The ROAR Podcast: Nick Elam — The ROAR Podcast

In 2007, a young high school math teacher in Ohio asked a simple question: why does the end of a basketball game reward teams for breaking the rules? His answer was to turn off the clock and play to a target score. It took a decade of cold outreach, rejection, and reinvention before TBT gave it a shot in a small Division II gym in Philadelphia. Since then, the Elam Ending has been used at the NBA All-Star Game and in the NBA G League, the Canadian Elite Basketball League, Unrivaled, the Women's College All-Star Game, and grassroots leagues around the world.

Adam Grossman sits down with Dr. Nick Elam to talk about the persistence it took to get a radical idea adopted, why simplifying the concept was the breakthrough, and the call from the NBA that came while Nick was sitting in an airport terminal. They also explore why rule changes matter far beyond the court, shaping fan experience, ticket sales, and sponsorship value. Finally, they make the case for a dedicated innovation segment in sports media.

In this episode:

How the flaws of late-game basketball (intentional fouls, stalling, and "blooper reel" shots) sparked the idea
Pitching roughly 80 commissioners, executives, and media members, and why a thoughtful "no" still matters
Why moving to a flat target number made the concept easier to sell
Why TBT was the ideal first home, and the comeback that won over the crowd
The NBA All-Star Game run, and why exhibitions are a different test
Nick's take on MLB's pitch clock, pickoff limits, and the ghost runner rule
Rule changes as a "recalibration" that restores the style of play fans love

00:00 Introduction
01:58 Welcome and What Is the Elam Ending?
03:35 A Math Teacher's Lightbulb Moment
06:58 Ten Years of Tomorrows
09:27 Learning to Sell a Radical Idea
13:41 Early Believers: Dan Bonner and the ABA
16:53 Inside TBT: The Perfect Landing Spot
20:00 That First Weekend in Philadelphia
23:46 The Call from the NBA
26:43 Why Rules Drive Revenue
27:59 Pitch Clocks, Ghost Runners, and Recalibration
30:29 The NBA All-Star Game Run
33:58 Building a Personal Brand
35:52 The Case for an Innovation Expert in Sports Media
38:44 Wrap-Up