205. Paris Wallace, Founder & President of the National Cycling League (NCL)
Today, I’m joined by Paris Wallace, founder & president of the National Cycling League (NCL), a co-ed professional league revolutionizing cycling’s US presence. Under Wallace's leadership, the NCL is leveraging technology, diversity, and community to cultivate a fandom of the future. This year, it kicked off its inaugural season with noteworthy backing from NBA player Kevin Durant, NFL player Jalen Ramsey, and DraftKings CEO Jason Robins, among others. In this episode, we discuss the NCL's gender-equal approach, its strategies for engaging recreational cyclists in the metaverse, and plans to grow the sport in the US. In this episode, you’ll learn: • The four key pillars for launching a successful sports league • How Paris is applying his learnings as a 2x-exited healthtech entrepreneur • The NCL’s roadmap for building a diverse, values-oriented professional league Subscribe to the podcast → insider.fitt.co/podcast Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider NCL’s website: https://nclracing.com NCL’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/nclracing - The Fitt Insider podcast is brought to you by Jack Taylor, our exclusive PR partner. More than just PR, they’re creative storytellers and brand builders who actually understand the health and wellness industry. Learn more and get in touch at https://fitt.co/jacktaylor Chapters: (01:44) Paris’ and the NCL’s background (03:32) Identifying the opportunity to create a cycling league (06:34) NCL’s 4 pillars of fandom (09:17) The rise of niche sports (13:07) Incorporating the metaverse into NCL (14:08) Making competitive cycling a feasible career (16:23) NCL race format and locations (21:05) The leagues business model (23:26) Founding a league with diversity, equality, and strong values (29:58) Improving access to cycling (33:40) Current track record and future roadmap (35:55) Conclusion