Sometimes we forget that a professional sports team is a business.

In my interview with Jawad Yatim, Owner and GM of the Massachusetts Pirates, an Arena Football team in the IFL, you'll see how he understands that New Englanders have a lot of options as to where they can spend their household entertainment dollars.

His team rocketed to stardom. They've had three 11-win seasons in their first four years, four playoff berths in their first four seasons, and many other team wins and accolades.

But the Success Story here goes deeper than wins on the field. Yatim shows that it's about winning hearts and minds so that people, players, fans, and sponsors alike, want to be a part of the Pirates Arena Football story.

Yatim set up a very lucrative joint venture strategy with NESN to get the word out that the Pirates have arrived in Massachusetts and are here to build a legacy.

He's built fan loyalty by allowing fans to hop onto the field to talk to the players at the end of the game, while they're still out of breath and sweating.

You just can't do that at Fenway, The Garden, or Gillette. This is different. This is a pro sports team who knows the fans matter, and they are part of the fun.

Imagine if your business brought in customers because they want to be part of the experience you are creating.

You can keep up with all things Pirates at their website: https://masspiratesfootball.com/