. Grew up in a baseball family. Three of my uncles played in the Pacific Coast League. My aunt worked in sports as well for the Mariners for many years. So that really seemed to be a fit. I started working at the Mariners when I was 16, part of what they called their fielder program. There’s about 50 of us kids, I will say, that did all kinds of things to get off the stadium, from babysitting the players’ kids, to cleaning up urine spills in the children’s play area, handing out giveaways, serving as a VIP concierge or guest escort, helping the marketing team with on-field community promotions. And, you know, I did that in a support capacity until I graduated college. And then after college, honestly, I kind of wrote off the idea of being in sports, just because having been on the inside a little bit, I saw how rare the jobs were. You know, in all the years that I helped, in the six years that I was working at the Mariners in that sport role, nobody in the marketing department left. And so I just kind of felt like maybe I can utilize my experience there to parlay that into a job at a sponsor or something like that.

[02:57] Joe Legaz:

But I kind of didn’t really think that it was all that plausible for me to work at a club. And then I saw a marketing manager job for the Mariners posted. And I knew I was vastly underqualified. But using the old adage, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, I applied anyways. And I got an interview. And I actually remember running into the head of HR while I was walking through the office. And she was like, oh, what are you doing here? And I was like, I’m interviewing for the marketing manager job. And she was like, her jaw dropped. She was shocked because she knew that I was not qualified. Well, it turns out that they were also looking for a coordinator level role that they hadn’t posted. And their goal was to pick from the marketing manager pool. And so they said, you know what? You are a perfect fit for that role. And so they actually hired me for that role. It was a seasonal role. So I spent one year working for the Mariners. And then I was laid off because there’s just not enough work in the offseason. And it was really difficult. It was actually probably one of the more difficult things I’ve had to endure in that I spent all year trying to gather a list of reasons to justify my existence in the offseason. And when it came down to it in the end, I couldn’t look my boss in the face, try to justify my existence.

[04:07] Joe Legaz:

Because I knew without games, there just wasn’t enough for me to do. And the last thing I wanted to do is peer disingenuous. So I was then kind of like, well, back to a job search. And, you know, I just stayed in close contact with my bosses there. And I actually remember I created like a presentation deck on a CD. And I skinned it for every team, literally every team in professional sports. And I mailed them these discs. And I think I got like three responses. So it’s pretty demoralizing. But it turns out that the San Francisco Giants had an open role. And my boss at the Giants was close friends with my boss at the Mariners. You know, the guy at the Mariners said, hey, I got someone who’s really talented for you. And so I was able to land that role. And so that brought me into my first real, I kind of say in a lot of ways, my first real opportunity was a full-time role as the entertainment coordinator with the San Francisco Giants. I was blessed to be there for eight seasons. Endure two World Series runs, a World Baseball Classic. Barry Bonds broke the home run record during that time. We had an All-Star game. We had a World Baseball Classic. We had no hitter. We had an MVP season. There’s almost nothing I didn’t experience in the game of baseball in that time. During that time, I also was freelancing with the Warriors a little bit, kind of just on their Hoot Troop entertainment team.

[05:21] Joe Legaz:

I always like to do that. That’s kind of gets me back to my roots a little bit and just always like a fun way to continue to like see what other people are doing in the industry. And after eight years, I kind of gained some industry experience and reputation. And so from there, you know, things kind of went quickly. I spent three years with the 49ers helping to openly buy stadium to find the fan experience there, which was a very memorable experience. Having the chance to kind of really fully define everything was pretty cool and not something that everyone in this industry gets to do. And then from there, I was hired as the director of marketing to the L.A. Clippers. And that was post their kind of ugly incident with Donald Sterling. Steve Ballmer came in, really wanted to change things. And it felt like, again, a blessing, the opportunity to redefine a brand that had been so badly tarnished and like take it in a new direction. So that was a really, really fun challenge. And then while I was there, I also freelanced with the Rams a bit, kind of in the same capacity I did with the Warriors. And then COVID hit. I had some family health situations that I had to address back in Seattle. And so I moved back home. And when things kind of opened back up again, I had the chance to take another shot at it and look at where I wanted to go.

[06:29] Joe Legaz:

I had some offers on the table. But honestly, I didn’t really want to be a mercenary anymore. I really liked the thought of working for a local team. And I actually had a job offer. I had to give them 48 hours of the answer if I was going to take it or not. And the Sounders posted this job. And I basically rejected the job and just crossed my fingers and said, I hope I get this sounders job. And it allowed me to stay here in Seattle, continue to help with some family stuff that I need to help with. And work for a hometown team, which I’m super passionate about because I grew up watching them. And then while I’ve been here, I did a little bit of freelancing with the Kraken as well, just so I could be a part of their first amazing year. And say that I’ve now worked in all five big professional sports, which is, I think, a really fun box to check.

[07:08] Don Costante:

That’s awesome. Just a wealth of experience. And I know you and I crossed paths in 2014 when you guys won against our Royals. So that was the first time I lost a championship, to be honest with you, after being with the Spurs. So thank you for that experience.

[07:23] Joe Legaz:

Yeah. Well, it’s always good to humble yourself, right?

[07:27] Don Costante:

Yeah, right? I always tell people, now I got an understanding of what it’s like to lose. So thank you for that experience. Before we begin our discussion today on our topic, lessons learned from producing league championships, could you share your philosophy on event presentation?

Joe Legaz’s Event Presentation Philosophy

[07:45] Joe Legaz:

Sure. My philosophy will probably come off as the most unphilosophical philosophy. But it’s informed by having the unique experience of having worked for teams with very different brand personalities crossed by very differently. So what I’d say I’ve learned about the industry and what a lot of ways makes it special is kind of whatever works. So each team and league is so different that it requires a custom approach. And I’ve done things in one place that fans in another would absolutely hate and vice versa. And the clubs themselves would hate. So you really have to understand the market, the culture, the league, the sport, and its fans to be successful. You also have to be open to trying completely new things. I mean, I’ve done things that I thought, this is going to fail. I do not think this is a good idea. I do not think fans will like this. But I have an open mind, so let’s give it a shot. And then they have been just incredibly successful. And they have literally defined your season in terms of entertainment. And you’re like, well, okay. You know, and I have other things where I thought, man, this is going to be great. And it just falls flat. And that’s one of the reasons that actually Kevin Martinez, the now president of the Mariners, kind of famously said this to me. And I think it’s so true.

[08:52] Joe Legaz:

This is the reason this is one of the greatest industries in the world. And the greatest job is you give immediate feedback on what you do, right? You have 60,000 people telling you this sucks or like this is awesome. And there’s no arguing with that. You know, there’s no arguing. No one in the front office can tell you we don’t like that. It’s like, well, the fans do. And so we know it’s the right thing to do. So I guess my point is you just never know what makes a place exciting. You just never know what’s going to work. And so kind of you just lean into if it works, you’re on to something. Kind of go with it. Now, if you need to modify that to fit with the brand, then modify it. But just play around, be open-minded, experiment, and you’ll find your way. All that said, there are some universal truths that do guide my approach. And this is my attempt to actually answer your question. The first is tradition, which is to say a repetition of experience. These are things that are programmed like clockworks. And they unite every human in the building. And they allow them to kind of be part of a shared activity. One of the reasons that that is such a powerful thing, I think, is because all humans want is connection.

[09:47] Don Costante:

That’s right.

[09:48] Joe Legaz:

Human connection is so powerful. And one-on-one connection is really powerful. But so is being one of 60,000 people all doing the same thing. There’s a deeper understanding for us and joy and pleasure, I think, when we’re in those moments. Because we feel we’re part of something. And so finding ways to build tradition is obviously huge. The energy it creates is what makes sports so magical. The second thing is in the exact opposite end of the spectrum. It’s the spontaneous and the unpredictability of things that are happening, that are exciting, that are fun, that are dramatic moments, that are occurring, that can truly never be repeated. So a fan gets to be like, I was there for that. I experienced that live. We all love to say that as humans. We have the drama of what’s happening unfolding in front of our eyes. And it’s truly one of a kind. It will never happen again. You had to be there that day in order to get that experience. I think the reason that that’s so special is that makes us feel alive. You know? It gets us out of the monotony of our day-to-day drive to work, work, drive home, work out, eat food, go to bed. Like it’s so monotonous.

[10:50] Don Costante:

Absolutely.

[10:51] Joe Legaz:

So when we get to be a part of something that’s just like, oh my God, I saw this thing and never going to see that again. I think that also is an incredibly special thing.

[10:58] Don Costante:

That’s cool. So yeah, that’s my philosophy. You know, I appreciate it. I always love asking that question. There’s no right or wrong. It’s just, I’m always interested in what people think and what their philosophy and how they use that for the basis of all their decisions in creating those game day experiences. So that helps to set the tone for today. And I want to build on that. I want to take our listeners deeper into the experiences of some of sports biggest stages. And that brings us to today’s topic. And that’s looking behind the scenes, five lessons from producing league championships. So Joe, let’s start with the first one. What’s the first lesson you’ve learned from producing a league championship?

Behind the Scenes of League Championships

Lesson One: It Is Not Your Show

[11:40] Joe Legaz:

Yeah, I think the first lesson and most important lesson is, it is not your show. That when you get to the championship level at just about any league, the league comes in. It’s their event. It’s their show.

[11:51] Don Costante:

That is so true.

[11:52] Joe Legaz:

You take a backseat to them and it can be odd because you’re used to kind of being the decision maker, being a producer, and now you’re just living in a support capacity. So a couple of things to note on that one, a lot of key traditions and elements of your experience, they may go away or they may become fully neutral. Sometimes like MLS often tries to treat things as neutral environment games, which can be really tricky because you still want to infuse some of your supporter traditions and make it feel like it’s a special home match for your fans. But you understand also what the league is trying to do and you have to kind of help them in that.

[12:26] Don Costante:

Hey, Joe, before you go on, though, can you share an example or a moment when you had to adjust quickly because the league’s priorities took over the club’s usual way of running things?

[12:36] Joe Legaz:

Yeah. So one of the things I was going to share, the key to success here is to be an ambassador for your club because you may not be the decision maker. But you need to lobby hard on behalf of the club, things that are special to your club and your fans. So a great example is that’s actually recent Leagues Cup. The league wanted to play their MLS anthem during team walkout. And our probably most special moment in the stadium is our team walkout with what we call boom, boom, clap. Our supporters, I mean, it’s literally 69,000 fans doing the boom, boom, clap, which is basically some stomp hits and then a clap. Right. And they do it in unison. And it’s incredible when it’s that many people together. And it’s just truly are inspiring. And we have this song called Whales, like a whale song that kicks it off and leads the supporters into their boom, boom, clap. Without whales, supporters are kind of lost and they end up not doing it usually. So we had rehearsals. The MLS had a performer going live. And they were like, well, can we, it’s kind of awkward the way that we have to do this. Can we just not play whales? And we can just let the MLS anthem play through. And so we kind of fought to say, let’s figure out how we can reorient things to get whales in there. Because that is going to be, it’s a small, tiny thing, but it has a monumental effect on our game presentation experience for our fans.

Being an Ambassador for Your Club

[13:56] Joe Legaz:

And so we lobbied them and then we worked with them to try to figure out how could we salvage that moment. You know, it would have been a totally different experience without that for our fans. And so that’s a great example of just understanding your role, but also being a very effective ambassador for your club.

[14:11] Don Costante:

Wow. You know, the league taking over the show, this dynamics you need to championships. And it’s because the spotlight does shift and the club becomes that partner to the league rather than the lead producer. So how do you balance being an ambassador for the fans while ensuring the league’s brand is represented exactly the way they want?

Balancing Club Traditions With the League Brand

[14:30] Joe Legaz:

Yeah, I think it’s just all about picking your spots, right? And it’s finding key moments. And we knew that, you know, for example, there was going to be pyro and smoke shut off that were pink for Miami in our upcoming game. Fans aren’t going to love that. Right. But that’s part of MLS being like, we’re putting on, you know, somewhat of a neutral show. Right. Even though at your location, we’re going to highlight Miami’s colors in your colors. And like, okay, that’s probably not that big a deal. And that’s not really a bargaining point that we have, or we’re not able to negotiate that away. But making sure that some of our key moments, like another key moment is scarves up, where we have a local kind of celebrity hoist the scarf into the air. And that’s what starts kickoff. And like we push hard to have that moment included and like alter the timing. So it’s kind of looking at your show and going, what are the key moments? What are the things that will move the needle most? It’s like Pareto Principle, 80-20, right? 20% of the things you do drive 80% of the impact.

[15:21] Don Costante:

That’s right.

[15:21] Joe Legaz:

So it’s like, look for the 20% of the things that you know your fans will miss if they’re not there. And focus on how do you get those in? And how do you push for those? Let the league win on 80% of the things. So the league’s like, yeah, we gave a little, but we got a lot more. And you’re happy because even though you only got a little, all that you got is really what was crucially important.

[15:41] Don Costante:

Yeah. Such a valuable takeaway. Now, building on that, what’s the second lesson you learned?

Lesson Two: The Stakes Are Higher

[15:48] Joe Legaz:

The second lesson is the stakes are higher. Everyone is on edge about everything. And there’s a lot of stress that goes into it just based on the game itself. People have nervous energy, right? Because it’s about to be a championship. Big swings can happen for clubs whether you win or whether you lose. But also, you’re usually on some form of national, if not global television. So the game really has to go off without a hitch. Because there’s a lot more eyeballs on it.

[16:12] Don Costante:

Yeah.

[16:12] Joe Legaz:

And you could have done literally the same thing for 80 games. And I had this experience, right? Many times. We’re like, we’ve done this 81 times this year. And suddenly, it’s a topic of concern to be discussed in extreme detail. And you kind of just want to stalk and go, guys, why are we talking about this? We’ve done this every game. It does not go wrong 81 times. It will not go wrong on time 82.

[16:33] Don Costante:

So what is an example of a detail that never came up all season, but suddenly became a hot issue at the championship level?

[16:39] Joe Legaz:

Yeah. I mean, pyro is an easy one because there’s just natural safety concerns.

[16:43] Don Costante:

Right.

[16:44] Joe Legaz:

Could be audio issues like having someone sing, Take Me Out to the Ball Game in the seventh inning. Or God Bless America in the eighth inning. And they’re like, well, can we get out there in time? Like, we’ve gotten out there in time 81 out of 81 times. We’ll get out there in time. You know?

[16:57] Don Costante:

Yeah.

[16:58] Joe Legaz:

Any kind of little thing, really, it could be. And again, I think it’s a lot of just nervous energy. It’s like a lot of times people, because the league comes in, there’s a lot of times that the teams don’t have quite as much to do at certain moments. And so they go, how can I use my nervous energy? What can I dig into to distract myself from my nerves and my anxiety?

[17:16] Don Costante:

Yeah.

[17:17] Joe Legaz:

And you have multiple people, right? So you have team execs asking questions. You have league execs asking questions. You have broadcast executives. Everyone is asking you questions. Everyone is drilling down. Every detail is crucial because, you know, truly some very, very small details can cause very big impacts if you get them on. So, you know, it can be weird, admittedly, when you’re doing this stuff for years without fail, and suddenly it feels like no one trusts you.

[17:42] Don Costante:

Oh, yeah.

[17:42] Joe Legaz:

And you just have to realize, you know, and I have to, even after being through this multiple times, I always just kind of have to stop and tell myself, like, it’s not me. It’s not that they don’t trust me. It’s just they have nervous energy and they need an exit point. And this is, unfortunately, I’m that exit point. That’s the reality. And so you just have to not take it personally and understand that it’s just part of human nature.

[18:02] Don Costante:

Yeah. Championships magnify everything. I mean, from credentialing to security to player introductions. Even the smallest details carry a lot of weight when you’re dealing with the league at championships. But how do you prepare your team to handle that type of layer of scrutiny?

Preparing Your Team for Championship-Level Scrutiny

[18:20] Joe Legaz:

Yeah. I mean, I think, you know, it starts with, again, just making sure that everyone understands, like, what’s about to come down is not personal. It’s not that people don’t trust you. It’s just the nature of how this works.

[18:30] Don Costante:

Right.

[18:31] Joe Legaz:

And then it’s also, like, a great exercise in get your ducks in a row. Be flawless with your words. Be flawless with your documents and your details about everything. Because oftentimes game presentation, depending on the organization, can be overlooked in some ways. It’s like kind of just this odd duck that no one really knows how to deal with. It’s not, like, true business in the way that, like, ticket sales might be or accounting. Right. They’re all very standard. Game presentation doesn’t exist really anywhere else. So, like, oftentimes even your review of marketing or CMOs maybe comes from an outside organization that doesn’t have something like this. And they’re like, I don’t really have any experience managing this. I don’t understand it. Right. So, you oftentimes exist in this vacuum that, like, sometimes is really nice, but sometimes can be also horrible. Because you’re like, no one’s paying me any attention over here. I’m just kind of toiling away. And so, I kind of think of it as, think of this as an opportunity where the entire organization is now looking at you very closely. You have an opportunity to shine. And for people to go, wow, so-and-so is on top of it. They literally know this stuff down to the tiniest millisecond detail. When I dig on this topic, like, they can just spout off everything.

[19:39] Joe Legaz:

So, I just say, like, this is an opportunity for you to show how talented you are within the organization.

[19:44] Don Costante:

Yeah. And have people start to actually recognize you for what you do. I love that. I love that approach. So, what’s the third lesson that stands out from producing league events?

Lesson Three: Communication Is Key

[19:53] Joe Legaz:

Yeah, I think the third is communication is key. Successful execution requires a lot of parties working together, including three huge groups, which I already kind of touched on. The team, the league, and the broadcast part.

[20:04] Don Costante:

Yeah, yeah.

[20:04] Joe Legaz:

All three of these groups will be in very close communication with you, but often not with each other. So, I’ll give you a great example of this. When I was with the Giants, and this was for, I can’t remember who’s All-Star or World Series. But in the role of game presentation lead, you’re kind of like the quarterback in a lot of ways. Because these three groups, they kind of all have to come to you to figure out what’s going on. And so, there was a moment when I sent out a run of show to, you know, 80 different people, right, that needed to have it. And I got a message back from my SVP at the Giants that said, we need to adjust X. I forget what it was exactly. But it was, we need to adjust X because this needs to go like this. Right back to that, I got a message from Brian O’Gara, the head of MLB Events, that said, we need to adjust this because this needs to be like this. But it was different than what my SVP said. And then I got an email from the broadcast lead that said, we need to adjust this. It needs to be like this and like this. All three things were different. So, I wrote them back an email with all three of their emails attached. And I said, we need to huddle now. So, I got everyone in a room and I said, okay, I can’t do this one thing three different ways. So, we need to figure out in this room how we want to do that thing.

[21:16] Joe Legaz:

That’s a low-hanging fruit example because that happens constantly. But it was just funny that it was literally three emails, boom, boom, boom, in my inbox that said opposite things from three of the top people, all of whom I had to listen to. But I can’t listen to all of them in that moment.

[21:30] Don Costante:

Yeah. So, you kind of quarterback and get everyone on the same page because sometimes one tiny little missed detail can lead to huge disruptions in your production. So, outside of miscommunication, when you’re essentially quarterbacking, as you said, between broadcast, league executives, and team staff, what’s the biggest challenge in keeping everybody aligned outside of the miscommunication that you just talked about?

Keeping the Team, League, and Broadcast Aligned

[21:56] Joe Legaz:

I guess you’d see some challenges. One is making sure you have all the right people that know the thing, right? Like, I would just try to send this to as many people as possible and say, hey, this might not be relevant to you.

[22:05] Don Costante:

Yeah.

[22:05] Joe Legaz:

But I want to make sure that if it is relevant to you, you have it. But inevitably, there’s somebody who’s the person who’s maybe like the producer who’s going to be on site telling somebody something and they weren’t on the email because you don’t even know they exist. But that’s the person that needed the info.

[22:19] Don Costante:

Yeah.

[22:20] Joe Legaz:

And the person that gets it doesn’t pass it on to their team member. And so, then they’re like, well, I never got this. So, it’s like, how do you meet everybody that is on site and be like, I don’t know that I need to send this to you, but can you give me your email so I can make sure I can send it to you? And just over communication to the point where you can say, look, yeah, I’m sorry this isn’t relevant to you, but I’m going to share it anyways. And if you think that there’s anybody that does not have this information that needs it, please send this to them as well. I think that’s a big one for sure.

[22:47] Don Costante:

No, I love that. I always talk about over communicating. Championships are pressure. They compress the timelines. There’s no room for miscommunication, as you talked about. I mean, I think you even mentioned one drop message or communication can create a ripple effect, right?

[23:02] Joe Legaz:

Absolutely.

Managing Pressure in Real Time

[23:02] Don Costante:

So, how do you personally manage that pressure in real time? Are there systems or tools or habits that you rely on?

[23:09] Joe Legaz:

You know, one of the things that I do, that I’ve done, you know, kind of religiously in my career is, I started when I was working at the Giants. This is before pregame, when you have to go out and that’s when, you know, you’re producing all the pregame ceremonies and then you go to the game. Script is done. When a show is finalized, you already briefed your crew. You’ve had your meal. It’s 30 minutes before you need to be in the chair producing. And I would sit at my desk and no one would be there because, you know, it’s a night game. It’s seven o’clock. Everyone’s gone home for the day. And I’m just sitting there in the quiet, dark, running through the script in my head and going, okay, this moment, what could go wrong in this moment? And then I go, what am I going to do if this moment goes wrong? What am I going to do if the doors are supposed to swing open and the players run out and the doors don’t swing open? How do I mitigate this?

[23:52] Don Costante:

Right.

[23:52] Joe Legaz:

And there are some that are standard that happen every day. What happens if the player who’s supposed to have the ceremonial first pitch doesn’t have a ball? What do I do? Right. So then it’s like, I start to have all these, like, if this happens, then X, Y, and Z. And so I create outs for myself in my head based on the ways in which I think things can go wrong. Of course, Murphy’s Law is always, whenever I think this is how things are going to go wrong, those things never go wrong. And I’m like, I did not foresee that happening. And then I think that’s when instinct just kicks in. And it’s not a thing that I think can be hot necessarily. It’s like you kind of either have it or you don’t. Do you freeze under that pressure or do you have the ability to kind of think quickly and critically and get it done? And you get better at it, certainly, as you go through those moments. Because when you go through a really pressure-tested situation, the next time you have a pressure-tested situation, you’re like, oh, I’ve been through worse than this. This is easy. You know what I mean? This is easy. Like, your ability to withstand pressure mounts.

[24:51] Don Costante:

Oh, absolutely.

[24:51] Joe Legaz:

So, man, I remember going through moments later in my career that are like, I’m totally calm and it’s not even something I’m worried about. And people around me are stressed out. Like, how do you do this? Like, because I’ve been doing it for years. And trust me, I’ve been in tighter binds than this. So, this is actually not a moment I’m worried about. And I think also I’ve always been, and this is something that just like has always been there for me, is at the end of the day, I know that what we’re doing is not, we’re not curing cancer. We’re not operating on someone’s heart. And so, it’s important and high profile in that there’s a lot of eyes on it. What we do reflects, you know, on literally a global scale on someone’s brand. If we kind of screw up and there’s an embarrassing moment live on national television, that’s an ugly look for the brand. They’re embarrassed, right?

[25:33] Don Costante:

Right.

[25:34] Joe Legaz:

So, it’s like social pressure, which is a lot of pressure, but it’s not real pressure.

[25:39] Don Costante:

Right.

[25:40] Joe Legaz:

You know, social pressure is not real in a lot of ways. So, I have that in the back of my head where I’m like, by the way, this thing that you’re really worried about is not important in any capacity, in the context of human life. And so, when you can have that thought, for me at least, I’m able to go, okay, now I’m relaxed. And now when I get relaxed, I can think about what the solve is. And then I can act quickly to solve the problem.

[26:02] Don Costante:

I couldn’t agree more. When I first went to the Spurs, it was 1999, it was the first championship. And I remember the amount of pressure. Exactly what you’re talking about. I started to put it into perspective. I started to say to myself, if there’s a mistake, who’s going to remember that a day from now, a month from now, a year from now. And so, when I started thinking about it and also started putting it in terms of it’s not life or death, we’re not doing surgery. It put me at ease. And I think that your process for sitting down and reviewing the run of show and thinking through scenarios, the if-then statements is so true. I do that all the time because it’s all about preparation, right? And it’s about if you feel like you’re prepared in any given situation, and of course, your staff is prepared too because you are, and you’re able to make the proper communication calls, then it puts you at ease in those situations. So, I couldn’t agree more. Anyways, regarding communication is key. I mean, clear communication across all parties is the glue that absolutely holds these massive productions, these championships together. So, what’s the fourth lesson that you’ve taken away from working on league championships?

Lesson Four: Television Reigns Supreme

[27:14] Joe Legaz:

The fourth lesson is that television reigns supreme. So, the relationship between broadcast and in-game experience can sometimes be contentious.

[27:22] Don Costante:

You think?

[27:23] Joe Legaz:

Yeah. You know, and look, it comes from a great place, right? Each side is looking out for the experience of their audience, as they should.

[27:30] Don Costante:

Yeah.

[27:30] Joe Legaz:

But sometimes these can naturally be in conflict. Now, for a normal game, each group has a pretty equal stake. Any preference can often come down to views of the team execs. But usually, you try to work together and find a balance. But for a championship game with usually a global audience and millions in ad dollars at play, television is going to get its way every single time. And there is really no exception for that.

[27:55] Don Costante:

That’s right.

[27:55] Joe Legaz:

And this can cause the in-game experience a lot of stress and hardship in several different ways. First is, often requires you, as a game presentation lead, to contort your show around broadcast in ways that makes your programming odd. I actually saw this a little bit with the MLS. Myself and my direct report, we were looking at the MLS’s run of show for the Leagues Cup. And you’re kind of like, I don’t know why they’re doing it like this. I don’t, you know, and I’m kind of like, it’s because of broadcast. It’s because of where things are broken up. They’ve got to squeeze this in. And like, it’s not how you would want to do things. If you were a lead in-game presentation, you’d go, hold on, we should be moving this stuff like this. This is a better flow. And they probably knew that, that they had to contort themselves to what really works. And so you might have to cut a video short in a way that doesn’t work great because it’s fit for the TV moment that they have. Like, this is their gap that they’re going to go away. You may have 45 seconds. You may need you with like, here you have a 45 second gap. You know, what am I supposed to do with that TV? If you don’t fill it or fix it, you have an awkward silence of 45 seconds in the stadium in the middle of your show.

[28:59] Don Costante:

That’s right.

[29:00] Joe Legaz:

And broadcast doesn’t care. And so you just got to figure out, what do I do? Do I make something up? Do I find a video that can shoehorn in here? And so again, it like could end up being like kind of an odd placement. But you try to make it fit like a puzzle as best as you can. So the fans don’t notice that the show seems kind of disjointed. The other thing is timing has to be literally perfect. Because oftentimes you’re running your show and then they’re like, we’re coming to you live for the anthem in two minutes. You better be ready for the anthem when they get there. Because on air, they’re going to toss to your PA announcer. They’re going to have someone in the booth queuing your PA announcer to read the anthem. So you can’t be in the middle of the video because then suddenly your PA announcer will introduce the anthem and the anthem will start and the video will have to just cut off. Everyone in your stadium will know something went really wrong. But you also don’t want to finish what you’re doing and then have this minute gap where nothing’s going on before your PA announcer starts. You know, you cannot afford to be 10 seconds late or 10 seconds are late.

Managing Championship Timing

[29:57] Don Costante:

Well, sometimes you can have the best timing, but then they’ll either add a billboard or do something that causes an additional 30 or 40 seconds or 45. And your timing’s perfect. So you’re ready, let’s just say, with the anthem. And you’ve come out of that video and you’re ready for the call to go to the PA announcer. But then they’re on hold. So there’s that awkwardness of filling the unexpected 30 to 45 seconds and the fans sit back going, what is going on?

[30:24] Joe Legaz:

Yeah, no, that’s a great point. It’s also like exactly they can adjust to and then you’re like, oh, I was perfect, but now I got to adjust back to them again. And then that’s where I feel like I’ve tried to learn the skill of wasting time and I call it stealing time. Wasting time is, I find, easier because you can always have your PA announcer read a little slower. You can be a little slower on your transitions between like graphics and like before you roll the video. Take a little bit more time on a live shot. Like that’s a little bit easier to waste time, but those are some like good strategies. And the fans, you know, it’s like slowing something down by like 10%. Fans don’t really notice that. Stealing time can be harder, but there’s ways to do it. And, you know, you’re cutting down a read. Maybe you’re skipping an intro graphic and go right into the video. There’s some different strategies there too. And I just like always think about that. Where am I? Am I fat? Am I short? And then like, do I have to steal time back? Or do I have to add some time? And how do I do it? And so again, that is also part of my preparation. Actually, when I build my scripts and I build my run of shows, I literally build in moments like that where I’m like, I’m going to add this read here because I think we might need to waste some time.

Wasting Time and Stealing Time

[31:32] Joe Legaz:

And I’m going to add this that I don’t think the PA announcer really needs to say, but I’m going to have that PA announcer say it. And I know that I can just cross that off and steal it if I need to steal that time back. And so I like build in mechanisms within my own scripts and my own run of show that I know are outs for myself.

[31:47] Don Costante:

That’s smart.

[31:48] Joe Legaz:

So I think a lot of it is like the success in game presentation is the strategic approach that you have going into it and like the foundation that you lay for yourself.

Communicating Broadcast-Driven Decisions

[31:57] Don Costante:

Oh, I have a question. So how do you communicate or do you feel the need that you have to communicate broadcast driven decisions to the staff or entertainers or even the fans that may not understand why there’s a different feel inside the arena or the stadium?

[32:12] Joe Legaz:

Yeah. And I think my goal has always been to make it flow well enough that no one’s asking those questions and that no one feels like this is odd. This doesn’t fit. I mean, to me, I think if it really feels like there’s just nothing to fit, then I’m doing something different. I’m going to go, I’m going to scrap it. I want it to come off to the point where I can go, if I’m a fan and I’m watching this, I’m like, eh, it works. Maybe it could be better, but it works, right?

[32:32] Don Costante:

Sure, sure.

[32:33] Joe Legaz:

To your bosses, I think it’s just if they ask, why are we doing this? Or why don’t you do it like this? You just answer with broadcast. You can walk them through it. And I would probably not communicate it unless it’s brought up to me because I would try to strip it in a way in which it’s not going to be a question.

[32:47] Don Costante:

Sure.

[32:48] Joe Legaz:

But the one way you could mitigate it from the fans is you can always say that. Fans, we’re going live to television in 20 seconds, you know?

[32:54] Don Costante:

Right.

[32:55] Joe Legaz:

The expectation. So they kind of know what’s happening.

[32:57] Don Costante:

Yeah.

[32:58] Joe Legaz:

And then if there is silence, they’re like, oh, we’re waiting on TV. You know, they often do that with like MLB playoffs where they’re like, we’re going to come live in 20 seconds. We want to see all those rally rags going. We want to come on air with like a lot of energy. Let’s show them that AT&T Park or Oracle Park is now the loudest stadium in all of sports. And then TV comes live and everything’s going. So you can kind of lay the expectation down to fans like, guys, we’re on national TV tonight. So things might be different.

[33:22] Don Costante:

It’s just a powerful reminder that or how broadcast drives so much of the live experience at this level for the championships. So to finish out your list, what’s the fifth and final lesson that you’ve learned from producing league championships?

Lesson Five: Win or Lose, the Show Must Go On

[33:35] Joe Legaz:

Fifth lesson would be that win or lose, the show must go on. So in sports, press boxes across America, cheering is strictly prohibited to respect the work environment. That is not the case in the control rooms, both thankfully and unfortunately. I’m insanely fortunate to have gone 4-0 in championship games in which my team is involved. And while I think it makes the job a lot more fun and even it’s good for the crew to stay loose and show emotion on a win. And of course, it’s going natural to show frustration on or anger on loss. Either way, you have to remain professional and reel everyone in and remind them that you’re still working. Because usually you have a trophy presentation. You might be presenting a trophy to the opposing team. And that can be hard. It can be hard if you win because people are excited. They’re like getting loose. They’re high-fiving. And you kind of have to. Guys, we’re still working here. Still working here. Like, let’s have a moment. All right. Hell yeah, we did it. We won. Great. Pull it back. We’re back to work. We’ll celebrate in a bit. But if you lost, it can be really hard. You’ve got to produce the opposing team’s celebration. And so you’re just constantly reminding everyone to keep it professional. Again, that can be really tough. If it’s a tough game, a bitter rival, ugly situation, people are tired because they’ve been working for probably insane amounts of overtime to get ready for the match.

[34:47] Joe Legaz:

So that can be hard. I’m fortunate to only have been able to endure the winning side of it. I can’t really speak probably as much.

[34:55] Don Costante:

Well, I can.

[34:56] Joe Legaz:

Yeah. I’ve been a part of, you know, I’ve actually, I think the teams that I’ve been with, I’ve only been in the playoffs maybe a handful of times. So I’ve not had phenomenal success with teams going to the postseason. So I’ve done plenty of losing. I’ve just done it in the regular season. But I’m very fortunate that any time I’ve entered that championship game, the team that I’ve been with has got it done.

[35:17] Don Costante:

So that’s awesome. This whole show must go on. This is where professionalism shines, right? And even when the home team loses, fans, the partners, they all deserve that world-class presentation. So what you’re talking about is spot on. So Joe, those five lessons really capture the complexity of what it takes to produce championships at a league level. But I want to throw one more of my own out there. A sixth lesson that I’ve learned along the way. And that’s savor the moment. All the pressure and the moving parts and the long hours that you talked about. It’s easy to get caught up in the grind, right? But taking a step back to appreciate the magnitude and what you’ve been a part of. And sometimes I think it’s just as important as many of the other things. I don’t know about you, but for me, that’s something that I learned going through with the Spurs and the Royals championships. How special of a moment. We’re spoiled. You’ve been through many and I’ve been through several. There are a lot of colleagues out there who have never been through one. So I try to really push to my staff and the people working these events. Enjoy it. Win or lose. Try to savor it. Enjoy it. I’m curious what your thoughts are on that.

Lesson Six: Savor the Moment

[36:26] Joe Legaz:

No, I mean, that’s a critical add-on. It’s a great call out. You know, it’s funny. It’s going in waves for me. I think in the beginning, the first time I went through it, I was very much in the moment. So I had to actively be like, you should enjoy this. Some of the enjoyment came naturally because it was truly my first go. And then I think the next one and, you know, a couple go by and it’s like, hey, this is fun. But in the middle of your career, it’s easy to get kind of, it’s like, I used to get to walk on a baseball field every day. Then I get used to walk on a football field and then a basketball court and then the Staples Center. Now I’m going to walk on a soccer pitch. And it’s like, that’s a special thing. Just being down on the field is like, how am I going to do this? It’s incredibly special. It’s this way where like in the beginning, it’s like, I appreciate this so much. I used to kind of always say the day I wake up and don’t think to myself, I get to go to the ballpark today is the day that I leave sports.

Savoring the Sounders’ 2025 Leagues Cup Championship

[37:15] Don Costante:

You know, when the Sounders won the 25 leagues championship cup, what was the moment that you finally let yourself stop, look around and soak it all in?

[37:24] Joe Legaz:

There’s two moments. The first moment was I had to be down on the pitch to talk to the red hat post match, which is the person that coordinates the television about kind of our post game ceremony. But the game was still going on. It was the final four, you know, five minutes of the game. So I touched face with the red hat, had the conversation. And then I sat there. I really just was like, I don’t have to do anything until this game ends now. Again, the league was running everything. I’m at the 50 yard line on the sideline watching Messi and Busquets and these stars run around and watching our guys beat them on a global scale. We scored two goals in the final like 10 minutes of that game. By that final 10 minutes, it was just pure joy down. I’m just watching down here like a fan for right now. So I got that moment, which is pretty special. And then after the game, then after the trophy presentation was done and we were off the air. What was interesting to me is it felt it was deja vu. And when we won the CONCACAF championship three years prior, it was the exact same feeling that we won in front of 70,000 fans. Everyone came down into the pitch. People were high-fiving the players. The players’ families are down there. Our families are down there. Our fans are still like refusing to leave, chanting, waving their flags.

[38:37] Joe Legaz:

The players are doing trophy hoists in front of the fans, each holding the trophy for themselves and getting their own photos. Everyone’s getting photos in the field. I was like, I feel like this was three years ago. We’re just replaying this moment. But this time, you know, I really like thoroughly enjoyed it last time where I did all the things. And this time I just actually stood there and just kind of watched it all.

[38:55] Don Costante:

That’s awesome.

[38:55] Joe Legaz:

I got a photo of some of the things, but I was like, I don’t need that. I’ve done that. I’ve actually had that experience. I’m going to just watch this and be like truly just try to feel every second of it. You’re like, wow, this is magic. I’m on the field. Supporters are like screaming and yelling. Players are hugging their families. How cool is this? And just almost like be removed from it, be above it and just watching.

[39:15] Don Costante:

That’s exactly the way I took my approach in 2015 with the Royals. And having the luxury of winning with the Spurs, it was so magical and it was just a joy to sit back. And in my early days, I wouldn’t have been sitting there just watching and taking it all in. I would have been doing X, Y, and Z. It was so important because I felt like this moment may never come again. This might be the last time and I’m going to savor this and I’m going to take it in and see the fans reaction. Listen to the music, see what’s going on and how we’re elevating the moment. And that’s history, right? I mean, it’s history that you’re a part of. So it’s just so special. That brings us to the end. And before we close out here, I just have another question for you. For those listening to our discussion today, what are your final thoughts, Joe?

Final Thoughts From Joe Legaz

[40:04] Joe Legaz:

Final thoughts. If this is an industry you want to get into, it’s a wonderful industry. I would encourage you to pursue your passion in it. I always tell people when I go back to my beginning is I never had an internship in sports. I always got turned down for internships. You might think to yourself as a grad student that you’re way above being a radar operator or being a host or whatever. But the reality is that’s how most people get in the door is they do some form of job like that. Even if they’re vastly overqualified for it. You might be a marketing director at another company and you’re like, well, I want to get into sports. It’s okay, well, you could get really fortunate. You get hired as a marketing director or VP. These people are working thousands of resumes for a job that’s open. So how do you stand out? In a lot of ways, it’s like I’m going to do a part-time job as the elevator operator for the team and then get to know my boss who’s in the front office and have them be like, oh, yeah, Bob’s a great guy. You know that that person works in marketing and that’s their real discipline. And then when that job opens, you’re like, hey, I’d be interested. Would you mind putting in a recommendation for me? And it’s all just kind of networking, you know, human connections. Again, going back to what I had said before.

[41:10] Joe Legaz:

And so, like, you got to think differently if you want to work in sports in a lot of ways. And so even if you’re, you know, it was easy for me being 16 because as a 16-year-old kid, those are the jobs that you can get. But if you get a little older and you’re still like, how do I pivot into sports? You can’t have an ego about it. You just have to do the thing that you think will get your name in the mix, get people to know who you are. I’ve run across a lot of people when I talk to them that the thought of that seems so unpalatable. And I understand that. But then I’m kind of like, maybe that means you’re not cut out for this industry. So don’t have an ego, be willing to do whatever, because when you’re in this industry, you know this too. Like, there are times when you got to do whatever it is that you need to do. I’ve seen senior-level executives handing out hot dogs at the gates.

[41:49] Don Costante:

Absolutely.

[41:49] Joe Legaz:

You know, vacuuming floors, like whatever they need to do to get it done. It’s a gritty industry. No one’s above any task.

[41:56] Don Costante:

I love it. I love it. Joe, thanks for joining me today and sharing your perspective. Championships are some of the most intense, high-stake events in our industry. And the lessons that you shared today are ones that every event presentation professional can learn from. So thank you. Congratulations again on the Sounders 2025 Leagues Championship Cup. And I know there’s going to be plenty more big moments ahead for you and your team.

Don Costante’s Closing Thoughts

[42:22] Joe Legaz:

Awesome. Thanks so much. I appreciate you having me.

Podcast Closing

[42:26] Don Costante:

That’s a wrap on this episode of The Rundown. Have a question or want to share your thoughts? We’d love to hear from you. Just email TheRundown@CostanteGroup.comEmail The Rundown. Also, be sure to subscribe, share the podcast, and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram. On behalf of Don Costante, thanks for listening. Until the next time, this is The Rundown Podcast.