Sports Business Journal — May 1, 2023

The unusual journey and noteworthy impact of MLS DEI chief Sola Winley PLUS: How league DEI leaders are making an impact | Madkour: Lessons from ALL IN PAGEs 4, 14-16 Turning Talk Into Action MAY 1-7, 2023 VOLUME 26 ISSUE 5 $12.00 In-Depth: Fixing a fundamental dilemma in youth sports PAGE 20 Honoring the best storytellers in sports and entertainment PAGE 18 AI platform Lava spreading influence with the Detroit Lions PAGE 11 A vote on their future is just the first step for the Arizona Coyotes PAGE 6

To nominate, visit www.game-changers-conference.com Nominate a woman for the 2023 Game Changers Honoree Class whose leadership is positively impacting the sports business industry. Nomination deadline is May 22, 2023 at 11:59 PM ET. GOLD SPONSORS INNOVATIVE & IMPACTFUL LEADERSHIP. NOMINATE A GAME CHANGER WHO’S STRENGTHENING THE INDUSTRY & ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH

SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM M AY 1-7, 2023 | 3 USA TODAY Network; Getty Images (2); @Pirates Twitter STATE OF PLAY MONEY TALKS You’re gonna have to fine me. Coco5. — D’ANGELO RUSSELL of the Lakers after being told to put away the sports drink brand Coco5 — which is not a league partner — from the podium after a playoff game. The NFL Draft just keeps getting bigger. This year’s site, Kansas City, featured the largest layout in draft history, a 3 million-square-foot setup next to Union Station. By draft’s end, roughly 300,000 people were expected to have attended the four-day event, which had Bud Light serving as presenting sponsor and included three nights of rock concerts as well as football clinics. Draft House The U.K.’s antitrust watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority, vetoed the proposed $69 billion takeover of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft, which would have been the biggest deal in gaming history. BLOCKED In Nashville, the metro council approved a new stadium for the Tennessee Titans, while in Calgary government officials paved the way for a new arena for the Flames. PASSED THE METER Start time for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 1, the first time a weeknight Finals game has started that early in 20 years MARK YOUR CALENDAR SOCIAL STATUS 8:30 P.M. ET LOGO LOOK PGA Tour Americas will combine PGA Tour Canada and PGA Tour Latinoamérica and debut in February 2024 Views, of a video tweeted on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ official account, of 33-year-old 3M DREW MAGGI being told he was going to the major leagues after 13 years in the minors.

4 | MAY 1-7, 2023 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM S BJ’S ALL IN CONFERENCE took place Thursday, April 20, on the Founders Club level at BMO Stadium on a beautiful sunny day in Los Angeles. Speakers were refreshingly honest about the complicated topics around diversity, equity and inclusion in the sports industry (see event photos, Page 33). MOST COMMON THEME: It’s redundant, but it’s all about leadership. U.S. Soccer’s chief people and diversity officer, Ann Seeney, has been in her new role for just about a year after more than eight years at the St. Louis Cardinals, but the dynamic hasn’t changed. “You want employees to drive this and be engaged,” she said. “But it can just cycle around and just get stagnant if you don’t have leadership at the top championing it, living it, breathing it and trying to push all those initiatives along.” Dress For Success CEO Michele Meyer-Shipp echoed that and referenced her 13 months as chief people and culture officer at MLB. “Every single meeting I sat on with the commissioner at Major League Baseball, there was a DEI update and conversation. It has to be a part of every conversation and that has to come from the top.” SECOND MOST COMMON THEME: Get your policies and practices to industry standards and implement them. It could be as simple as looking at your interview questions and training managers. “In St. Louis, it’s a thing to say, ‘Where’d you go to high school?’ as a conversation starter,” Seeney said. “What our managers didn’t get was that can also identify socioeconomic ALL IN insight: ‘Think big, start small, move fast’ status, and we eliminated that question from our interviews. It’s little things like that that can really make a huge impact.” After the policies are enacted, build in measurement, as Meyer-Shipp, who commands a stage with impressive authority and empathy, had DEI goals built into employees’ annual performance objectives. “Everyone’s — not just the leadership team, but the employees,” she said. “Everybody had to commit to support advancing DEI, and at mid-year and yearend, a part of their rating is based on that. Let’s set some goals around employee engagement. Let’s set some goals around diversifying the workforce. Let’s set some goals around retention. That really helps because then people have something to drive towards.” THIRD MOST COMMON THEME: DEI efforts take resources, relentless effort and, yes, time. “At a lot of organizations, I have friends who are like, ‘I’m the DEI person. It’s only me. And I have a $10,000 budget for the whole year to support 60,000 employees,’” Meyer-Shipp said. “I’m like, ‘You’re screwed. It’s time to find a new job.’” Fanatics Chief People Officer Orlando Ashford’s astute understanding of the issues and exceptional delivery resonated when he said his mantra is to “think big, start small, and move fast.” Here’s how he put it: “Think big, but chip away. You have to start small and start banging at it little by little by little and celebrating the wins along the way and move fast. Just get in there and start these things. Many will work, some will not. You’ll apologize for those things that don’t work, learn from it, and then go do the next one. And then you’ll look up and see that things have moved significantly.” Finally, realize the effort is daunting and demanding. “This work is hard. It’s exhausting,” said Meyer-Shipp, who is now in a new role. “I love doing this, but I didn’t want to do the work anymore because I burned out.” MOST FASCINATING COMMENT: The most eye-opening evidence of how far the sports industry has come on many issues was offered by Courtney Moore, Dodgers vice president, DEI, who gave a revealing look at the team’s progress: “When I started with the Dodgers two years ago, there was no parental leave policy,” she said. At that time, each department determined what it was. She has since instituted a robust policy. “There was no employee evaluations. So, no one knew how they were doing in the organization,” she added, saying that it was “very convenient for management because you didn’t have to give a reason why you didn’t promote. You didn’t have to give a reason why you didn’t give a salary raise.” But over time, detailed policies were put in place because if “we don’t have that, [employees] will go someplace else. Now management is held accountable, where now you have to have these conversations.” SPEAKER TO KEEP AN EYE ON: Paralympic athlete Ezra Frech took a day off from classes at nearby Brentwood School to speak at ALL IN, and the charismatic 17-year-old was not shy about sharing his ambitious Olympic goals: to medal in his three events in Paris in 2024 and then pull off the Triple Crown at LA28. Gold in the high jump, gold in the long jump and gold in the 100 meter. “It has never been done before in the history of the Olympics, Paralympics, track and field, ever. That’s what I plan to do,” he said. He also pushed corporate America to invest in the disability, Paralympic and adaptive sports space now to benefit from what he believes will be a much higher profile around the LA28 Games. Abraham Madkour can be reached at amadkour@ sportsbusinessjournal.com. EVENTS 8 TEEING OFF LPGA’s Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National will showcase junior golfers from the AJGA alongside the pros. By Wes Sanderson HORSE RACING 9 DERBY SCENES Award-winning producer Lindsay Schanzer savors her role as Kentucky Derby point person on eve of the 149th running. By Liz Mullen MOTORSPORTS 10 MIAMI BUZZING This weekend’s Formula One Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix has avoided a sophomore slump in ticket sales and buzz. By Adam Stern LABOR 12 LABOR & AGENTS More agents are testing the waters as popularity of pickleball soars and crosses over with tennis players and reps. By Liz Mullen FACILITIES TICKETING 13 PACE OF PLAY Early data show not only increased MLB attendance with faster games, but improved F&B sales, too. By Bret McCormick THIS WEEK ABRAHAM MADKOUR PUBLISHER AND EXECUTIVE EDITOR FORUM OPINION ......... 31 FACES & PLACES. . 33 CLOSING SHOT ... 34 Cover image by Joe Martinez / St. Louis City SC Listen to Abe Madkour’s take on sports business stories of the day in Morning Buzzcast — every day in Morning Buzz. SBJ PODCASTS BUZZCAST The entire contents of this magazine are copyrighted by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal 2023 with all rights reserved. Street & Smith’s is a registered trademark of Leaders Group Holdings LLC. Reproduction or use, without permission, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited. Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal (ISSN1098-5972) publishes up to 49 print or digital issues each year, for $499 a year by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal, at 120 West Morehead Street, Suite 310, Charlotte, NC 28202. In Canada $604 per year, includes GST and all other countries $869, includes a one-year subscription and expedited air delivery (GST#139794580). Periodicals postage paid at Charlotte, NC, and additional mailing offices. Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal is a publication of Leaders Group Holdings LLC. Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal is an equal opportunity employer. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal — Subscriber Services, 120 W. Morehead St., Suite 310, Charlotte, NC 28202. If the Post Office alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within 3 months. FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE CALL 1-800-829-9839 For article reprints, please contact celebrate@ sportsbusinessjournal.com or call customer service at 1-800-829-9839.

INTRODUCING THIS YEAR’S CO-HOSTS THE BIGGEST NIGHT IN SPORTS BUSINESS Join your industry peers at this year’s star-studded event. To PURCHASE TABLES or SEATS, visit www.Sports-Business-Awards.com GOLD SPONSORS ELLE DUNCAN Anchor, SportsCenter ESPN JAY WILLIAMS Radio Host, ESPN Entrepreneur & Author Wednesday, May 24 | 5:00-10:00 PM ET New York Marriott Marquis Times Square

6 | MAY 1-7, 2023 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM Brooklyn Hall/Cronkite News T HE FIRST HALF OF MAY will go a long way toward determining the future of what has long been one of sports’ most uncertain franchises: the Arizona Coyotes. First comes the NHL draft lottery on May 8, with the grand prize being uber-prospect Connor Bedard, a potential championship cornerstone who is one of the most hyped players in years. Eight days later comes another step in the ongoing saga of whether the Coyotes will stay in Arizona: a May 16 deadline for voters in Tempe to turn in their ballots on whether to approve a deal that would have the team acquire 46 acres of city-owned land that is currently a landfill and turning it into a $2.3 billion project that would include, most notably, a new arena for the team. Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo has already spent tens of millions of dollars over the past 18 months in effort to build a new arena for his team. If the vote passes — and the expectation is that it will — the next step is developing the proposed project, which would mostly be privately financed. Opposition to the vote has been stronger than expected for two reasons: proposed property tax incentives for the team, as well as the Community Facilities District the Coyotes proposed creating that could issue $220 million worth of bonds to cover the remediation of the site. To put their best foot forward to Tempe voters, Meruelo and the Coyotes created a political action committee, Tempe Wins, that has produced numerous ads — including television, posters and social media — put on events and even held free screenings of three movies on April 9 for Tempe residents: “Slapshot,” “Black Ice” and “Happy Gilmore.” Bluebird Development LLC, the company Meruelo founded to develop the new arena, has been the only entity to fund the PAC and donated just under half a million dollars from December to the end of March. The PAC spent most of its money on political consulting and advertising. The Coyotes paid Phoenix’s OH Strategic Communications $102,396.35 between January and March. During the same period, the Coyotes paid San Francisco-based political polling firm David Binder Research LLC $59,700; $18,750 to Scottsdale-based Rose+Allyn PR firm; $15,000 to Lumen Strategies, another Phoenix-area PR firm; and more than $25,000 to a local print shop, according to campaign finance disclosures. The opposing PAC — Tempe 1st, run by Dawn Penich-Thacker, CEO of consulting firm Agave Strategy— only spent $12,309.15 during the first quarter of 2023, compared to the Coyotes’ Politics in the Desert NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has been a vocal supporter of the team’s efforts to find a long-term solution in the area it has called home since 1996. How the Arizona Coyotes are pushing to win a May 16 vote that would secure the team’s future in Tempe. BY BRANDON BROWN upfront

SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM M AY 1-7, 2023 | 7 Getty Images $260,207.79. All signs point to Meruelo continuing to spend big in the weeks before election night. For Meruelo, whose varied business interests include real estate and who built a net worth that allowed him to purchase the Coyotes in 2019 for $300 million, winning the vote is only the first step. He’d still need to come up with $2.3 billion to build the proposed entertainment district that would include an arena, theater, practice facility, restaurants, shops, offices, hotels and close to 2,000 luxury apartments. But to even get to this point, Meruelo had to spend a lot more than just the aforementioned $490,377.10 on the campaign. After being unable to renegotiate a lease for its 19-year home ice in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, the team moved to Arizona State University’s campus in Tempe last fall, about 2 miles east from the site of the proposed arena. To make the 5,000-seat college hockey arena work for professional play, Meruelo had to spend $20 million to build a two-story building next door that houses NHL-quality locker rooms and medical facilities. The 2022-23 season ended with the Coyotes selling out all 4,600 available seats in Mullett Arena for every home game despite finishing seventh in the eight-team Central division. However, the contract between the team and with ASU and arena manager Oak View Group doesn’t leave much left over for the NHL franchise. The Coyotes’ offices were in the basement of the Glendale arena and were included in its arena lease. The team has since moved offices to the expensive Scottsdale market, near the Coyotes’ new practice facility, which was being used for figure skating lessons and youth hockey leagues prior to the franchise needing it. Besides these real estate costs, Meruelo’s Bluebird racked up a lot of soft costs on its proposed development. It has worked long hours with legal counsel, architects, aviation experts and strategic communications teams to update and change its original plans after concerns were made by officials from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, which has a runway fewer than two miles east of where the Coyotes want to build. Despite the changes, the Coyotes were not able to maneuver cleanly through the Tempe City Council. While the project was approved 7-0 in November, that was only because the Coyotes agreed to take the measures to the upcoming referendum vote. In that negotiation, the Coyotes agreed to pay Tempe for the cost of the election, which was estimated at $250,000, and the team agreed to cover all legal fees Tempe might accrue if the city is sued over the development. The latter has already happened. In late March, the city of Phoenix, which owns Sky Harbor Airport, sued the city of Tempe, saying it was in violation of an intercity agreement that said residential units could not be built that close to the airport. Despite all the challenges of the Arizona market for the Coyotes and the NHL, they have avoided relocation and are adamant about trying to find a solution. In fact, the Coyotes see the expenses as a sign of their dedication to the state of Arizona and especially Tempe. “Alex Meruelo … actually invested $30 million to be here in Tempe on a temporary basis,” Xavier Gutierrez, the president and CEO of the Coyotes, said during an April 18 televised debate over the project. “You’re talking about a successful businessman in highly regulated businesses who has already put his money where his mouth is to be here.” The Coyotes have consistenly struggled to attract committed fans in the market. In the 2021-22 season — the last time the Coyotes played their home games in an NHL-sized arena — the team recorded its lowest average attendance since moving to Arizona from Winnipeg for the 1996-97 season: 11,601. That same season saw local TV ratings drop 58% from the previous year. It isn’t just Meruelo who wants to keep the team in Arizona, however. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has been vocal in expressing his preference that the Coyotes stay in the Valley of the Sun. In 2009, after then-owner Jerry Moyes put the Coyotes into top: The Coyotes just completed their first season at Mullett Arena, home of the Arizona State hockey team, in Tempe. above: Owner Alex Meruelo has been spending big in an effort to persuade voters to move forward with the proposed $2.3-billion project. Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, the NHL halted the sale of the team to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie, who wanted to move the franchise to Hamilton, Ontario. Once that deal was quashed, the NHL acquired the Coyotes for $140 million and owned the team until 2013, when George Gosbee and Anthony LeBlanc acquired it for $175 million, with the NHL providing the new ownership with an $85 million loan. “If you go back for the last 25 years, our commitment to Arizona has never wavered,” Bettman said in November 2022. “This is a great market, there are great fans and this is a place we want to be.” Even now, Bettman has been a fixture on the Coyotes’ campaign in Tempe. While the proposal was being considered by the Tempe City Council, Bettman joined meetings via Zoom to offer his support and sat through a nearly four-hour public meeting in November when he promised an NHL All-Star weekend would be held at the new arena if built. On April 13, he traveled to Arizona to lend his support to the team’s efforts. “We believe that finally, we’re at a place where we can ensure the future of the Coyotes for the benefit — not just for the Coyotes or Coyotes fans — but for this community,” Bettman said. Now the community will have its say. Brandon Brown writes for the Phoenix Business Journal, an affiliated publication.

8 | MAY 1-7, 2023 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM Mastro Communications UPFRONT A FIRST OF ITS KIND EVENT is coming to Liberty National Golf Club, just southwest of Manhattan, when the LPGA and the American Junior Golfers Association (AJGA) come together for the inaugural Mizuho Americas Open May 29 through June 4. Liberty National in Jersey City, N.J., has hosted the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs and Presidents Cup, but for the first time, professional golfers will be teeing it up alongside the next generation of female golfers for 72 holes. “We’re excited for this week because it’s really going to be a full weeklong experience for these juniors to compete,” said Kevin Hopkins, vice president of golf at Excel Sports Management, which owns and operates the tournament. “More than that, I think [the juniors] will learn from all of these players that they’ve looked up to and some who want to get to that next level and play inside the ropes with them.” The Mizuho Americas Open marks the first time the LPGA and the AJGA have partnered to showcase some of the top professional and junior talent in the United States. With a $2.75 million purse, one of the largest non-major championship purses on the LPGA Tour, Hopkins expects the LPGA field to be a strong one. Hopkins also said that on the AJGA side, the tournament had 20 of the top 24 players on the Rolex AJGA Rankings committed to the tournament as of April 20. While the LPGA will be playing a traditional stroke play event, the AJGA will be competing in a stableford format, the same format used for the celebrity leaderboard at the LPGA’s Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. On Thursday and Friday of tournament week, LPGA and AJGA players will play in separate groupings, but after the LPGA field cuts down to the top-50 and ties for the weekend, all 24 juniors will be paired with two LPGA players on both Saturday and Sunday depending on where they stand on the leaderboard. Hopkins added that the course setup at Liberty National will have the juniors playing from many of the same tee boxes as the pros, with a few exceptions that will be decided by the tournament team. Even with the course being played at different lengths, Hopkins noted the junior girls would still be treated to and experience large amounts of time with the LPGA members. Hopkins said the juniors will get to experience practice rounds with professional players and even sit down and have meals with them each day in player dining. “We’re not asking a ton from [the LPGA players],” Hopkins said. “But we want to make sure we pair them with the juniors who are going to be playing, they have a shoulder they can lean on and an ear for advice. Really an inclusive atmosphere is what we’re aiming for.” Hopkins said the unique nature of the tournament and the opportunity to highlight DEI initiatives was a big reaLPGA tournament eager to showcase junior golfers son Mizuho decided to go this route as its first “big spend” in sports marketing. Mizuho signed its title sponsorship with the LPGA for three years, which includes the AJGA tournament as well. Along with the financial services company, Hopkins said the tournament had a “good list right at the outset” of partners also sign on for various terms including BMW, PitchBook and Meridian Health. He said the team is “closing the loop” with 10-15 other partnerships in the coming weeks. The desire to showcase the junior aspect stretched even further than an initial release, as the tournament team plans to weave the juniors into the event’s social media and marketing campaigns during tournament week. Hopkins said Mizuho just launched a new brand campaign with the tagline “A name worth knowing,” which has become the slogan Hopkins and his team have worked with to highlight the tournament’s junior competition. “We’ve been trying to weave that into some of the storylines for our event and we’ve tied that directly to our AJGA players,” Hopkins said. “It’s our goal to start telling those stories. We’ll do that from social, we’ll definitely do that on-site, and then we’ll weave it into the telecast as well.” In coordination with broadcast partner Golf Channel, Mizuho and the team plan to highlight the juniors in the telecast, marking the first time the AJGA has ever had an event televised. “For my focus, I want to get the juniors involved,” Golf Channel Producer Jesse Wesp said. “Whether it’s interviews with them, walk-and-talks, whether they might be miked up, that’s our focus for the first couple of days.” Wesp said his goal between Thursday and Friday, when the juniors will be playing in separate groups from the LPGA golfers, is to get all 48 juniors on the telecast at some point. “That’s kind of my philosophy for the first few days. The focus isn’t necessarily on the LPGA; it’s involving the juniors and telling their stories.” Along with the AJGA side of the tournament, the Mizuho Americas Open also becomes just the fifth professional tournament to be hosted by a former player. 2014 U.S. Women’s Open Champion Michelle Wie West, a Mizuho ambassador, is playing host to the event in what Hopkins sees as the next step in her golf career. “Knowing how important women’s golf is, knowing how big of a voice that she’s been from a philanthropic standpoint, from a gender equity standpoint, from a pay equity standpoint, this is not just something Michelle’s putting her name on,” Hopkins said. “This is something for her that hopefully we can carry on for years and years, like we’ve seen on the PGA Tour with some of the great tournament hosts and legends that have been part of that.” Junior golfers will play alongside the pros, with Manhattan and Brooklyn as the backdrop, when the unique tournament arrives at Liberty National. BY WES SANDERSON MIZUHO AMERICAS OPEN Pairing Information Date Pairings Thursday, June 1 AJGA and LPGA players competing in separate groupings Friday, June 2 AJGA and LPGA players competing in separate groupings; LPGA field cut from 120 players to top-50 players and ties Saturday, June 3 AJGA and LPGA players grouped together down the leaderboard Sunday, June 4 AJGA and LPGA players again grouped together down the leaderboard Daily Ticket Costs n Grounds Ticket: $35 n Garden State Terrace: $150 n Clubhouse: $550

LONGTIME NBC horse racing analysts Jerry Bailey and Randy Moss praise producer Lindsay Schanzer for her smarts, her organization, her knowledge of the sport; but most of all, her ability to handle pressure. Schanzer demonstrated that last year when she produced the Kentucky Derby for the first time and racehorse Rich Strike, at odds of 81-to-1, came out of the clouds to win — the longest shot to do it in more than 100 years. The broadcast won rave reviews and earned Schanzer a Gracie Award. “When things go wrong on a horse racing telecast — which often happens — the atmosphere in the [production] truck can be just absolutely chaotic,” said Moss. “On the set we get none of that. She completely insulates me and Jerry and [hosts] Mike Tirico or Ahmed Fareed — we have no sense of how much chaos is going on.” Bailey prizes poise under duress as the No. 1 quality in a producer and knows something about that, as a former Hall of Fame jockey who won the Kentucky Derby twice before becoming a TV analyst. “There’ve been producers who get excited, and they yell and they don’t get back to you in your ears and you really don’t know what is going on,” Bailey said. “You know things are a mess, but you don’t know how the rhythm is going to change if the format is out the window. She is very calm under pressure. … For me as an analyst on the set, a sense of calm really gives you a lot of confidence.” NBC Sports Executive Producer Sam Flood said Schanzer “has creative flair, an innovative spirit and a welcoming leadership style, which complement her calm demeanor in the production truck.” Schanzer is the daughter of former NBC Sports President Ken Schanzer, who retired in 2011. She grew up around sporting events and worked summers as a runner on NBC Sports broadcasts. She studied film and television at Notre Dame and originally pursued a job producing features. But at the 2013 Kentucky Derby — won by favorite Orb — she ended up in the live production truck and got a glimpse of the action. “And I just decided post production is not for me, I want that,” she said. “I want the adrenaline; I want to be the mix.” Schanzer has worked on horse racing coverage in different roles for 10 years, including as tape producer, and producing the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. She was promoted to producer of the Derby last year after longtime producer Rob Hyland was named coordinating producer of “Sunday Night Football.” Schanzer is the first woman to produce the Kentucky Derby, which historically has been one of NBC’s highest-rated sports broadcasts in the second quarter of the year. The event attracted 16 million viewers last year. Asked about that, Schanzer said, “Is it good for women? Yeah. Anytime you have a woman in the position of being a producer … of a show that is being watched by this many people is great. The visibility is great. If it makes one more person say, ‘Hey, I think I can do that, too,’ then awesome.” SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM M AY 1-7, 2023 | 9 NBC Sports Schanzer savors role as Derby producer BY LIZ MULLEN Lindsay Schanzer has earned praise from colleagues for her calm demeanor in a pressure-filled role.

10 | MAY 1-7, 2023 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix UPFRONT San Diego State signs new multimedia rights deal with JMI Sports SAN DIEGO STATE, one of the hottest collegiate properties in the country, has signed a 10-year multimedia rights agreement with JMI Sports, which is also based in San Diego. The new arrangement will be a revenue-share model as opposed to a revenue guarantee, which is how most multimedia rights deals are structured. San Diego State opted to enter into a revenue share, said John David Wicker, the Aztecs’ athletic director. “We decided that we wanted to get away from the guarantee model,” Wicker said. “Having a revenue split allows for more creativity. You’re not just working toward a number. They’re going to want to work toward the maximum they can get. It feels like a better deal long term.” The Aztecs are fresh off a run to the Final Four with their men’s basketball team. They also opened a new $310 million football stadium — Snapdragon Stadium — prior to the 2022 season, and the school is regularly the subject of reports that link it to the Pac-12 Conference if the league decides to expand. But JMI and San Diego State had been in talks long before striking this deal. JMI served as the construction manager on Snapdragon Stadium, working with the university, development partners and the designers. The Aztecs had previously outsourced their multimedia rights to Playfly Sports. Legends still owns the rights at San Diego State for ticket and premium space sales. Playfly picked up the Aztecs’ rights when Playfly acquired Fox’s collegiate properties. Wicker said there are no provisions or adjustments in the contract if SDSU moves into another conference. “Because there’s no guarantee involved, it doesn’t matter what conference you’re in, you’re still splitting dollars.” San Diego State’s property sales team will grow, said Erik Judson, JMI’s chief executive. The property included four executives previously and has expanded to five, with plans to grow further. The Aztecs’ property will report to Pete Thuresson, the newly created senior vice president, and further support will come from JMI’s headquarters in San Diego. The agreement, which runs through June 30, 2031, makes JMI Sports the official corporate and multimedia rights partner for San Diego State athletics. JMI Sports has been a partner of SDSU athletics since May 2014, when the company came on board as the construction manager for the Jeff Jacobs JAM Center, the school’s basketball practice facility. JMI then served in a number of consulting roles in the development of Snapdragon Stadium, including a partnership with Legends to oversee construction management, ticketing, premium sales, naming rights and founding partnerships. “As we expand our business relationship, we’ll utilize our extensive collegiate experience to build SDSU’s brand both regionally and nationally,” Judson said. “This partnership is a model for how we can support the entire SDSU athletics enterprise.” Wicker did not work with a consultant on the multimedia rights agreement. BY MICHAEL SMITH a general admission Campus Pass and $800 for a grandstand seat. “The first year is always the first year, and we knew that going in, and it’s kind of as we expected,” said Epp. “But we’re still in really good shape, the demand has been really good and very healthy and we’re going to be in a wonderful situation here.” Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and Vice Chairman and CEO Tom Garfinkel are intimately involved in the race. After spending tens of millions of dollars on the buildout of the campus for last year’s inaugural race, Ross has continued investing in the event. A New experiences in store for F1 Miami HEADED INTO its second year, the Formula One Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix has avoided a sophomore slump in ticket sales and overall buzz, according to President Tyler Epp. Last year, 85,280 people attended on race day and 242,955 people came through the turnstiles over the threeday weekend in early May. The event is run by South Florida Motorsports, the Miami Dolphins’ subsidiary for its F1 efforts, and the circuit around the venue is named the Miami International Autodrome. This year’s event weekend is May 5-7, with the race airing Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. With a third F1 event coming on line this year in America in Las Vegas, and with tickets priced at a premium, there were questions as to whether the Dolphins could match the results of the inaugural event. The Dolphins announced in October 2021 that the race had already sold out of all its grandstand seating for the 2022 race, while there has not yet been such an announcement for this year’s event. The race added capacity this year, and Epp said the event has already sold more ticket inventory and sponsorships than last year. Three-day passes available online last week began at $590 for new permanent paddock club has been built above the team pits area, whereas last year’s paddock club was held in an existing section of Hard Rock Stadium. The event is moving the paddock village area to the Dolphins’ football field, where fans who buy a general admission ticket can look down from the 300 level and watch the happenings among the personnel gathered from 10 F1 teams. Ten pedestrian bridges have been widened to help fans better traverse the circuit. A fan zone will offer simulators, photo opportunities, food trucks, a Heineken beer garden and a Jack Daniel’s whiskey bar, along with designated viewing areas. The marina area near Turns 6, 7 and 8 returns with luxury yachts parked on a seafoam-painted deck where guests can enjoy dining, a bar and a 90-foot video board. Organizers also have added more water stations and shaded areas for fans this year after receiving feedback on those items last year. “We feel really good and worked really hard to try to learn from last year,” Epp said. BY ADAM STERN n Clemson (sponsorship sales) n Columbia n DePaul n Georgia (in partnership with Learfield) n Harvard n Ivy League n Kentucky n MAC n Mountain West Conference n Notre Dame (in partnership with Legends) n Patriot League n Penn n Pittsburgh n San Diego State n Southern Conference JMI SPORTS COLLEGIATE PROPERTIES A new permanent paddock club at Hard Rock Stadium is among this year’s upgrades.

SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM M AY 1-7, 2023 | 1 1 Courtesy of Detroit Lions (3) W HEN THE DETROIT LIONS first started sending fans rewards, they mailed paper coupons. That not only was a manual process for the team to distribute, but also inconvenient for the fans and limited its scope. After partnering with Lava, an AIpowered fan experience platform in 2018, the Lions digitized the program with the creation of the Lions Perks Card. The card is accessible through the team app and includes stored value (called Lions Loot). Each scan enters fans into a sweepstakes. Beginning in 2021, the Lions added another dimension to the program. With each use of the Lions Perks Card, the fan instantly received a Lava-powered survey with a 1-to-5 scale, rendered as emojis. That feedback is sent back to the business intelligence team at its game-day hub, the Trace3 Analytics War Room. “We’ve never had insights like that before,” said Ashton Mullinix, Lions senior vice president of strategy and analytics. “That’s all driving back to my team in the analytics space in the War Room on game day. And then we’re able to communicate that out, whether it’s the concessionaire or a retail store, what is happening and what changes you want to make throughout the game.” The immediacy of the prompt was critical, as traditional surveys falter with poor compliance. “A fan may just decide, ‘Well, I’ll provide some feedback later,’ but most likely later won’t happen,” said Lava co-founder and CEO Wen Miao. “But to be able to do it right there, then, in that moment, your likelihood of providing feedback is extremely high.” The Lions recently shared some fan data exclusively with Sports Business Journal, indicating that they received more than 10,000 survey responses in 2022 — a 54% year-over-year increase — as well as a 29% increase in usage of Lions Perks cards. Among seasonticket members, that gain was even higher at 40%. Mullinix’s team considered the realtime surveys a point of emphasis in the 2022 sesaon, with plans of further expansion in 2023. The idea is to capitalize on data to remedy complaints immediately. “Bad news early is good news, right?” said Miao. “So you still have a chance to do something about it before they leave.” The Analytics War Room was operational for a half-dozen games last season and will be a mainstay at Ford Field. The business intelligence team ingests data from several sources — everything from Wi-Fi pings to CrowdIQ’s computer vision-based fan analysis — to inform in-game entertainment, sponsorship activations, concession congestion and more. The AI capabilities of Lava, which also integrate with Apple and Google wallets, is underpinning many of the innovations that have emerged through the War Room. “This started with Lava,” Mullinix said, “and it’s grown from there.” From the War Room, the Lions seek to govern the entirety of the fan experience. One early win has been dispersing entries into Ford Field. Half of all attendees used to click the turnstiles at Gate A, but by deploying a series of countermeasures — signage, targeted emails, new ticket scanners — there has already been a 5% reduction in Gate A traffic. With digital perks, the offers don’t need to be static, either. Possible future inducements might include additional Lions Loot added to the account of fans who enter, say, a full hour before kickoff. No longer is the club distributing yearly paper coupons, after all. “That was a light-bulb moment where we could say, ‘OK, not just this $100, but now we can start delivering increments of $5 or $10 for different actions people are taking,’” Mullinix said. “It created this flexibility where now we can really start changing and offering different incentives and rewards to our fans — not just a one-time-a-year $100 coupon — but throughout the entire year, when they’re in our stadium, we can start driving smaller rewards to them.” The recommendations from most data science models are still administered after the fact and involve targeting segments of the fan base. Lava is angling to produce more bespoke options. To start, that might mean eliminating redundancy — don’t offer a jersey discount to someone who bought a jersey yesterday — but it will lead to discerning which fans will get the most value out of a specific offer; or identifying which fans might be a better fit for specific partnership activations, which can include Lions Loot for visits to Ford or Rocket Mortgage locations in the stadium. “The machine learning, the real-time AI behind the scenes, is getting more and more familiar with fan behaviors and patterns. The AI itself will start to make some recommendations,” Miao said. “Given that Lava does sit in the middle, we have a 360 view of the fan in real time.” When the Lions surged in the second half of the 2022 season, attendance went with it. The team had ranked last in the category in 2021 but attracted the second-largest crowd in Ford Field history for its Thanksgiving game against the Bills, and team President Rod Wood told reporters he expects every home game in 2023 to be sold out. Yet the Lions’ ultimate goal is to offer 65,000 separate experiences each Sunday. “We can start having these more personalized, targeted offers to fans,” Mullinix added, “and that’s what I get excited about, is treating more fans on that one-to-one basis so that it really feels like a custom experience when they come to Ford Field.” IN THE MOMENT Lava helps Lions collect real-time data to make immediate adjustments and offer incentives to fans “That was a light-bulb moment where we could say, ‘OK, not just this $100, but now we can start delivering increments of $5 or $10 for different actions people are taking.’ It created this flexibility where now we can really start changing and offering different incentives and rewards to our fans … throughout the entire year, when they’re in our stadium, we can start driving smaller rewards to them.” — Ashton Mullinix, Lions SVP of strategy and analytics The Lions partnered with Lava on an AI-powered experience platform to create the Lions Perks Card. When fans use the app during the game, they can offer realtime feedback and the team can use the information to react as necessary. BY JOE LEMIRE

12 | MAY 1-7, 2023 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM Getty Images J OHN TOBIAS, an executive vice president at GSE Worldwide and a veteran tennis agent who has represented some of the top tennis players in the world, has signed Parris Todd, this year’s U.S. Open Pickleball Championships winner. It’s the latest move by successful, traditional sports agents into the fastest-growing sport in America. Todd has endorsements with Alo Yoga for clothing, Selkirk for paddles and A-Game for sports beverage, and Tobias will be looking to expand her portfolio. “Parris is kind of the most marketable female pickleball player in the world,” Tobias said. “In terms of just looks, popularity, social media following.” She’s obviously very accomplished, as well, he said, and is ranked among the top 10 female players in the world. Over a 20-year career representing tennis players, Tobias has represented seven Grand Slam champions and six World No. 1-ranked players. His tennis clients include World No. 3 women’s player Jessica Pegula, former U.S. Open winner Sloane Stephens, 2021 U.S. Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, and men’s World No. 17 player Tommy Paul. Tobias said he was not trying to become a pickleball agent, but became one in the past several months because of his longtime client, Sam Querrey, who he represented for tennis work for 16 years. Querry, 35, retired from tennis last year after the U.S. Open and transitioned into becoming a professional pickleball player and asked Tobias to represent him. Tobias agreed, while acknowledging, “I don’t know much about pickleball, but I will try to learn on the fly. That was in October of last year.” Since then, Tobias has negotiated deals for Querrey that will pay him northward of $600,000 a year. Querrey has agreements with Fila for clothing and Franklin for paddles. Additionally, Tobias negotiated a deal for Querrey to play for the D.C. team of Major League Pickleball (MLP). Querrey introduced Tobias to Todd and the agent decided to sign her as a client as well. “It’s a sport for men and women, and I thought it would be nice to have a top male and a top female,” Tobias said. Pickleball’s participation rate exploded during the pandemic, with some country clubs converting tennis courts into pickleball courts. “Tennis is a very difficult sport to play if you are not good,” Tobias said. “Whereas pickleball you don’t have to be really good to have fun.” The sport’s popularity has attracted multiple famous current and former athletes as owners, including LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Patrick Mahomes. The ownership group of the MLP team Querrey plays for includes Al Tylis, Sam Porter, Eva Longoria, Justin Verlander, Mesut Ozil, Kate Upton, Shawn Marion and Rip Hamilton. Todd plays for the Pro Pickleball Association (PPA). Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon is the majority owner of the PPA. There are three pickleball leagues or tours: the PPA, MLP and the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP). “It’s a real thing,” Tobias said. “It really is. I don’t think this is a flash in the pan. I think it’s going to last.” Despite not wanting to represent a lot of pickleball players, Tobias may end up representing another one soon. He said tennis client Jack Sock, a former top-10 tennis player in the world, is likely going to start playing a full schedule of pickleball next year while continuing to play tennis. Tobias is not the only veteran, traditional agent representing pickleball players. Kelly Wolf, Octagon vice president who oversees the agency’s tennis division, represents Jay Devilliers, who was ranked No. 3 in men’s singles by the PPA last week. Wolf also represents Anna Leigh Waters, who was the No. 1-ranked PPA singles and mixed doubles player, and her mother, Leigh Waters, who has ranked in the top 10 in doubles. “Everyone in pickleball says it’s like the Wild West, and it is,” Wolf said. “There are some similarities to deals for athletes in other sports, as in contract structure, terms and others areas, but because the sport has yet to find a way to truly consolidate as a singular league or market presence, we’ve been able to step into the breach and lead the way for our clients in a lot of ways — similar to what we did in tennis four decades ago.” Wolf has negotiated deals with Fila, Paddletek and Carvana for Anna Leigh Waters. “With Anna Leigh getting her driver’s license this year, and Carvana being the new title sponsor of the PPA Tour, the partnership is a natural fit,” she said. “We’ve also signed a multiyear partnership with Lock Laces, a no-tie elastic shoelace which is making a major move into the pickleball marketplace this year.” Having traditional, veteran sports agents represent pickleball players is good for the sport, said, Chris Patrick, PPA deputy commissioner and general counsel. Patrick previously worked as an NBA agent for the former Relativity Sports and for ISE. Patrick started representing pickleball players and basketball players but gave that up when he was hired by the PPA in January of this year. When he started representing pickleball players, they were not making much money, but that has changed with six-figure sponsorship deals and tournament purses as high as $300,000. He expects more experienced agents and agencies to enter the sport. “I think it is great for the sport as it levels the playing field,” Patrick said. “If I were a pro player or parent of a pro player, I would want to be able to interview as many reputable agents as possible to be able to see who is the best fit. When I was on the representation side there were only 24 players on the tour. Now we are close to 70. The players need someone that has their best interest at heart and it only makes sense that more companies will venture into pickleball.” Liz Mullen can be reached at lmullen@sportsbusinessjournal. com. Follow her on Twitter @ SBJLizMullen. LABOR AND AGENTS BY LIZ MULLEN THE INSIDERS More agents test the waters as pickleball popularity soars Agent John Tobias was introdued to pickleball player Parris Todd (above) by longtime tennis client Sam Querrey, who also now competes in the sport.

SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM M AY 1-7, 2023 | 1 3 Courtesy of Arizona Diamondbacks B ACK IN 2014, SANDEEP SATISH worked on an MBA project for Major League Baseball examining the impact a pitch clock would have on the in-game business of teams. Now, Satish, who works with nine MLB teams as managing director of DBK Studios and vice president, E15 Group at concessionaire Levy, is having the surreal experience of a grad school project come to life. “That was one of the most interesting projects,” said Satish. “You think eight years ago that seemed so far-fetched.” MLB seemingly got an editor during the offseason, trimming the fat off game times with the institution of a 30-second pitch clock and several other rules intended to quicken the pace and get the ball in play more often. Just over a month into the season, MLB games are running 2 hours, 36 minutes, which is 27 minutes shorter on average than the 2022 season, and 34 minutes shorter than the 2021 season, according to baseball-reference.com. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, crucial for a league playing its first normal season since 2019, after three pandemic and lockout-tarnished seasons. “I was skeptical at first because I’m a traditionalist,” said Arizona Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall, “and I think it’s the best thing our game has adapted to in a long time.” There were early concerns that shorter games would hit teams’ bottom lines, especially in concessions sales, but the effects haven’t been as obvious as some first thought. Though the sample size is still limited, per-cap spending doesn’t seem to have been hugely affected, and where it has been, extended alcohol sales and better ticket sales due to a more attractive on-field product have mitigated any dip. “We’re actually seeing almost an inverse relationship between game length, down 20% for our partners, while the spend is up almost equivalent,” said Satish. “Per-caps have not been impacted.” Levy was somewhat prepared for the change because of Professional Sports Catering (PSC), its subsidiary with a significant F&B presence in Minor League Baseball. MiLB instituted the pitch clock last season as a test for the big leagues, and their businesses were a year ahead in having to adapt, even if on a smaller scale. The Charlotte Knights, PSC clients, told Sports Business Journal that they saw fans stay longer at Truist Field in uptown Charlotte despite quicker games in 2022. Per-caps increased about $2 per head over the course of the season, compared to 2021 numbers. In MLB this year, fans are showing up earlier and staying later, reducing any significant labor expense savings for teams, but also the post-seventh Early data show not only increased MLB attendance with faster games, but improved F&B sales, too FACILITIES AND TICKETING BY BRET MCCORMICK inning F&B sales slowdown that was historically the norm in baseball. The Diamondbacks are welcoming those earlier-arriving fans with pregame fiestas including live music, food trucks and corporate sponsor activations, as well as the draw of the nearby, year-old Caesars Lounge and, for the first time since the pandemic, a reopened local chain restaurant in the stadium’s outfield that fans can access pregame. In-game entertainment in some venues is higher energy, faster-paced, too. The Diamondbacks have cut back on organ music, replacing it with a DJ that they first used to positive reviews during the USA-Mexico World Baseball Classic game, back in March. The team built a permanent DJ booth in left field after that game. “How we get through this and make sure that we optimize the positive change that has happened is the same way we got here: We need to further engage with the fans,” said former MLB Chief Technology Officer Mike Morris, now a sports industry technology consultant. “Let’s be open to changing [the fan journey], and testing, and learning. I think everyone in our ecosystem is already doing that. I hope that we take this, as an industry, as a sign that engaging and listening to fans, there is value there.” A handful of teams, including the Diamondbacks, have moved to sell alcohol later in games; that’s a decision driven by the teams, though made in collaboration with the concessionaire. There are legal and risk considerations, and a stadium’s location can play a role, too; urban venues are likely to have better transportation options for fans who can’t drive home. “This is going to be accretive to per-caps,” said Morris. “And a fundamental revenue source is the ticket sales, and a better product is going to drive that.” A faster, more interesting game (combined with the absence of a pandemic or lockout) is better for ticket sales. Again, it’s early, but attendance for 20 of the league’s 30 teams was higher year-over-year as of April 24, compared to the time when the same number of games had been played in 2022, according to baseball-reference.com. MLB teams’ attendance is up 1,652 fans per game through April 24, with seven teams more than 4,500 fans higher than last year. Bigger crowds and shorter games mean a chance for fan-facing technology to shine. Ten teams rolled out Evolv Express frictionless security screening systems this season, including five for the first time, while Mashgin added 42 new stands at nine MLB stadiums, bringing its selfcheckout units to 19 of the league’s venues. So far this season, Mashgin said it’s handled 310,000 transactions in an average of less than 18 seconds. The Diamondbacks have added grab-and-go locations throughout Chase Field, provided by SpotOn, and Amazon Just Walk Out and Zippin checkout-free stores continue to proliferate. The rule changes have justified tech investment that was already occurring and will likely spur further deployments. “We’re seeing shorter lines and better consumption patterns,” said Morris. “We have to double down on that because we have them for less time.” Check back on this story in August, Satish said. Baseball produces nothing if not copious data, and it’s a very seasonal sport, business-wise. When school is out in the summer, more families, groups and camps attend MLB games, so the new rules could influence their impact on F&B and merchandise revenue in noteworthy ways, too. And the problem of games stretching too long is not limited to baseball. “It’s something that every league partner and team that we have, who are thinking ahead, is saying what does this mean for us?” Satish said. “This is a conversation we’re having with every league.” Bret McCormick can be reached at bmccormick@ sportsbusinessjournal.com. To keep the energy level higher and faster paced, the Diamondbacks have cut back on organ music and have built a permanent DJ booth.

gotiations, if we want to have a better work environment around all the stuff that we’re dealing with, with the pandemic, we’ve got to pause for a minute and we’ve got to get this right.” One key priority that emerged from those discussions was the need to hire someone to lead the league’s DEI efforts. Other leagues had or were in the process of doing so (see sidebar), and it was particularly important to Black staff members and players at MLS that whoever was hired be given significant authority to make an impact and report directly to Garber. The commissioner instantly thought of Winley, who had worked for him more than two decades earlier at the NFL and served as an outside consultant for MLS over the years while running his own company. “He was just a very logical choice,” Garber said. “He’s very poised, very purposeful, incredibly decisive, but in a very democratic way. He has a way of helping people and becoming aware of what they can’t yet see, and he does that in a very inclusive way that is enormously positive. He was the perfect person at the perfect time.” For Black people within the MLS ecosystem, having someone like Winley to look out for their interests has resulted in a clear improvement. “I had been working in this industry of sport for a long time and felt very alone,” said Ali Curtis, senior vice president of competition and operations for MLS Next Pro. “So having someone come aboard with 14 | MAY 1-7, 2023 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM PORTFOLIO PROFILE Sola Winley took an unlikely path to becoming the first Chief DEI Officer at Major League Soccer, where he has been willing to tackle problems both inside and outside league headquarters BY ALEX SILVERMAN EFORE HE MET SOLA WINLEY last year, Leslie “Tiger” Fitzpatrick hadn’t thought much about trying to land a job within MLS. Despite his significant qualifications — an Ivy League education, international playing career, MLS player, master’s degree and years of amateur and college coaching experience — Fitzpatrick, a Black man from Trinidad and Tobago, had seen how frustrating it could be. “I’d hear about a lot of my friends, colleagues, exteammates, guys that were in the ecosystem or trying to get in and the barriers to acceptance they were facing, or the barriers to consideration or barriers to upward movement,” said Fitzpatrick. Yet after meeting Winley, MLS’s chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, at the 2022 United Soccer Coaches Convention in Kansas City, Winley quickly became among “the most impactful people in my life,” said Fitzpatrick. In fact, he credits Winley and his team at MLS for helping him land his new job earlier this year as head of talent identification and recruitment for the New York Red Bulls, a role in which he is responsible for scouting young talent to join the club’s academy system. In an email to Winley, along with MLS lieutenants Tunde Oguntimein and Jamil Northcutt, Fitzpatrick wrote, “I wanted to personally thank each of you for the time, belief and investment you made in helping me to take this next step in my career. My motivation to succeed always is grounded in my family and I consider you three family to me.” While Fitzpatrick’s message was particularly heartfelt, he’s far from the only one to share such a sentiment since Winley was hired in February 2021. “Sola gets a lot of notes like that,” Oguntimein said. n n n n n Winley’s hiring by MLS in February 2021 was a product of the national racial reckoning that followed the murder of George Floyd the previous spring. At the time, Black MLS employees and players alike sought the opportunity to have their feelings heard by leadership — namely Commissioner Don Garber — on a range of issues related to racial inequality in both soccer and society at large. “We had to raise the flag to say, ‘Hey, we need to stop whatever it is you’re doing and address these concerns and issues,’” said Northcutt, one of the topranking Black executives at the league office who now serves as senior vice president of player and league advancement. “If we want to have better neMLS Notable Impact B

Sola’s experience, energy and expertise was really, really exciting for me.” “You can’t really understate the importance of the first Black executive vice president in league history,” said Quincy Amarikwa, founder and executive director of Black Players for Change, which was founded in the wake of Floyd’s killing. “It’s been a collaborative effort to figure out the best ways in which Sola can be as impactful and valuable to the league and the player pool and just the overall soccer landscape.” n n n n n Winley, 52, took an unusual route to the C-suite. He grew up in New York as the son of a Jewish mother from Queens and a Black Pentecostal minister from the South. Following his parents’ divorce after 13 years of marriage, his mom stayed in Queens while his father moved to Harlem. He credits his multiracial upbringing with instilling diversity as a core part of his identity. “I navigated these two worlds — worlds where, interestingly, both come from an origin of persecution — and what it means to find one’s place in the world and acceptance in the world,” Winley said. “So, I had these two polar opposites of an experience that really helped to bring an integrated whole, to understand that what divides us really is fear more than anything else and that we share more commonality than we give each other credit for.” After the 10th grade, Winley dropped out of Forest Hills High School, where he said he “felt lost.” He transferred to an alternative institution called CityAs-School that allowed students to earn credit by working at businesses throughout New York. Winley, who at the time thought he wanted to become a chef, worked in several restaurants, including the city’s first Black-owned, woman-led restaurant owned by well-known restaurateur B. Smith. In college, Winley quickly dropped his culinary aspirations, going to community college and then the University of Connecticut, from which he graduated in 1994 with a communications degree. It was around this time he realized he wanted to work in sports. In addition to seeking a master’s in sports SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM M AY 1-7, 2023 | 1 5 CONTINUED ON PAGE 16 OFFICERS OF CHANGE MLB: Billy Bean Senior Vice President, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion n Started: July 2014 n Previous role: MLB player and author Bean was MLB’s first ambassador for inclusion in 2014, and his greatest impact has come through his work with the league’s player education programs. PGA of America: Sandy Cross Chief People Officer n Started*: July 2014 n Previous role: Director of Special Projects for United States Water Fitness Association Cross launched the PGA’s diversity and inclusion department back in 2014. She spearheaded PGA LEAD, a leadership development program for emerging talent from underrepresented groups. NHL: Kim Davis Senior Executive Vice President, Social Impact, Growth Initiatives & Legislative Affairs n Started: December 2017 n Previous role: Senior Managing Director at Teneo (CEO advisory firm) In 2022, Davis led the league’s inaugural diversity and inclusion report, which took stock of the league’s efforts and the demographics of league staff. NASCAR: Brandon Thompson Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion n Started: June 2020 n Previous role: Managing Director of the NASCAR Touring Series Thompson became the first graduate of NASCAR’s Diversity Internship Program to join the sanctioning body’s executive team in 2020. This year, he led the launch of the NASCAR Campus Labs Program at Bethune-Cookman University. NFL: Jonathan Beane Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer n Started: August 2020 n Previous role: Senior VP of Global Diversity and Inclusion at 21st Century Fox Beane led the creation of the NFL’s coach and front office accelerators, which give diverse head coach and GM prospects the chance to interface with ownership representation from all 32 clubs. IndyCar: Jimmie McMillian Senior Corporate Counsel; Chief Diversity Officer for Penske Entertainment Corp. n Started: October 2020 n Previous role: Partner at Barnes and Thornburg The addition of DEI to McMillian’s responsibilities came as part of the launch of Penske Entertainment Corp.’s Race for Equality & Change initiative, a fund established to diversify IndyCar’s workforce. PGA Tour: Neera Shetty Executive Vice President of Social Responsibility and Inclusion and Deputy General Counsel n Started*: 2021 n Previous role: Partner, McGuireWoods LLP In 2020, Shetty helped create an inclusion leadership council of eight PGA TOUR executives who Executives who are leading the way for direction of diversity, equity and inclusion: Winley (at left in gray pants and white polo shirt) helped launch the first MLS Advance Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., last December, a networking event in which 12 minority candidates were invited to attend and five have since been hired. CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

16 | MAY 1-7, 2023 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM USA Today PORTFOLIO PROFILE That perspective has certainly been useful since he joined MLS, where his impact has been felt at virtually every level and facet of the league’s operations, from sponsorship to hiring to the league’s MLS Next youth program. He sees DEI as a business imperative rather than a philanthropic cause. In his view, having a diverse staff allows MLS to better understand all its customers, while highlighting the diversity of the league’s player pool helps fans from a wide range of backgrounds to form a greater connection with the game. “We need to grow our fan base,” Winley said. “We need to do that in a thoughtful way so that when folks come into our arena, when they turn on our broadcast, they can see individuals that look like them, they feel that it’s a place that’s welcoming for them and where they want to spend their time, they want to spend their attention and they want to spend their money.” Winley is a regular presence on calls with potential sponsors to discuss the advantages of the league’s diverse player pool and ability to make a positive impact in communities across the country. In December 2021, the league announced updates to its diversity hiring policy, including a requirement that the finalist pool for any open sporting position feature two or more non-white candidates, at least one of which must be a Black person. That effort included the important step of defining what constitutes an underrepresented group under league rules, which had previously been ambiguous. In 2022, the first year of the Diversity Hiring Policy, 51% of MLS (including MLS academies) roles and 65% of MLS Next Pro roles were filled by underrepresented candidates. As part of the league’s effort to have sporting staff across the league roughly mirror the demographics of the league’s player population — 57% of the league’s players this year are Black or Hispanic, up from 36% in 2007 — Winley’s office also cultivates a pool of qualified candidates from underrepresented groups that it can recommend to clubs looking to fill open positions. “We have consultants that we work with around the world who are helping us to identify the very best coaches who want to work for Major League Soccer, and then preparing those coaches for these interviews,” Winley said. “Do they have the right résumé, are they prepared for the questions that are going to be asked of them? So, it’s a really a 360 service that we offer.” The league took its diversity hiring push to the next level last year with the launch of a networking and professional development initiative called MLS Advance. Out of the initial cohort of 12 minority candidates hand-picked by the league to attend the program’s launch event in Florida last December, five have already been hired, including Fitzpatrick. “He has a desire to ensure that people of color in our industry are getting the opportunities we deserve at least to be spoken to, to be considered for roles within the MLS ecosystem,” Fitzpatrick said. MLS has also sought to use its platform to have a positive impact on underrepresented groups outside the sport. Its decision to take a $25 million loan from a group of Black-owned banks through a partnership with the National Black Bank Foundation, for example, marked the first time a sports league has participated in a major commercial transaction exclusively with Black-owned banks. n n n n n Shortly after MLS announced enhancements to its diversity hiring policy in 2021, a fan sent an email to Garber characterizing the new guidelines as an example of reverse racism. The message, which asserted it was unfair to give candidates from certain racial, ethnic or identity groups preferential treatment, was forwarded to Winley and his team. Oguntimein’s first instinct was to ignore it. “I read the note, and I was like, ‘There’s no point, I’m not even going to respond to this,’” Oguntimein said. “It’s [2021]. Why are you acting this way?” Winley, however, had a different approach, one Oguntimein later appreciated. “Sola read the note and he responded to it,” Oguntimein recalled. “He gave the person a little bit of context. He put his number in there and told him if you’d like to chat some more, let’s have this conversation. Let’s talk.” Winely has always been willing to talk. It is one of his foundational beliefs that everyone should be heard. “We live in a period of tremendous fear, and I review and put those type of messages through that filter,” Winley said. “People are afraid that something’s being taken away from them, and I think it’s important in those moments to engage in conversations.” marketing from Adelphi University, Winley reached out to as many sports organizations as possible. “When I was graduating from UConn, I wrote every sports team, every league, every sports marketing agency a letter saying I’ll work for free,” Winley said. “I’ll do anything. I’ll clean the floors, I’ll wash the windows, just give me a chance.” In 1995, sports marketing agency Host Communications informed him that one of its clients was hiring: the NFL. Winley was hired to work in the league’s events group, where he reported to Garber. Prior to his departure to lead MLS in 1999, Garber took Winley under his wing and even convinced the league to subsidize Winley’s MBA program at Fordham. While at the NFL, Winley was introduced to the concept of an executive coach. He found the notion of helping others reach their potential so compelling that he turned down an offer to lead the NFL’s TV business in London to go back to school at NYU for a degree in social work and to gain consulting experience in the nonprofit space. By 2004, he had his own practice based in midtown Manhattan, ProVision Consulting, counseling individuals and families, as well as executives and corporations. “People thought I was crazy at the time,” Winley said. “I took a 70% pay cut. But I was really connected to the power of the human spirit, and how people can come together to create a better product, a better service.” ProVision’s corporate clientele over the next decade spanned sports, media and the nonprofit sectors, including two companies that would eventually bring Winley in-house: A&E Networks, where he served as executive vice president of corporate strategy and planning from 2013-18, and MLS. Following his stint at A&E, Winley relaunched his private practice under the moniker Brown Angel Advisors and returned to corporate coaching. “I was off to the races and was very happy and content in the work that I was doing,” Winley said. “And then George Floyd was murdered.” n n n n n Winley said his even-keeled approach to issues related to DEI is rooted in his deep commitment to the practice of yoga, which he began after having back surgery years ago. He has since immersed himself by going on a yoga retreat in India, practicing daily and becoming a trained instructor alongside his wife, Dushyanthi. “Sometimes we can become very personally invested in what we believe is right and what we believe is wrong,” Winley said. “I think that it’s challenging when we move from a space of emotionality rather than a space of clarity and spirituality, and yoga has given me that grounding and that balance.” report to senior leaders. The team identified 11 initiatives to elevate DEI practices. LPGA Tour: Laura Diaz Senior Director of Community and Inclusion n Started*: 2022 n Previous role: The First Tee, Network Communications Manager Diaz founded C-Me, the LPGA’s task force aimed at extending the organization’s efforts beyond gender equity to include racial diversity. NWSL: Lauren Lopez Chief People and Culture Officer n Started: January 2023 n Previous role: Senior VP of Talent Management at the New York Times In her newly created position, Lopez will help the league respond after multiple investigations into abuse of players by coaches and team personnel. NBA: Lesley Slaton Brown Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer n Started: February 2023 n Previous role: VP and Chief Diversity Officer at HP Slaton Brown developed HP’s 10-year strategy on DEI, racial equality and social justice, which led to the internal advancement of more than 78% of employees from underrepresented groups. — Alex Silverman * Date when DEI was added to their role CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 Winley dropped out of high school but later got four college degrees, including an MBA.

SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM M AY 1-7, 2023 | 1 7 Netflix; Sony Pictures I N FEBRUARY 2021, private equity firm The Chernin Group announced a pair of investments that quickly collided. The first was in Words + Pictures, a new studio focused on non-scripted content and led by former ESPN content chief Connor Schell. Soon after came an investment in Goldin Auctions, the collectibles firm founded by industry leader Ken Goldin. With a common link now between them, Goldin was asked to hop on a Zoom call with Schell “literally the day after the investment,” Goldin said. Schell, the co-creator of ESPN’s “30 for 30” series and an SBJ “4SE in Sports Storytelling” honoree (see page 18), spoke bluntly: “He goes, ‘I’ve been waiting to meet you. Your life is fascinating. I need to make a TV series about you,’” Goldin recalled. Netflix’s newest non-scripted series, “King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch,” arrived on April 28. It takes viewers behind the scenes as Goldin and his team of more than 100 staffers at Goldin Memorabilia Auctions in Runnemede, N.J., operate a leading auction house specializing in rare collectibles. Schell served as an executive producer on the series, in addition to Brent Montgomery, who created “Pawn Stars,” and Peyton Manning, whose Omaha Productions, another SBJ 4SE honoree, was one of three production companies behind the series. The collectible items featured in the show span from a Jackie Robinson game-worn jersey, to one of the 26 broadside copies of the Declaration of Independence, to a strand of John F. Kennedy’s hair. Celebrities such as Manning, Drake, Mike Tyson and Logan Paul play a prominent role as buyers and sellers, but so do everyday folks. “The great thing is the reactions are real,” Goldin said. “There’s a scene where there’s an offer made and that was the first time this kid’s dad saw how much money his son was going to make just by being lucky enough to open up a pack of cards and finding the right card.” Goldin said his auction house sells 5,000 items per week. “So content will never be a problem for us,” he said, suggesting his interest in the show expanding beyond its first season. “Kind of like what ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ was to chess and what ‘Drive to Survive’ was to F1 and racing, I think this is going to spur off a new wave of collectors,” Goldin said. “People are going to run to their parents’ house, their grandparents’ house, go look for stuff that they may have collected as a kid or m a y b e t h e i r grandparents had left over. Collectibles are really, really exciting. The stories behind them are fascinating. And so my hope is that grandparents out there get a lot more visits.” Watch AN IMPRESSIVE NEW SLATE OF SPORTS CONTENT Words INCLUDES A DOCUMENTARY ON THE ‘KING OF COLLECTIBLES’ AND A HARD-HITTING FEATURE Khris Davis stars as the former heavyweight champion in “Big George Foreman,” which came out in theaters last week. BY ERIK BACHARACH CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

PORTFOLIO SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT DATES May 22-24 LOCATION Chelsea Industrial, New York City ABOUT The integration of sport, lifestyle, culture and entertainment TO REGISTER www.4-se.com PANELS INCLUDE In Conversation with Eli: The Switch from Champion Athlete to Media Mogul (Eli Manning, former New York Giants quarterback; co-host, ESPN2 “ManningCast”; partner, Brand Velocity Group) Making Media Magic: Rita Ferro, president, Disney Advertising; Jim Phillips, commissioner, ACC; Amy Yakola, deputy commissioner, ACC; Maureen Ford, president of national sales, Live Nation Why the Music Industry Changed Tracks: Allan Coye, senior vice president, digital strategy; and general manager of Interval Presents, Warner Music Group Other speakers include: Noah Garden, chief revenue officer, Major League Baseball Todd Meleney, chief marketing officer, Nobull Chris Davis, chief marketing officer, New Balance; Natalie White, founder, Moolah Kicks Jessica Jones, founder and CEO, Echo Society David Kelly, chief business officer, Golden State Entertainment Rhymefest, artist, humanitarian, philanthropist 18 | MAY 1-7, 2023 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM SPORTS CONTENT is everywhere in the entertainment world, from movies to documentaries, podcasts to radio, social to digital. That makes this a perfect time to recognize those who are at the forefront of that movement. As such, we have put together a list of 41 companies and 88 individuals who are the most prominent and compelling people in sports and entertainment. We are calling the list 4SE in Sports Storytelling. “4SE,” read as “Force,” represents the four pillars of sports, entertainment, lifestyle and culture. This honor is in conjunction with the May 22-24 4SE event in New York City presented by SBJ and Leaders in Sports. The honorees were selected by the staff of Sports Business Journal after months of research and consultation with sources across the industry. The people recognized below have spent years telling stories. We are just starting to tell theirs. We will have more on them and their field in the Sept. 11 issue of SBJ. “4SE in Sports Storytelling” Honorees Company Honorees 35V Kevin Durant (Co-founder) Rich Kleiman (Co-founder) Amazon Matt Newman (Head of Original Content, Amazon Sports) Apple Jamie Erlicht (Head of Worldwide Video) Zack Van Amburg (Head of Worldwide Video) Molly Thompson (Head of documentaries and unscripted, Apple TV+) Barstool Sports Dave Portnoy (Founder and chief of content) Erika Ayers (CEO) Boardwalk Pictures Andrew Fried (CEO) Box to Box Films James Gay-Rees (Co-Founders) Paul Martin (Co-Founders) CAA Lisa Joseph Metelus (Board member, CAA) Ted Chervin (Agent, CAA) DLP Media Group Michael Hughes (Founder, CEO) Dude Perfect Tyler Toney (all are co-founders) Coby Cotton Cory Cotton Garrett Hilbert Cody Jones ESPN Brian Lockhart (SVP of ESPN+ original content and ESPN Films) Marsha Cooke (VP and executive producer, ESPN Films and “30 for 30”) Film Forties Peter Berg (Founder) Matthew Goldberg (Partner) Fox Charlie Dixon (EVP, Head of Content) Michael Bucklin (SVP, Fox Sports Digital) Barry Nugent (Executive producer, originals, films and documentaries and league partnerships) game1 Mark Ciardi (President and chief content officer) Basil Iwanyk (Cofounder and chairman) Ben Bitonti (Chief creative officer and head of unscripted) HBO Bentley Weiner (VP, HBO Sports Documentaries) iHeartMedia Kevin LeGrett (President, iHeartMedia Sports) Will Pearson (President, iHeartPodcasts) Julie Talbott (President, Premiere Networks) Jomboy Media Jimmy O’Brien (Founder) Jake Storiale (Chief Talent Officer) Little Monster Films Jimmy Chin (Co-founder) Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (Co-founder) Mandalay Sports Media Peter Guber (Chairman) Mike Tollin (Co-Chairman) Meadowlark Media John Skipper (Co-founder and CEO) Dan LeBatard (Co-founder) Deidre Fenton (Exec. Dir., Unscripted) Meta Kevin Cote (Director, sports partnerships) Rob Shaw (Director, sports partnerships) NBA Gregg Winik (President of content and executive producer) Christopher Benyarko (EVP, direct to consumer) Jennifer Chun (EVP, head of content partnerships) Netflix Brandon Riegg (VP, nonfiction series & comedy specials) Gabe Spitzer (VP of Sports Programming) NFL Ross Ketover (SVP, NFL Films) David Jurenka (SVP and GM of LA, NFL Media) Omaha Productions Peyton Manning (Founder) Religion of Sports Gotham Chopra (Co-founder) Ameeth Sankaran (CEO) The Ringer Bill Simmons (Founder and CEO) Ross Greenburg Productions Ross Greenburg (Founder and President) Showtime Stephen Espinoza (President, sports and event programming) Skydance Media Jesse Sisgold (President and COO) Jon Weinbach (President, Skydance Sports) SMAC Entertainment Constance Schwartz-Morini (Co-founder and CEO) Michael Strahan (Co-founder) FredAnthony Smith (VP of non-scripted) Snap Inc. Anmol Malhotra (Head of sports partnerships) The SpringHill Company LeBron James (Co-founder) Maverick Carter (Co-founder and CEO) Devin Johnson (President) Togethxr Sue Bird (Co-founder) Alex Morgan (Co-founder) Chloe Kim (Co-founder) Simone Manuel (Co-founder) Jessica Robertson (Co-founder and chief content officer) Unanimous Media Steph Curry (Co-founder and co-CEO) Erik Peyton (Co-founder, co-CEO and chief creative officer) United Talent Agency Rich Paul (Founder & CEO, Klutch Sports Group; Co-Head of UTA Sports) Danny Barton (VP, Sports Content) The Volume Colin Cowherd (Founder) Logan Swaim (Head of content) Wave Sports + Entertainment Brian Verne (CEO) Words + Pictures Connor Schell (Founder and CEO) Libby Geist (EVP, head of documentaries) Aaron Cohen (EVP, head of development) WME Josh Pyatt (Co-head of WME Sports) Lee White (Head of sports content) Kelly Sherman (Agent, WME Sports) WWE Christopher Kaiser (EVP Television Operations and Production) Ben Houser (SVP Documentaries) Chris Chambers (SVP Production, Alternative Content) YouTube Jon Cruz (Director, Global Head of Sports Partnerships)

SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM M AY 1-7, 2023 | 1 9 Getty Images A FEW YEARS AGO, NICK TROTTA remembers being asked multiple times if he had seen “Once Upon a Time in Queens,” a four-part docuseries on the 1986 New York Mets, after it premiered on ESPN in 2021. Each time, Trotta would laugh. “It was funny,” said Trotta, MLB’s vice president of global media programming and licensing, “because that’s a project we were a part of since Day 1.” Trotta has good reason to believe that cloudy public perception of MLB’s involvement with many high-profile baseball-related films and series will soon change. The league has officially labeled its creative production arm as MLB Studios, a designation that was made public only recently — the first time it was used in a press release was April 4, when the league announced its content partnership with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment — though the strategy at the core of the endeavor predates that labeling by a few years. “We figured using the Studios label might help reveal it’s all somewhat connected and lead to more opportunities,” Trotta said. MLB Studios has been involved in seven projects to date, including “Once Upon a Time in Queens,” and has many more in the works, including two that have been announced for later this year: “The Yankees Win” in partnership with ESPN Films, and “The Saint of Second Chances,” about baseball scion Mike Veeck, in partnership with Netflix, which will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in June. Another project, one that features a behindthe-scenes glimpse into the 2022 World Series, was announced as part of the Imagine Entertainment partnership and is in production. MLB Studios also has “New Wave: Baseball’s Next Generation,” a two-part look at the journey of several Black prospects leading up to the 2022 season that was released earlier this year, among its list of credits. Previously, MLB Studios’ involvement was signified only by a note about the project being produced in association with Major League Baseball. Trotta, who has been employed by the league for over 18 years, leads the endeavor with his staff of four (soon to be five) in MLB’s Global Media group and is usually credited as an executive producer on MLB Studios projects. Trotta said the heightened emphasis on original content stems from a mandate from Commissioner Rob Manfred and Chief Revenue Officer Noah Garden concerning the importance of reaching broad and diverse audiences that go beyond the league’s usual fan base. “While we have been involved in this space for decades, we determined a strong brand like MLB Studios helps crystallize to our partners the breadth of our past work and the potential of our future opportunities,” Garden said. “The relevance of the sport positions us to tell interesting stories that have wide appeal where baseball can be in the background.” The MLB Film and Video Archive includes a robust library of about one million minutes of content going back to at least 1905. MLB Studios plans to tap that resource often as it continues partnering with proven third-party production companies, like it did with Uninterrupted for “New Wave.” In that example, MLB’s intent was to bring fans closer to young players and really get to know them in a way that can be challenging given baseball’s schedule. “Our players don’t have the same sort of social footprint that some of the players in other sports. They’re just too busy playing,” Garden said. “As a result, we haven’t had the same opportunities for fans to get to know them on a personal level. We’ve always worked to try to figure out ways to sort of break through and tell those stories.” The MLB Studios label will help in executing them. The league has seen a recent increase in volume of external pitches made to them for films and series, which Trotta attributes directly to the new label in addition to the growing market for sports-related programming. Imagine The Possibilities Freshly rebranded MLB Studios is teaming with Hollywood heavyweights as part of its effort to bring baseball’s stories to more people “Goldin Touch” helps kick off another golden season for sports and entertainment content. Here are nine more such projects set to premiere in the coming weeks: “Big George Foreman” n Service: In theaters n Release Date: April 28 n Distributor: Sony Pictures George Foreman serves as an executive producer on the film that chronicles his journey to glory in the ring. It stars Khris Davis as the former two-time heavyweight champion and Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker as Foreman’s trainer and mentor, Doc Broadus. “It Ain’t Over” n Service: In theaters n Release Date: May 12 n Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics A 98-minute portrait of legendary Yankees catcher Yogi Berra, the film will debut in selected New York and Los Angeles theaters before expanding to wider distribution. Lindsay Berra, Yogi’s daughter (and an occasional SBJ contributor), served as an executive producer on the project, which made its world premiere at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival. “McGregor Forever” n Service: Netflix n Release Date: May 17 n Producer: Religion of Sports This four-part docuseries, co-directed by Religion of Sports co-founder Gotham Chopra, details Conor McGregor’s infamous UFC career and how he’s been preparing for his comeback. The show’s tagline: “Reasonable men never achieve anything.” “White Men Can’t Jump” n Service: Hulu n Release Date: May 19 n Producer: Mortal Media A remake of the 1992 film of the same name, this iteration stars Sinqua Walls and rapper Jack Harlow in the lead roles, with Harlow making his acting debut. It marks the first featurelength release from Blake Griffin and Ryan Kalil’s Mortal Media. “Shooting Stars” n Service: Peacock n Release Date: June 2 n Producer: The SpringHill Company LeBron James and his business partner Maverick Carter capture the former’s origin story in this Peacock exclusive. The film is an adaptation of the 2009 book that James co-wrote with acclaimed author Buzz Bissinger. “Break Point Part 2” n Service: Netflix n Release Date: June, TBD n Producer: Box to Box Films The popular series that takes a “Drive to Survive”-esque approach to tennis returns with another five-episode arc covering 2022’s Wimbledon and U.S. Open tournaments. “Tour de France: Unchained” n Service: Netflix n Release Date: June, TBD n Producers: Quadbox and Box to Box Films The creators behind “Drive to Survive” are bringing a similar approach to bicycling’s biggest event with this eight-part docuseries. The show will feature access to eight of the 22 participating teams in the 2022 event. “Quarterback” n Service: Netflix n Release Date: This summer, TBD n Producers: 2PM Productions and NFL The NFL granted special access to Netflix for this docuseries that follows starting quarterbacks Kirk Cousins, Patrick Mahomes and Marcus Mariota over the course of the 2022 season, which ended with Mahomes and the Chiefs raising the Lombardi Trophy once again. Cameras followed the trio from inside the huddle with their teammates to inside their homes with their families. “The Ride” n Service: Amazon Prime Video n Release Date: This summer, TBD n Producer: Kinetic Content This eight-episode docuseries takes viewers into the world of Professional Bull Riders. The series offers a behind-thescenes look at PBR’s new team format and the lives of the extreme sport’s biggest stars. — Compiled by Erik Bacharach Ron Howard’s company will work with MLB. BY ERIK BACHARACH CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

20 | MAY 1-7, 2023 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation IN-DEPTH XXXX S PORTS ARE OFTENabout statistics, and statistics tell much of the story when it comes to youth sports. According to data collected by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, 37% of children ages 6 to 12 played team sports on a regular basis in 2021, down from 38% in 2019. In 2008, kids’ participation peaked at 45%. The federal government’s Healthy People 2030 project, a datadriven national measure of 358 objectives to improve well-being, found that, in 2021, 50.7% of children ages 6 to 17 played organized sports or took sports lessons after school or on weekends, down from 58.4% in 2017. The target is 63.3% by 2030 — a 10% lift from the 58.4% participation rate in 2016- 17, which the inter-agency group used as its baseline when the data was released. Most kids stop playing sports by the ripe old age of 11, citing a sad but obvious reason: It’s not fun anymore. “It’s a challenge, but I’m quite optimistic,” said Tom Farrey, founder and executive director of the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program. “The reason is because if you talk with kids — and we do for our surveys — the vast majority want to play sports. But it has to be served in a form that meets their needs and interests.” He then put the matter in pithier terms: “The demand is there; the supply side needs to be better.” While there are some encouraging numbers and trends — gains in participation among children who live in lower-income households and growth in community-based programs and leagues — the universal consensus remains that the U.S. must do better when it comes to ensuring children start playing and keep playing. Beyond the immediate reward of having fun — that’s what happens when there's less worry about finding the next LeBron or the next Serena — there are all the other statistically verifiable, lifelong benefits associated with active adult lifestyles: better academic and career achievements; improved physical and mental health; fewer catastrophic illnesses; and so on. To reach those goals, the first step is to find ways to help children gain access to and sustain an interest in sports and play. Youth sports is a $30 billion industry in the U.S. That’s both good and bad. Privately run, for-profit leagues provide millions of children and families with coaches and teammates who share in the joys of learning how to play and compete, but often at the expense of those who can’t afford hefty participation and travel expenses and, at times, risk of injury and burnout for those who do participate because of excessive time and competition demands. Reform advocates, including the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program, which presides over the Project Play initiative to bring key stakeholders together to solve the problems facing youth sports, see cause for optimism. However, they also acknowledge the many hurdles impeding progress. “There are two main issues,” Dionne Koller, director of the Center for Sport and the Law at the University of Baltimore School of Law, said. “One is exclusion and the barriers to entry because youth sport is heavily privatized and it’s extremely expensive and hard to access for lots and lots of kids. For the ones who do get into youth The fragmented world of youth sports presents challenges to both availability and affordability for kids and their families. BY ERIK SPANBERG

EIGHT PLAYS Strategies that Aspen Institute’s Project Play has used as its foundational message and blueprint since 2015. SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM M AY 1-7, 2023 | 2 1 Aspen Institute sport, we have another set of problems. Those break down along what is referred to as the professionalization of youth sports.” Koller is an expert on youth and amateur sports. In 2021, she was named co-chair of the Commission on the State of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the congressionally created and appointed committee formed to ensure better conditions for athletes at all levels, from elite amateurs to recreational youth players. Her concerns echo those of most experts and executives throughout the fragmented world of youth sports. As almost everyone contacted for this story mentioned, the United States is one of the few countries lacking a ministry of sport or some other governmental body that provides oversight, policymaking and funding. Ed Foster-Simeon, president and CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation, which has installed 500 mini-pitches over the last five years across the country, said that a unified campaign is needed to ensure proper investment in youth sports. “This requires a national effort to tackle this problem at scale,” he said. The challenges stemming from USOPC’s dual responsibilities of developing top performers in the Olympics and presiding over youth and amateur sports are among the topics Koller is expected to address when the public hears from her commission for the first time as part of the upcoming Project Play Summit (see story, Page 22). Executives and others involved in, and concerned about, youth sports are encouraged by increasing awareness and action by everyone from apparel and media companies to the biggest pro leagues and sanctioning bodies — while still holding out hope for an overarching government body. “If we just rely on the private sector to solve the problem, it won’t be solved,” Koller said. BALANCING PROFIT AND PARTICIPATION IMG ACADEMY, self-described as the world’s largest sports education brand, runs inperson and online training and recruiting programs, including elite high school and college athletes. “Of course, the student athletes whose families can afford to pay for our various products and services do,” said Lisa Strasman, president of IMG Academy-owned NCSA College Recruiting. NCSA stands for Next College Student Athlete and its products represent the online side of IMG Academy. “We’ve always recognized there’s a lot who can’t.” NCSA offers its products and services at different prices to help families of varying income levels. The company’s All In Award is a scholarship providing access to recruiting products and services for student athletes who demonstrate need and meet other criteria. Last year, NCSA awarded $12.7 million to 4,000 recipients through All In. Another $15 million was provided through 50% discounts for student athletes who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches at their schools. IMG Academy provided $3.5 million in financial aid in 2022 toward girls’ participation in sports as part of a new initiative backed by a committee of advocates including Lindsay Davenport, Robin Roberts, Michele Tafoya and Lindsey Vonn. “For our business, it’s baked into our culture,” Strasman said, noting that the programs above have awarded more than $200 million in aid since 2006. Other for-profit private companies with youth sports outreach initiatives include NBC Sports Next and Varsity Spirit. NBC Sports Next has six apps and technology above: Stephen Curry’s Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation offers sports opportunities to underserved schools in the Oakland area. above right: The Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program brings stakeholders together to tackle challenges facing youth sports and to get children active. 1 Ask kids what they want 2 Reintroduce free play 3 Encourage sport sampling 4 Revitalize in-town leagues (to make youth sports more affordable and accessible) 5 Think small (put fields, courts, and other sports and rec facilities in neighborhoods near children rather than constantly focusing on large complexes designed for tourism-friendly mega tournaments and events) 6 Design for development (emphasize opportunities to throw, kick, catch, etc., through smaller and nontraditional forms of games and sports instead of focusing on competition and rigorous adherence to top-level versions of sports and games) 7 Train all coaches 8 Emphasize prevention of injuries and prevention of all forms of abuse/ bullying Source: Aspen Institute CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

22 | MAY 1-7, 2023 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM Aspen Institute IN-DEPTH YOUTH SPORTS products tied to youth sports, offering everything from video and streaming to e-commerce and background screening. The best known of the NBC Sports Next products is SportsEngine, a mobile app that provides tools for messaging, schedules, rosters, availability, and live scoring. Brett MacKinnon, senior vice president and general manager for youth and recreational sports at NBC Sports Next, noted that SportsEngine is now offered to teams and families at no charge (premium versions are not free). The move, he added, is part of the company’s effort “to reduce the barriers of entry.” At Varsity Spirit, a Memphis-based competitive cheerleading and dance company, President Bill Seely said the balance between profit and participation is addressed by keeping prices low for competition camps. “We want to make sure kids can afford to attend,” Seely added, estimating the camps cost 25% as much as those for some other sports. As the pandemic went on, Varsity Spirit created a “Take Them All” campaign encouraging coaches to have as many people participate as possible, a campaign that has helped keep participation rates higher in cheer since then. ENCOURAGING ACTIVITY THINKING SMALLER, thinking local, thinking cheaper, and thinking about how to keep kids playing and active into adulthood are among the core strategies endorsed by Project Play, the Aspen Institute initiative. The Aspen Institute’s Farrey said his organization’s work and collaborations boil down to putting the youth back in youth sports. “It’s so adult-dominated,” he added. “It’s designed by adults for adults.” Reform, Farrey said, is “a challenge because there’s a lot of money to be made.” home to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, a key partner and participant of the Sports & Society program. Twenty-four of its neighboring national governing bodies of various sports also will be participating. “This is our 10th anniversary; we have a track record,” Farrey said. “We’ve learned a lot and, hopefully, made some contributions. We want to take measure of our collective work — and think about designing our next steps for youth sport.” Project Play’s upcoming summit sold out weeks in advance, with 550 attendees expected. While in Colorado, those attendees will have the chance to hear from 50 experts, executives, advocates and athletes over 25 sessions. Speakers include former four-time Olympian and two-time gold medalist Edwin Moses, a physicist and anti-doping champion whose non-athletic pursuits would embarrass the Most Interesting Man in the World; Karie Conner, vice president and GM of Nike’s North America Kids division; Craig Robinson, executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and a former player development executive in the NBA as well as former men’s head basketball coach at Brown and Oregon State; and Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the USOPC. The group also will hear from Jeff Ament, bassist and co-founder of Pearl Jam. Eddie Vedder stories may or may not be part of his presentation, but the main focus will be on his role as founder of Montana Pool Service, a nonprofit that builds skateparks on Native American reservations and in other rural areas of the Western U.S. To date, Montana Pool Service has built 30 skateparks — they cost around $500,000 apiece — with plans for more in Montana and the Dakotas. Farrey touted several accomplishments while looking back on a decade of advocacy and research, including Project Play’s viability as a convener of ideas and thought leaders; its persistence encouraging, shaping, and distributing $100 million worth of private grants from various foundations and companies; and helping develop standards and tip sheets to help leagues, coaches, parents, schools, and other stakeholders better serve the children everyone wants to make healthier and more active. As for this year’s summit? Go easy on them, Mother Nature. Erik Spanberg writes for the Charlotte Business Journal, an affiliated publication. IN APRIL 2013, Tom Farrey had ambitions as high as the Rocky Mountains for the inaugural Project Play Summit in Aspen, Colo. The Rocky Mountains decided to test everyone’s mettle from the start, with a snowstorm that diverted flights to Denver for the 80 sports industry leaders arriving from various parts of the country. As Farrey, the founder and executive director of the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program, recently recalled, Mother Nature’s diversion translated into seven-hour rides in vans from Denver to Aspen on slippery roads instead of direct landings in Aspen. The invitationonly event went on as planned, though the weather delays would not be the only schedule that went awry. Project Play, the signature event for Farrey and the Aspen Institute’s campaign to overhaul youth sports participation in the United States, was envisioned as a two-year initiative. Oh, well. On May 17-18, the annual Project Play Summit will celebrate its 10th anniversary. This year’s summit is in Colorado Springs, Project Play is the Aspen Institute’s signature event to overhaul youth sports participation in the U.S. BY ERIK SPANBERG CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21 CONTINUED ON PAGE 26 Project Play Summit celebrates 10th anniversary

With state-of-the-art facilities and a convenient location, greater Birmingham is the perfect host for sporting events of all shapes and sizes. And when the game’s over, there’s no better place to be, thanks to our impressive lineup of attractions, dining, shopping and Southern Hospitality. Let us show you why greater Birmingham is one of Sports Business Journal’s Top 50 Cities for Sports Business and one of the nation’s favorite spots to play. sportsbirmingham.com 800 - 458 - 8085 http://www.birminghamal.org/sports-planning/ GBCVB10.875 x 14.25- SBJ-4-23-ƒcvb.indd 1 4/24/23 5:46 PM

24 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION I SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL MAY 1-7, 2023 PARADISE COAST SPORTS COMPLEX TAKING OFF A Unique Complex With A Bright Future Yes, the Paradise Coast Sports Complex (PCSC) is big, very big. Currently, the complex has a 3,500- seat stadium, eight full-sized soccer/lacrosse/ football fields and six sand volleyball courts. But once it’s fully completed, the nearly 200 acres of Collier County, Florida property plan on much more, including eleven baseball/softball fields, and yet another soccer/lacrosse/football field. That’s not including the already popular local favorite hangouts. An outdoor beer and wine bar called The Cove, an outdoor fitness gym called The Factory, and the Great Lawn hosts all sorts of weekly and special entertainment while also having a threequarter mile walking path around a scenic lake. The Cove Beer and Wine Bar, which is set alongside a gorgeous lake, also features four beautiful firepits that are not only stunning as a backdrop for a photo but can warm you a little on those chillier nights. One of the more popular nights of the week at The Cove is Sunset Saturdays, where the rhythm and unique sounds of live reggae music can be heard well past sundown. Local food trucks, along with PCSC’s own “Fuel” food truck, can be found onsite most nights as well. The Great Lawn has events throughout the year and features Southwest Florida’s largest outdoor video screen used daily for promotional and sponsorship activities but also used functionally during larger events. Next to The Great Lawn and The Cove is The Factory. This unique open-air weight room and fitness facility not only has traditional gym and workout equipment but also features a challenging obstacle course as well. The MoveStrong course is perfect for Ninja Warrior, Spartan Race and Tough Mudder training. The Factory offers daily, monthly and annual membership options. The PCSC stadium is a key, unique feature to the complex. Even though it plays host to three semiprofessional soccer teams on a regular basis and has been the host for large sporting events, like the Southwest Florida Shootout, which brings in Division 1 college lacrosse teams from across the country, it can host large community events and concerts as well. Nearly sold-out crowds have attended Snow Fest, large church services and live music like the Ben Allen Band and Air Supply. With Southwest Florida’s great weather, the complex can host events, tournaments and concerts throughout the year. Those coming to the complex can also experience the other great things the area has to offer. “Sports is just the tip of the iceberg of our role here in Collier County. We not only provide a venue for local sports organizations to call home, and somewhere for residents to enjoy community events, but it also drives economic impact into the county through

"That’s what makes this complex so unique, so special. It’s not just the sheer size, but the variety of things our PCSC complex can offer teams, tournaments and residents of Southwest Florida alike. It’s not just a nightly venue for local soccer, lacrosse and football teams. It’s a great venue for out-of-town teams, events and tournaments. In addition, it’s a great place for local residents to visit, to have fun being active or just to hang out and relax." Jeff Walters Business Development Director MAY 1-7, 2023 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION I SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL 25 restaurant, tour excursion and lodging businesses,” stated General Manager Adrian Moses. Managed by Sports Facilities Companies, which operates similar venues throughout the country, Paradise Coast Sports Complex is turning Collier County, Fla. into a mecca of youth and amateur athletics. Having the complex conveniently located between Miami and Tampa is a huge benefit. It’s less than a mile north of I-75 off of Exit 101. Having a premier venue like this gives local Florida teams a great option without having to travel out of state while offering out-of-state teams, which travel to Southwest Florida Regional Airport, Fort Lauderdale International or Miami International Airport, a very convenient option as well. Since opening its doors in 2020, the Paradise Coast Sports Complex has seen rapid growth. Its reputation continues to build based on the successes of past national events and tournaments, and high expectations for those coming for the remainder of 2023 and 2024. More opportunities are coming, with sand volleyball courts and the eventual completion of baseball and softball fields. If you want to have your event at the Paradise Sports Complex, now is the time to schedule before the best dates are taken. The footprint and number of fields of the Paradise Coast Sports Complex is big, but the future for this unique venue is huge.

26 | MAY 1-7, 2023 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM Michael Bonfigli / USTA IN-DEPTH YOUTH SPORTS He cited the U.S. Tennis Association and the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation as examples of sports and philanthropic organizations that are investing in youth sports with effective strategies and results. Between 2015 and 2020, U.S. tennis participation among 6- to 17-year-olds increased 47.5% to 6.23 million, according to the Physical Activity Council. That’s within range of outdoor soccer at 6.76 million, but still well behind baseball (8.21 million) and basketball (11.07 million). Craig Morris, USTA Community Tennis CEO, cited several factors for the recent gains, including mandatory safety checks for coaches, hybrid versions of tennis (shorter games, team formats) to make it more fun and faster to play, and a developmental model emphasizing school P.E. classes. In addition, the USTA’s tournament structure now has more levels to better ensure level competition. The governing body instituted one-day events to ease time and cost burdens for players and parents alike. Having a pathway to introduce the game in schools and carry players beyond that introduction was crucial. Or, as Morris put it, “Don’t go hard on acquisition until you’ve got your retention program set up.” He added, “We have to get sport back in the schools to get kids active and moving.” Project Play and the USTA are among a chorus of youth sports advocates who see school participation and neighborhood sports facilities as the most important ingredients for boosting participation, particularly among lower-income and underserved populations. “A kid gets through the first part of the school day to get to the second part,” said Karissa Niehoff, CEO at the National Federation of State High School Associations. “And when we lose them in the second part, the first part might go with it.” ECONOMIC BARRIERS CHILDREN WHO come from lower-income homes, who are LGBTQ+, who have disabilities, and those from minority racial and ethnic groups lack access to sports and, in turn, participate at much lower rates. In March, Matt Richtel of The New York Times described the disparities as “the physical divide,” similar to the way the digital divide plagued poorer households until technology companies and other organizations ramped up internet access and provided devices in recent years. Those disparities are why Project Play’s 23-person cross-sector roundtable, Project Play 2024, places an emphasis on making sports available to youths 12 and younger in underserved areas. According to federal data from 2020-21, 67.7% of children ages 6 to 17 from the wealthiest homes participated in organized sports, compared with 33.9% from the lowest-income households. Statistics from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association show that, in 2021, a significant participation gap remains between children from homes with income less than $25,000 and those above $100,000. Among kids 6 to 12, the participation rates were 24.1% and 40.2%, respectively; among youths 13 to 17, the rates were 28% and 47.9%. Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s Oakland-based Eat.Learn.Play. Foundation, soon after forming in 2019, enlisted the Aspen Institute to conduct a youth sports landscape analysis. That research helped set the blueprint for the foundation’s focus: underserved schools in Oakland’s flatlands area. Christopher Helfrich, CEO of the Currys’ foundation, said that partnerships with the Oakland school district and Kaboom!, a national nonprofit dedicated to reducing playspace inequities, are helping transform high-need schools that tend to have “a lot of concrete and not a lot of places to play.” This year, the foundation is installing courts, playgrounds, and soccer mini-pitches, among other features, at six Oakland elementary schools. The school district handles site prep and early construction costs for each project; Eat.Learn.Play. puts in $250,000 to $500,000 per school. Helfrich said the foundation has targeted 40 schools in Oakland for playground and sports field projects in the coming years. Familiar faces — Project Play, Kaboom! — as well as Tony Hawk’s nonprofit, The Skatepark Project, are among the key partners of the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation. The foundation serves 16 counties in western New York and southeast Michigan (surrounding Buffalo and Detroit), backed by $1.2 billion generated from the sale of the NFL Buffalo Bills upon Wilson’s death in 2014. Wilson’s estate calls for all the money to be spent within 20 years, by January 2035. A portion will go to youth sports. Jim Boyle, vice president of programs and communications at the foundation, said the total overall investment will be $2 billion to $2.5 billion by the time funding is exhausted. So far, the Wilson foundation has awarded $85 million in grants for youth sports and recreation projects. With its various partners, the foundation has helped build 100 play spaces and 20 skateparks. “We don’t just roll the ball out,” Boyle said. “It’s not a nice-tohave. We look at this as central to community health.” Sports leagues and governing bodies, too, including MLB, NFL, NBA, WNBA, NHL, MLS, and PGA of America, are investing more money and resources in recreational youth sports, not just the top-level pipelines. They are motivated, in part, by the lifelong fandom likely to accompany early participation. But a fragmented structure and decades of reinforced sedentary behavior (hello, screenagers) cannot be fixed in a few years or, in the case of Project Play, even a decade. Koller summed up the challenges in straightforward fashion: “We need to be building a system that the greatest number of kids can access and want to access.” Erik Spanberg writes for the Charlotte Business Journal, an affiliated publication. The USTA has seen big CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22 jumps in the number of youths playing tennis and is placing an emphasis on school participation and neighborhood sports facilities.

MAY 1-7, 2023 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION I SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL 27 A year-round destination, Sarasota County is home to world-class sports training and competition. FROM SPECTATING TO PLAYING, SARASOTA COUNTY HAS YOU COVERED Each February, fans of the Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves flock to sunny Sarasota County, Fla., to catch their favorite teams as they tune up during spring training. While they may come to spectate, those same fans quickly discover they can keep up with their own fitness routines: Sarasota County is home to dozens of world-class venues and facilities that make outdoor recreation, training and competition not only easily accessible, but also second to none. Some of those facilities might seem like no-brainers for a locale that features more than 250 sunny days a year. Spectacular outdoor swimming venues like the Selby Aquatic Center, which features both 50- and 25-meter pools, attract recreational and competitive swimmers alike. In 2020, for instance, Selby hosted the Toyota U.S. Open Championships. Sarasota County is also home to numerous outdoor and indoor pickleball courts, allowing players of the nation’s fastest-growing sport to keep their skills sharp year-round at places like Gillespie Park in downtown Sarasota or Colonial Oaks Park. Golfers won’t feel left out, either, with more than 30 local courses to practice their game. Those are the obvious recreational choices for a spot like Sarasota, but you might be surprised to learn that the county is home to top-notch training facilities for lesser-known sports, too, such as rowing and sculling. Take Nathan Benderson Park, which features a 10-lane protected, buoyed course and an adjacent 1,500-meter practice course. Collegiate and high school teams from all over the country descend on the training facility to tune up and compete all year long. Nearby Blackburn Point Park and Bay Preserve round out the offerings for competitive rowers and scullers. trailheads for ease of access and that all-important water break. If your family is into team sports, there’s also plenty of opportunity to swing a baseball bat, kick a soccer ball or hit a tennis ball at multisport venues like the Englewood Sports Complex. Home to fields and courts for all those sports, it also features a gymnasium and 11,000 square feet of rental space. All that training and spectating might leave you hungry and ready for a little R & R, and Sarasota County has you covered there, too. Home to spectacular white-sand beaches and keys, there’s never a bad time to lay out the beach blanket and take a dip in the salt water. Siesta Key is a can’tmiss spot, holding the No. 2 ranking for top beaches in the United States by TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Awards. If you’re looking for arts and culture, Sarasota County brings the museums and galleries, gardens and shows, too. From modern art galleries to The Ringling — a 56-room mansion built by circus magnate John Ringling — your senses will be treated by the colorful, multicultural experience of the many exhibits and displays the county offers. Hungry for world-class dining after all your activities? Award-winning dining is right around every corner in Sarasota. There are 21 Zagat-rated restaurants in the area, making Sarasota County a foodie’s delight. You can also check out local farmers’ markets, distilleries, wineries and breweries. You might even luck out and time your visit with local restaurant weeks or food and wine festivals. Finally, getting into and out of Sarasota County couldn’t be any easier. Sarasota Bradenton International Airport brings all the amenities of a big airport, without all the hassle. Daily nonstops from the Midwest, Northeast and West Coast make the destination accessible and affordable to everyone, and construction of a new terminal is already underway, ensuring more flights soon. With everything Sarasota County has to offer, no one will blame you if you make plans to return, or even make it home after your visit. Whether you’re a sports fan, a sports participant, or a little bit of both, Sarasota County is where athletes come to play and stay. You might not think of Florida as equestrian country, but Sarasota County proves it is just that, too. Fox Lea Farm in Venice hosts numerous competitive series each year, in all categories of equestrian competition. Come to compete, train or cheer on your favorite horse or rider on to victory at the bucolic setting. Into cycling or running? Sarasota County has you covered. Try the shaded and paved Legacy Trail for 12 miles of pedaling, walking, running or even riding a scooter or skateboard. There are 15 rest areas and seven

28 | MAY 1-7, 2023 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM U.S. Soccer Foundation; NBA; Youth on Course; Ripken Baseball; 3STEP Sports IN-DEPTH YOUTH SPORTS ONES TO WATCH YOUTH SPORTS Meet some of the people charting the course for youth sports and taking steps to get more children to play — Compiled Erik Spanberg, Xavier Hunter and Wes Sanderson ADAM HARPER Associate Vice President, Youth Basketball, National Basketball Association Since joining the NBA in 2017, Harper has been responsible for the launch and implementation of Jr. NBA Leagues, a new national network of youth basketball leagues in 10 markets across the country that has reached approximately 14,000 youths across nearly 40 organizations. Through the new leagues, NBA and WNBA teams offer exclusive experiences and resources such as a curriculum library, coaching clinics led by pro coaching staffs, potential meet-and-greets with athletes, and in-arena experiences for youth teams on game days. Accessibility is an important focus for Jr. NBA Leagues following the disruption and decrease in community-based sports providers caused by the pandemic. — X.H. ED FOSTER-SIMEON President and Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Soccer Foundation As the top executive at the foundation for the past 15 years, Foster-Simeon has focused on bringing soccer and soccer equipment to low-income neighborhoods. The foundation, working over the past five years with partners such as Musco Lighting, has built 500 mini-pitches — hard-court soccer “fields” the size of a basketball court and including goals, markings, fences and lighting — in neighborhoods across the U.S. Partnerships with pro teams, organizing committees and groups, including the Black Players for Change (made up of MLS players, coaches and staff who are Black) and Black Women’s Player Collective (made up of NWSL players who are Black), have convinced Foster-Simeon that the foundation can reach its goal of 1,000 mini-pitches by 2026. — E.S. TANIA KING Chief Executive Officer, 3STEP Sports King brought an extensive résumé of company-building experiences and executive roles in strategy, compliance and legal matters when she accepted an offer in November to become CEO of the Massachusetts-based youth sports company. 3STEP has become a power in youth sports by acquiring leagues and events, now covering 43 states and 3.2 million participants in nine sports. The company’s portfolio includes facilities management, video and media content, sponsorship sales, travel services, and custom team gear and uniforms. King’s previous role as operating adviser at Juggernaut Capital Partners included shepherding the sale last year of nostalgia-friendly sports apparel brand Mitchell & Ness to Fanatics. — E.S. MICHAEL KENNEY Chief Executive Officer, Ripken Baseball Since joining Ripken Baseball in 2019, Kenney has worked to make the Ripken experience stretch further than the participant, making it rewarding for the whole family. Kenney’s goal is for every tournament participant to feel like a major leaguer for a day and create connective memories, an effort that draws off his time with the Harlem Globetrotters, an organization that’s transcended generations. Ripken Baseball continues its mission to grow the game by hosting the Baseball For All national tournament July 12-16 in Elizabethtown, Ky., and launching the All-Ripken brand, which focuses on individual elite-training performance for youth athletes starting with the All-Ripken Games July 27-30, also in Elizabethtown. — W.S. ADAM HEIECK Chief Executive Officer, Youth on Course Since its launch in 2006, Youth on Course has provided over 2 million rounds of subsidized golf to kids across the U.S. Heieck credits his work through a USGA-funded internship at the Northern California Golf Association as a great introduction and education into how Youth on Course would operate and how to properly scale the organization. He said the organization is expanding its footprint, recently going international in Australia along with its markets in Texas and Florida. Youth on Course also is looking to bolster its largest fundraiser, the 100 Hole Hike, which runs on various days and courses across the U.S. from June to November, all with the goal of playing and walking 100 holes of golf and raising money for youth access to golf. — W.S.

SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM M AY 1-7, 2023 | 2 9 LeagueApps; NBC Sports Next; USTA; NFHS Congrats to Brian Litvack - Founder/CEO of LeagueApps and one of SBJ’s 10 to Watch. LeagueApps empowers youth sports organizations to flourish by providing cutting edge technical solutions backed by youth sports experts. Learn More at leagueapps.com/sbj Make Sports Happen. BRETT MACKINNON Senior Vice President and General Manager, Youth and Recreational Sports, NBC Sports Next MacKinnon combines both his experience in tech and passion in youth sports at NBC Sports Next. The company recently announced a partnership with US Youth Soccer that will see NBCSN’s SportsEngine youth sports management platform create a digital network for USYS to deliver content to its 54 state associations and members. That includes more than 10,000 clubs and leagues, and nearly 1 million administrators, coaches and volunteers. Through the acquisition and integration of livestreaming outfit Rapid Replay in 2022, the company is focused on creating the preeminent video and streaming solution for youth sports. — X.H. KARISSA NIEHOFF Chief Executive Officer, National Federation of State High School Associations It’s fitting that Niehoff runs the nonprofit that helps guide strategy and policy for 51 state high school associations encompassing 19,500 schools. Her 33 years in education included stints as a teacher, coach, athletic director, assistant principal and principal, in both middle and high schools. Niehoff went on to lead Connecticut’s state high school athletics association. In 2018, she took the reins at the Indianapolisbased NFHS, where, among other things, she has helped make the organization a key ally of the U.S. Department of Education promoting COVID-19 vaccines for students ages 12 to 18; established ties with the Aspen Institute to increase youth sports participation; and worked with the NFL to promote high school football and girls flag football. — E.S. BRIAN LITVACK Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, LeagueApps Litvack is an entrepreneur who has built a mission-driven company that offers a comprehensive software platform with tools, training and resources for successful management of youth sports programs. He is a founder and board member of the FundPlay Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides free software to more than 400 community sports organizations. With over 100 FundPlay partners, such as America SCORES, PeacePlayers and Harlem Lacrosse, it has enabled sports opportunities for more than 550,000 children. This year, Litvack aims to develop more tools for coaches, parents and players through the LeagueApps Play app. — X.H. CRAIG MORRIS Chief Executive Officer, Community Tennis, United States Tennis Association During the last five years, Morris and the USTA have revamped their outreach to schools, recognizing that reaching kids where they are offers the best chance for success for winning net-minded converts. The early returns are encouraging: Over 21,000 schools have added tennis to P.E. classes since the USTA started its Net Generation push in 2017, including training for 13,687 P.E. teachers. The USTA estimates its Net Generation kits have created opportunities for 6.4 million children to play tennis, with an average of 711 kids reached in each school that receives a kit. — E.S.

MARK O’BRIEN President, Chief Executive Officer and Board Member, LakePoint Sports Since arriving in 2019, O’Brien has led the launch of a media and tech platform and a focus on the guest experience that has resulted in 117% revenue growth from LakePoint-owned and operated events, in-house led media, technology, food and beverage, merchandise, housing, and production and sponsorships. Additionally, O’Brien is meeting with best-in-industry leaders to scale a business model that would include three to six locations nationwide, along with vertical integration of sports segments, including club sport infrastructure, tournaments and camps. The model also calls for the development of training centers, hotels, restaurants, retail, and experiential real estate development. — X.H. 30 | MAY 1-7, 2023 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM USA Hockey; LakePoint Sports; RCX Sports; Major League Baseball IN-DEPTH YOUTH SPORTS MORE THAN A MILLION STRONG ACROSS ALL 50 STATES usahockey.com PROVIDING THE FOUNDATION FOR HOCKEY IN AMERICA Congratulations Ken Martel! Your leadership in helping make hockey the best youth sports experience in every community across America is appreciated. USAH-Martel ad_SBJ 2023.indd 1 4/13/23 1:27 PM IZELL REESE Founder and Chief Executive Officer, RCX Sports Reese played seven seasons in the NFL before transitioning into a career focused on making youth sports accessible and inclusive. RCX counts the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and MLS as clients, working with those leagues to establish youth recreational and community programs. He has played a leading role in the NFL’s flag football initiative, increasing participation to 600,000 children. Last fall, the NBA and WNBA announced Jr. NBA Leagues for kids ages 6 to 14, with a goal of having 500,000 children playing in the rec leagues by 2027. NHL Street has 32 new clubs starting this year, and MLB’s Pitch, Hit & Run and Jr. Home Run Derby consist of a combined 26 events and 1,040 participants in 22 states. — E.S. KEN MARTEL Senior Director, Player and Coach Development, USA Hockey Martel has over 25 years of experience in player development and was named to his current post last November. He and USA Hockey aim to create programs to provide kids free access to hockey equipment to ease barriers to entry. In addition to resource allocation, the national governing body is researching segments to enhance training experiences for youths such as drills, impact of age and growth rates, team selection, and competition structure, along with diversifying the communities for their programs. — X.H. TONY REAGINS Chief Baseball Development Officer, Major League Baseball Since stepping into his role in 2020, Reagins has focused specifically on young people whose opportunities may have been limited by finances and availability. He helped launch MLB’s “Play Ball” initiative, which has increased casual participation in the sport by more than 80% since its inception in 2015. On top of initiatives such as the Breakthrough Series, Hank Aaron Invitational and DREAM Series, Reagins said MLB is launching MLB “The Program,” which is centered around 15- to 16-year-old elite players who will travel to the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Fla., for a month to train with MLB personnel and compete in high-profile youth tournaments on weekends. — W.S.

SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM M AY 1-7, 2023 | 3 1 Chris D’Orso / Orlando Magic F OR YEARS I HAVE ARGUED that the traditional phone room — smiling and dialing — was becoming a dinosaur. COVID was the test tube baby that proved there were alternatives to sitting in a room and calling on a land line. Artificial intelligence and other advances are being employed to streamline the sales process, but technology and its related costs are often not within the financial realm of smaller organizations. The Orlando Magic, a team I worked with for more than 14 years as an NBA executive and later as a consultant, has always been a team willing to experiment and try new things. They even have an Internal Innovation Lab to generate new ideas and approaches. The team has decided to have their ticket sales efforts remain remote (but sales members can come to the office if they wish), one of few teams to offer a hybrid approach for their sales team. I reached out to Chris D’Orso, SVP of sales and operations, who has been with the Magic for 33 years; and Jack Lensky, a senior account executive with 32 years of ticket sales experience, to assess why and how it was working. I posed a series of questions and here are their responses. Since you never had to manage a remote sales force prior to COVID, what were your biggest qualms/concerns about your team and how they would perform? n D’ORSO: The greatest concern we had moving to a remote model was how to manage our newer sales team members. New sales team members excel when they are sitting next to and hearing their peers as well as having their managers nearby for coaching opportunities. Our remote approach necessitated that we had to create other ways to achieve this. We created a mentor program, which would allow our newer sales associates to access the senior members of the sales team and communicate with them for assistance and training, which had two benefits: Assisting and developing the newer members of the team while providing the senior sellers with management experience — a win/win. There is an adage that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. How has working remotely altered your approach, if at all? n LENSKY: I really haven’t changed my approach in regards to outreach. I still make calls but from my cellphone instead of sitting at the office. To capitalize on our cellphones, the Magic invested in a texting platform so I can text my customers or even share photos and videos if I choose to do so. I’m also away from a lot of the usual distractions at the office and I’m better able to concentrate. What are the best and worst things about a remote ticket sales team? n D’ORSO: The best thing about a remote sales team is the purely flexible opportunity they have in their personal lives. Since COVID, there has been a reset in the minds of people in the workforce and those entering it regarding what they value and the importance of what they value. The past expectations and acceptance of working long hours, weekends and holidays and working a game night and having to be in at the regular time the next day have been replaced by a concern for having autonomy and the opportunity to work remotely. Remember, working remotely also eliminates the commute and daily costs such as parking and perhaps eating out. As could be expected, working remotely has had a positive effect upon our ability to recruit and retain our talent. The biggest challenge about having a remote sales team is addressing poor performance. If a team member is not hitting their expected sales metrics while working remotely, we didn’t want asking them to come into the office and work to be viewed as a punishment. Thankfully, we have seen the team adapt and evolve and if they haven’t been successful remotely, they are coming in voluntarily to meet with their manager for training and assistance. So is it working? According to D’Orso, “Our fully hybrid work opportunity has become one of the most important company benefits that we offer to our team members. This benefit has assisted in recruiting new team members, increased staff morale and significantly impacted work/life balance. And in terms of productivity, we have exceeded past sales records from pre-COVID levels, while setting records in the sale of new full-season, partials and premium plans along with group sales for the 2022-23 season.” Remote selling using cellphones and the new sales platforms using AI helps sellers become better storytellers. It provides the opportunity to augment what had been primarily an audio approach to now providing opportunities to include other forms of content — videos, photos, chats, social media shares and a variety of other impactful persuasive content forms that may help accelerate the sales process. The hybrid work form is here to stay and the confidence demonstrated by the Magic in the autonomy of their ticket sales force has demonstrated that it can be effective if complemented by rethinking training and managing techniques to ensure that even the newest team member can be successful outside of the office and the traditional setup. Hopefully this new form of cord-cutting will gain support and sellers can be more creative in their approach to how they present opportunities associated with ticket plans. Bill Sutton (billsuttonandassoci[email protected]) is a professor of practice at the University of South Carolina, director emeritus of the Vinik Graduate Sport Business Program at USF and principal of Bill Sutton & Associates. Follow him on Twitter @Sutton_ImpactU. A remote sales staff? It’s working in Orlando with creative approach OPINION Sutton Impact BY BILL SUTTON Hybrid scheduling makes in-office attendance voluntary but younger staff members can come in to seek additional training.

32 | MAY 1-7, 2023 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM game via a welcoming and incredible environment. Working with these players are TOPSoccer Buddies, many that are teenagers, making this program unique and heartwarming. TOPSoccer is small in numbers but the opportunity for significant growth is incredible, and it will be a focus at our USYS Grassroots Symposium this September in Minnesota. As we look to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and the 2026 World Cup, USYS is often asked if our legacy goal is to grow the game. The reality is that most kids at some point will kick a soccer ball. Our goal, therefore, must be to reduce the trend of early teenagers leaving the sport by creating alternative programming that offers a version of our sport in a format that works for them. Other sports have been successful here and we are now creating that unique pathway to allow kids to stay connected to soccer and become fans for life. My past work in the Olympic Movement as well as my current role as board chairman of ACES (Association of Chief Executives for Sport) gives me a firm belief in multisport play and a resistance to elite designations M UCH HAS BEEN WRITTEN about youth sports and the billions spent across the industry. Rightly so, the injection of interest by for-profit companies and recently, venture capitalists, will do nothing but widen the gap between the pay-to-play ecosystem and the too many kids who are left on the sidelines for economic reasons only. Unfortunately, you can’t help but stop in awe of the massive promotional support encouraging tournament participation and on the most finely manicured fields in the world. Heaven forbid any player in 2023 skin a knee by falling on a patch of dirt. While we can shake our heads at the direction big money is forcing youth sports to travel, there are still thousands of 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations focused squarely on serving the needs of players, at all ability levels, with a core priority on enhancing their sport, creating a health and wellness ethic, and developing players and fans for life. Yes, my organization, US Youth Soccer (USYS), is one of the largest youth sport organizations in the country. Ninety percent of the last FIFA World Champion U.S. women’s national soccer team came through USYS. While we offer all levels of programming, the core of what we do through 54 state associations is to serve the millions that just want to play for fun. Seventy percent of our 2.5 million registered players likely won’t play in high school, in college or beyond, but still want to play a sport for the benefits it offers. Supporting that landscape, we launched USYS University to provide a resource center allowing anyone to find relevant material covering on- and off-field issues. We develop player, coach and referee curriculum. We have business-specific support to help club administrators navigate their financial needs. We’ve partnered with some of the best curriculum builders around the world to provide dynamic learning modules for mental health support, muscular-skeletal injury prevention, character development, and being a better parent. USYS will invest significant sums to develop these programmatic mechanisms which most of the for-profit organizations do not include as a part of their programming. The underlying theme for each of the nonprofit organizations that focus on youth sport is to help shape the health and wellness narrative to ensure that every kid has a chance to learn many sports and, hopefully, stay with at least one their entire life. Being active helps a child’s cognitive development and playing sports develops many of their personal characteristics that will help them succeed throughout their personal and professional lives. This health and wellness focus is at the very core of what drives nonprofit youth sport organizations. Recently, I was asked to represent USYS on a coalition with the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), the Aspen Institute and a few others to focus on developing ways to reduce the growing number of ACL injuries, especially high in female soccer players. The work we do will absolutely change the lives of thousands of young athletes annually. Many nonprofit sport organizations also spend significant resources to develop inclusive programs for the disabled. Our TOPSoccer platform has chapters in every state. The goal is to help those with cognitive and physical disabilities learn to love our for kids until early teens. As such, I want to stress that when developing the health and wellness ethic of future generations, all nonprofit sport organizations must strive to offer a lower cost of entry, an environment of inclusiveness and, ultimately, reach. Youth sports today have become big business, which creates distinct challenges across the ecosystem. But there are so many more benefits that outweigh the challenges that deserve to be supported. To every reader that sits behind a budget to align with sports, please add youth sports to your mix. Do your homework, find the nonprofit group that can make real differences in their constituents’ lives and create a strategy to help amplify that impact. It will be worth the effort and expense because a good nonprofit sports organization can change the lives of thousands and pave a future of health and wellness for generations to come. Skip Gilbert is the CEO of US Youth Soccer Association, the largest youth sport organization in the country, and one of the founders and current board chairman of the Association of Chief Executives for Sport (ACES). OPINION BY SKIP GILBERT Nonprofit groups play a crucial role in the youth sports landscape To every reader that sits behind a budget to align with sports, please add youth sports to your mix.

SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM M AY 1-7, 2023 | 3 3 Photos by Tony Florez FACES & PLACES: ALL IN RISE’s Diahann Billings Burford, Courtney Moore of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Roscoe Mapp of the San Francisco 49ers and Tru Pettigrew of the Minnesota Timberwolves caught up during a networking break. Paralympic athlete Ezra Frech described how he he wants “to use sports to normalize disability on a global scale.” above left: NBA Chief DEI Officer Lesley Slaton Brown explained the difference between “transactional change” and “transformational” change when it comes to improving an organization’s DEI efforts. above: Anquan Boldin, one of the founders of The Players Coalition, detailed the group’s formation and spoke about the importance of the NFL allowing an ad to run during the Super Bowl spotlighting issues related to police brutality. left: Ann Seeney, chief people and diversity officer at the U.S. Soccer Federation, and Michele Meyer-Shipp, CEO of Dress for Success and LPGA and Fritz Pollard Alliance board member, discussed creating and implementing DEI strategies. Louise Skinner, Nicole Buffalano, Ami Wynne, Amanda Lavery, Jeff Moorad and Christina Kobeski of the law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius took in the sights inside BMO Stadium. SBJ’s ALL IN conference around diversity, equity and inclusion in sports was presented on April 20 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. Discussions across the event centered on how organizations create and sustain environments of inclusion and equity. From the United for Change: The Alliance LA panel: Moderator Lolita Lopez of NBC4; Kenyon Agurs, Student Alliance; Renata Simril, president/CEO, LA84 Foundation Play Equity Fund; and Larry Freedman, co-president/CBO, LAFC.

34 | MAY 1-7, 2023 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM USA Today (3) CLOSING SHOT THE WORLD’S FAVORITE SEASON is the spring, wrote American naturalist Edwin Way Teale. That certainly seems true in the world of sports, with its amalgam of events and championships that stretch from the conclusion of March Madness to the NBA Finals bumping up against the summer solstice. But if the sports spring had a favorite month, it would surely be this one, for as Teale continued, “All things seem possible in May.” Indeed, no other month features quite so much action — and, as a result, quite so much business opportunity for networks, sponsors and fans. To begin with, there are the regular seasons of Major League Baseball, MLS and NWSL that are reaching full bloom. All three can look forward to an attendance boost as the weather warms. In recent years MLB has found particular success expanding its promotional offerings for the month, as a record 24 teams will celebrate Star Wars Day (on or around May 4), and all teams will again wear pink on Mother’s Day (May 14 this year, don’t forget). And this year a trio of teams, the Mariners, Orioles and Reds, will debut their City Connect jerseys in May. Then there are the leagues just springing into action. The WNBA season, for instance, tips off May 19 for a 40-game regular season, the longest in league history and a chance to further capitalize on the blossoming enthusiasm around the league in particular and women’s sports in general. And finally there are the leagues at the peak of their flowers, uh, powers. The NBA and NHL are in already deep into their respective postseasons. The two leagues once contested their entire championship series in May — the NBA last did so 40 years ago, the NHL as recently as 1991 — but now May is mostly the home of earlier rounds. The NBA’s conference finals will start as early as May 14. Not to be outdone, the all-powerful NFL maintains a prominent presence on this month’s calendar. With last week’s draft having ended, all 32 teams will have their annual rookie minicamps, while the league’s owners will gather for their spring meetings, scheduled for May 22-24 in Minneapolis, which could be when the sale of the Washington Commanders — which would be the most expensive team sale in sports history — is voted on and, likely, approved. Those meetings will start the day after a longawaited spring revival: NASCAR’s return to North Wilkesboro Speedway. The famed North Carolina venue will host its first Cup Series race since 1996 with the circuit’s All-Star Race. May 21 will also feature the final round of the PGA Championship. Once part of the dog days of summer, the event was moved to May starting in 2019 and this year will be held at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., in what is becoming a decennial tradition: the course most recently hosted in 2003 and 2013. Last year’s edition marked the final major for many stars before they decamped for LIV Golf; this year even upstate New York should be warm enough to melt the ice between the PGA loyalists and the breakaway stars of the renegade tour, who are allowed to participate. Of course, the two oldest mainstays of the May sports calendar also serve as two of the most famous in American sports history: the Kentucky Derby and the Indianapolis 500. The Run for the Roses will go off for the 149th time on Saturday at Churchill Downs, while the 107th edition of the Indy 500 will roar into action on May 28. That same day the French Open will begin in Paris. Though it will conclude in June, think of it as one last gift of a marvelous May. No month on the sports calendar is more packed than this one, with just about every sport in on the action. Mighty May BY TED KEITH The NBA playoffs are ramping up, while the NWSL and MLB regular seasons are in full bloom during May, giving fans, networks and sponsors plenty to look forward to.

NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW Sports Business Journal, with Leaders in Sport, has created a new event to unpack the value being generated when sports, entertainment, lifestyle and culture collide. ELI MANNING Two-Time Super BowlWinning Quarterback & Two-Time Super Bowl MVP RITA FERRO President, Advertising, The Walt Disney Company CHRIS DAVIS Chief Marketing Officer, New Balance Athletics New York May 23-24, 2023 Register at 4-se.com Founding Partners NEW CONFERENCE. NEW CONTENT. NEW NETWORKING.

JULY 18-19 Ojai Valley Inn, Ojai, CA Learn. Reflect. Relax. THE TWO MOST INSPIRING DAYS YOU WILL HAVE ALL YEAR For more information, please go to www.Thought-Leaders-Retreat.com