Cruising His Way to Sports Success

Shortly after graduating from Simpson with a degree in communications and theatre arts, Colby-Begovich set sail for what he assumed would be a short-lived gig with the entertainment staff of Carnival Cruise Lines. Instead, it turned into 14-year journey spanning six continents, which included taking time to earn his master’s degree in hospitality administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).

“I fell in love with hospitality and service,” said Colby-Begovich. “[At Carnival,] I went from entertainer to cruise director to director of guest experience, which basically involved running programming across the fleet of 26 ships around the world. I got to go everywhere — if it touched the water, I’ve probably been there.”

Having achieved the pinnacle of possibilities at Carnival, Colby-Begovich was recruited to join a start-up luxury hospitality company called Inspirato, based in Denver. There, as senior vice president of Member Experience, his innovative initiatives eventually led him to develop premium sports entertainment experiences.

“We developed these experiences around the world’s most exclusive sporting events,” said Colby-Begovich. “Offerings included Millionaire’s Row at the Kentucky Derby and the Paddock Experience for Formula One, as well as VIP hospitality access for events such as the Olympics, Wimbledon and The Master’s. I made a lot of connections during that time.”

Those connections led to a previously unimagined opportunity in professional sports. After turning down the NFL’s Washington Commanders twice, Colby-Begovich accepted the invitation to become their vice president of Guest Experience in 2021.

“It was the wildest experience of my career,” he said. “I got to build my own team and bring in a lot of principles from hospitality and entertainment. I participated in some amazing things, like a full company re-brand (from Washington “Football Team” to “Commanders”). When in your life does that happen? That’s like a one in a million.”

The transformational impact Colby-Begovich made in Washington led to a call from the president of the Chicago Fire — a former Commanders’ colleague — who offered him his current role in 2023. He relishes his role as the “cross-functional glue” for all business aspects of the club, from marketing, ticket sales and sponsorships to every aspect of match day operations and the fan experience.

His willingness to be thrown into any fire and thrive in moving organizations forward is what keeps Colby-Begovich in hot demand throughout the sports industry. He says success is grounded in his education at Simpson, where he most importantly gained a healthy belief in himself.

“My whole Simpson experience was about developing confidence to be who I am and to express myself. Those were the greatest four years of my life and the catalyst for everything that I am and have in my life.” The greatest pride and joy in his life, he is quick to add, are his husband of 10 years and their two daughters.

Colby-Begovich says he owes a lot of his professional and personal success to Simpson, where he gained a healthy belief in himself.

“My whole Simpson experience was about developing confidence to be who I am and to express myself. Those were the greatest four years of my life and the catalyst for everything that I am and have in my life.”

Joey Colby-Begovich ’02 never imagined his career path would take him from cruise ship entertainer (far left photo) to high-level executive positions in pro sports. He’s played a leading role in rebranding efforts with the Washington Commanders (middle photo) and the Chicago Fire (far right photo), where he’s helping to oversee the team’s transition to a new stadium.