New BBOC Episode: University of Pittsburgh Director of Athletics Allen Greene

New BBOC Episode: University of Pittsburgh Director of Athletics Allen Greene

On the latest episode of JohnWallStreet Presents: Big Business on Campus, a college sports podcast powered by Playfly Sports and sponsored by Short’s Sports Travel Logistics, JohnWallStreet Founder Corey Leff and Playfly Sports Chairman Michael Schreiber sit down with University of Pittsburgh Director of Athletics Allen Greene.

In this 40-minute conversation, we touch on:

· Deepening Relationships with Donors and Sponsors – Driving NIL and external revenues were atop Greene’s list of priorities when he arrived in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood in November 2024.

“The first [under-monetized income stream we focused on was] the Athletic Director’s Fund, from a philanthropic perspective, to help us support our collective,” Greene said. “Then, we looked at our relationship with our third-party MMR, JMI, and making sure that we’re continuing to build on that relationship…. There are opportunities for us to have greater partnerships and greater synergies. There are opportunities for me to be more engaged with our top corporate sponsors.”

· The Prospect of PE in College Sports – Greene rejects the idea that private equity can be easily applied to college sports. If athletic departments were run as for-profit businesses, sure. But that would mean only operating a few high-revenue sports. College athletics has a broader mandate. It’s about balancing business discipline with education, development, and community impact.

“The traditional concept of PE doesn’t work [for college sports] in its current construct,” Greene said. “In order to extrapolate the revenue on an annual basis that the investors need to have a return on their investment [would] mean such a sizable shift in the function of college athletics.”

· Pitt’s Off-Campus Home – The University of Pittsburgh lacks an on-campus football stadium. But Greene doesn’t see that as a negative. Nor or there plans to build a new venue. In fact, the program uses its NFL home (Acrisure Stadium) as a recruiting tool.

“We’re one of only a few schools who share a stadium with an NFL team…our guys have an opportunity to be around the NFL players, the ones who do it the best,” Greene said. “We’re ahead of the game, in my opinion, [and] because we have a strong relationship with the Steelers—it’s an advantage for us.”

📺 Watch the full video on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube Page.
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

We’ll be back with the next episode of JohnWallStreet Presents: Big Business on Campus on December 4. Wake Forest University Vice President & Director of Athletics John Currie will be our guest.

In the meantime, make sure to check out our sponsor, Short’s Sport Travel Logistics—the fastest-growing company in collegiate athletics travel, and the trusted choice of over 108 athletic departments nationwide. Short’s simplifies every aspect of team travel (think: air charters, commercial flights, buses, and hotels) and helps to turn complex logistics into a competitive advantage.

If you missed the first five episodes of BBOC, with Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman, University of Arizona AD Desiree Reed-Francois, Baylor Athletics’ Mack Rhoades & Jovan Overshown, Maryland AD Jim Smith, and American Conference Commissioner Tim Pernetti video versions of those podcasts can be found on JohnWallStreet’s YouTube channel.

Thanks for listening. Let us know what you think. We welcome the feedback.