How Travis Murphy Guides Sports Through Immigration Issues

Travis Murphy, the founder and CEO of Jetr Global Sports & Entertainment, stepped up his campaign in 2025 to push for faster, clearer U.S. visa processes for athletes, coaches, and event staff ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. He warned that delays could cost organizers millions and tarnish the country’s standing as a host. His calls come as sports bodies ramp up operations for what industry leaders call “America’s Sports Decade,” with major events stacking up through 2034 and logistics teams racing to secure timely entries for international competitors and traveling support crews. Teams, leagues, and event organizers say the stakes are high and time is short.

Jetr Global’s role and client base

Murphy’s firm, Jetr Global (founded in 2022), serves more than 100 clients across professional leagues and college athletics, including organizations in the NBA, NFL, MLS, and MLB, as well as global event planners. He has become a familiar figure in meetings with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and FIFA, often described by partners as a “connective tissue” linking sports organizations to federal and foreign governments.

In practical terms, this work has included:
– Early issue spotting and direct outreach to consular and security agencies
– Building realistic timelines for large traveling delegations
– Urgent interventions when a last-minute visa snag threatens a signing, a game, or a broadcast window

Those direct appeals intensified in early 2025, as Murphy stressed that long processing times and unpredictable visa outcomes can ripple through event budgets, broadcast commitments, and ticketing plans.

“There’s tremendous value to the United States being a welcoming environment for international athletes,” Murphy said in media interviews in 2025. He added that the country’s reputation as a host will be tested by how reliably it handles entries for athletes, staff, and fans.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, sports organizations are budgeting extra time and contingency costs for visa issues in the run-up to the World Cup — a sign that routine slowdowns have become a central planning factor.

Company structure and capabilities

Jetr Global’s team includes specialists with deep government backgrounds. In 2023 the firm hired Chloe Dybdahl, a former State Department attorney with 16 years in consular affairs, as Senior VP of Immigration. Her arrival expanded capacity for complex cases involving:
– Late roster changes
– Preclearance for training camps
– Sensitive travel histories

The company operates through three divisions designed to work in tandem:
1. Government engagement and advocacy
2. Immigration solutions
3. International growth strategies

This structure creates a closed loop where policy trends feed into case planning, and case results help shape future policy requests — a selling point as seasons overlap with large tournaments and college and pro schedules collide with national team duties.

Crisis experience and precedent

Murphy is no stranger to crisis work. During the COVID-19 pandemic, while serving at the NBA, he helped lead a coalition that won national interest exemptions for athletes and essential sports staff despite broad travel bans. That policy began under President Trump and continued under President Biden, setting a model that could be used in future emergencies when sports schedules and entry rules collide.

People involved at the time say the exemption helped:
– Keep marquee events on track
– Retain television audiences that might otherwise have disappeared due to roster disruptions

That experience informs Murphy’s current requests to streamline sports-related entries ahead of mega-events.

High-profile diplomatic intersections

Murphy’s work has also intersected with geopolitics. In 2022, his counsel reportedly played a part in the diplomatic and consular push that secured WNBA star Brittney Griner’s release from detention in Russia. That high-profile case highlighted how athletes can become entangled in international disputes and how sports and immigration issues can become matters of state.

The episode reinforced Murphy’s argument for a more formal national sports diplomacy approach with:
– Clear roles across agencies
– Rapid-response pathways for cases involving multiple governments

College athletics and growing demand

In college sports, Jetr Global’s role has been quieter but important. The firm assisted Kansas State University’s men’s basketball team with international travel during 2023 trips to the United Arab Emirates and Israel. Services included planning around tight timelines and varied entry rules for student-athletes holding different passports or with prior travel requiring extra review.

College programs are now a rising share of Jetr Global’s work as:
– Universities invest in global tours and overseas recruiting
– More student-athletes arrive in the U.S. with distinct visa needs and travel restrictions

Fan travel and broader visa pressure

Murphy has emphasized that the planned surge of fans for the World Cup and Olympics adds another layer of pressure. While athletes and staff often use work-related categories, many supporters will rely on tourist visas or visa waivers, increasing demand on embassies and ports of entry.

Jetr Global points to historical attendance figures and the knock-on impacts for:
– Hotels
– Transportation
– Local services

Murphy argues that early coordination and clear public messaging can reduce bottlenecks and set expectations for teams and supporters well before arrival.

Policy proposals and public advocacy

In January 2025, Murphy published an opinion piece in Sports Business Journal arguing for:
– Appointment of a Special Envoy for Sports Diplomacy
– A national sports diplomacy strategy
– Targeted reforms to immigration policy to reflect elite competition logistics

His proposed envoy would:
– Convene agencies and sports bodies
– Track friction points in real time
– Act as a single point of contact during major events

Tangible outcomes Murphy links to these proposals include:
– Fewer flight changes for teams
– Smaller security holds for athlete groups
– Steadier planning for broadcasters and sponsors

Operational demand and casework

Jetr Global reports increasing requests from federations and promoters needing assurance around:
– Consular appointments
– Police certificates
– Last-minute roster changes that trigger new applications

Many athletes qualify under well-established categories such as P visas, but case preparation and lead time remain critical — particularly for those with:
– Recent injuries
– Club changes
– Travel to regions that require extra review

The U.S. government’s policies for internationally recognized athletes are described in federal guidance for P-1A classification; USCIS details standards for competition level, proof of reputation, and the role of the sponsoring organization on its official page: USCIS P-1A.

Economic case for dependable visas

Murphy continues to make the economic argument that a dependable visa system is integral to the business model for global sport. Even a handful of delayed entries can disrupt matchups that sell out venues and anchor broadcast schedules. Venue owners build revenue projections around star appearances and full rosters; when players miss games for visa reasons, the costs appear across:
– Concessions
– Sponsorship activations
– Media commitments

By highlighting these knock-on effects, Murphy hopes to frame immigration policy as core infrastructure for the sports economy rather than a niche legal matter.

Suggested operational fixes

Murphy has suggested small, targeted steps that could yield outsized benefits, including:
– Dedicated sports processing lanes at high-volume posts during event periods
– Clearer fee and document guidance for teams
– Early filing and clear escalation paths when key participants face holdups

Media outlets increasingly consult Murphy about Embassy backlogs and lagging approvals. He has warned that the window for reforms is narrowing and that the country’s welcome mat will be judged by predictable admission of people whose work revolves around fixed competition dates.

Upcoming public engagements and messaging

As 2025 closes, Murphy is scheduled to speak at the Cleveland Council on World Affairs about sports diplomacy and how the United States can turn the run of coming events into long-term gains for the country’s image and economy.

He plans to highlight that smoother entries do more than keep games on time — they send a message that the United States 🇺🇸 can host the world with efficiency and fairness. For Jetr Global, the forum is another opportunity to lay out specific, actionable steps and add public pressure for agency-level coordination before the first team planes touch down.

Challenges and the likely path forward

Murphy’s proposals face familiar realities: competing priorities across agencies that handle public safety, border control, and foreign relations. He has been careful to frame requests as improvements that support — rather than weaken — security checks.

He points to the pandemic national interest exemption as proof the government can move quickly while maintaining safeguards. That exemption launched under President Trump and continued under President Biden without reported spikes in risk for sports entrants.

The path forward will likely involve:
– Continued behind-the-scenes work with Embassy contacts, league officials, and event planners
– Building case templates and updating playbooks for high-volume sites
– Coordinating with travel managers handling charter flights, training bases, and last-minute transfers

Jetr Global emphasizes that sports immigration policy covers more than star players — it includes team doctors, analytics staff, media crews, and families — all of whom affect athlete performance and public engagement.

Final message

Murphy’s message is consistent: get ahead of the crunch. Recommended actions include:
1. Early filings wherever possible
2. Clear escalation paths for holdups
3. A government stance that treats sports as a strategic sector with outsized cultural and economic reach

As he put it in recent remarks, the coming years will test whether the country can align policy with the pace of global sport. Jetr Global stands ready to help teams and organizers keep the focus on competition rather than paperwork — and for fans counting down to kickoff and opening ceremonies, the hope is that the hardest work remains out of sight so the games can begin on time.