Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
What does the business side of sports really look like when you’re in the room where it happens?
In this episode of Your Dark Companion, Mike Rhyner and the crew sit down with longtime sports executive George Killebrew, a key figure behind the scenes of some of the biggest moments in Dallas sports.
Killebrew’s career spans decades — from working at SMU during the infamous “death penalty” era, to helping build the Dallas Mavericks into a top-tier NBA business alongside Mark Cuban, to serving as commissioner of Major League Rugby, and now helping lead the explosive growth of professional pickleball.
Along the way, he shares stories you don’t usually hear:
What it was like selling tickets when SMU football was at rock bottom
How the American Airlines Center came together and changed Dallas sports forever
The reality of working with high-level owners like Mark Cuban, Ross Perot Jr., and Tom Dundon
Why attention to detail (even a spilled drink in section 115) can define a franchise
And how pickleball became one of the fastest-growing sports in America
This episode pulls back the curtain on the decisions, risks, and personalities that shape the sports world — and shows why the business side might be just as fascinating as the games themselves.
If you love sports, business, Dallas history, or behind-the-scenes stories, this is one of those conversations you don’t want to miss.
Chapters
0:00 — SMU in the ’80s and What Was Actually “Cool”
1:19 — From Hawaii to the Sports Business World
7:56 — Selling SMU Football During the Death Penalty Era
11:33 — Why Dallas Became a Sports Business Hub
14:30 — The Game That Changed Everything (Moody Coliseum)
16:24 — Breaking Into the Mavericks Organization
20:30 — Lessons from Billionaire Owners
23:53 — Building the American Airlines Center
31:33 — The Future of the Mavericks and Arena Debate
33:49 — Sponsor Break: CBD House of Healing
35:44 — Eric Nadel Benefit and Mental Health Awareness
37:54 — Becoming Commissioner of Major League Rugby
43:08 — Tom Dundon and the Business of Pickleball
46:14 — Why Pickleball Is Exploding
48:17 — Behind the Scenes of Sports Ownership
51:29 — The Future of Pickleball and Sports Innovation
57:20 — Breaking News, Trade Rumors, and the Reality of Sports Business
1:02:17 — The Risk Behind Every Big Decision in Sports
1:07:10 — Growing a Show and Building an Audience
Follow Your Dark Companion on Patreon for every episode:
patreon.com/YourDarkCompanion
IG: https://www.instagram.com/yourdarkcompanion/
X: https://x.com/YDC_Dfw
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yourdarkcompanion
FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559876685445
The Old Grey Wolf:
X: https://x.com/TheOldGreyWolf
IG: https://www.instagram.com/theoldgreywolf16/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mikerhyner579
To reach out email us at: Info@Stolenwatermedia.com
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
In this episode of Your Dark Companion, Mike Rhyner and the crew sit down with longtime sports executive George Killebrew, a key figure behind the scenes of some of the biggest moments in Dallas sports.
Killebrew’s career spans decades — from working at SMU during the infamous “death penalty” era, to helping build the Dallas Mavericks into a top-tier NBA business alongside Mark Cuban, to serving as commissioner of Major League Rugby, and now helping lead the explosive growth of professional pickleball.
Along the way, he shares stories you don’t usually hear:
What it was like selling tickets when SMU football was at rock bottom
How the American Airlines Center came together and changed Dallas sports forever
The reality of working with high-level owners like Mark Cuban, Ross Perot Jr., and Tom Dundon
Why attention to detail (even a spilled drink in section 115) can define a franchise
And how pickleball became one of the fastest-growing sports in America
This episode pulls back the curtain on the decisions, risks, and personalities that shape the sports world — and shows why the business side might be just as fascinating as the games themselves.
If you love sports, business, Dallas history, or behind-the-scenes stories, this is one of those conversations you don’t want to miss.
Chapters
0:00 — SMU in the ’80s and What Was Actually “Cool”
1:19 — From Hawaii to the Sports Business World
7:56 — Selling SMU Football During the Death Penalty Era
11:33 — Why Dallas Became a Sports Business Hub
14:30 — The Game That Changed Everything (Moody Coliseum)
16:24 — Breaking Into the Mavericks Organization
20:30 — Lessons from Billionaire Owners
23:53 — Building the American Airlines Center
31:33 — The Future of the Mavericks and Arena Debate
33:49 — Sponsor Break: CBD House of Healing
35:44 — Eric Nadel Benefit and Mental Health Awareness
37:54 — Becoming Commissioner of Major League Rugby
43:08 — Tom Dundon and the Business of Pickleball
46:14 — Why Pickleball Is Exploding
48:17 — Behind the Scenes of Sports Ownership
51:29 — The Future of Pickleball and Sports Innovation
57:20 — Breaking News, Trade Rumors, and the Reality of Sports Business
1:02:17 — The Risk Behind Every Big Decision in Sports
1:07:10 — Growing a Show and Building an Audience
Follow Your Dark Companion on Patreon for every episode:
patreon.com/YourDarkCompanion
IG: https://www.instagram.com/yourdarkcompanion/
X: https://x.com/YDC_Dfw
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yourdarkcompanion
FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559876685445
The Old Grey Wolf:
X: https://x.com/TheOldGreyWolf
IG: https://www.instagram.com/theoldgreywolf16/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mikerhyner579
To reach out email us at: Info@Stolenwatermedia.com
Creators and Guests
Host
Mike Rhyner
Mike Rhyner… "a little on the bumpy side, but rather likable"…so stated famously by a grade school teacher in Oak Cliff, where Mike grew up. A complicated guy, yet a guy who can do long division and remember call strike three to A Rod. Probably best left unattended. Don't expect assistance from him if a medical situation arises.
What is Your Dark Companion Podcast?
"Whatever I want it to be about on a given day; is what it is." Your Dark Companion couples your familiar friends from radio, Mike and Grubes! Mike brings his classic interviews that draw you in, and Grubes—The Devil—drops…well the drops, and throws the occasional grenade. Mike likes to draw on his fascinating acquaintances and friends allowing them to tell their stories as you've never heard them. But he also goes outside his network, sharing Grubes' network, and often outside of both, to bring you those they don't know, but believe have a story that will make you laugh, make you think, think differently, or just entertain you…"that's what we are trying to do here."