Inspiring Conversations with Jeffrey Iafrate of Crunch Time Sports

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeffrey Iafrate

Hi Jeffrey, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always had a passion for sports, specifically Detroit sports. I graduated from Specs Howard School of Media Arts and interned at Woodward Sports shortly after. I eventually got the opportunity to host the Morning Show and helped grow it into the #1 show on the network with massive help from my partner in crime, Adham Beydoun. I did that for four years until I departed to create my own Detroit sports content company called Crunch Time Sports with my best friends. Booner, Lukas Klotz, Michael Gentry, Caleb Czarnik, and I began our Journey in early February and never looked back. We all were coworkers at the time in the sports industry and shared a similar vision of what we could accomplish together. We host a daily live show on Weekdays from 8-10 PM on our YouTube channel and travel across Michigan to different sports bars doing Detroit Lions gameday shows. Our mission is to create a brand Detroit sports fans and even national sports fans can relate to and associate themselves with. We’re just best friends arguing about sports and having a great time doing it. We’re very blessed to be in the position we’re in.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I truly believe it’ll always be a bumpy road getting to the top and trying to accomplish your dreams but we wouldn’t want it any other way. I will say we have an amazing team and for the most part, it has been smooth. We’ve had hiccups along the way including YouTube demonetizing us for a couple of months and having to pivot to other streams of income or having differing opinions among the team to solve an issue. But I think for any business, learning how to handle adversity is very important as it prepares you for other potential problems that may come up in the future. It’s about understanding that pressure truly creates diamonds.

As you know, we’re big fans of Crunch Time Sports . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are a Detroit sports brand that covers every professional team in Michigan. Whether it’s following us on all social media platforms (@officialctsports or @officialctpod) and staying up to date with what’s happening with the local sports team or listening/viewing our content to hear our opinions on breaking news. I believe what separates us is the personalities combined with the work ethic. We have very unique chemistry because of how close we are off-air, but we are always working around the clock to better our product. It’s easy for an audience to determine if someone they’re watching is authentic or just simply trying to be someone they’re not. That is not the case with us, we are the same people on-air as we are off-air. We crack jokes, we argue, we can have serious conversations, and most important of all, we understand how to put on a show and be entertaining. I’m the most proud of how committed our crew is to growing the Crunch Time Sports brand as well as their personal brand. In the sports industry, the PEOPLE make the company or the team, not the other way around. If our employees can better their brands by working with us then we all win.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
I’ve learned that anything can happen in the future and to appreciate the present. People tend to get worked up about what HAS happened or what WILL happen but it’s important to live in the now and be grateful for having the opportunity to wake up every day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://officialctsports.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/officialctsports
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialctsports/
• Twitter: https://x.com/officialctpod
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@officialctsports/videos