Sports Business Journal — May 9, 2022

MAY 9-15, 2022
VOLUME 25 ISSUE 6 • $10.95

Robert Kraft
And the power of connecting

CONGRATULATIONS

ROBERT

FOR YOUR MUCH DESERVED

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
AWARD

$24CASHONLY SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL

MILLION STATE OF PLAY

Amount donated by BodyArmor founder
and CEO Mike Repole to the Mamba
& Mambacita Sports Foundation in

honor of Kobe Bryant, who was an early
investor in the company.

Nov. 13MARKYOURCALENDAR Ready To Rock
The NFL’s first regular-season game
in Germany will feature the Buccaneers Music City has a new stage. The largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S., Nashville SC’s Geodis Park opened
last week with 30,109 fans creating what coach Gary Smith called a “incredible, enveloping noise” during a 1-1
against the Seahawks draw with the Philadelphia Union. Befitting the city it’s located in, music was everywhere at the opener:
Breland performed a prematch concert; Jason Fitz, now with ESPN Radio and a former member of the Tennes-
see-based The Band Perry, performed the national anthem with his fiddle; Tommy Shaw of Styx did a guitar
riff; and Judah & the Lion, which created the club’s official anthem, held a postmatch concert.

Getty Images (2) MONEY TALKS 1.5MRATINGS GAME

I remember thinking, ‘This Views on DAZN for
is it — this is the moment. KATIE TAYLOR’s
This is the moment we’ve split-decision win
over AMANDA
been waiting for. Our SERRANO at
moment. No more working Madison Square
for someone else. If we’re Garden, which
going to succeed or fail, we it claims is the
should do so on our own biggest ever
terms, with our own ideas, for a women’s
boxing match.
with our own brand.’
SOONER
— Nike founder PHIL KNIGHT, marking the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the day his
company, then known as Blue Ribbon Sports, lost a major partner and went on its own. ESPN+ will carry more than 100 live University of
Oklahoma sports events as part of a new multiyear deal
W W W . S P O R T S B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L . C O M
that launches in August.

THE METER

LATER

Despite much speculation there will not be a Black
Friday game this NFL season, though it remains very

much in play for the 2023 season.

MAY 9-15, 2022 | 3

FORUM E The journey
of Robert Kraft
ABRAHAM MADKOUR
VER SINCE he purchased the New divorce with Bill Parcells and the disap- The entire contents
PUBLISHER AND England Patriots in 1994, Robert pointing years under Pete Carroll. He went of this magazine are
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Kraft has been accessible and ac- through a bruising battle with local and state copyrighted by Street &
leaders when government aid on a new sta- Smith’s Sports Business
THIS WEEK countable. After buying the team, he would dium dissolved. Kraft eventually received Journal 2022 with all rights
EVENTS one of the most generous deals ever to relo- reserved. Street & Smith’s
walk the halls, dressed in jeans, and get to cate to Hartford, but he knew it didn’t feel is a registered trademark
6 SHARED VALUES right, and instead he worked to make the of Leaders Group Holdings
The Milken Global know staffers. In his early years, Kraft best of a privately funded stadium option LLC. Reproduction or use,
Institute Conference while receiving among the least amount of without permission, of
focuses on the need for jumped on a golf cart on game days to meet public support of any market in the history editorial or graphic content
greater diversity and of the NFL. in any manner is prohibited.
inclusion in sports. tailgaters. He wanted to show appreciation Street & Smith’s Sports
The common thread throughout his journey Business Journal (ISSN-
By Chris Smith for them, but also to show that he was one has been family. We must not forget the impact 1098-5972) publishes up
his late wife, Myra, had on his success. While to 49 print or digital issues
SPORTS BUSINESS of them, and that he understood their desire incredulous at the $172 million price tag he each year, for $325 a year
AWARDS paid for the Patriots, she was the family rock, by Street & Smith’s Sports
8 P OWER OF SPORTS to win. It all traces back to his days sitting and set the tone and the mission for the fran- Business Journal, at 120
chise — from the team’s vast philanthropic West Morehead Street, Suite
Sports Business Journal on the metal bleachers at Foxboro Stadium efforts to stressing that the players be solid, 310, Charlotte, NC 28202.
has selected America contributing members of the community. In Canada $390 per year,
SCORES as the recipi- when he was a Patriots season-ticket holder. includes GST and all other
ent of the Celebration Kraft is not the same owner or person he countries $504, includes
of Service Award to be “Having gone all those years, having sat was when he purchased the team. He is a far a one-year subscription
presented May 18 at the more public figure. There has been admirable and expedited air delivery
Sports Business Awards. in the stands, having dreamt about it, I and rare continuity among the Patriots staff, (GST#139794580).
and those who have been around him for a Periodicals postage paid at
MOTORSPORTS thought about what I would do different,” long time say he is more comfortable listen- Charlotte, NC, and additional
9 HAPPY DAYS ing, understanding an issue and getting all mailing offices. Street &
Kraft told me and colleague Ben Fischer. points of view. In meetings, he may wander Smith’s Sports Business
NASCAR sees positive on tangents, but he welcomes pushback and Journal is a publication of
signs for attendance in “What it taught me is that sometimes owner- insists on input. He may not agree with you Leaders Group Holdings
consumer sales, first-tim- but he wants to hear from you. But longtime LLC. Street & Smith’s Sports
ers and group sales. ship doesn’t respect the value of fans. When staffers also note that some things haven’t Business Journal is an equal
By Adam Stern changed about Kraft’s style. He will tolerate opportunity employer.
we bought the team, fan support was not on mistakes but he doesn’t accept excuses, not
MEDIA from staff, colleagues or the league office. POSTMASTER: Please
10 BODY CHECK the balance sheet. It’s zero. But fan support send address changes
Kraft’s greatest asset is connecting with to Street & Smith’s
RSN ratings for NHL’s in the history of our family’s ownership has people. Some feel he would have made an Sports Business Journal —
regular season took a hit, excellent diplomat or political leader because Subscriber Services,
with only four teams see- been invaluable.” of his genuine interest in those he interacts P.O. Box 36637,
ing an increase over last with and the ability he has to make them Charlotte, NC 28236-6637.
season. Robert Kraft, the hometown fan from feel important. He always seems to have a If the Post Office alerts
By John Ourand way — sports, travel, history, business — to us that your magazine is
Brookline, Mass., had made good, and he was find common ground. That explains the bonds undeliverable, we have no
LABOR he has forged not just with fellow executives further obligation unless we
11 THE SHOE FITS ready to prove it. It was understandable if but to the fan in Foxboro. receive a corrected address
within 3 months.
Agent Vincent Taylor and he had stardust in his eyes. He understands the passions, frustrations
Elite Loyalty Sports had and desires of being a fan who wants to win. FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE CALL
their Cinderella moment Throughout his life, Kraft has worked to He’s been a risk taker who has committed his 1-800-829-9839
at the NFL Draft. vast resources to the same area he grew up
By Liz Mullen bring people together and build relationships. in. He’s been a builder of infrastructure and For article reprints, please
a driver of industries. And he’s been one of contact celebrate@
OPINION. . . . . . . . . . 48 It’s at the core of his success in sports and the most successful team owners ever. His sportsbusinessjournal.com
CLOSING SHOT. . . 50 legacy will carry on for generations to come. or call customer service at
business, and it’s been a central theme of his 1-800-829-9839.
Cover image by Gary Higgins Abraham Madkour can be reached at
career that now includes being named our [email protected].
4 | M AY 9-15, 2022
Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. But

let’s not mistake a Lifetime Achievement

Award for sainthood. Robert Kraft is not a

saint, and he knows it. He’s had human frail-

ties, and he’s made mistakes. He’s experienced

great disappointments, frustrations and loss.

His deep loyalty to New England and his or-

ganization has at times rankled fellow owners

and league officials. But, as our package of

stories shows, he’s also used the power of

sports to help the less fortunate, been a lead-

er across multiple leagues and industries and

of course achieved unparalleled success.

When we first expressed our interest in

honoring him with this award, Kraft was

uncomfortable and politely declined. Perhaps

because of our persistence, he agreed, yet

initially did not get too involved. Once he

became more comfortable with the process,

he was open, gracious and available in shar-

ing the story of his remarkable life and career.

What has struck me about Kraft is how he

has matured as an owner. Yes, the team

played in the Super Bowl after the 1996 sea-

son, but his early years included the difficult

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JUNE 13-15 | THE RITZ-CARLTON | CHICAGO

Tom Ricketts Kevin Garnett Joe Tuza Heidi Browning Kelly Jo Golson Andre Llewellyn Sharon Otterman Chris Mead
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Sauer Brands, Inc.

Craig Riner Manny Rodriguez Karin Timpone Tony Wells Justin Toman Shiz Suzuki Paul Asensio Michael Ceilley
CMO CMO CMO Senior Vice President Senior Vice President,
MLB & Chief Media Officer Head, Sports Marketing Vice President, Global Experiential Global Partnerships Senior Vice President
Highmark Health UCHealth Marketing and Partnerships Partnership and Media Sales
Verizon and Sponsorships UFC
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PepsiCo Entertainment

Adam Holt Ash Jhaveri Scott Zanghellini Adam Grow Alex Seyferth Matt Kobe Gary Jacobus Hayden Walling
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Kaitee Daley Omar Raja Rashid Ghazi Tony Schiller Amy Jost Matt Dubin Scott O’Neil
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OFFICIAL HEALTH & SAFETY OFFICIAL RESEARCH GOLD SPONSORS EVENING AT THE
PLANNING PARTNER PARTNER BALLPARK HOST

upfront

Washington
Commanders President
Jason Wright, a former
NFL player himself,
stressed the value of
empowering athletes.

Power Of Inclusion landed 21 corporate partners before it played a single game. “If
Do something good or something to make money? At the Milken you want to generate as much profit as possible, and you want to
create an emotional connection with that audience, and you want
Conference, sports executives had a theme: Do both. BY CHRIS SMITH them to believe in you because you have shared values, then you
F need to explain what those values are and live those values.”
OR A QUARTER CENTURY, the Milken Institute Global
Conference has drawn titans of business and finance, Taking part in a panel called “The Power of LGBTQ+ Repre-
Hollywood celebrities and elected officials to Bev- sentation” alongside Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy, among oth-
erly Hills. After two pandemic-disrupted editions, ers, Uhrman explained that those values need to be enforced on
the commercial side of the team. “When we bring on corporate
this year’s gathering included bold-faced names from those tra- partners and sponsors, we don’t talk about how much LED time
you’re going to get, how much radio time you’re going to get. We
ditional fields, including GE CEO Larry Culp, Academy Award- talk about our shared values and how we are going to show up
in the community and what we’re going to do to have a positive
winning actor Gwyenth Paltrow and New York City Mayor Eric impact in the community,” she said.

Adams. It also featured an increasing focus on sports. “We talk about how we built an organization where mission The Milken Institute Global Conference
and capital can coexist, where we lead with passion and purpose
And it wasn’t just owners like Steve Ballmer or Peter Guber to lead to profitability. We never make a trade-off between should
we do something good or should we do something that makes
who gave the five-day conference at The Beverly Hilton a sports money, we actually do both.”

flavor. Team and league executives, former athletes and sports The business case for community inclusion was also made by
Arizona Coyotes President and CEO Xavier Gutierrez in the
media personalities were everywhere, and they sounded a central, “Sports And Entertainment: The Impact of Inclusion” panel:
“We include every part of the community, so when I go to pitch
running theme: the importance of and need for greater diver- a corporate partner, I tell them I’m the bridge to the growth
cohorts in America, which are young, female, diverse, tech-
sity and inclusion in sports.

“If you’re motivated by profit, you need an organization that’s

reflective of your community. If you don’t do that, then you’re

missing out,” said Julie Uhrman, president and co-founder of

Angel City FC, the NWSL team that sold 15,000 season tickets and

6 | M AY 9-15, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL

savvy and purpose-driven,” said Guti- OVG to handle team “We’re going to need to The new 5,000-seat
errez, the first Latino to hold that role sponsorship sales
in the NHL. “To use the Wayne Gretz- for Coyotes at ASU come up with new innova- arena for Arizona State’s
ky line, go to where the puck is going tive executions for sponsors, hockey team is expected
and you’ll have success. Where is the both inside the arena, and to open this fall.
puck going in America? It’s going to-
ward those growth cohorts.” more importantly, outside the arena and all year

Hua Fung Teh, president of Group round in that Scottsdale-Tempe-Mesa corridor,”
One Holdings, which owns the Singa-
pore-based combat sports promotion THE ARIZONA COYOTES are turning to Oak View Group Sakiewicz said.
ONE Championship, argued that re-
search has shown greater diversity has to handle the bulk of their new sponsorship sales as He expects sponsorship revenue in Year 1 to either
historically led to stronger business
performance metrics, and in fact that they prepare to move to their temporary home at Ari- stay flat or dip slightly. For Years 2 and 3, he plans to
the two are intrinsically linked. “If
you focus on good business outcomes, zona State University starting with the 2022-23 season. bolster sponsorship revenue by adding new inventory
you will actually end up with pretty
diverse outcomes, too,” said Teh. “For Oak View Group will operate the yet-to-be-named, associated with community engagement, a non-hock-
us, it was almost incidental that there’s
diversity, because we focus on good 5,000-seat, multipurpose arena on the campus of Ari- ey event series and premium digital content.
business outcomes and we focus on
giving fans what they want to see.” zona State, which is set to open this fall. After failing The Coyotes and Oak View Group will seek to sell

Washington Commanders President to reach a deal to remain at Gila River Arena in Glen- brands on the upside of partnering with a major
Jason Wright said that institutional
support in areas of diversity and inclu- BY ALEX dale, the Coyotes agreed to play home league team in a smaller arena.
sion must also extend to players. Wright games at the new facility for at least the
said the Commanders are starting a “The smaller, intimate experience is going to pres-
social justice fund that will match
player giving, and he noted the team’s SILVERMAN next three seasons as a stopgap measure ent unique activation opportunities to have a much
efforts to connect players to local leg- while they continue to pursue municipal
islators led to the passage of police more meaningful conversation with the diehard fan
reform bills in Maryland and Virginia.
“[Commanders defensive end] Chase approval to build a $1.7 billion arena and that’s going to come into the building,” Griffis said.
Young was testifying virtually on the
Maryland house floor as the Maryland mixed-use district in Tempe. The nature of the Coyotes’ residency, and the late
bill was passed,” said Wright. “I don’t
know that that happens if we don’t lis- Dan Griffis, Oak View Group president of global stage of the arena project at which it came about, has
ten, No. 1, to what the athletes want to
accomplish and really get to understand partnerships, said the relationship with the Coyotes is created some unique sales challenges. One is that Oak
their goals. And No. 2, connect them to
the institutional support that actually comparable to the ones the group has with other teams View Group had already started selling sponsorship
knows how to make things happen.”
that play in facilities it owns and operates, including inventory for the Arizona State hockey program, in-
According to Wright, those efforts
will have long-term benefits for his the New York Islanders at UBS Arena. cluding on-ice logos, before the Coyotes came into the
organization. “If athletes feel empow-
ered, valued by the organization, that “When we do founding-level deals inside the arena picture. While advertising on dasherboards, for exam-
you want them to be there and care
about what they think, then they’ll or presenting-level deals, we will try to take Coyotes ple, can be swapped between games to accommodate
ball for you,” said Wright. “Ultimate-
ly, over time, it’s going to attract more assets and package them into those deals,” Griffis the sponsors of different tenants, on-ice logos can’t be
free agents to play for us. It benefits
us in the long run.” said. changed on a game-to-game basis.

Though diversity and inclusion Nick Sakiewicz, who joined the Coyotes as chief “There are going to be Arizona State hockey part-
have come into the spotlight across
recent years, the sports business ex- business officer in March, said the team eliminated ners that will be on ice and get exposure in all Coyote
ecutives stressed that much more
work still needs to be done. In making four of its five in-house sponsorship sales positions as games,” Griffis said.
his case, Wright turned his focus to
the crowd in front of the stage. part of the transition and plans to allocate additional Fortunately, many of the brands that signed up to

“You all have power, you have influ- resources to the corporate activation team led by ex- sponsor Arizona State hockey are existing Coyotes
ence,” he said. “When our guys care
deeply about something, I want to be ecutive director Lindsay Foletta. That group is work- partners, which Griffis said makes reworking the
able to connect them directly to you,
directly to the sponsors of our team, ing on putting together potential packages for deals simpler. He expects at least 90% of brands rep-
directly to the small business owners
Courtesy of Arizona State who are suite holders of our team. existing team partners that the team hopes to transfer resented on the ice surface to be Coyotes partners in
Because you are the ones with the
knowledge, and the intellectual and over from Glendale to Tempe. addition to sponsoring Arizona State.
financial capital to help them make a
change like only they can.” The Coyotes will have to get creative to avoid a Another wrinkle is that while Oak View Group is

significant decline in sponsorship revenue with the looking to secure long-term commitments from

move to the smaller arena. Sakiewicz said the team arena-level partners, it can only offer Coyotes

will have about 70% less inventory in the Arizona inventory for the three years the team is committed

State facility. to playing on campus.

W W W . S P O R T S B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L . C O M MAY 9-15, 2022 | 7

UPFRONT

U.S. expects final OK America SCORES to receive
for Rugby World Cups Celebration of Service Award

THROUGH AN INSPIRING use of soccer, “America SCORES believes that

poetry and service learning, Amer- every child deserves equitable access

THE UNITED STATES IS EXPECTED to be confirmed as the men’s Rugby ica SCORES provides a unique plat- to quality sport experiences,” said

World Cup host in 2031, as well as host to the women’s event two years form to engage and support Executive Director Icy Jones.

later, following the World Rugby Council meeting on May 12. The official under-resourced communities across “Through our free school-based youth

announcement will confirm the first time the men’s tournament is held in the country. The organization, found- soccer leagues, we remove barriers

North or South America. ed in 1994 in Washington, D.C., and to sports participation and fight sys-

For USA Rugby World Cup Chairman Jim Brown, the bids — which were based in New York City, will be hon- temic inequities faced by young peo-

adjusted from the OFFERING A ored as the Sports Business Jour- ple in high-poverty neighborhoods.”
PLACE TO PLAY
BY THOMAS LEARY initial goal of hosting nal’s Celebration of Service Award Despite the ongoing pandemic,
Potential host markets for
the men’s event as Rugby World Cup matches recipient at the Sports Business America SCORES and local leaders
early as 2027 — will
mark a significant moment in USA Rugby’s n Atlanta Awards on May 18 at the New York worked to train more than 700 coach-
recovery from near financial failure in 2019, n Austin
not to mention put a bow on the first bid n Baltimore Marriott Marquis. es over the last year, many of whom
process that has been run entirely during a n Birmingham
pandemic. “That’s a piece of it,” Brown said. Since 2017, SBJ has recognized are area school teachers and staff
“A challenge internally was some early
organizations that doing a second shift in

have led the way in ex- supporting the effort.

emplifying how sport These leaders equipped

is a catalyst for social participants with the

skepticism that we’d ever get this far. There n Boston change and that have tools for playing on the

was a lot of doubt that this was going to n Charlotte demonstrated innova- field and for lessons off

happen.” n Chicago tion and provided inspiration through of it, from supporting kids experienc-

The bids for 2031 and 2033 received a n Dallas the power of sports (see box). ing trauma to healing-centered ap-

significant boost last month when Presi- n Denver For the first time, the award was proaches to coaching. These

dent Joe Biden threw his support behind n Houston open for nominations from the sports America SCORES coaches also

the effort. USA Rugby CEO Ross Young said n Kansas City business community and we received brought that knowledge back to their
Biden’s support was “hugely beneficial to n Los Angeles
hopefully remove some of those potential n Minneapolis more than 50 submissions for this classrooms, creating a ripple effect
questions that might come around this n Miami
ratification process.” n Nashville year’s award. Amer- benefiting their entire
n New York / New Jersey
Young said Biden’s support “shows there n Orlando ica SCORES was se- RECOGNIZING school.
is this undertaking that is in place and that n Philadelphia
we will get what’s required from those n Phoenix lected from these SERVICE Whether writing
federal sources down the line. … It puts us n Pittsburgh
in the same scale as a FIFA or an IOC and n San Diego nominees by a panel Since 2017, Sports and performing their
shows where World Rugby’s standing is.” n San Francisco Bay Area
n Seattle of SBJ judges. Business Journal’s own spoken-word
Brown last month put the cost of the joint n Washington, D.C.
bid between World Rugby and USA Rugby at Through youth Celebration of Service Award p o e t r y i n a
around half a billion dollars. The U.S. bids
include 24 cities that have pledged official soccer leagues in 11 has honored an organization livestreamed inter-

cities across the that imparts positive change national youth po-

country, America through the power of sports. etry slam (with more

SCORES has chal- Year Winner than 15,000 poems
lenged inequities performed in 2021) or
faced by at-risk youth 2017 Homeless World Cup collaborating with
and empowered the their teammates on
next generation of 2018 PeacePlayers service-learning
leaders. With a com- International projects to improve
support for either or both World Cups, with
2019 PowerPlay NYC
the understanding the events would use NFL, college and MLS stadiums in

those markets. mitment to building 2020 Team IMPACT their local communi-

While the expected announcement will signal a victory for rugby stateside, up a Black-led and 2021 Lost Boyz Inc. ties (with more than
female-led network 2022 America SCORES 50,000 hours of com-
Young also will see it as a point “where the real work starts.” For USA Rugby, of staff leadership munity service in

that will center on a concurrent development and legacy program in

partnership with World Rugby to elevate the game across youth, high school and serving more 2021 alone), the youth

and YMCA programming in the lead-up to the World Cup events. Young: “All than 11,000 “poet athletes” from ages soccer players discovered how they

of that needs a bit 5-18 nationwide in urban communi- could use their voices as a force for

of money and ties challenged by poverty and un- good.

impetus. That derperforming schools, America “Using our unique blend of soc-

whole pillar is SCORES demonstrates the life- cer, arts, and community action, our

hugely important, changing impact that sport can have. poet-athletes are inspired to lead

and we can’t just healthy lives and have the

sit around and confidence and character

wait. If we’re to make a difference in the

going to maxi- world,” Jones said. “We

mize this opportu- believe healthy bodies and

nity, we need to Winners in 15 categories will be revealed, healthy minds lead to
along with recognition of Robert Kraft, recipient healthy communities.
start that now.” of the Lifetime Achievement Award, and America Thank you for helping to
SCORES for Celebration of Service. shine a light on our work
South Africa so that we can in turn re- Getty Images
defeated England n Wednesday, May 18 fract that light and shine a
in the last men’s n At the New York Marriott Marquis spotlight on our poet-ath-
Rugby World Cup n To purchase tickets for the event, please visit
in 2019. www.Sports-Business-Awards.com

letes.”

8 | M AY 9-15, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL

NASCAR sees positive trends in attendance

ABOUT A QUARTER of the way through The season
opened with a
the 2022 season, NASCAR is seeing sellout of the
101,000-seat
emerging signs that attendance is on grandstand at
Daytona.
the rebound.

NASCAR doesn’t release attendance

figures, but Daryl Wolfe, executive

vice president and chief revenue of-

ficer, said it has recorded double-

digit percentage

BY ADAM STERN increases in a host
of ticketing cate-

gories so far this

year, including

overall individual consumer sales,

first-time attendees, group sales and

camping. Wolfe said NASCAR is com-

paring to 2019, the year before the

pandemic.

The season started on a high note

with the Busch Light Clash at Los

Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which

drew a crowd of roughly 50,000 people

that included about 65% first-time

attendees. That was followed by a

Daytona 500 that featured a 101,000-per- veloping a new sales academy in re- Despite the strong start, NASCAR lot of selling to do. But, said Wolfe,
cent years, and Wolfe said the effort still has roughly 75% of its 38-race “So far it’s great to see and we fully
son grandstand sellout. is starting to pay dividends in ticket season remaining, so there’s still a expect the trends to continue.”
selling. And like most entities in
Other highlights so far this season sports and entertainment, NASCAR
is enjoying pent-up demand among
include Phoenix selling out its spring fans who couldn’t attend as many
races during the pandemic.
race for the first time in more than
NASCAR has suffered with declin-
10 years, and Auto Club Speedway in ing attendance for years from its hey-
day in the early 2000s, when it was
Fontana, Calif., having a strong crowd routinely drawing crowds well over
50,000 to 100,000 essentially for every
despite the fact that it was held just Cup Series race. The downward trend
sparked a series of seating reductions
weeks after the Busch Light Clash in at various tracks. Having a big crowd
is important not only for ticket rev-
nearby Los Angeles. enue but also the perceived atmo-
sphere to viewers watching on TV.
Track operator Speedway Motors-
“Collaboration is an over-used term
ports reported that Atlanta’s spring

race had its largest attendance since

2014. Bristol had its largest spring

race attendance since 2017.

As for the factors behind the growth,

Wolfe pointed to new initiatives in

the sport and the value that’s been WEDNESDAY,
MAY 18, 2022
unlocked by the industry collaborat-

ing better. On top of the overall efforts

“Collaboration is an over-used term but it’s so NEW YORK
important and I’ve seen more collaboration among MARRIOTT MARQUIS
stakeholders in the sport than maybe ever before.”
TIMES SQUARE
Getty Images to diversify and bring in new fans, a but it’s so important and I’ve seen
new car model debuted this year and more collaboration among stakehold- PROUD SPONSOR OF THE SPORTS BUSINESS AWARDS
it had strong results over the first ers in the sport than maybe ever be-
months of competition. There’s been fore,” Wolfe said. “Another area we’ve
continued new tracks brought on to focused on is the event experience,
revamp the schedule, highlighted this so investments in the Trackside Live
season by the Coliseum race, and the midway display, 1948 Club (hospital-
sport has seen investments in renova- ity area), a lot of programming and
tions and other fan amenities at surprise-and-delights at camp-
tracks. On the broadcast front, a year grounds, kid zones, esports displays,
after Jeff Gordon left the booth, Fox enhanced track apps and deployment
Sports is bringing in a new guest of WiFi across properties. … We’re
analyst every week to join its main on a never-ending journey to improve
two-person crew and that has gener- and it takes investment and being ag-
ated some excitement. gressive and that’s exactly what the
industry is doing today.”
NASCAR has also invested in de-

W W W . S P O R T S B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L . C O M MAY 9-15, 2022 | 9

SPORTS MEDIA

NHL sees local ratings dip in return to full season

T HE NHL’S LOCAL TV story took NHL 2021-22 SEASON RSN RATINGS record — the Florida Panthers —
a hit this season, as regular- posted its highest-ever local rating.
season games on U.S. RSNs Team RSN 2021-22 Change from Panthers games on Bally Sports
avg. rating 2020-21 season Florida were up 6% this season,
though their 0.46 ratings average still
posted a 23% ratings drop compared Pittsburgh Penguins AT&T Pittsburgh 5.43 -30% is among the NHL’s lowest.

to last year’s shortened season, ac- St. Louis Blues Bally Midwest 4.28 -1% The Panthers have doubled their
local TV rating over the previous 10
cording to Nielsen data analyzed by years, which is a reason why the team
signed a new media rights deal with
my SBJ colleague David Broughton. Buffalo Sabres MSG 3.78 -12% Bally Sports Florida that more than
doubles its rights fees, which went
The main reason for such an exten- Minnesota Wild Bally North 3.04 +14% from one of the league’s lowest at
around $6 million per season to one
sive drop — only four teams showed Vegas Golden Knights AT&T Rocky Mountain 3.04 -40% that’s in the high teens.

ratings in- Boston Bruins NESN 2.80 -33% Boston Bruins games on NESN
drew the highest audience of all NHL
creases — Detroit Red Wings Bally Detroit 1.56 +2% teams for the third straight season
with 661,000 homes. That comes as
is due to Bruins games posted their lowest
average rating (2.8 on NESN), which
the length Columbus Blue Jackets Bally Ohio 1.54 -26% is down 33%.

of the sea- Philadelphia Flyers NBC Sports Philadelphia 1.54 -39% Ratings for the Seattle Kraken’s first
season came in at 0.96 on Root Sports,
son. Be- Tampa Bay Lightning Bally Sun 1.49 -20% suggesting that the team has a lot of
room to grow in that market. When
cause of Chicago Blackhawks NBC Sports Chicago 1.44 -32% the NHL’s previous expansion team
— the Vegas Golden Knights — de-
the COVID Washington Capitals NBC Sports Washington 1.31 -10% buted in 2017-18, it had a 1.87 rating
on AT&T Rocky Mountain.
pandemic,
The Anaheim Ducks, who suffered
last year’s Seattle Kraken Root Sports 0.96 N/A through their fourth straight losing
season, had the league’s lowest rating
NHL sea- New York Rangers MSG 0.87 -29% (a 0.15 on Bally Sports SoCal) for the
fifth time in the last six years. And
BY JOHN OURAND son started Colorado Avalanche Altitude 0.82 -23% Arizona Coyotes games on Bally Ari-
in the mid- zona saw the biggest drop among all
San Jose Sharks NBC Sports Bay Area 0.61 -12% teams, down nearly 60%.
dle of Jan-
Florida Panthers Bally Florida 0.46 +6% Viewership for nation-
uary and ally televised NHL games
on ABC, ESPN and TNT
was only 56 games long. Dallas Stars Bally Southwest 0.45 -39% was up around 18% com-
pared to the league’s final
This season started in October and Los Angeles Kings Bally West 0.40 +20% season with NBC Sports
in 2020-21. The average of
was 82 games long. Historically, New York Islanders MSG+ 0.37 -32% 460,000 viewers per game
was the league’s highest
across MLB, the NBA and the NHL, New Jersey Devils MSG+ 0.20 -7% mark since 2016-17.

shorter seasons mean that individu- Arizona Coyotes Bally Arizona 0.16 -58% TNT, which accounted
for the bulk of the
al games are more meaningful and league’s cable schedule
this season with 51 games,
produce bigger ratings for each game. Anaheim Ducks Bally SoCal 0.15 -11% averaged 361,000 viewers,
an increase of 29% from
The data analyzed includes 23 U.S.- Note: Complete data was unavailable for the seven Canadian-based clubs, as well as the Carolina Hurricanes games on NBCSN in the
and Nashville Predators. 2020-21 season.
based teams in 20 markets, covering
N/A: This was the Kraken’s first season.
42% of the country. Viewership data Source: Sports Business Journal research

was unavailable for the Carolina Hur-

ricanes, Nashville Predators and the North jumped 14% thanks in large wins. The Wild’s 3.04 rating is up 50%
part to the team’s on-ice performance over the past three seasons.
seven Canadian teams (which includes that included a franchise-record 53
And the team with the league’s best
three playoff teams and the Montreal

Canadiens, who had the

league’s worst record).

Let’s start with the

Pittsburgh Penguins.

Their games on AT&T

Pittsburgh had the

league’s highest ratings

for the second consecutive

season, with a 5.43 average

rating, yet still 30% below

the previous season. The

Penguins have posted the

league’s highest ratings

nine times over the past

16 seasons.

St. Louis Blues games on

Bally Sports Midwest

(4.28 average) and Buffalo

Sabres games on MSG

(3.78) rounded out the sea- John Ourand can be
reached at jourand@
son’s top three positions. sportsbusinessjournal.
com. Follow him on
In Minnesota, Wild Twitter @Ourand_SBJ ,
read his weekly newsletter
games on Bally Sports and listen to his weekly
podcast.
The Penguins skated their Getty Images
way back to the top of
local ratings.

1 0 | M AY 9-15, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL

LABOR AND AGENTS

Independent agent Taylor gets his Cinderella moment at NFL Draft
V INCENT TAYLOR was a combo guard on the
Louisiana Monroe team that played Tim Taylor said that all teams with the top
Duncan-led Wake Forest in the first round six picks in the draft met with Walker
and were impressed with his willingness

of the NCAA Tournament in 1996. to change positions for the team effort,

“I was thinking we were going to put our Cinder- even if it adversely affected his personal

ella slippers on,” Taylor said. stats. Walker is the son of a Marine turned

But it wasn’t to be. Wake Forest won 62-50. police officer father and a school admin-

Twenty-four years later, Taylor, now an NFL agent istrator mother who is a disciplinarian.

and owner of an indepen- Taylor became an NFL Players As-

dent agency, Elite Loy- sociation-certified agent in 2005 and

alty Sports, had his started his career at Capital Sports and

Cinderella moment. He is Entertainment before opening his own

the agent for No. 1 NFL shop in 2007. He represents about 25 NFL

Draft pick Travon Walk- players, including San Francisco 49ers

er, who was chosen by the left tackle Trent Williams, who signed

Jacksonville Jaguars. a six-year, $138.06 million maximum deal,

In a business where with $55 million guaranteed, last year.

BY LIZ MULLEN mega-agencies increas- Elite Loyalty Sports’ Vincent Taylor (left) and No. 1 pick Travon Elite Loyalty Sports also represented
ingly dominate the busi- Walker had plenty of reasons to smile at the NFL Draft. LSU running back Ty Davis Price, who
ness of representing the was selected in the third round by the
best athletes in America, 49ers; Georgia offensive guard Justin

the 2022 NFL Draft was a with a particularly weak quarterback class, and Shaffer, who was taken by the Atlanta Falcons in

story of underdogs. Yes, Taylor saw an opportunity. “When I saw him, I said, the sixth round; and Penn State offensive tackle

Athletes First did lead all agencies for the most ‘Man, this is a non-quarterback year. Pound for Rasheed Walker, picked in the seventh round by

first-rounders for the third year in a row with five. pound, he will be the best player in this draft.” the Green Bay Packers.

And yes, CAA Sports was second among all agen- At Georgia, Walker played defensive tackle and

cies with four first-rounders. But five different agen- outside linebacker in addition to defensive end, and ■ CAA SPORTS HIRES SHARKS ASSISTANT COACH: CAA

cies represented the No. 1 through No. 5 picks (see because he changed positions so often, he wasn’t Sports has hired Mike Chiasson away from the San

chart). Klutch and VaynerSports were the only able to put up dominating statistics in any of them. Jose Sharks, where he was an assistant coach for

two agencies with two top-10 picks. In the NFL, he will play outside linebacker for the the club’s AHL affiliate, to work as an agent for CAA

Walker was not, originally, supposed to be the No. Jaguars. Hockey.

1 pick, according to draft experts. When Taylor signed Fox Sports NFL analyst Rob Rang said, “Walker Chiasson’s hockey background

him in January, after Walker helped the Georgia lacked the eye-popping production to generate sig- includes playing four years at the

Bulldogs win the national championship while play- nificant attention from most in the media.” But after University of Michigan, working two

ing defensive end, he was seen on mock drafts as a Georgia’s defense dominated in the national cham- seasons as an NHL scout and serving

late first/early second-round prospect. pionship game, scouts, the media and NFL general four seasons as an AHL coach. He

But this year was not a normal NFL Draft year, managers started digging more deeply into all the was most recently assistant coach of

DRAFT DAY TOP 5 NFL PICKS AND THEIR AGENTS Georgia defensive Chiasson the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, the San
prospects, Rang said. Jose Barracuda.

PICK TEAM PLAYER/POS./SCHOOL AGENT(S)/FIRM Taylor is 6 feet, 5 CAA Hockey Co-Head Pat Brisson said that with
1 Jaguars Travon Walker/DE/Georgia inches tall, weighs his background as a player, scout and coach, “Mike
Vincent Taylor/Elite Loyalty Sports 272 pounds and ran brings invaluable experience to our group and cli-
2 Lions Aidan Hutchinson/DE/Michigan a 4.51-second 40-yard ents.”
Mike McCartney, Jaymeson Moten/
VaynerSports

3 Texans Derek Stingley Jr./CB/LSU Don Weatherell, Martin Fischman, Rick Roberts/ dash, fastest at his Liz Mullen can be reached at
Ballengee Group position, at the NFL

4 Jets Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner/CB/Cincinnati Bus Cook/BC Sports combine. He trained [email protected].

5 Giants Kayvon Thibodeaux/DE/Oregon Kelton Crenshaw/Klutch Sports Group at Exos. Follow her on Twitter @SBJLizMullen.

Draeon King & Co. ROBERT,
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR
W W W . S P O R T S B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L . C O M LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENTS!

DAVID & NICOLE TEPPER

MAY 9-15, 2022 | 1 1

Courtesy of the New England Patriots

1 2 | M AY 9-15, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL

The Connector

Robert Kraft has built his empire through
business acumen, an unmatched roster of
personal relationships and a rich amount of
‘psychic income.’

BY BEN FISCHER

W W W . S P O R T S B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L . C O M MAY 9-15, 2022 | 1 3

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

O N A SUNNY, early April afternoon former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. 18 PERSPECTIVE
in Massachusetts, Robert Kraft The Robert Kraft I Know
welcomes a pair of visitors to There’s also Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, rap By Jessica Gelman
his spacious office at Gillette
Stadium. Accompanied by his star Meek Mill, billionaire investor Robert Smith 2 6 REVOLUTIONARY
How Robert Kraft helped
and even, wearing a red launch — and then save — MLS

oldest son and longtime right- Kraft has frequently Patriots hat, the Dalai 3 4 TOTALITY
rubbed shoulders Lama. A timeline of Robert Kraft’s
hand man Jonathan, the New England Patriots with world lead- life and business career
Naturally, there is no
38 FRIENDSHIP
owner, wearing an untucked, monogrammed ers like late Israeli shortage of images from The powerful bond between
Prime Minister Ariel Kraft’s 28 years in profes- Kraft and Fanatics’ Michael Rubin
dress shirt, offers a warm greeting and a quick Sharon. sional football. Pictures
4 2 SUCCESSION
apology for the mess, by which he means the Jonathan Kraft will be ready
to take the reins of the Kraft Group
stack of unframed photos awaiting their place of triumphant Patriots
44 FINANCE
on his office walls. but also, across the room, there are photos signed Getting Gillette Stadium
built set a new path for the NFL
Those walls are already overflowing with an by rivals, one of which shows Tom Brady getting
4 6 SUCCESS
endless parade of famous faces. There is Kraft hit in the back by an Oakland Raider in the in- Six Super Bowl titles. Six
speeches. One consistent theme.
with seven U.S. presidents — Ford, Reagan, both famous “Tuck Rule” game from January 2002.

Bushes, Clinton, Obama and Trump. There is It’s signed by then-Raiders coach Jon Gruden:

Kraft dancing with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. “It was a fumble,” he wrote. Getty Images (2)

There is Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

1 4 | M AY 9-15, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
C O N G R AT U L AT E S

ROBERT
KRAFT

SPORTS BUSINESS
JOURNAL

2022 LIFETIME
AC H I E V E M E N T AWA R D

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (left) frequently relies on Kraft’s perspective. “From his days attending
games with his family,
Each image represents not just a mo- the media relationship we have with mother, Sarah, raised Robert and his Robert has turned his Getty Images
ment but a snapshot of the way Kraft, the NFL,” said CBS Sports Chairman brother and sister. Always intelligent lifelong passion for the
80, has lived his life. Born into a lower- Sean McManus. “If I was in a jam, and and driven, it wasn’t until Kraft was Patriots and the NFL into a
middle class family outside Boston on Robert could be of assistance, he’d do in his early 20s that he started to sepa- labor of love and success.
the eve of the United States’ entry into whatever he could do. And he’d do it rate himself, as friends realized that “Robert has been a winner
World War II, Kraft rose quickly into without a second thought. He’s exhib- he was able to accomplish more tasks on the field and played
becoming a titan of American business ited that in public and privately, his better, faster and smarter than they a key role in the NFL’s
before age 35, then built an unmatched entire life.” could. “At an early age, we understood growth for nearly 30 years.
football empire that has helped him or recognized how extraordinary he Everyone in the NFL has
accumulate a net worth estimated by Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, whose fa- was,” said childhood friend Steven benefited from his business
Bloomberg at $6.7 billion. Along the way ther Lamar helped found MLS with Comen, who went on to be a prominent acumen.
he has raised four children, helped se- Kraft, says, “He cares about the people Boston litigator, “but I’m not sure we “Robert has transformed
cure the NFL’s dominance of the Amer- involved in his business ventures as ever fully appreciated how truly ex- the Patriots’ organization into
ican sports landscape, assisted in much as he cares about those busi- traordinary he is.” one of the most successful
changing the discussion about criminal nesses.” and revered entities in
justice reform and become one of the Kraft was moving quickly. He grad- professional sports. The
country’s leading philanthropists. ttttt uated from Columbia in the spring of Patriots’ sustained success
1963, married Myra Hiatt that June, — which includes more
But what stands out when assessing Harry Kraft was a lay leader at the started at Harvard Business School that wins and playoff and Super
Kraft’s legacy is not just how, time and Modern Orthodox Jewish congregation fall and had his first child, a son, in Bowl appearances than
again, those who know him call him a Kehillath Israel. “I had a father who March 1964. any other franchise during
true friend. It’s how often those friends was saintly,” said Robert. “Every night his tenure as owner — is
often stop themselves mid-sentence to he would study the Bible for two or The day after Jonathan was born, remarkable.
insist they really mean it. They point three hours, and never watched TV. Robert returned to Professor Ted Lev- “Robert’s commitment to
to his sincere interest in each person When he passed, he left an ethical will. itt’s marketing class at HBS. Levitt was the success of the NFL
he meets, his uncanny ability to make He said, ‘When you go to bed at night, tough — “used to throw chalk at the includes serving on 15
connections and turn his relationships make sure the people you’ve touched board, was rough in marketing,” Rob- different league committees.
into value — in both the form of finan- that day are richer and better having ert recalls — but he’d written “Jona- As the chair of the Media
cial gain and, to use one of his favorite known you and interacted with you.’” than” and his weight and length on the Committee, he has worked
terms, “psychic income.” chalkboard. The class applauded as tirelessly to understand
Those were the lessons, more than Kraft walked in. where the media landscape
In a world where the toughest deci- the limited material success, that mat- is headed, what is best for
sions and most-fraught deals rise and tered most in the Kraft house. Born Kraft and Myra had a second son our fans and our partners
fall on the strength of personal relation- June 5, 1941, in Brookline, Mass., Rob- before he graduated from HBS in 1965 and has helped point
ships, Robert Kraft has better and more ert Kraft is a product of a culture where and went to work at Rand-Whitney, a the league in the right
diverse friendships than almost any- achievement was expected. There were regional paper and packaging company direction for years to
body in professional sports. Those con- lots of future doctors, lawyers and busi- owned by his father-in-law. In 1968 he come.”
nections both transcend and benefit his ness leaders in his neighborhood. Harry purchased half of the company through
business. He is intertwined at the high- was a dress manufacturer and his a leveraged buyout. Four years later ROGER GOODELL
est levels of media, entertainment, he founded International Forest Prod- NFL COMMISSIONER
culture and politics.
ucts. Over time those companies would
His friendships help him, too — they grow and be joined by others now under
keep Kraft on the cutting edge of the the Kraft Group, which today is the
culture despite his advancing age and largest privately held player in the in-
help him spot trends sooner than most. dustry and also counts properties such
as the New England Patriots, New Eng-
“Our friendship is much deeper than land Revolution and Gillette Stadium
among its holdings.
ROBERT KRAFT
Founder, chairman and CEO CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
KRAFT GROUP

HOLDINGS INCLUDE: New Eng-
land Patriots, New England Revolu-
tion, Gillette Stadium, Overwatch
League Boston Uprising, not-yet-
named Call of Duty League fran-
chise, International Forest Products,
Rand-Whitney Group, Rand-Whitney
Containerboard, multiple venture
and private-equity investments

BORN: June 5, 1941 (Brookline,
Mass.)

FAMILY: Wife Myra (married 1963;
died 2011); sons Jonathan (presi-
dent, Kraft Group); Josh (president,
Kraft Family Philanthropies); Daniel
(president and CEO of Kraft Group
International, a trading branch of
the company); David (a former Kraft
Group director)

1 6 | M AY 9-15, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM



LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

PERSPECTIVE

THE ROBERT KRAFT I KNOW

R OBERT KRAFT has an uncanny ability to con- building KAGR, and how he compassionately bridges
nect and relate to others. Watching how he divides.
inspires people in big and small ways is a
Watching Robert walk a line of fans is a perfect il-

master class in humanity. Over the past 20 lustration of his humility. He finds ways to relate to

years, including the past six since the founding of KAGR individuals and make time for personal interaction. He

(Kraft Analytics Group), I have learned countless les- wants to understand where you are from, what was your

sons observing and receiving coaching from favorite game, what have been your pain

him. Robert is arguably the most influential points. He wants to learn. Over the years, he
owner in professional sports. He has redefined BY JESSICA GELMAN has aggregated these interactions to channel

the business of sports both on the field and in his energy and philanthropy to the most crit-

the stands, and most powerfully, he has man- ical causes whether for his team, employees,

aged both through his authentic interaction around or for people at large, as shown with his significant

people. The most lasting impression I have is that Rob- contributions to healthcare, education, and civil rights.

ert is driven by relationships. I have personally expe- I have seen firsthand time and again as Robert embodies

rienced and witnessed his humanity through his relatability to channel action and effect change.

interaction with fans, his support for my career and CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

Robert’s
impact is far
more lasting
than the six
Super Bowl
wins and
the many
businesses
he has built.

Courtesy of Jessica Gelman

1 8 | M AY 9-15, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM



LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 Coutesy of Jessica Gelman

2 0 | M AY 9-15, 2022 Robert’s impact is far more lasting
than the six Super Bowl wins and the
many businesses he has built – my
career is one small example. In 2002,
while Gillette Stadium was being built,
two Harvard Business School class-
mates and I were selected for a Field
Study, which allows real world applica-
tion of our learnings in school to an
organization. We developed a business
plan for the non-game day events busi-
ness for the new stadium. He saw some-
thing in me during that project. There
was not an obvious job opportunity
for me to pursue post-graduation, but
Robert created one—which I have come
to realize was part of his business
sense to create opportunities for others
to seize. I will never forget when, dur-
ing our final presentation, Robert
tugged my jacket and asked, “Gelman?
Are you related to Gelman on Regis &
Kathie Lee?” Here was one of the most
esteemed alumni of HBS, asking about
me and flashing a grin. I smiled back
and said, “No, but sometimes I say I
am.” With that singular question, Rob-
ert demonstrated his humor and
showed that he was highly relatable.

That initial connection was a precur-
sor to Robert’s early enthusiasm for
analytics and exploring the business opportunities presented through the
creation of KAGR. Our team spent two years developing KAGR inter-
nally before it officially launched. Starting a new company is thrilling,
often incredibly exhausting, and at times extremely humbling. In KAGR’s
first year, I realized how unusual it is for a female to serve as a CEO lead-
ing a technology and analytics company, particularly in the male-domi-
nated world of sports. Still, I found a steadiness in Robert’s confidence in
me. Robert sees people for who they are and where they are. At one par-
ticular inflection point for me, Robert sensed I was questioning myself
and my instincts. He looked me straight in the eyes during a quarterly
check-in and confided, “KAGR is going to be massively impactful on the
industry. I feel it. I believe in you.” Hearing these words from Robert — a
serial entrepreneur who has walked the path of building organizations
that have lasting impact — was all I needed to feel supported and moti-
vated to excel.
Most meaningful to me, Robert’s leadership is deeply rooted in compas-
sion, and he regularly stands for what he believes. In 2015, Robert and
Jonathan Kraft were among a small group of business leaders who urged
the Supreme Court to support same-sex marriage. As a gay woman start-
ing a family with my wife, I was feeling marginalized by the federal laws
which would require my wife and I to each adopt the child who the other
had birthed. Following the news of their support of the amicus brief, I
wrote Robert and Jonathan to express how important their support of
same-sex marriage was to me and to thank them for their leadership in
speaking out. The response was classic Robert: “We did it because it is the
right thing to do.” His creation of REFORM Alliance and Together Beat
Hate are manifestations of how he wants to bridge divides.
Robert has been one of my biggest supporters, and I have watched very
closely how he leads based on who he is. His appreciation and understand-
ing of individual differences is core to who he is. This has been one of the
greatest lessons I have received from Robert; feeling accepted and sup-
ported for who I am is critical for my own ability to lead authentically.
Robert cultivates, champions, and appreciates people for who they are
and a vision of what they can become. He has inspired me to think bigger,
to strive for more lasting impact, and to connect people and opportunity.
Robert’s legacy is one I am very honored to represent and build upon
through KAGR.
Jessica Gelman is the CEO of KAGR (Kraft Analytics Group)

WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM



LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

SPEAKING OF ...

ROBERT KRAFT

Congratulations! “I always say everything you need to know about life “The thing I really respect
you can learn from football, and everything that mat- about Robert the most is,
Robert Kraft ters about football and life, you can learn from Bob he’s just a really great fam-
Kraft! The influence Bob has had both inside the NFL ily man. His family means
ON THE 2022 SBJ LIFETIME and with its partners and colleagues is unparalleled. everything to him. He’s a
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Without Bob’s leadership and guidance, the NFL really delightful guy to be
would not be what it is today, and neither would around, he’s 80 years old
Jim Irsay and CBS. Yet, while his accomplishments are quite exces- and probably one of the
the Indianapolis Colts sive, it is who he is as a person that makes me most most innovative guys I’ve
proud and honored to call him my friend and my ever met. He’s always
2 2 | M AY 9-15, 2022 mentor. He is in every sense of the word, the best!” thinking ahead, he’s sort
of a visionary if you will,
Shari Redstone, chair, Paramount Global and he’s not showing any
signs of slowing down at
“He’s one of the greatest owners of all time, and think all. In fact, if anything, he’s
about how many Super Bowls he’s won, how many stepping on the gas even
times he’s been in the conversation. Yes, it has a lot more.”
to do with players and coaches, but he’s also the guy
who’s making sure that all of that works in harmony, Dean Spanos, Los Angeles
and that is no easy task. It’s going to be a very good Chargers chairman and
legacy. I don’t think there’s anybody who has com- owner
peted like he has in the NFL for as many years as he
has, and stayed on top.” “It’s legacy of love. It’s a
legacy of lifting up those
Ari Emanuel, CEO, Endeavor who are down, and giv-
ing them an opportunity
“When you care about the person in the uniform as to succeed. It’s a legacy
much as you care about the uniform, that goes a of hard work, of true
long way in NFL locker rooms, and players talk about devotion and commit-
that behind closed doors.” ment, but one of a father
figure who really genu-
Curtis Martin, former Patriots and Jets running back inely cares about
everybody.”
“Robert is one of sports’ great pioneers. He’s a savvy
negotiator who understands how to create mutual Paul Burton, vice president,
value for the NFL’s partners, including Disney, while development and media,
always advocating for the future of the game, its Ron Burton Training Village
players and fans. And his philanthropic impact has
been immeasurable and wide-ranging.” Kraft’s
legacy
Bob Chapek, Disney CEO
“I think his legacy
“He is very direct. His word is his bond, and if Robert will be that he
Kraft says something to you, you can take it to the built a
bank, and that’s not always true in our industry. He’s dynasty,
also really good company. He’s fun to be around, and he’s
and he understands the difference between how been a real
he’s speaking to you in a negotiation, and how he’s benefit to the
speaking to you in his social setting. But in both community. That, in
instances, he’s sincere, and he’s direct, and there’s the final analysis,
no hidden agenda there.” shows that good
guys win. He’s a
Sean McManus, chairman, CBS Sports good guy.”

RISING TIDE — Sanford Weill, former
CEO and chairman, Citi-
“He’s the ultimate ‘rising tide’ guy. And group, and a former Jets
that shows with our personal relationship, fan who credits his experi-
and how that manifests itself in a larger ence watching the “Tuck
business relationship.” Rule” game next to Kraft in
transforming him into a
— Eric Shanks , Fox Sports CEO Patriots fan

WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

TO OUR FRIEND, MENTOR
AND THE ULTIMATE CHAMPION
ON AND OFF THE FIELD!

LIFETIME
ACHIEVEMENT
AWARD

TEMPUS-EX.COM

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 1980s, Kraft saw that owning the team meant little as top: It took nearly a decade for Kraft to gain control Courtesy of the New England Patriots; Getty Images
long as someone else owned the parking lot, the sta- of his favorite team, but he finally did so, buying the
The paper and packaging business shaped Kraft’s dium and the stadium’s onerous lease terms for the Patriots from James Orthwein for a then-NFL record
thinking in three key ways that would later be evident team. In 1985 Kraft bought the land for the stadium’s $172 million in 1994.
in his stewardship of the Patriots: It’s a commodity. parking lots for $27 million and three years later above: Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue rec-
It’s capital intensive. And it’s international. bought the dilapidated stadium out of bankruptcy ognized Kraft’s vast skill as a forward thinker.
for $25 million.
“Growing up, my father would always say when his voice with them too.
you’re in a commodity business, the only way you Through the latter purchase, Kraft inherited a re- Then-NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue recalls
differentiate yourself is by serving the customer bet- markably landlord-friendly lease with the Patriots,
ter than the competitor, because this guy’s box is the which steered most game-day revenue to the stadium being impressed by Kraft from the start. “An impor-
same as this guy’s box,” said Jonathan Kraft, president owner and also prohibited the team from leaving the tant feature of Robert’s is his ability to be an innova-
of the Kraft Group. “So, even though in football you venue until 2001. Those dual terms gave Kraft ex- tor, to look at the future and anticipate technology,
technically have a monopoly on football in your mar- traordinary leverage over any current and future anticipate international opportunities, and different
ket, certainly pro football, we brought that mental- team owner. When the team went on the market again business models,” said Tagliabue. “It was his ability
ity. We’re going to bring the corrugated box in 1993, that lease greatly complicated the path for to have fresh thinking out of the box, if you will, on
mentality.” buyers who intended to move the franchise out of all the things important to the league.”
New England.
Kraft learned the value of true win-win deals in Traditionally, most NFL owners spend a few years
the politically charged world of international busi- For years, Kraft had experienced the foibles of the quietly learning before they take on leadership roles
ness. stadium as a season-ticket holder and fan, seeing
firsthand how the franchise and venue had under- CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
“We don’t ever want someone to do a deal, having performed as national interest in the NFL exploded.
a relationship with us, that hasn’t worked out well Yes, there was the emotional appeal of buying his
for the other side,” Kraft said. “That’s very important favorite team. But there was also clearly extraordinary
to us, because especially in the international side, it value to be unlocked with proper management. Kraft
comes back to you in ways you don’t see.” bought the team for a then-NFL record $172 million
in 1994.
In fact, it was unforeseen international conse-
quences that helped turbocharge Kraft’s personal “It was the American dream, in my hometown,”
wealth. In 1973 he placed a bid to have his company he remembers.
be the sales agent for a new paper factory in rural
Newfoundland, Canada. Kraft personally guaranteed Kraft’s first NFL owners meeting was at an Or-
a minimum sales figure for the plant, a bold move lando airport hotel in 1994. There was no ceremony
that could have bankrupted him. of any kind. Kraft simply took his seat among his
new colleagues. It wouldn’t be long before he found
Just weeks later, President Richard Nixon imposed
price controls that made American paper undesirable
on the export market, which eliminated a glut that
had driven prices down. Canadian paper immedi-
ately became the favored product overseas. “[Nixon]
made that gold,” Kraft remembers. “I have people
from Korea, Iran, England coming to see me — I was
a little kid — to buy paper.”

He was on his way, and he soon turned his business
ambitions to the sports world. In 1975, Kraft and a
group of investors acquired World TeamTennis’
Philadelphia franchise, moved it to Boston and resur-
rected the name of the already defunct Boston Lob-
sters. Kraft’s first pro sports team lasted four years
before folding.

ttttt

Well before buying the Lobsters, Kraft had his eye
on the local pro team he really wanted: the New Eng-
land Patriots. As a season-ticket holder since 1971,
Kraft would sit in the stands with his family watch-
ing bad football and thinking big. The franchise had
been owned since its founding in 1960 by the Sullivan
family, which also owned Foxboro Stadium but leased
the land that housed the stadium’s parking lots. When
he got serious about purchasing the franchise in the

“It clearly has been a goal of his to help people, and make the world a better place, but
it takes a powerful business engine and a powerfully successful team to do that. He loves to win, in
both business and not, but he understands that enables him to do even more outside of it. It’s profits

and purpose — he wants to do more.”

BRIAN MOYNIHAN,
CEO, BANK OF AMERICA

2 4 | M AY 9-15, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

To the true Patriot, Robert Kraft. An inspiring
visionary, exceptional entrepreneur, influential leader,
and our dear friend. Congratulations on your thoroughly
deserved Lifetime Achievement Award.

Michael Rapino
Live Nation CEO & President

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

REVOLUTIONARY

SAVING SOCCER: HOW A FOUNDING
FATHER HELPED KEEP MLS ALIVE

W ITH AMERICAN FOOTBALL, Robert Kraft always
knew precisely what he was doing. He played
the sport in college at Columbia, held Patri-

ots season tickets for decades and could al-

ready see the economic and cultural force the NFL had

become when he acquired the team in 1994.

Soccer, however, was a totally dif-

BY BEN FISCHER ferent story. Kraft had little cultural
exposure to the game and scant data

to go on, but it first captured his

imagination when Team USA beat

England, 2-0, in a match at his Foxboro Stadium in 1993.

Three years later, Kraft’s New England Revolution

began play with the rest of Major League Soccer. Each

initial investor contribution was $5 million, said former

U.S. Soccer President Alan Rothenberg. Today, valuations

for MLS teams are climbing into the high nine figures.

“I’m not sure he ever thought it was a good investment

— he thought it was worth a shot,”

Rothenberg said. “The entry point Kraft and Lee
was a lot less than the entry point Nguyen (right)
for an NFL team.” celebrated an MLS
Cup berth in 2014.
Today, Kraft is regarded as a

Peter White and his colleagues at DLA Piper
are delighted to honor our friend Robert Kraft

on this well-deserved recognition.

Congratulations, Robert!

dlapiper.com Getty Images

2 6 | M AY 9-15, 2022 Peter White, 1251 Avenue of the Americas, 27th Floor, New York, NY 10020 | Attorney Advertising | MRS000187217

WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL

told him.

Two years later, the league stood at a crossroads.

Bankruptcy papers had been drawn up.

“Phil Anschutz, my dad and Robert came to-

gether and said, ‘No, we’re going to keep the league

alive, because we believe in this sport long term,

The Revolution and it will be successful in the
lifted the
Supporters’ United States,’” Clark Hunt
Shield in 2021 recalls. “It was a very difficult
for having the call to make, but one that re-
ally solidified the relationship

best record in between my family and his
MLS. family.”

It’s no exaggeration to say

Kraft could have killed MLS with inaction.

“If any of the three had made the decision to not

go forward, the league would not have survived,”

Hunt said. “It was that difficult of a circumstance.”

The Kraft empire’s role in soccer has not blos- “Robert
was one of
founding father of American professional soccer. Along somed alongside the league as a whole. The Revolution has those true
with Phil Anschutz and Lamar Hunt, he’s one of three men pioneers.”
who has had to take a hard look at the future of MLS during yet to win an MLS Cup and it has lost pace with the top-
its entire history and didn’t blink. DON GARBER
tier clubs on the business front, in large part due to the
For Rothenberg, Kraft’s most important contribution to
MLS was recruiting Don Garber to be commissioner in Krafts’ inability to construct an urban, soccer-specific venue
1999. “His initial and ongoing relationship was vital to
bringing Don in,” Rothenberg said. that has been so critical to MLS clubs in many other cities.

At the time, Garber was leading internatinal business And Kraft has conspicuously stayed out of the American
for the NFL, and admitted he knew little about soccer when
Kraft approached him about the job. “That’s all right, you’d investment rush into European soccer, citing its unre-
probably make a good commissioner regardless,” Kraft
strained labor costs.

But the bottom line for Kraft, as Garber sees it, is unas-

sailable: “There are very few people who can be viewed as

a pioneer of a professional sport, and Robert was one of

those true pioneers.”

The Baltimore Ravens congratulate
Patriots Chairman & CEO

Robert Kraft

on receiving Sports Business Journal’s
Lifetime Achievement Award!

Getty Images

W W W . S P O R T S B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L . C O M MAY 9-15, 2022 | 2 7

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

“We deeply value our longtime
relationship and partnership with
the NFL, which Robert Kraft has
played a huge role in throughout
the years. He is a consummate
professional and a great

American.”

LACHLAN MURDOCH
CEO, FOX CORPORATION

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 figure out the next gen-

at the league level. Some expected that eration of NFL rights
of Kraft. But Tagliabue saw in him an
asset, and Kraft spoke up often. deals. The numbers alone

A seminal moment for Kraft’s influ- made the 1990s seem
ence at the league level came during
his first negotiations for the league’s quaint. But the digital
media rights package. In December
1993, just weeks before Kraft’s purchase media evolution had
of the Patriots was official, Rupert Mur-
doch’s Fox Network shocked the sports made the deals exponen- Colts center Jeff Saturday embraced Kraft after the contentious NFL lockout of 2011 ended.
world by paying $1.6 billion for a four-
year deal, knocking longtime NFL tially more complicated,
rights holder CBS out of the mix.
and the raging COVID-19 pandemic negotiations often feel the same way. on. That, plus his devotion to the bigger
Four years later, Kraft was on the
broadcast committee. He knew how hampered even the most basic business In 2011, Kraft played a starring role in strategic picture, contributes to the
badly CBS needed back in and that the
network’s eagerness gave the NFL a communications. another pivotal moment in NFL his- feeling throughout the industry that
chance to earn a big fee and shape the
relationship in a substantive way. Mc- Kraft leaned into the details, using tory, the collective-bargaining agree- Kraft’s friendships can survive fierce
Manus was charged with developing a
pitch that would go far beyond money, the benefit of the doubt he’d established ment that ended an offseason lockout, disagreements.
one that would give the league good
reason to drop NBC, which at the time with the networks and his fellow own- the league’s first work stoppage since “I realized, once we went through the
had rights to AFC games.
ers to push ahead. Fox Sports CEO Eric the 1987 strike. learning curve and saw how it’s split
“He really counseled me to make our
presentation one that would be good Shanks never doubted he would get to Owners thought the status quo was and everything like that, we probably
for the NFL and good for the AFC, long
term,” McManus said. the finish line , in part because of where tilted too far toward the players, and could make some contributions,” Kraft

Kraft understood that CBS and the he’d have to go to negotiate. proposed holding back large sums of said. “We weren’t trying to do it to get
NFL would have to be in lockstep agree-
ment on areas such as shoulder pro- “That showed you how involved Rob- revenue before calculating the players’ an edge. I was trying to protect my in-
gramming, production quality,
marketing and communication. ert was, the fact that for a good chunk payroll share. The NFLPA had no inter- vestment, right?”

“Robert was very clear in saying to of the negotiations, Foxborough was est in that. His influence has since expanded to
me those would be important priori-
ties,” McManus said. “Maybe not as one of the key meeting points,” Shanks With Kraft putting in extra effort to a point that Kraft’s voice is now a sig-
much as monthly fees, but certainly
very, very important. It was clear that said. “When Robert is spending that keep the sides talking even as his wife nificant part of every major piece of
if we had just put in a financial bid, I’m
not sure how successful we would have much time on it, and involved in it that gradually succumbed to ovarian cancer league business. He’s chairman of the
been. So we spent a lot of time and cre-
ativity to create an all-inclusive pack- personally, you just kind of know some- that summer, the two sides came to committee overseeing the league’s larg-
age.”
thing’s going to get done.” terms shortly before training camp. est revenue stream — media rights —
CBS secured the rights with an eight-
year deal worth $500 million per year, During those negotiations, outside Most observers considered it a big win and the committee overseeing the terms
more than twice NBC’s annual fee. CBS
hasn’t been without NFL games since. experts debated who had the edge. With for the owners, who scored a 10-year and conditions of Commissioner Roger

In 2020, many of the same people were the numbers growing so large, the NFL deal with no opt-outs, a temporary halt Goodell’s employment. And he’s a mem-
back at the negotiating table, trying to
was unable to develop a surplus of bid- to the growth of the salary cap, and ber of the finance committee and the

ders, generally a bad sign for fee esca- changes to the revenue-sharing struc- management council executive com-

lations. But with scripted television ture that players could live with. mittee, which handle the most impor-

viewership falling dramatically, Kraft Jeff Saturday, then a center and tant policy matters facing the league.

and the NFL correctly bet the networks union rep for the Indianapolis Colts Perhaps in keeping with the person-

couldn’t live without the sport. who was a key negotiator, hugged Kraft ality of man who has a small card in

The NFL got its sizable increases, at the press conference celebrating the his wallet that says simply, “Humility

$110 billion in total from Amazon, CBS, deal. He famously called Kraft, “A man and self-confidence are not incompat-

Disney, Fox and NBC. The deals each who helped us save football.” ible,” Kraft is not shy about trusting

carried unique details that fit with each Kraft said his involvement in league himself. That may be one reason he has

broadcaster’s streaming strategies, and matters came from a place of necessity, often seemed a half-step ahead of his

walked the careful line of balancing the not power-grabbing. competition.

future of digital streaming with the “I wanted to take care of our fran- “It’s just an instinct, you know, when

importance of the linear broadcast net- chise, but then I realized the NFL is to step up,” Kraft said. “It’s a sixth

works. really a socialist environment,” said sense.”

Those deals couldn’t have happened Kraft. “You know, you compete for three

without the personal connections Kraft hours on Sunday with some [teams], ttttt

had built. “There’s this feeling I get that but other than that you’re basically Getty Images

Robert always has Fox Sports’ best in- partners.” Friends say Kraft’s “sixth sense” is

terests at heart,” Shanks said. What was good for the league was cultivated in part by his relationships.

Those on the other side of contentious good for the Patriots, Kraft saw early CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

2 8 | M AY 9-15, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

“Leadership is about having the courage to go
against the advice of the so-called experts and
doing what your instinct tells you is right.”

- Robert Kraa

LAACIWFHAEIERTVIEDMMEENT

CONGRATULATIONS JAY-Z, DESIREE PEREZ, AND
ON YOUR LIFETIME
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD YOUR FRIENDS AT ROCNATION

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The trio of Kraft, head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady led the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles. he built the Patriots franchise,” Bledsoe said of his
winery. “So I really wanted him to get out there, and
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28 during Kraft’s early years with the franchise. His I wanted the team to meet him, because I’ve talked
tenure in New England effectively ended the moment about him so much.”
What might appear to be instinct is actually a reflec- he suffered a life-threatening injury on a hit by New
tion of his sincere interest and insights into the York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis in September 2001. Another player from those years, running back
people he meets. The quarterback job fell to a former sixth-round draft Curtis Martin, said Kraft earned his respect during
pick by the name of Tom Brady. The following Febru- a contract dispute. It was 1997, and Martin wanted a
In 2003, Kraft cold-called Brian Moynihan, who ary, Brady guided the Patriots to a Super Bowl upset better deal after starting his career with a pair of Pro
was the highest-ranking Boston-area executive for of the St. Louis Rams and Bledsoe never suited up Bowl seasons. The Patriots, however, still had his
Bank of America. BofA had recently acquired Moyni- for New England again. rights for at least two more years, three if they used
han’s bank, FleetBoston, which earlier had acquired a franchise tag, and were under no obligation to meet
Bank of Boston, the primary lender to Kraft on the This past February Kraft flew across the country his demands.
Patriots sale. They would be in business together to Bledsoe’s winery in Walla Walla, Wash. Kraft toured
now, Kraft reasoned, so they should know each other. the estate, spoke to the employees, and then brought Kraft invited Martin to tour a company-owned
They toured the stadium and developed a friendship Bledsoe and his wife to the Super Bowl in Los Ange- cardboard box factory, and on the 30-minute ride from
between their families. “He took an interest in me, les as his guest. the stadium in the owner’s Lexus, Kraft explained
almost like a big brother, and wanted to know: What his position. “I love you,” Martin recalls Kraft saying,
do you do and how do you do it?” Moynihan recalls. The chance to show off his post-football success “but as an owner, it doesn’t make sense to pay you
fulfilled a longtime dream for Bledsoe. He and Kraft top dollar when I still have you for three more years
“He’s so contemporary in thought,” Moynihan later had developed a friendship that transcended the dif- at basically minimum wage for the NFL.”
added. “He understands people. It probably has a lot ficult decisions of roster management, and Bledsoe
to do with being around players. He’s got a constant the entrepreneur thinks often of Kraft’s business Today, Martin says, “I respected that.” One year
group of 20-to-40-year-olds around him, and he takes lessons: Compete on every detail of the business, learn later, Martin bolted for the rival Jets, but when the
a deep interest in who they are.” as much as you can and treat people well enough that two crossed paths before New England’s first Super
they don’t want to leave. Bowl title a few years later, Kraft approached Martin
Such was the case with two players who predate and asked for a big hug. Martin appreciated Kraft’s
the Patriots’ dynasty years. Drew Bledsoe led the “In a lot of ways we’ve tried to model it after how interest in him so much that he subsequently made
Patriots to Super Bowl XXXI and made three Pro Bowls it his mission to meet as many owners as he could,
hoping to copy his gift of networking and learning
“I think his legacy will be probably threefold: Success at the by building and cultivating relationships. Getty Images
team level and success and major contributions at the league
The reverence Bledsoe and Martin had for Kraft
level, and thirdly, [doing it] over a period of years, which is highlights what many consider the owner’s greatest
going to be decades upon decades when he’s done. He trait: managing people through relationships. Many
was an innovator in business models, whether it was labor Patriots have considered themselves the “fifth son”
relations, television, stadium construction, fan service … he was to Kraft, and key employees under Kraft measure
a thoughtful innovator, and the innovations which he their tenure in decades.

contributed to have been sustainable for decades.” “There is an art form to what he does, which is
have a relationship with these players knowing it’s
PAUL TAGLIABUE a tough business,” said Moynihan, who oversees
RETIRED NFL COMMISSIONER 200,000 employees at Bank of America. “It’s a marvel-
ous thing. It’s a business lesson that goes far beyond
football.”

The Brady-Bill Belichick era would have been one
of sports’ greatest dynasties even if it had ended after
the Patriots won the Lombardi Trophy three times
between the 2001 and 2004 seasons. What elevates the
Patriots’ run is the second trio of Super Bowl wins
from the 2014 to 2018 seasons, long after the complica-
tions of life and and scandals started to interfere.

“A lot of times coaches and players of that caliber
have strong personalities, and it’s one thing to get
them to work well together for four or five years,”
said the Chiefs’ Hunt. “But to get it to last as long as
it did in New England is a statement about Robert’s
leadership.”

ttttt

One thing friends of Robert Kraft notice is how
many other friends he has. Not just volume, but va-
riety. “He has the most diverse group of friends of
anyone I can think of,” said Bledsoe. “He’s buddies
with Donald Trump, Elton John, Meek Mill, [Benja-
min] Netanyahu. … He crosses all boundaries. It’s
pretty amazing.”

Kraft’s political connections paved the way for the
United States’ successful bid for the 2026 FIFA World
Cup. The U.S. bid was economically and logistically
superior to that of the only other rival, Morocco, but
there was a big political problem among the FIFA
membership: Then-President Donald Trump and his

CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

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LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 30 rapper Meek Mill through Fanatics
Chairman and co-founder Michael
isolationist and racist rhetoric. “Fox and Robert Kraft both began our Rubin, both of whom are Philadelphia
When FIFA President Gianni Infan- natives. By the time Mill was sentenced
to 2-4 years in prison for a minor parole
tino wanted to impress upon the U.S. partnerships with the NFL the same year violation in late 2017, Kraft and Mill
bid team that the U.S. would lose the nearly three decades ago. Since that were already close, having previously
vote if it were just a reflection of Amer- time, Robert has been a valued and shared a long discussion about life on
ican power, he turned to Kraft, knowing a flight to Florida aboard Kraft’s plane.
that Kraft could reach and reason with trusted partner and a great friend.”
the president. From Mill, Kraft heard about the
plight of poor Black children who felt
Kraft called Trump — a social, not they had no future. He heard of Mill’s
political, friend, he emphasizes — and father, killed when he was a young
child, and his mother, who worked two
appealed to the president’s ego. A three- RUPERT MURDOCH jobs to support him. He thought more
country “North American” bid would CHAIRMAN AND CEO, NEWS CORP. and more about how Mill had become
allow Trump to claim a mantle of in- a job creator and economic engine in
his own right through his music career.
ternational cooperation. It worked, and
the Trump White House enthusiasti- While Mill was in prison, Kraft spoke
with him regularly at Rubin’s doing.
cally backed the bid, providing assur- at all levels of the economic hierarchy proached him at an owners’ meeting On a flight back from a vacation to-
gether to Turks and Caicos, Kraft asked
ances that it would facilitate the gets the same level of respect. in 1999, proposing that Garber become Rubin to arrange a visit to the Penn-
tournament in every necessary way. “I see people coming up to him regu- the next MLS commissioner. Garber sylvania penitentiary to see Mill. In
early April, Kraft met Mill in a tiny
Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel first larly at football games, and he just pays knew little about soccer, but Kraft be- visitation room and then gave an im-
introduced himself to Kraft while they attention to the conversation,” Eman- lieved in him. promptu press conference outside. “He
shouldn’t be in here,” Kraft said.
were both vacationing in the same uel said. “He’s not looking over any- “Without a doubt Robert’s probably
Two weeks later, the Pennsylvania
beach resort over the December holi- body’s shoulder. He’s just in it at all been the most influential person in my Supreme Court agreed.
days. They quickly became good friends times. He’s just a very humble guy who career,” said Garber, who is still in the
“Robert speaking on Meek’s behalf
and did business together on MLS sits there and likes people, and is curi- same job 23 years later. had a huge influence,” Rubin said. “I’ll
just be blunt. It was one thing for a
rights, and Kraft advised Emanual on ous and interested in what they do. The fraternity of NFL owners like- basketball player like James Harden
or a comedian like Kevin Hart — people
Endeavor’s $4.3 billion acquisition of From that, a lot of relationships start.” wise has relationships that go beyond said, here’s a Black person sticking up
for a Black person, it didn’t carry as
UFC in 2018. Those relationships can lead to sub- the field. Take, for instance, Los Ange- much weight. You have a white billion-
aire as powerful as Robert Kraft speak-
To Emanuel, what makes Kraft stand stantial career advancement too. Don les Chargers owner Dean Spanos, who ing on Meek’s behalf, it was next level
of importance. It made a huge differ-
out is that his desire to become friends Garber was 41 and running the NFL’s says he considers Kraft an honorary ence. It’s sad that’s the case, but it did.”

is not limited to his peers — anybody international division when Kraft ap- older brother. In Kraft’s eyes, Mill was not just a
In 2010, the Patriots were in San Diego friend of a friend who happened to be
in a bad situation. He was emblematic
to play the Chargers. The day before of a larger problem in American law,
the game, Spanos and his wife, Susie, where once people are in the system,
it’s difficult to escape.
hosted Robert and Myra Kraft at the
Kraft became a founding partner of
world-renowned San Diego Zoo. Myra the REFORM Alliance, the nonprofit
was sick with the ovarian cancer that created by Mill, Rubin, Jay Z and others
to push for criminal justice reform.
would take her life the following sum- “Now my eyes have been opened, how
it’s a system that is not right,” Kraft
mer, but she enjoyed herself immense- said in his office. “It’s not good for
people, anyone in America, to feel
ly, taking particular joy at a special they’re not being treated fairly and
don’t have the chance at the American
exhibit of pandas on loan from the Far dream. So our family’s going to do ev-
East. erything we can in our philanthropy
and what we do to try to level it out for
“After that visit, Bob contributed to everyone.”

the zoo, and to my knowledge, he con- ttttt

tinues to this day to make contributions

to the zoo. I know he’s never been back,”
Spanos said. “It’s a small thing, but to

CONGRATULATIONS me, that shows how special Bob is.”
Outside of sports, one of Kraft’s con-
ROBERT
fidants is rock star Jon Bon Jovi, who
ON YOUR SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL met Kraft through Belichick. Bon Jovi
recalls with special fondness spending
the night at Kraft’s house before the
2017 AFC Championship game against
Pittsburgh. The next morning, they ate
eggs from Kraft’s chicken coop and

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD! stopped at Dunkin’ Donuts before head-
ing to Gillette Stadium.

“RKK priorities are family, faith,
philanthropy … and football,” Bon Jovi

FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT wrote in an email. “That’s what we have
in common. But, it’s RKK’s curiosity,
open-mindedness and joy for life that

remains an inspiration to me.”

ttttt In April 2020, just weeks after the
pandemic shut down the country, Kraft
Robert Kraft’s celebrity friendships sent the Patriots team jet to China to
are about more than just business or bring back 1.2 million N95 masks for
sports. He became unlikely friends with
CONTINUED ON PAGE 40

3 2 | M AY 9-15, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

TO MY DEAR FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE, ROBERT

CONGRATULATIONS
ON YOUR WELL-EARNED

SBJ LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

 ARTHUR M. BLANK

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

TIMELINE

THE LIFE OF ROBERT KRAFT

1950-51 Sells newspapers 19 7 1 Buys New England Patriots Foxboro Raceway, a horse track
outside the season tickets as the team adjacent to the Patriots’ Sullivan
Boston Braves’ ballpark. moves into its new Schaefer Stadium. The deal prevents Patriots
Stadium in Foxborough. founder and owner Billy Sullivan
MAY 1963 Graduates from from holding non-team events at
Columbia with 1 9 7 2 Takes complete control of the stadium while races are being
a bachelor of arts degree in Rand-Whitney, founds held.
history and economics. Class International Forest Products and
president, president of his combines the two businesses. 19 8 8 Bid to buy the Patriots from
fraternity (Zeta Beta Tau) and the financially strapped
a two-year football letterman 19 7 5 Leads an investment group Sullivan fails. However, along with
(running back and safety). that forms the World real estate developer Steve Karp, he
TeamTennis Boston Lobsters. The buys the no-frills stadium out of
JUNE 1963 Marries Myra team, which at one point included bankruptcy court from Sullivan for
Nathalie Hiatt Martina Navratilova, folds in 1978. $25 million, and locks the team into
a lease through 2001.
1 9 6 5 Earns master’s Kraft, with player/coach Roy Emerson (right) in 198 3 Becomes director and
degree in business 1976, headed the WTT’s Boston Lobsters. chairman of the New 1990 NFL commissioner Paul
England Television Corp. Tagliabue, in a speech to
administration from Harvard AUGUST 1968 Buys 50% of the Greater Boston Chamber of
Business School. Hiatt’s interest in 198 4 Establishes the Kraft Family Commerce, says the Patriots’
Blood Lab at Dana Farber stadium is “the least suitable facility
Rand-Whitney. Cancer Institute in Boston. in the NFL.”

SUMMER 1965 Joins NOVEMBER 1968 Elected 1 9 8 5 Signs a 10-year lease, with 199 1 Uses the stadium lease to
Worcester, chairman of an option to buy, on block Patriots owner Victor

Mass.-based Rand-Whitney, a

packaging company controlled by the Newton (Mass.) Democratic City

his father-in-law, Jacob Hiatt. Committee.

AP images

3 4 | M AY 9-15, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Kiam’s attempt to move the team to million offer from Orthwein to be 1995 Becomes the founding NOVEMBER 19, 1998
Jacksonville. bought out of the stadium lease. investor/operator of the New
Future St. Louis Rams owner Stan England Revolution, part of the Signs a conditional agreement with
JANUARY 1992 James Orthwein Kroenke also fails in a similar 1996 debut of the 10-team Major Hartford to move the Patriots to a
buys the Patriots attempt. League Soccer. proposed $374 million taxpayer-
with plans to move the team to his funded downtown stadium, as part
native St. Louis, and rename them 1996 Plans of the city’s $1 billion Adriaen’s
the Stallions. for a Landing development. The state
promises to pay for any unsold
privately luxury boxes or club seats for the
first 30 years of the stadium’s
M A R CH 19 9 2 Kraft’s support of funded, $200 existence. The Massachusetts
U.S. soccer is legislature responds and agrees to
rewarded, as Foxboro Stadium is million stadium pay what became $72 million for
selected as one of the nine host infrastructure costs, clearing the
venues for the 1994 FIFA World on a mostly way for a privately funded stadium
Cup. The company later became the development in Foxborough.
only organization to host FIFA vacant
Women’s World Cup matches in
both 1999 and 2003. waterfront

parcel in South

Boston are met

with significant

neighborhood

opposition, 1999 $200,000 donation seeds
construction of Kraft
JUNE 1993 A proposed $700 based largely Stadium, an American football
million development venue in Jerusalem.
that would have housed a new on the fear that
downtown convention center and a
70,000-seat domed stadium — Kraft bought the Patriots from James Orthwein in 1994. a stadium
dubbed the Boston Megaplex — would add
fails to win support among
Massachusetts elected officials. further traffic JANUARY 2000 Hires Bill
Belichick as
1 9 9 4 Buys the Patriots for $172 woes to an already congested
million, the highest price Southie. Patriots head coach.

ever paid for an NFL team at the

DECEMBER 1993 Buys out time. Jeremy Jacobs, CEO of the NOVEMBER 18, 1998 MARCH 2000 Construction
Karp to own Boston Garden and Boston Bruins, begins on the
new stadium, designed by HOK
had been among the bidders for the Acquires operating control of the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 36
100% of the stadium. Rejects a $75 club and the stadium. MLS San Jose Clash.

“Thank you, Robert, for your decades of leadership, counsel and – most of all – friendship. I cannot think of anyone
more deserving of this honor. Even though it’s a lifetime achievement award, I know you’re just getting started!
On behalf of my family and the entire Los Angeles Chargers organization, congratulations!”
- Dean

Getty Images

W W W . S P O R T S B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L . C O M MAY 9-15, 2022 | 3 5

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35 consultative APRIL 2020 Donates AirKraft,
services one of two Boeing
Sport (now Populous) and built by company in 767-300ERs that serve as the
Skanska. It is the only NFL stadium the sports and company’s team planes, to
with 100% of the facility, land and entertainment transport more than 1 million N95
parking costs paid for privately and industry, is protective masks from China to the
100% of the infrastructure costs launched. United States. The Kraft family
reimbursed to the public by the reportedly pays roughly $2 million
team. to help with the costs. During the
pandemic, Kraft provided the
APRIL 2000 Lead gift of nearly JUNE 2016 stadium as a site for blood drives
$15 million helps and drive-thru COVID testing and
fund construction of the Kraft Announces vaccinations. He also purchased
Center for Jewish Student Life at Chromebooks for Boston Public
Columbia University. that Schools to allow students without
computers to attend classes
discussions virtually.

are underway

with UMass

AUGUST 2000 Andover, Boston about
Mass.-based
Myra and Robert Kraft were married for 48 years until her death. the possibility

internet incubator CMGI signs one of building a

of the richest naming-rights deals in Sporting Club restaurant, Bass Pro soccer stadium on waterfront land OCTOBER 2020 Sells 285,704
of his
history to put its moniker on the Shop, Topgolf and a Splitsville owned by the Boston school on the

under-construction stadium. The bowling center. grounds of the old Bayside Expo DraftKings shares, which is slightly

15-year, $120 million partnership Center. The plan was abandoned a more than 10% of his holdings in the

crumbled, however, as the JUNE 2011 $20 million donation year later. company.
to Partners Health
company’s stock plummeted 98%

by the time the venue opened. The Care, a Boston-based nonprofit OCTOBER 2016 Inducted into MARCH 2021 The NFL secures
hospital and physicians network, the a record $110
Revolution played 10 games while billion in new media rights
contracts; in a videoconference
the building was CMGI Stadium, but helps launch The Kraft Center for Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame. with team owners, Commissioner
Roger Goodell singles out Kraft for
no brand has had its name on a Community Health Leadership. praise for getting the deal done.

sports venue for a shorter period of JUNE 2017 $6 million gift helps
build the Kraft Family
time. JULY 20, 2011 Myra dies from Sports Campus in Jerusalem.
ovarian cancer,

20 0 1 Helps broker a 10-year, at the age of 68. The 2011 Patriots
$250 million deal for
Canton, Mass.-based Reebok, run season was dedicated to her, and JULY 17, 2017 Named honorary JUNE 2021 JPMorgan Chase &
by his longtime friend Paul Fireman, fans held signs with her initials chairman of the Co. buys a stake in
to serve as the NFL’s exclusive KAGR.
uniform supplier. (MHK) at the games. board of the United Bid Committee

of Canada, Mexico and the United

JULY 26, 2011 Credited by the States, and helped secure the 2026 OC TOBER 2021 Invests in Drive
league and the FIFA World Cup for North America. by DraftKings,
a venture capital firm backed by
AUGUS T 2002 Boston-based players as being the key cog in Boston-based online sports-betting
Gillette puts its operator DraftKings Inc. The Jones
name on the stadium as the NFL O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7securing a 10-year labor agreement, Unveils Boston family of the Dallas Cowboys and
preseason begins. Uprising, an Boston Red Sox President and CEO
ending a 135-day lockout. Sam Kennedy are also part of the
network.
esports franchise in Overwatch

OCTOBER 2011 Inducted into League’s new professional circuit.
the American
DECEMBER 2002 Named
SBJ’s Sports Academy of Arts and Sciences, JANUARY 2019 Becomes a
along with singer-songwriter Paul founding
Executive of the Year.

Simon. partner in creating the Reform DECEMBER 10, 2021

2006 Named the recipient of the Alliance, a foundation “focused on Announces a $225 million stadium
NCAA’s Theodore renovation.
Roosevelt Award, presented 20 12 Becomes the first NFL American criminal justice reform
annually to a former NCAA student owner to receive the Pro through changing laws, policies,
athlete “for whom competitive
athletics in college and attention to Football Writers Association’s hearts and minds to reduce the
physical well-being after graduation
have been important factors in a George Halas Award. number of long-term incarcerations DECEMBER 15, 2021 Joins
distinguished career of national Oxygen
significance and achievement.” resulting from minor probation and

20 13 Receives the Carnegie Hall parole violations.” Other partners Esports to launch a Call of Duty
Medal of Excellence. include Philadelphia 76ers partner
League franchise.

and Fanatics executive chairman

20 15 Publicly disputes the Michael Rubin and Brooklyn Nets MARCH 2022 News breaks that
findings of the league’s co-owner and philanthropic Kraft and Dr.
Dana Blumberg, an opthamologist,
OCTOBER 2007 Columbia ‘Deflategate” 243-page Ted Wells investor Clara Wu Tsai. are engaged.
announces
Report, which led to a four-game

that the playing field at Lawrence A. suspension of quarterback Tom FEBRUARY 2019 Patriots win
Brady, a $1 million fine, and their sixth
Wien Stadium will be named Robert APRIL 2022 A $24 million
donation to the
K. Kraft Field. forfeiture of the team’s 2016 first- Super Bowl, tying the Pittsburgh Harvard Business School leads to
the establishment of the Robert K.
round and 2017 fourth-round draft Steelers for the most in NFL history. Kraft Family Fellowship Fund,
“which will benefit promising
NOVEMBER 2007 Patriot picks, describing it as “ambiguous young leaders with high potential
Place, a but limited means to attend HBS.”
circumstantial evidence.” APRIL 2019 Announces that the
company will likely — Compiled by David Broughton
mixed-use development adjacent to Getty Images

the stadium, opens. The 350-acre MAY 2016 Kraft Analytics Group invest $400 million to build a new
(KAGR), an analytics soccer stadium complex, although
site now consists of more than 60

businesses, including the CBS technology platform and the site is still to be determined.

3 6 | M AY 9-15, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM



LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

FRIENDSHIP

POWER PAIR: KRAFT, MICHAEL RUBIN SHARE A SPECIAL BOND

O VER THE COURSE of a leisurely lunch in ever met,” Rubin said. “I could tell you I’m pretty It doesn’t always work. Rubin still gets annoyed
Robert Kraft’s offices, the Patriots owner well tempered, and there are times I lose my shit — by Kraft’s habit of never, ever turning down a fan
talked about his life and leg- request for a photo. But Rubin recognizes a model to
not often — there’s times, let’s say once a emulate. “Robert never loses patience, he wants to
talk to all of them, if they’re a Patriots fan or they
acy for more than two hours, BY BEN FISCHER year I see something so offensive to me, I hate the Patriots,” Rubin said.
uninterrupted by emails, assistants, or call Robert, and I’d be in a raging vent. And
In substantive business terms, Rubin said, he and
phone calls. Except one. Robert will take me down, not one level, Kraft are an odd couple. Rubin is hard-charging and
narrowly focused on building Fanatics. Kraft care-
As Kraft recounted the story of how he but 10 levels.” fully watches the world for broad trends and strate-
gic insights, and finds himself having to bring Rubin
came to visit rap star Meek Mill in prison in 2018, his Kraft will gently admonish him to find another up to speed on basic headlines.

cell phone rang from across the room. It was Fanatics way to deal with the problem, Rubin says. “He deals “I was talking to Robert about the Russia and
Ukraine situation,” Rubin said. “He explained what
CEO Michael Rubin. with it in such a nice way. He brings everyone along. was going on. He’s a good news source to me. He’ll
make fun of me. He’ll shake his head in disbelief that
“You say a name and he calls,” Jonathan Kraft says That’s probably his single best skill set, his style.” some giant world topic is going on, and I don’t know
it, because I’m so focused on my world.”
to his father, checking the phone.
But Kraft offers specific advice too. That same
Robert replied: “Just tell him I’ll call him back.” morning, Rubin also pressed Kraft on his opinion of
a value added by a potential new Fanatics investor.
It’s not uncommon for there to be multiple calls a
Last summer in the Hamptons, Rubin said that he
day between Kraft and Rubin, a duo atop the industry and Kraft walked together every morning, talking
about anything that came to mind. “I learned a ton
who are separated by 31 years in age but little else, from Robert, and he’s always asking me questions,”
Rubin said. “We learn from each other, and that’s
and they’re united by far more than just their busi- what’s so special about our relationship.”

ness acumen. They first came together over dealings

Rubin had with Kraft’s son Jonathan, but have grown

exceedingly close in the decade since Kraft’s wife

passed away, even vacationing together to Turks and

Caicos. With the business relationship between Fa-

natics and the Patriots long since locked in place,

their phone calls are more often of a personal nature.

Rubin depends on Kraft for news, perspective, friend-

ship, and maybe above all, patience.

“I think he may have the best style of anyone I’ve

Getty Images

3 8 | M AY 9-15, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

220428 Journal Ad - v2.indd 1 5/2/2022 1:07:36 PM

CONGRATULATIONS
ROBERT KRAFT

ON YOUR LIFETIME
ACHIEVEMENT
AWARD

LARRY TANENBAUM

AND ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS AND ADMIRERS AT
MAPLE LEAF SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 32 the very first Boston Pa-

front-line medical workers. It was perhaps the most triot,” said Paul Burton,
visible philanthropic action Kraft is known for, but
giving back has long been a pillar of his public life. Ron’s son.

In all his family has donated $800 million to char- Kraft’s connections
itable causes. Some are mega-gifts, like the $24 million
endowment Robert and Jonathan Kraft recently gave spurred an even longer-
to Harvard Business School, which could cover two
years of tuition for 160 need-based fellowships. lasting benefit. Putnam

Other donations are more targeted, but can bring Investments CEO Bob
just as much joy. In the early days of the pandemic,
Kraft donated $100,000 to the Rhode Island operations Reynolds became a donor
of Institute for Nonprofit Practice, a Boston organiza-
tion that educates aspiring nonprofit leaders, so it and board chair of the
could maintain its 2020 class.
nonprofit after seeing
“I’ll never forget it,” said Yolanda Coentro, the
institute’s president and CEO. “He was so enthusi- Kraft spotlight the Bur-
astic.”
tons at the annual Patri-
One year later, Kraft hosted a virtual luncheon for
the organization and pledged $250,000 to create a Black ots award gala.
Leadership Institute. His announcement spurred on
other donors to reach $3 million in fundraising to It was another deposit
launch the leadership institute in at least five cities.
of psychic income, but
That was typical of how Kraft approaches philan-
thropy: It is not done as a one-off, but rather in ways one in keeping with the
that can spur more development.
simple maxim Kraft has
Then there is the story of Ron Burton, the first
player drafted by the AFL’s Boston Patriots in 1960. always lived by. “I’m into
In retirement, he built the Ron Burton Training Vil-
lage in central Massachusetts for underprivileged relationships and peo-
youth to learn leadership skills.
ple,” he said. “There’s

some reason I get ener-

Along with Jay-Z (left) and others, Kraft is a founding partner of the REFORM Alliance. gized with people, all

people if they’re genuine.

When Burton was hospitalized in Boston and dying I enjoy people from all walks of life and connecting.”

of cancer in 2002, Kraft visited him with a request. Kraft will turn 81 next month, and as might be ex-

He wanted to create the Ron Burton Community Ser- pected, he is frequently asked about his legacy. It’s

vice Award, to be given annually to a Patriots player. a question that makes him think back to Brookline,

It’s now the only award on display in the team’s to his humble beginnings and the ethical will he was

locker room. given by his father. And when he does, he can be sure

“My dad broke down in tears, he couldn’t imagine that the people he interacted with each day are rich-

a man of Robert’s stature to come and pay tribute to er and better for having known him.

CONGRATULATIONS,
ROBERT!

It has been wonderful to
be on this journey with you.

From one lifetime
achiever to another
Larry & Judy Tanenbaum

and
The Kilmer Group

Getty Images

4 0 | M AY 9-15, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM



LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

SUCCESSION

NEXT KRAFT UP: SON JONATHAN HEIR TO THRONE OF FAMILY BUSINESS

G IVEN THAT THIS is New England, perhaps representative as Robert for that club.” and CEO. He is investor-operator of the Revolution
the best way to describe Robert and The close business relationship between Robert
Jonathan Kraft’s efficient, and Jonathan, just 22 years younger, start- and oversees the day-to-day operations of all Kraft

Group businesses. “Like his dad, I respect him so

easy way of working togeth- BY BEN FISCHER ed early. In high school, Jonathan was much as a business person, but he’s also someone
er is to compare them to an experienced invited to skip class to join his father for
who cares greatly about family,” said Clark Hunt,

head coach and quarterback who have breakfast with Harvard Business School owner of the Chiefs and FC Dallas. Shanks emphasized

been through everything together. fellows, listened in on meetings at their Jonathan Kraft’s commitment to community service.

When the elder Kraft hits a tangent in an interview, home while he was in college, and was a close confi- “Like his dad, he’s a real icon in the community,”

the younger one gently jumps in: “He was asking you dant from the earliest days with the Patriots. Shanks said. “The philanthropy Jonathan exudes,

a different question.” Jonathan, at 58 the oldest of Jonathan Kraft serves as president of the Kraft he’s the chairman of the board of Massachusetts Gen-

Robert’s four sons, will sit quietly for long stretches Group under his father’s titles of founder, chairman eral [Hospital] … the things they do in the commu-

as his father talks but is willing to interrupt if he nity, he truly is a chip off the old block.”

senses more context would help. Both share the du- For Robert Kraft, working with his chil-

ties of operating the Kraft Group empire and both dren is a reward in itself. Daniel Kraft is

are adept at building and maintaining the relation- president of Kraft Group International,

ships at the heart of the business. and Josh Kraft is president of Kraft Fam-

It’s more than just effective teamwork. It’s secu- ily Philanthropies. David is not actively

rity for the Kraft legacy, the Patriots’ stability and involved in the business.

the team’s leadership role in the NFL. In a league “It’s the greatest thing,” he said. “Right

that has seen messy succession battles after once- now, I see three of my sons every day.

prominent owners passed away, it’s clear that won’t Jonathan has put in the most energy and

be the case in New England. That confidence in the effort and has been a full partner, but Danny

future is one of the Krafts’ greatest accomplishments. and Josh have each come in, Danny in the

“Robert, I’m not speaking for him, but he’s got to international area has been awesome and

be very proud that he has set his team up with such Jonathan is Josh in the philan-
president of the thropic area. So, I’m
a great second generation of leadership,” said Fox Kraft Group. pretty lucky.”

Sports CEO Eric Shanks. “Jonathan is as good as a

Courtesy of the New England Patriots

4 2 | M AY 9-15, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE

ROBERT KRAFT

ON HIS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

FINANCE

BUILDING A FUTURE: GILLETTE STADIUM
FINANCING ALTERED NFL LANDSCAPE

B EFORE BILL BELICHICK AND TOM BRADY
arrived in Foxborough, the New England
Patriots very nearly left that Massachu-

setts town altogether. In 1998, Robert

Kraft had a plan to move the franchise to Hartford,

where Connecticut politicians had offered one of the

most team-friendly stadium development deals in his-

tory: upward of $1 billion in con-

BY BEN FISCHER struction plus guaranteed
revenue. Kraft would have risked

almost nothing.

But he got cold feet as cracks

emerged in the Connecticut plan, and embarked on

what today is a pillar of his legacy: the privately fi-

nanced Gillette Stadium, where the team covered $389

million and only relied on the state for what became

$72 million in infrastructure improvements, which

is being repaid by the team on a long-term schedule.

Privately funding a stadium was not totally unprec-

edented, but the scale of the expenditures was. The

stadium itself cost $325 million, with land costing $30

million, interest during construction another $30 mil-

lion and infrastructure overruns (a Kraft responsibil-

above: The Patriots’ ity) hitting $4 million, according calculations by Smith
gleaming new home College professor Andrew Zimbalist.
opened in the spring “The Kraft Gillette Stadium model might not be for
of 2002. every owner, but it stands as a monumental achieve-
ment,” wrote Zimbalist, a frequent critic of public sub-
below: Reminders of sidies for sports venues, in a 2003 edition of Sports
the Patriots’ success

are on display at Business Journal.
Gillette Stadium. Kraft also helped the NFL develop a groundbreaking

tool for stadium development for all other teams: the

creation of the G3 stadium loan program, which in turn

created today’s G4 program.

The Patriots received $150 million in NFL loans, backed by the league’s robust

revenue streams and strong

debt rating. Since then, most

of the league has participated

in those programs.

“Robert was a major con-

tributor in the private financ-

ing that became a model for

the entire league, and was a

model that was applicable to

all 32 teams — that was sig-

nificant,” said Paul Ta-

gliabue, who was serving as

NFL commissioner at the time. “He and [son] Jonathan [Kraft] were major play-

ers in that, along with Al Lerner, Pat Bowlen and Jeff Lurie (past or present

owners of the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos and Philadelphis Eagles, re-

spectively), they were all doing it at basically the same time. That was very, very

important.”

Early on in the process, Kraft personally guaranteed $56 million for the blue

steel inside the stadium — re-creating his bold embrace of the debt it took to buy

the team in the first place.

Today, Zimbalist also credits the Krafts for building the Patriot Place shopping

center in 2007 and establishing a new model. Many stadium development plans

now include auxiliary mixed-use elements, enhancing the potential return for Getty Images (2)

investors in ever-escalating stadium projects.

“Maybe it’s not always the best investment that could have been made,” Zim-

balist said, “but the jobs are generated, it does generate tax revenue, and it does

provide a boost to the economy.”

4 4 | M AY 9-15, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

Congratulations!

Bank of America congratulates Robert Kraft for receiving the SBJ 2022 Lifetime
Achievement Award. We have been proud to partner with you since the beginning and
know just how deserving of this recognition you are. Your contributions to New England
and beyond have made a profound impact on so many.
Your friends at Bank of America salute you.

©2022 Bank of America Corporation | AD-04-22-0436.A

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

SUCCESS

‘WE ARE ALL PATRIOTS’
ROBERT KRAFT’S VICTORIOUS SUPER BOWL SPEECHES

Six times in the past 20 years, Robert Kraft has stood on a stage in early February and accepted the Lombardi Trophy after the New England Patriots became Super
Bowl champions. And six times, Kraft has seized the moment to offer remarks that can be both poignant and profound, and almost always included a common refrain.

SUPER BOWL XXXVI SUPER BOWL XXXVIII

Date: Feb. 3, 2002 | Location: New Orleans | Final Score: Patriots 20, Rams 17 Date: Feb. 1, 2004 | Location: Houston | Final Score: Patriots 32, Panthers 29
“The fans of New England have been waiting 42 years for this day. We are world champi- “Fans of New England: We waited 42 years for our first championship. We waited two years
ons. And the Kraft family is happy to be associated with coaches and players who put team for the second. The 53 players, 17 coaches and the head coach, the heart and soul of our
first, as the way they
came out of the tun- team, showed us what
nel tonight. And in a the concept of team-
way, the fact that our work is about. And
players and coaches at when that’s combined
this time in our coun- with perseverance
try when people are and commitment great
banding together for a things happen. ... In
higher cause can feel today’s era people
this special spirit of celebrate individuals
America, we’re proud and individual accom-
to be a symbol of that plishments, but my
in a small way. Spiritu- family and I are proud
ality, faith and democ- of this man, coach [Bill]
racy are the corner- Belichick, who instilled
stones of our country. the values of power
We are all Patriots. And of team and because
tonight the Patriots are of that today, we have
world champions.” seen a true team and a
true champion.”

SUPER BOWL XXXIX SUPER BOWL XLIX

Date: Feb. 6, 2005 | Location: Jacksonville | Final Score: Patriots 24, Eagles 21 Date: Feb. 1, 2015 | Location: Glendale, Ariz. | Final Score: Patriots 28, Seahawks 24
“Fans of New England, the best fans that any team could wish for. This is your third Super “To all the Patriots fans out there, wherever you are, this is our fourth Super Bowl champion-
Bowl in four years. This great accomplishment happened because we are blessed to have ship in the last 14 years. The first one we won I thought was pretty special because it hap-
smart, talented play-
ers, a brilliant, tireless pened at a unique
coach in coach Belich- time in our country
ick and his entire staff, when it meant a
and a great person- lot. I never thought
nel department led another trophy
by Scott Pioli. … The could feel as spe-
Super Bowl is the high- cial, but this one
est form of competi- abolutely does!
tion. Competition is And every true
the foundation of what Patriots fan under-
made this country stands it. I want
great, and I’m proud to thank the great
that we were able to coaching staff, the
win this Super Bowl players, because
stressing team and not we are all Patriots,
individual accomplish- and tonight once
ments. We’re honored again the Patriots
to be here.” are world cham-
pions.”

SUPER BOWL LI SUPER BOWL LIII Getty Images (5); AP Images

Date: Feb. 5, 2017 | Location: Houston | Final Score: Patriots 34, Falcons 28 (OT) Date: Feb. 3, 2019 | Location: Atlanta | Final Score: Patriots 13, Rams 3
“Two years ago we won our fourth Super Bowl down in Arizona, and I told our fans that was “Patriots fans, this is your sixth championship in the last 18 years. Truly an unprecedented
the sweetest one
of all. But a lot has accomplishment,
transpired during really managed by ex-
the last two years ceptional players and
— and I don’t think coaches to whom all of
that needs any us are forever grateful,
explanation — but but there is one con-
I want to say to our stant throughout this
fans, our brilliant whole 18 years, two
coaching staff, our men who are the best
amazing players at whatever has been
who are so spectac- done in the history of
ular: This is unequiv- the NFL: Bill Belich-
ocally the sweetest. ick and Tom Brady.
I’m proud to say for Through their hard
the fifth time, we work and great leader-
are all Patriots, and ship I am honored to
tonight for the fifth say for the sixth time,
time the Patriots are we are all Patriots, and
world champions.” once again the Patriots
are world champions.”

4 6 | M AY 9-15, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

THE NEW YORK GIANTS

CONGRATULATE

Robert Kraft

ON HIS

SBJ
Lifetime Achievement

Award

OPINION

Winning in a world of super SEEK OPPORTUNITIES TO
leagues and constant change
CAPITALIZE ON THE CHANGE
T HE MIRACULOUS RETURN OF TIGER WOODS to Augusta Na- legacy owners. Each of them paid a premium These changes in sports potentially offer
tional dominated golf’s headlines in April. Regardless of to enter the ownership group of their respec- an abundance of opportunities for prospective
how he performed at the Masters, it’s a tremendous feel- tive franchise and they are also seeking su- owners, franchises, and sponsorship partners.
Now is a great time for prospective owners
good news story for the sport. perior returns. This pressure to seek to see what opportunities are available.
For franchises, it’s really important to
What had been dominating the golf headlines for the last six greater returns on investments is magnified make the most of the assets they already
have. For example, social media offers a
months was less feel-good — the turmoil caused by when individuals and funds in- great opportunity to connect with fans and
drive revenue. We’ve seen organizations
the proposed formation of a breakaway golf “super BY MATT EISLER AND vest in entire leagues, like La bring high quality, behind-the-scenes cover-
league,” the LIV Golf Invitational Series, spearhead- CJ HARRINGTON Liga (Spain’s top soccer compe- age of their teams to their fans and ensure
ed by former world No. 1 player Greg Norman. tition, partly owned by British their event spaces can handle the changes
in demand. And sponsorship partners have
No sport is immune to super league shock waves. private equity group CVC Capi- an array of exciting platforms (stadiums,
jerseys, etc.) to ingratiate their brands with
Last April, the European soccer world was rocked tal) and the WNBA (which in these innovations from the leagues and their
franchises.
by the announcement that several powerful clubs were propos- February announced a $75 million invest- Like any business, sports will need to con-
stantly reinvent themselves to maintain and
ing the formation of a European Super League, with permanent ment by a group including Nike and Condo- grow market share. Fortunately for everyone
involved, there may have never been this
membership for 15 of the 20 permitted clubs. Domestic leagues leezza Rice). Unless leaguewide change many opportunities for partnerships, joint
ventures, equity transfers, and stadium
would have suffered in importance, and the UEFA Champions occurs, the prospect of actualizing the ex- renovations. So, the next most important
thing is choosing the right structure and fit
League would no longer be viewed as the sport’s crown jewel. pected return on investment becomes a lot for your league or team.

Although public backlash caused this project to become dormant more difficult — or, at the very least, sub- Matthew E. Eisler is partner and head of the

(even if UEFA decided to amend the Champions League format, stantially longer — to achieve. Hogan Lovells Sports group based in the firm’s

so two clubs will join the tournament based on “historic perfor- Third, there is no ignoring the impact Denver and New York offices, and CJ Har-

mance” rather than merit), the sports landscape is changing in COVID-19 had on the sports industry. Al- rington is an associate based in the firm’s

a repeatable pattern whereby each league is trying to make itself though leagues adjusted and offered innova- Washington, D.C., office.

a bit more “super.” tive solutions during the height of the

pandemic, the increased debt load and lack

CHANGES IN SPORTS ARE INDUSTRYWIDE of ticketing revenue still has industrywide

It’s not only golf and soccer. We’re seeing format challenges implications. Therefore, there is an incentive

and changes in almost all sports. The proposed changes may not to consider revamping the product in the hope

be as drastic as LIV or the European Super League, but they are of driving revenue growth now that fans are

not to be ignored either. A few examples that have occurred in permitted back in stadiums and arenas.

the past few years include:

n The MLS and Liga MX partnership
n College football conference realignment
n The NFL revising its playoff format
n MLB amending its rules to increase the pace of the game
n The WNBA Commissioner’s Cup
n The NBA revising its playoff format

In isolation, each of these events have varying degrees of im-
pact. Yet, when we step back, we can see the wave of transforma-
tion in sports that is only growing in size.

WHY THESE CHANGES ARE HAPPENING NOW
There are a few factors permeating the need for these changes
in sports. First, there is increased competition. The battle for
eyeballs and advertisers is no longer limited to the same tier of
competitors. The growth in women’s sports; the ease of access
to watch international sports; and the increased popularity of
Formula One, lacrosse, cricket, and rugby are all clawing at the
available U.S. market share. If we include the additional social
media offerings and other forms of entertainment, the battle
for viewers has never been this fierce. Thus, leagues have rec-
ognized that they cannot relax or rely on the status quo. Audi-
ences are willing to watch other sports if a league’s product isn’t
engaging its core members and offering exciting alternatives
for new entrants.
Second, sports franchises are still highly desirable assets of-
fering potentially market-beating returns, which are also rela-
tively safe havens even in the face of economic headwinds. Thus,
not only have more sophisticated individual investors entered
the ownership groups, but private equity investors have also
recently become welcome on franchises’ capitalization tables.
This recent influx of investors is important in understanding
the change occurring in sports because these investors are not

4 8 | M AY 9-15, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

ANNOUNCING THE 2022 RECIPIENT

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Sports Business Awards as we
honor America SCORES for the
tremendous work the organization
does to impact the lives of youth
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MAY 18 | NYC

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CLOSING SHOT

The team scooped
up a sponsor in Orkin
to help round up the
plastic rats that fans
tossed onto the ice.

The Year Of The Rat

As the Florida Panthers look to exterminate a pesky playoff mark, we look back at how their
last successful postseason run launched a ‘rat trick’ tradition.

BY ALEX SILVERMAN

THE FLORIDA PANTHERS entered the 2022 operations for the Panthers under ever, for the Panthers to find a taker in place was that the Panthers couldn’t Getty Images
Stanley Cup playoffs as the top team in founding owner Wayne Huizenga in Orkin. The company provided the directly provide or sell the plastic rats
the NHL, giving fans hope that the fran- from the team’s inception in 1993 team’s on-ice cleanup crew with to fans. But the team found a way
chise’s decadeslong postseason winless through 1998. “It was something or- Orkin-branded hard hats and over- around that. “We would collect them
streak for a series is nearing an end. ganic. It was started by the fans. The alls, and the Orkin Rat Patrol was and put them in our recycling bins,
The drought dates to 1996, known in last thing we needed to do was try to born. It was a perfect fit and remains but for some reason our team just
team lore as the Year of the Rat. tack on more gimmicks to take ad- a memorable image of the most suc- never got them to the recycler,” Jordan
vantage of the ‘rat trick.’” cessful season in franchise history. said with a wink. “They left them
Prior to the team’s home opener outside the arena, and people would
for the 1995-96 season at Miami Arena, Still, the replica rodents (and oc- The Panthers emerged as one of the just pick them up.”
Panthers winger Scott Mellanby casionally a live one) had to be picked NHL’s top teams that season, and
killed a rat that had invaded the up off the ice after each showering, every Panthers goal would be followed The Panthers won three playoff
team’s locker room by shooting it and the team saw an opportunity to by a shower of rats, leading to lengthy series that year before being swept
against the wall with his stick. After capitalize on the sponsorship front. delays. Opposing teams lobbied for in the Stanley Cup Final by the Col-
Mellanby scored twice against the Their first call was to Truly Nolen, delay-of-game penalties, but Jordan orado Avalanche. They haven’t won
Calgary Flames that night, Panthers a Miami-based pest control company credited NHL Commissioner Gary a round since.
goalie John Vanbiesbrouck jokingly whose yellow vehicles adorned with Bettman for understanding the “rat
referred to the feat as a “rat trick.” mouse ears and whiskers were well- trick” was too good to exterminate. Twenty-six years later, Jordan, now
known around town. an executive with Wasserman, is
When a fan threw a plastic rat onto “Gary always threatened it, but he watching from his home in Raleigh,
the ice during the next game, it start- “They had no interest in it,” Jordan was savvy,” Jordan said. “He was not hoping “his” Panthers can make some
ed a phenomenon. recalled. “I was really upset because going to stop that. People would die new history.
I wanted the little truck running to have that kind of marketing ad-
“The smartest thing that we did around the ice.” vantage.” “I’d love for people to never have to
with that was to not get in its way,” say again, ‘Well, the last playoff series
said Dean Jordan, who led business It only took one more call, how- The one restriction the league put they won, in 1996 …”

5 0 | M AY 9-15, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM