NOVEMBER 2-8, 2020
VOLUME 23 ISSUE 30 • $7.95
CHIEF
GATOR
Florida’s Scott
Stricklin is SBJ’s
Athletic Director
of the Year.
PAGEs 28-32
New sponsor inventory MLB Commissioner Property Bets: Teams, Running on Empty:
could help NBA teams Rob Manfred plans for sportsbooks reach 33 Marathon organizers
a clean start in 2021. face a long road back.
recoup losses. marketing deals.
PAGE 7 PAGE 16
PAGE 6 PAGE 13
A virtual series offering regional and global media perspectives
GLOBAL EVENT - NOVEMBER 10
Featured Speakers include:
MARIE DONOGHUE GEOFF REISS MOLLY SOLOMON JAMIE HINDHAUGH
VP, Global Sports GM Executive Producer & President COO
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Amazon Yahoo Sports NBC Olympics Production BT Sport
BARRY HEARN JOHN SKIPPER MARY MAZZIO CHRIS MARINAK
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SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL
STATE OF PLAY
“Nobody wants to be the oneMONEYTALKS brand that’s not
down there, and nobody wants to be the one— NICK KELLY, A-B InBev’s Vice President, Partnerships, Beer
Culture & Community, speaking before the brand made a
brand that is down the”re. decision to cut its hospitality plans at Super Bowl LV in Miami.
DEC. 12MARKYOUR CALENDAR
The 121st Army-Navy game will
be played at Michie Stadium in
West Point, N.Y., the first time
it will take place at a home site
since World War II, because
of crowd-size restrictions in
Pennsylvania, the typical site of
the game.
Long Game RATINGS GAME
Fifteen years after a local golfer sampled its first U.S. location in Alexandria, Va., Topgolf is being bought by Callaway 39k
in an all-stock deal that values the company at $2 billion. Topgolf now has 63 locations around the world, including
the United Kingdom, where it debuted in 2000. Callaway President and CEO Chip Brewer will run the companies. Average number of pay-per-view
buys for the first two rounds
FASHION SENSE ESPN IN NOVEMBER of Premier League matches;
the league hoped to at least
The Dallas Stars, along with Adidas, The network announced equal the average in-stadium
unveiled their “Blackout” alternate that “College Gameday”
jersey for next season, which features will be produced live from attendance, which for the 2018-
Augusta National during 19 season was 38,168.
the new color Skyline Green. Masters weekend on Nov. 14.
NOVEMBER 2-8, 2020 | 3
@DallasStars Twitter; Getty (3) THE METER
ESPN IN NOVEMBER
The network announced
that its plans to hold and
air eight college basketball
nonconference events
in an Orlando bubble
would not be possible.
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
FORUM
Building a community SBJ/SBD
with Alexis Ohanian PODCASTS
ABRAHAM MADKOUR I F YOU VISIT Alexis Ohanian’s website, cessful startups, which shouldn’t be a surprise FIRST LOOK &
the co-founder of Reddit has a simple from the 37-year-old who’s launched one of BUZZCAST
PUBLISHER AND message at the top of the page: “I want the most successful communities in the world
EXECUTIVE EDITOR to be known for making this world better with Reddit. In our conversation, he talked of Check out our First Look
— much better.” It’s that goal that drove his building a fan base one-to-one, and gave the podcast every Monday
“We’re here to set a investment in the NWSL’s Angel City FC, example of a fan who purchased merchandise where we discuss the week’s
which is set to debut in Los Angeles in 2022. from the team’s online store instantly receiving top stories. Also, check out
standard for sports. a personalized thank you video from him, guar- Buzzcast in Sports Business
I want to set that The impetus came when he and his wife, anteeing a lifelong evangelist for the brand. Daily’s Morning Buzz, our
standard so high that Serena Williams, were watching the Wom- “We brought in software from Day 1 to make daily two-minute look at the
the highest performing en’s World Cup final in 2019, and their daugh- the merch-buying experience for Angel City stories of the day.
clubs in the world are ter, Olympia, was wearing an Alex Morgan FC next level,” he said. “People are giving up
looking at Angel City jersey. “I said to my wife, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice their torso for advertising. When a team is able The entire contents
saying, ‘How do we do one day if Olympia played on the Women’s to get someone to wear our merch, we should of this magazine are
World Cup team?’ Without missing a beat, be grateful. We should be sending them a thank copyrighted by Street &
”that?’ Serena said, ‘Not until they pay her what you video. A YouTuber today with millions of Smith’s Sports Business
she’s worth.’ And I was like, ‘All right, chal- fans, building a brand for herself, would do Journal 2020 with all rights
lenge accepted.’ I am going to do everything the same thing.” reserved. Street & Smith’s
I can to help advance this sport so that it gets is a registered trademark
the recognition it deserves, so that it gets the He rattled off other forms of engage- of Leaders Group Holdings
dollars that it deserves.” ment around modern-day tech rather than LLC. Reproduction or use,
traditional sports commerce. “These are without permission, of
That’s what he’s setting out to do, and I’d best practices from nascent brands and na- editorial or graphic content
keep a close eye on Angel City FC. The owner- scent community builders that are born in in any manner is prohibited.
ship group has tremendous star power and the digital age,” he said. “We’re just finally Street & Smith’s Sports
talent, with more than 50 bold-face-name now applying it to things that historically Business Journal (ISSN-
investors who bring an incredibly diverse never got first-class software and execution.” 1098-5972) is published
background and skill set to team and brand For Ohanian and his partners, it’s all about weekly, with the exception
building. Yes, there are always concerns when creating that community — which we have of the first week of July
you have such a large number of shareholders seen successfully executed in other soccer and the last two weeks of
in the mix, and this could get sideways with markets. “When you’re building a business December, for $306 a year
too many cooks in the kitchen. But if they from Day 1 today, you have to be thinking by Street & Smith’s Sports
are able to remain aligned, this group has the about building a community,” he said. “We Business Journal, at 120
potential to pull off something special. It’s have to build a community before we even ac- West Morehead Street, Suite
already getting buzz via a relentless public re- tually build a team. And it’s just natural that 310, Charlotte, NC 28202.
lations push by its celebrity ownership — most we use these best practices from startups.” In Canada $371 per year,
notably Natalie Portman — who even while includes GST and all other
filming “Thor: Love and Thunder” in Austra- Ohanian’s confidence is understandable, and countries $471, includes
lia, still had time for a steady round of media it’s evident that he sees the ability to reimag- a one-year subscription
appearances on “The Tonight Show,” “Today,” ine the sports business with lofty aspirations. and expedited air delivery
“Late Night” and SBJ’s Game Changers con- “We’re here to set a standard for sports,” he (GST#139794580).
ference to talk up the brand last month. The said, with full conviction. “I want to set that Periodicals postage paid at
enthusiasm and energy is palpable, not just standard so high that the highest performing Charlotte, NC, and additional
among ownership, but among sports business clubs in the world are looking at Angel City mailing offices. Street &
observers, as the effort, which promises to mix saying, ‘How do we do that?’” And even while Smith’s Sports Business
passion and profitability, fits squarely into doing this, Ohanian keeps his eye on the bigger Journal is a publication of
the nexus of culture, cause and the growth prize — to make the world a better place — and Leaders Group Holdings
of women’s sports. Angel City is a positive step forward. “This LLC. Street & Smith’s Sports
investment will make a better world. I want Business Journal is an equal
In speaking with Ohanian recently, I couldn’t to help be a part of a solution. And investing opportunity employer.
help but recognize his new-age entrepreneur- in this club is one way to absolutely do that.”
ialism pushing against the traditional means POSTMASTER: Please
of launching a sports franchise. He spoke not of Abraham Madkour can be reached at send address changes
operations, but of technology and community to Street & Smith’s
and applying the best practices of today’s suc- [email protected]. Sports Business Journal —
Subscriber Services,
P.O. Box 36637,
Charlotte, NC 28236-6637
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THIS WEEK
OPINION. . . . . . . . . . 33 MOTORSPORTS MEDIA LABOR FACILITIES OPINION
CLOSING SHOT. . . . 34
9 AT THE WHEEL 11 UNDERSTANDING 12 AGENTS ADAPT 18 HIGH ROLLERS 33 NEW VISION
Cover image by Alex de la Osa CHALLENGES
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will CAA adjusts its NBA Las Vegas Raiders fans Success stories of the
join simulated racing ESPN puts focus and draft preparation sched- are missing, but sleek past two years should
company iRacing as an resources behind a ule and heads toward Allegiant Stadium still put to rest any questions
endorser and executive group to help employees the Nov. 18 event with makes a bold statement about the viability of
director. address mental health. strong roster of players. for the Silver and Black. women’s sports.
By Adam Stern By John Ourand By Liz Mullen By Karn Dhingra By Nancy Lough
4 | N OV E M B E R 2-8, 2020 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM
upfront
The baseline apron
area near the basket is
among the locations
now allowed to be sold
to sponsors, though
that one will only apply
for games on regional
television.
Selling Season For the latest developments
As the league aims to find new revenue, its teams will now with the coronavirus,
have a lot more inventory to offer. BY JOHN LOMBARDO and how the sports industry
T is responding, SBJ has you
HE NBA is opening lucrative new revenue streams to
help teams offset steep losses from last season and limit covered with our
financial hits should games next season be played in daily COVID-19 newsletter,
daily podcasts with insight
front of a limited number of fans or in empty arenas.
from industry insiders,
Teams now will be able to sell the previously off-limit baseline executives, health care
experts and SBJ reporters,
apron areas near the baskets as new high-profile sponsorship and live daily coverage at
sportsbusinessjournal.com.
inventory. The baseline apron hard signage will be allowed only
rights to post nongame team content on the sponsors’ own digi-
on local regional sports network broadcasts; no decision has tal and social media sites.
been made on extending the signage to national broadcasts. The league also is easing restrictions on hard alcohol, casino
and sports betting team sponsorships that would allow for great-
In addition, the league will allow teams to sell three global er TV visible in-arena signage in those categories. Until now,
hard alcohol, casino or sports betting team sponsors could not
sponsorships as part of its International Team Marketing Pro- use team marks within the arena, but now deals in those catego-
ries will gain broader use of team marks inside the venue, add-
gram that previously was limited to two global deals. The inter- ing more value to the sponsorships.
national marketing program is entering the second year of a In addition, the NBA will now let teams create nongame live
digital content for second-screen use to complement game broad-
three-year pilot program. casts. For example, a team could stream its in-arena halftime shows
live during games on their team website or team app to complement
Previously, the league controlled all international sponsorship game programming. Other ideas include providing live nongame Getty Images
digital content during quarter game breaks such as interviews
inventory but the program allows teams to include global adver- with former players. The hope is that teams could sell sponsorships
for the additional programming to drive more revenue.
tising and marketing rights outside the U.S. and Canada; activa-
What isn’t known is just how much revenue will be generated
tion at retail locations globally outside the U.S. and Canada; and by the new inventory to help offset the roughly $1.5 billion league-
wide shortfall from the pandemic-shortened season and from
any losses that would come from the upcoming season because
of restrictions on fan access in arenas. NBA Commissioner Adam
Silver has said that attendance accounts for about 40% of the
league’s total revenue.
The league has been aggressive in creating ways to increase
6 | N OV E M B E R 2-8, 2020 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM
SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL
selling opportunities. In the just- Qualtrics founder Ryan Smith has
completed bubble in Florida, for purchased his home state Utah Jazz
example, the league featured vir- and its related assets for $1.66 billion.
tual ads on broadcasts, rolled out
a virtual fan wall sponsored by Jazz sale might aid in line with pre-pandemic team trans-
Michelob Ultra, and added signage T-wolves, start trend actions. The Houston Rockets sold for
on the Finals court to add value $2.2 billion in 2017, and one finance
to sponsors. BY CHRIS SMITH AND JOHN LOMBARDO Gail Miller told the Deseret News that source suggested the NBA’s market
it would enable greater diversification floor was set in 2018 when Memphis
Teams can begin selling the new IN A CLEAR SIGN that NBA team values and help support the family’s philan- Grizzlies owner Robert Pera bought
inventory immediately, but they have remained strong throughout the thropic efforts. Multiple sources have out minority partners at a $1.3 billion
may be challenged to get deals in pandemic — and in what could be a sign speculated that the timing could be valuation. The Jazz transaction also
place by the start of the upcoming of sales to come — the Larry H. Miller related to this week’s election. Any once again proves that few invest-
season, which at press time had Group sold the Utah Jazz and related changes to capital gains tax laws could ments have outpaced NBA team own-
not yet been determined. Still, the assets to Qualtrics co-founder Ryan have a major impact on a team seller’s ership (see chart).
new inventory offers welcome fi- Smith last week for $1.66 billion. Some return. Given that the Jazz sale price
nancial relief for teams given the of the sports finance world’s most is almost entirely profit — the Millers “When the pandemic initially took
monetary problems that have been plugged-in bankers and lawyers were bought the team for just $24 million in hold and seasons were suspended, you
inflicted by the shutdown. caught off guard by the news, but none the mid-1980s — even a modest bump had a number of folks circling, saying
were surprised by the price or the buyer. to the tax rate could result in a nine- ‘Look, there’s going to be a COVID dis-
“New revenue streams are criti- figure increase to Uncle Sam’s cut. One count,’” said one sports banker, who
cal,” said Milwaukee Bucks Presi- Smith is a Utah native and basketball source said that if Joe Biden wins the added that the scarcity of ownership
dent Peter Feigin. “This is going to fanatic who had previously made efforts presidential election, Taylor will like- opportunities and general optimism
be one to two years of digging out to acquire the Jazz. Sources say Smith ly fast-track the Timberwolves sale about the long-term health of pro sports
and figuring out credits and value has also explored NBA ownership out- process, and another said the same is has prevented that from being the case.
adds. The more new and innovative side of Utah, and that he recently ex- likely true for many owners who have “You’re not going to overpay in this
thinking we can apply to creating pressed interest in the Minnesota been considering an exit. market, but you’re not going to get a
new value for partners, the better Timberwolves, which are currently for discount. There really is no discount.
off we’ll be. One of the benefits of sale. He’ll now be the majority owner “There is this thought that with cap … It’s just laying more groundwork in
this as an industry is that we’ll come of the Jazz, as well as Vivint Smart gains going up … a seller would try to terms of the argument that, especially
out of it with new opportunities, Home Arena and the G League’s Salt sell now and get that closed before De- for a control transaction, the valuations
because we’ve all been forced to Lake City Stars. The Miller family — led cember 31st,” said one source. “That’s kind of are what they are.”
rethink what everything looks like.” by matriarch Gail Miller, the widow of a pretty logical reason why. You’re
longtime team owner Larry Miller, who going to see a flurry of deals, I believe, That’s good news for Timberwolves
Other new revenue ideas also died in 2009 — will retain an undisclosed closing by December 31st or whenever owner Glen Taylor, who in July re-
are under consideration. The NBA minority stake. In 2017, ownership of their lawyers feel like they need to have tained The Raine Group to advise on
recently allowed teams to sell large the team was put into a legacy trust, it done to avoid getting clawed back.” a potential sale. The Jazz transaction
belly patches on practice jerseys reportedly to ensure the team would removes a potential buyer from the
and the league is discussing ways remain in Utah. No bankers were involved in the market, but it also suggests Taylor
to allow more patch advertising Jazz deal. Given the team’s market should be able to get full price for the
on apparel, including putting ads It is not entirely clear why the Mill- and arena, sources say that the $1.66 team. There has been some skepticism
on shooting shirts as well as al- er family chose to sell the team, though billion sale price for the Jazz is right among finance sources about whether
lowing a second jersey patch on the Timberwolves will actually sell,
game jerseys. since Taylor has floated a sale in the
past to see what the market would sup-
No decisions have been made port, but never advanced much beyond
on those talks, but the new initia- that stage. Should the team be sold,
tives come after the NBA asked however, sources expect the sale price
its teams to submit new revenue to not be far below that of the Jazz.
generating ideas as losses piled
up due to the pandemic. “[The Jazz sale] identifies a price
of a deal that actually gets done and
“These new opportunities show- sets the market for comparability for
case the willingness we have as a the Timberwolves,” said one source.
league and teams to continue to “The big distinction between the two
find innovative ways to drive value is arena control. The markets are
for our partners and fans,” said relatively similar, but the Utah market
Cleveland Cavaliers President Nic has less competition, and the arena
Barlage. deal is better. The Wolves is a lease
on a rather old facility.”
“We appreciate the league tak-
ing a fresh look at the game, the GOOD DEAL Some recent comparable sales of majority stakes reflect the value of owning an NBA franchise
broadcast and how teams can pro-
vide value to our partners in these TEAM YEAR SOLD SALE PRICE PREVIOUS CAGR
challenging times,” said Dan YEAR SOLD PREVIOUS SALE PRICE 12.5%
Costello, chief revenue officer and 16.5%
senior vice president of innova- Milwaukee Bucks 2014 $550 million 1985 $18 million 9.5%
tion for the Phoenix Suns. “Col- 14.5%
laboration is critical right now, so Los Angeles Clippers 2014 $2 billion 1981 $13 million 13.3%
if we can bring some creativity to
things like sponsor placement Atlanta Hawks 2015 $730 million 2004 $269 million*
along the baseline or augmented
Getty Images reality that drives fan engagement Houston Rockets 2017 $2.2 billion 1993 $85 million
and partner exposure within the
broadcast, everyone wins.” Utah Jazz 2020 $1.66 billion 1986 $24 million
*Initial deal also included the Atlanta Thrashers Source: SportsBusiness Journal research
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 NOVEMBER 2-8, 2020 | 7
UPFRONT
and how we’re going to do it better. What are the
tools available to us that we used at certain points
that maybe we should use more or less of ? One
hundred percent that has to happen.”
Despite the glitches, every MLB team except one
played a full 60-game season, and that outlier — the
St. Louis Cardinals — played 58 and would have
been able to play 60 if it had been necessary.
“Honestly, I never thought we’d play
Rob Manfred presented a full [60-game] season,” said Chris
the World Series trophy Marinak, MLB’s chief operations and
to Dodgers owner and strategy officer. “The fact that we
chairman Mark Walter. pulled that off, I would have never
said it back in early August when we
were going through the thick of it.”
Marinak said he would often wake up in the
middle of the night to check his phone for the lat-
est player and team personnel test results, which
often arrived in his inbox at 4 a.m. And at that point,
Manfred on doubts and it seemed like every day yielded more positive cases.
a critical offseason ahead Manfred said one instructive early-season mo-
ment was when the Miami Marlins proceeded to
play a game in Philadelphia despite multiple Mar-
lins players testing positive before the game. He
said the mindset early in the season was that they
needed to play through a positive test. In time, they
learned that what they needed to focus on was pre-
ALTHOUGH THERE were no conversations either in- had been when Dodgers third baseman Justin Turn- venting spread.
ternally or with MLB ownership in which the league er was removed from the clinching Game 6 win after “Two words really defined the course of the sea-
seriously contemplated pausing its COVID-impact- it was learned he had tested positive for COVID-19. son: learning and cooperation,” Manfred said. “We
ed season, Commissioner Rob Manfred privately “It was a reminder of how fragile things are and learned a lot about managing a virus that was un-
had serious doubts that the sport would BY ERIC the reality that you can hold the virus at predictable and evolved our thinking on how to
not be at least temporarily interrupted. bay if you’re smart and manage it well,” handle positive tests. And we got cooperation from
“In terms of my own thinking, I had PRISBELL said Manfred. “But it’s still there.” the clubs and Tony Clark and the players associa-
become very nervous that at some point
It will likely still be there when next tion in terms of being flexible and responsive.”
we would have to talk about it,” Manfred season begins as well. While this year’s Asked to assess how MLB fared in staging the
said last week. “I had really gotten nervous about MLB regular season had not yet begun when the pan- season amid the pandemic, Dr. Zach Binney, an
our ability to keep going. But things started to im- demic sidelined sports, leaving the league and its epidemiologist at Oxford College at Emory Univer-
prove, and we got past that point.” teams powerless to stop over four months of revenue sity, said he had mixed feelings.
Eventually, MLB did crown a champion, as the Los losses, baseball will now have a full offseason to figure “I was disappointed that they seemed as unprepared
Angeles Dodgers won their first World Series in 32 out a plan for how to exist in a pandemic world. at the start as they were,” Binney said. “Then, to my
years by beating the Tampa Bay Rays at the bubble “This has to be the health and safety offseason,” surprise, they said they were going to batten down
location at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Even Manfred said. “We have to [talk] internally and then the hatches, and they did. That was a lot of work by
that came with a reminder of how delicate this season get with the union and talk about what went right a lot of people, and I was extremely impressed.”
MLS, teams score with voter participation efforts
BY MARK J. BURNS Subaru Park, served as a pop-up voting center work locally in southern King County around Getty Images
Oct. 16-18, and fans could cast their vote in person voting, especially toward educating and support-
MORE THAN 90% OF ELIGIBLE Major League Soccer or drop off ballots at LAFC’s Banc of California ing historically marginalized communities, is a
players have registered to vote in advance of Elec- Stadium from Oct. 30 through Nov. 3. NYCFC has “long-standing commitment” that will continue
tion Day, and over half of the league’s 26 teams focused its efforts around a youth-led campaign beyond 2020. Last week, Sounders legend and
have 100% registration for their eligible players, called Power the Vote, which was created to drive brand ambassador Brad Evans participated in a
according to MLS. voter participation among teens and young adults three-day event in which he visited 12 ballot box
across the five boroughs of New York City. locations in King County that have had lower
“That in and of itself is an amazing feat, “said turnouts in years past and encouraged people to
Jan Greenberg-Mirman, vice president of social Greenberg-Mirman also pointed to the work cast their vote.
responsibility at MLS. “The fact that it was driv- conducted in the community by Seattle Sounders
en from the players.” FC. Maya Mendoza-Exstrom, the club’s senior vice Meanwhile, Jordan Harvey, a 36-year-old vet-
president of legal and external affairs, said that eran defender for LAFC, has played a key role
The league’s MLS Unites to Vote program, a this summer, the team’s internal steering commit- helping the team’s six other American citizens
nonpartisan initiative developed by MLS, Black tee landed on a social justice framework to help register and vote. LAFC is one of the teams that
Players for Change and the MLS Players Asso- guide the club forward with some of its big picture has had 100% voter participation ahead of the
ciation, was not only designed to increase par- ideas. One of those was “placing a premium on Nov. 3 election.
ticipation from the league’s player pool but to voting as a mechanism for change,” she said.
promote voter awareness throughout club markets, “This election is, I believe, the most important
provide educational materials to fans and support “Our objective is simple: We want every person in our lifetime,” said Harvey. “Everyone throws
marginalized communities. voting in every election every damn time,” said out, ‘Their voice is heard,’ and I truly believe that.
Mendoza-Exstrom, who added that the Sounders’ Your perspective is heard as well.”
In particular, the Philadelphia Union’s home,
8 | N OV E M B E R 2-8, 2020 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM
SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL
Earnhardt joins iRacing
as an executive director
ON JULY 31, 2008, DALE EARNHARDT JR. was meeting “We’re elated to officially welcome Dale to the
with NASCAR executives and Boston Red Sox owner iRacing team as an executive director of the com-
John Henry at Earnhardt’s race shop in North pany,” Henry, the owner of iRacing, wrote in a state-
Carolina when Henry had to step out of the room ment. “For more than 20 years, Dale has been a
to take a call. passionate advocate of sim racing whose
Henry was in town because Earnhardt BY ADAM efforts to improve the product have dra-
had brokered a meeting with the sanction- STERN matically shaped our direction as a com-
ing body and the nascent iRacing simula- pany and relationships throughout the
tion racing platform to see if the sides could sport for the better. Through all this time,
work together. Earnhardt didn’t know it he’s never been paid a penny for his con-
at the time, but he would later find out that Henry tributions. After discussions earlier this year, we’ve Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be compensated as an iRacing
endorser and will join its management committee.
stepped out of the meeting to complete a blockbuster pursued a mutual interest in having him come on
way, a track that is still in use.
trade involving Red Sox star Manny Ramirez. board as an official member of the company, and The subscription-based iRacing has seen its busi-
The NASCAR Hall of Famer recounted that story we look forward to continuing our growth with ness grow considerably this year on the heels of the
Pro Invitational Series that it pulled off with NAS-
fondly last week as he discussed a new deal being Dale’s guidance for years to come.” CAR to give fans something to watch in the early
stages of the pandemic while real-world competition
unveiled this week that will finally see his longtime Earnhardt, now also a racing analyst for NBC, was halted. The series generated the six most-
watched esports telecasts in U.S. TV history, averag-
relationship with iRacing formalized. iRacing this envisions his role as one in which he’ll help iRacing ing more than 1 million viewers on Fox and FS1.
week will announce that Earnhardt is now an of- executives strike new partnerships. That could NASCAR is expanding its work with iRacing, as
the sanctioning body is seeing prospective benefits
ficial employee of the Massachusetts-based com- include racetracks or car manufacturers that don’t to using the sim racing software to, among other
things, help simulate forthcoming changes it may
pany, being named an executive director and part currently have their venue or vehicles scanned into make to cars or tracks to test out how they may work.
of its management committee. the iRacing software, as well as prospective adver-
The talks were consummated when Earnhardt tisers and sponsors.
challenged his management team to formalize a He has already helped strike such partnerships
relationship he has been building informally for even before his new formal role, with a prime ex-
years. The deal includes Earnhardt receiving a set ample being how iRacing worked with Speedway
compensation as an endorser with additional fi- Motorsports to scan the defunct North Wilkesboro
nancial incentives that could see the deal become Speedway and add the track to its service. Earnhardt
more lucrative for the former driver. did the same with the Nashville Fairgrounds Speed-
Proposed ATP plan raises questions for USTA, smaller events
AMERICAN TENNIS STAKEHOLDERS agree with Gonzalez and Allaster suggested that ATP
Challenger and WTA 125K events, both a level
portions of the ATP Tour’s new proposed Strategic below the full tours, would be more appropriate fits
in those second weeks. And Gonzalez confirmed
Plan, especially its goal of aggregating the media that there already has been discussion of gradually
reducing the number of 250-level events, which
and data rights of all 64 tournaments, as well as could ease calendar crowding.
increasing collaboration among the sport’s govern- To offset the affected 250s’ potential financial
losses, the ATP plan proposes a subsidy. Gonzalez
ing bodies. said it’s so far unclear how much would be offered,
making it impossible for tournament directors to run
But there is serious concern about the proposal’s financial calculations and determine whether to
support or oppose the plan.
impact on the lowest level of ATP
Questions also surround the ATP’s proposed new
BY BRET tournaments, the 250s, as well as long-term prize money formula. That includes 50-50
McCORMICK how quickly the tour wants to profit sharing with players once tournaments hit a
approve the plan. Stacey Allaster, certain pre-tax net income threshold that many 250s
rarely, if ever, reach, according to Winston-Salem
the USTA’s chief executive of 250-level events like the Winston-Salem Open could face Open tournament director Jeff Ryan. The plan also
marketing and exposure challenges under the proposal. promises 250 and 500-level tournaments equity
professional tennis, confirmed to stakes in both ATP Media and a new centralized data
to some of the tour’s top stops, the Masters 1000 operation, but Ryan said the tour hasn’t clarified
Sports Business Journal that ATP Chairman Andrea tournaments. To make room in the calendar, six of what tournaments can expect in payouts.
the tour’s 38 tournaments on the 250-level would
Gaudenzi wants a vote on the plan at the tour board’s move into the second week of Masters 1000 events, Allaster said she has been promised more details
including at Cincinnati, Indian Wells and Miami. The by the ATP, but her recommendation is to still push
next meeting during the ATP Finals in London, which change would likely affect the smaller events’ ability the vote back and continue fine-tuning the plan.
to attract top players, media attention, fans and
runs Nov. 15-22. That’s a major sticking point for the sponsors. “At the moment, we’re so caught in the mindset of
2021 and the impact of COVID,” she said, “that it’s
USTA, which owns 94% of the Western & Southern “It really reduces the value of a 250,” said Eddie hard to grasp all of the elements with clarity that
Gonzalez, tournament director of the Truist Atlanta Andrea would like us to vote on right now.”
Open in Cincinnati and oversees the U.S. Open Series Open.
of seven North American events leading up to the IMG, which owns the 1000-level Miami Open and
BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells), declined to
U.S. Open, including three 250s (Atlanta, Newport comment, but Allaster said, “We do not support
250s being in the second week of the Western &
and Winston-Salem). Southern Open.”
“The process and the timeline, we think is too
rushed,” Allaster said. “We want to have a construc-
tive dialogue on the details of the plan, but we are all
Getty Images (2) just laser focused on stabilizing the business and
seeing how we’re going to stage these events in
2021.”
The ATP’s new plan proposes a 2022 calendar
emphasizing premium events by adding extra days
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 NOVEMBER 2-8, 2020 | 9
THE INSIDERS
MARKETING AND SPONSORSHIP
Millman pens inside story of a marketing life
I T’S A RITE OF PASSAGE: After a successful career, Baseball Hall of departments as the biggest factor in the demise of
everyone in business thinks they have a book his agency.
that industry readers are waiting for. It’s not Famers participated.
“By then, there was almost no value on the cre-
Highlights included ative,” he said. “We’d present a $10 million idea to
someone like Visa, but when their procurement
always true. Still, when you ask the architect of then-MLB Commis- department reviewed it, all they wanted to know
was our fee. At the end, it was like a law firm. We
one of the first sponsorship marketing agencies sioner Bowie Kuhn were totally measured on hours of billable time.”
about his motivation to write a book, he says it was handling PA duties
more about stating the record than salving his ego. one year, though the
“More personally in- event was not league-
spired than commercial- sanctioned, and
ly desired, I just wanted Cooperstown-bound ■ CLEAN TEAM: With hygiene and disinfection atop
it for posterity and my Rod Carew, a .328 life- everyone’s agenda because of the pandemic, the way
family,” said Jim Mill- time hitter “strug- pro athletes’ uniforms get sanitized is coming under
man, who, in his recent- gling mightily at new levels of scrutiny. Consequently, SilvaClean
ly released memoir “The softball, even strik- has expanded the number of NFL teams using its
Adventures of Millsport” ing out occasionally.” antimicrobial laundry process to six: the Dallas
chronicles the ascent and The new book offers details There was an early Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Jackson-
on decades of deal-making. problem, when Mill-
descent of the agency he man told a reporter ville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints and San Fran-
founded in 1975, when cisco 49ers. In college, the process is in use at
BY TERRY LEFTON sponsorship was “pur- he wished he had landed McDonald’s as lead spon- Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo and N.C. State.
chasing airtime to sup-
sor for the first game in 1974. Millman’s solution SilvaClean comes in the form of a small box ad-
port TV programs.” was to buy every Miami Herald at the participating jacent to the washing
The book chronicles his love of sports — culti- hotels so that no one from that year’s actual lead machines, in which
vated beside his father, a season-ticket holder to sponsor, Johnnie Walker, ever saw a story about cartridges add silver
those great Cleveland Browns teams of the 1950s how he wished he had a different sponsor. ions to the rinse,
and ’60s — and the seminal moments and sports Among the book’s insider stories are a meeting which the company
marketing milestones that he was a part of, includ- in which client GTE tried to convince the NFL’s says kills everything
ing 12 Olympic Games; the ongoing powerful Competition Committee that it could make from the COVID
Pepsi/Coca-Cola wars; the first wireless coaches’ headsets before such a thing ex- virus to those which
blockbuster NFL halftime shows; isted. There was just one problem: The demonstra- cause MRSA and
and memorable events like the Pep- tion was made with wired headsets. Guess how long staph infections.
si-sponsored MLB softball game and that meeting lasted. “Businesses and con-
the “NFL’s Fastest Man.” Also detailed was Reebok’s infamous Dan and sumers are setting
Millsport, started with a $20,000 Millman Dave campaign before the 1992 Summer Olympics, new standards for
loan from a family friend, was built
which took a turn when Dan O’Brien failed to qual- cleanliness,” said SilvaClean now has six NFL
on decades-long relationships with big sports spon- ify for the decathlon at the Barcelona Games. Mill- CMO P r i y a teams using its product.
sors like GTE, Pepsi and Visa, during an era when man had his own Olympics experience, leaving his Balachandran. “In
the meteoric growth of cable television and sports agency briefly to be CMO for the 1996 Atlanta Olym- light of COVID, our value has really been elevated.”
was transforming sports marketing from an after- pics, though that stint ended relatively quickly. Intuitional hygiene, especially for the hospital-
thought into an essential tool for national brands. Also covered is Millsport’s eventual merger with ity industry, has been the company’s forte. Could
Millsport was always a big-idea shop with vision fellow Omnicom agency The Marketing Arm in SilvaClean be a consumer product soon, consider-
and talent for integrated marketing before that term 2004. After that, Millsport’s name vanished, until ing this is a time when cans of Lysol spray disin-
even existed. The first to take hold was a softball the book — which is available at Amazon, Barnes fectant are selling for more than $15 on Amazon?
game with MLB all-stars, a made-for-TV event that & Noble, and the site of Millman’s current agency, “We’re working on that,” she said.
lasted 20 years. Millman writes that the idea occurred Incuvate — has brought it back to life.
to him in the bathtub, after watching the old ABC In hindsight, Millman echoes many across the Terry Lefton can be reached at
[email protected].
“Superstars” competition. Over the years, 40 future industry, citing the rise of corporate procurement
Courtesy of Jim Millman; Courtesy of SilvaClean
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SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL
to ESPN’s staff. Part of his talk focused on ways to
ESPN Trust get coworkers and managers to feel more comfort-
co-chairs able speaking about mental health.
Melissa
Rawlins, Jon “That has been a huge initiative of ESPN Trust
McLeod and
Anita Barbero — having people feel comfortable with talking about
are joined by the fact that it is OK to take a mental health day,”
administrative Rawlins said. “It is OK to disclose that you’re taking
assistant Diana
Grabsch at a a mental health day.”
group event in In addition to getting speakers to talk to the staff,
January. McLeod and Rawlins also set up what they call the
“Mental Health Road Show.” That’s where they talk
to different ESPN departments about mental health
topics. Recently, for example, they gave a presenta-
tion to Burke Magnus’ programming group. Before
the presentation, Mag-
nus made it clear that
it was important for his “That has been
team to attend and pay a huge initiative
attention. of ESPN Trust —
having people
“I can’t reiterate how feel comfortable
important it is to have
leaders at a high level
SPORTS MEDIA buy in to mental health with talking
and the focus of it,” about the fact
ESPN group puts the focus on McLeod said. “Once that it is OK to
mental health and offers resources they bought in, then ev- take a mental
for staffers to deal with challenges erybody else below them health day. It is
buys in.”
W HEN DALLAS COWBOYS QB DAK PRESCOTT start an employee resource group around mental ESPN Trust’s main OK to disclose
spoke candidly about anxiety and depres- health. goal is to provide sup- that you’re
sion back in September, his comments port and resources to taking a mental
“As soon as I turned and said that, Melissa auto- ESPN employees who health day.”
seek it, McLeod and
Rawlins said.
“We understand the
sparked conversations about mental health that matically started spinning ideas,” McLeod said. difficulties of our jobs,” said McLeod. “It’s one thing
generally had not been seen in the “We both had the a-ha moment at the to know that there is support. There’s another thing
sports pages. same time.” to be handed that support. We want to make sure
For a lot of ESPNers, though, those ESPN officially set it up in January, that they can tap into the resources in whichever
conversations mirrored ones they’ve calling it ESPN Trust, an acronym for state that they’re in, whatever they’re dealing with.”
been having on the Bristol campus all Talk, Recognize, Understand, Their influence extends externally,
year. In January of this year, ESPN set Support and Triumph. It named too. ESPN editors and reporters lean
up an employee resource group dedi- McLeod, Rawlins and HR ex- on the two to help make sure they use
cated to mental health. The group was ecutive Anita Barbero co- appropriate language when talking or
established to provide resources and chairs of the group. writing about mental health.
support for employees who seek it. ESPN has nine groups like For example, Rawlins and McLeod
The idea to set up a group devoted the one started by McLeod and consult ESPN editors to avoid describing
to mental health was the brainchild BY JOHN OURAND Rawlins, providing employee someone’s mental heath as an “issue”
of Jon McLeod, an associate produc- support with various other top-
or a “problem.” When she advises report-
er at ESPN, and Melissa Rawlins, an ics, including one that focuses on dis- ers who address the topic, Rawlins tells them to avoid
associate photographer. abilities. defining people by their mental health. It’s something
In May 2019, the two worked together on a video The mental health group’s first event came a few they have; it’s not who they are, she said.
for Mental Health Awareness month. They decided months after it was formed. McLeod and Rawlins “We really try not to use the words ‘suffer’ or
to have Rawlins lead off the video by disclosing invited Tom Burr, from the public policy staff of ‘illness,’” Rawlins said. “We really want to try to
that she lives with anxiety and depression. The the National Alliance on Mental Illness, to speak use the words ‘live with.’ It’s something that some-
video, which told Rawlins’ mental body lives with. We want to make sure that it doesn’t
health story, then was placed on an have a negative connotation.”
internal ESPN platform. Rawlins has found that when people talk to her
The positive response the two re- about mental health, they make comments like,
ceived was overwhelming. Many ESPN “I’m so sorry” or “I want to save you.” She called
employees who saw the video reached comments like those “micro-aggressions.”
out with stories of their own. Others “A lot of that is invalidating the experience of
stopped Rawlins on mental health — not understanding that this is
the Bristol campus to Tom Burr of something that people wake up with every single
thank her for telling the National
day and have to be mindful of all day long,” Rawl-
ESPN Images (2) her story. Alliance ins said.
Based on those re- on Mental
Illness John Ourand can be reached at jourand@sports-
sponses, McLeod speaks businessjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @
turned to Rawlins to ESPN Ourand_SBJ and read his twice-weekly newsletter.
and suggested they staffers.
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 NOVEMBER 2-8, 2020 | 11
THE INSIDERS
LABOR AND AGENTS
CAA heads toward NBA draft with strong roster
C AABASKETBALLhas signed multiple prospects resented by Dave Spahn, Tellem and Ruiz. being like six months.”
for this month’s NBA draft, including three CAA Basketball is also representing Kentucky guard
projected lottery picks: Dayton forward/ CAA Basketball is also representing California
Ashton Hagans, Liberty guard/forward Caleb
State University-Northridge forward Lamine Diane, Homesley, Mississippi State forward/center Reggie
Perry, and an international prospect, guard Yam
center Obi Toppin, Florida State guard/forward who won Big West player of the year this year and Madar.
Devin Vassell and Iowa last year. CAA agents ■ MLBPA GIVES AWARD IN CURT FLOOD’S HONOR:
Curt Flood would have been both thrilled and
State guard Tyrese Hali- Felder, Fr ancois amazed that the MLB Players Association has
named a new award after him, to be presented an-
burton. Nyam and Morrison nually to a current or former player for his service
to the union and other players, according to Judy
The website NBADraft. represent Diane, who Pace Flood, his widow.
net ranked Toppin No. 5, came to the U.S. from “Oh my God, I am so, so blessed,” Pace Flood said.
“Curt would have felt the same way. There’s such
Vassell No. 7 and Halibur- Senegal to pursue his appreciation. He always reacted in the most incred-
ible way.”
ton No. 11 on its mock draft dream of playing in
Pace Flood said her husband would have said,
last week. Vassell Toppin the NBA. “They still remember me. They still know me!”
Despite those stel-
Toppin is represented by Curt Flood was a seven-time Gold Glove winner,
a three-time All-Star and a two-time World Series
CAA Basketball Co-Head lar regular-season performances, winner. He refused to be traded from the St. Louis
Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1969 and
Austin Brown and agent none of those players were able to sued Major League Baseball and then-Commission-
er Bowie Kuhn over it. The lawsuit challenged
BY LIZ MULLEN Mitch Nathan. Vassell is showcase their talent in the NCAA baseball’s reserve clause and went all the way to the
represented by agents Supreme Court, where Flood lost in a 5-3 decision.
Tournament this spring because it
But his fight over the clause ultimately led to the
Richard Beda, Andrew was canceled due to the pandemic. measure being overturned, which ushered in free
agency for baseball players. Flood died in 1997 at
Morrison and Nathan. Haliburton is represented It affected the players’ seasons and the age of 59.
by CAA Basketball Co-Head Aaron Mintz and agent Haliburton completely changed the way agents “He was brilliant,” Pace Flood said of her late
sign players and prepare them for husband, adding, “He was a history buff.” She also
Dave Spahn. said that he would have especially liked the award
because it is voted on by the players and reminds
CAA has signed other projected first-round picks, the draft, which is usually held in late June. The them of those who came before them and fought
for players’ rights.
including Arizona guard Josh Green and Kansas NBA announced in September that the NBA draft
The first winner of the Curt Flood award was
guard Devon Dotson. Green is represented by Mor- would be held this year on Nov. 18. Andre Dawson, who agreed to a blank contract to
play for the Chicago Cubs in 1987, at the height of
rison, Mintz and CAA Basketball Co-Head Steven CAA Basketball Co-Heads Brown, Mintz and Heu- collusion in baseball.
Heumann and was ranked No. 22 on NBADraft.net mann talked to SBJ last week about the challenges Liz Mullen can be reached at
last week. Dotson, who is represented by Ty Sul- of getting players prepared in 2020. [email protected].
livan and Michael Tellem, was ranked No. 30. “The rhythm of the season and the rhythm of Follow her on Twitter @SBJLizMullen.
“We are really excited about the quality of this the draft preparation, and pre-draft as we call it,
class,” Mintz said in a telephone interview with was completely disrupted,” Heumann said. “Nor-
Sports Business Journal last week. mally players would finish out their season, you’d
It includes many players who won top honors for have March Madness, you take a couple of weeks
the last college basketball season. Toppin won the off. And we as agents would be flying around the
AP men’s college basketball player of the year award country, setting up in-person meetings.”
in March and was named the Naismith College The agents signed players through virtual meet-
Player of the Year in April. Dotson has earned mul- ings and sent equipment, including weights, to their
tiple All-American honors. clients’ homes during the lockdown. CAA Basket-
Other CAA NBA draft prospect clients won awards ball has long had a pre-draft training program in
as well. Arkansas guard Mason Jones was voted co- Los Angeles, but that was scuttled due to travel and
SEC player of the year in March. Jones is represent- local government restrictions. The agency ended
ed by CAA Basketball agents Richard Felder and up getting two training centers for clients in Las
Mitch Nathan. Seton Hall’s Myles Powell, who was Vegas and New Jersey.
named Big East player of the year, is represented by “As an agency, we had to pivot,” Heumann said.
Morrison, Tellem and Erika Ruiz. San Diego State “We didn’t know when the NBA season would be
guard Malachi Flynn won Mountain West player of or a pre-draft would look like. Normally a pre-draft
the year and defensive player of the year. He is rep- process is six to eight weeks. This time it ended up
1 2 | N OV E M B E R 2-8, 2020 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM
SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL
PORTFOLIO SPORTS BETTING
ON A ROLL
Two years after online sports betting opened in New Jersey, teams and sportsbooks are sorting out
an emerging sponsor market across the U.S., and learning one size doesn’t fit all. BY BILL KING
W HEN THE NFL finally cleared its teams to the first of five Denver teams to close one. 22 TEAMS, 33 SPORTSBOOK DEALS
sell sportsbook sponsorships in “We knew who to talk to and had a sense of their TWO YEARS after the launch of New Jersey’s first
February, the decision came just in time online sportsbook, a sponsorship market that start-
strategies but, honestly, so much changed when we ed out white hot, with the NHL’s Devils taking in
for the Denver Broncos, who’d been cultivating hit their go-live date,” said Brady Kellogg, senior nearly $5 million from the category in 2018-19, seems
vice president of corporate partnerships for the to be settling into an equilibrium.
relationships with operators in a state that was Broncos. “We’d been talking and talking, but the
pace of conversation picked up dramatically after Sports Business Journal identified 22 teams with
only 10 weeks away from allowing its first legal [Colorado] went live. Consistently, you’ve seen there a combined 33 sportsbook sponsorship deals across
is an advantage of being one of the early movers the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL, counting only teams
sports wager. from a market-share perspective. in states that have legalized sports betting. That
does not include deals in border states such as New
Six weeks after betting opened in Colorado, the “It was phenomenal for us, in the thick of COVID York, casino deals that don’t include online
times when a lot of businesses had slowed down, sportsbooks, or DFS deals that do not specifically
Broncos announced the first sports betting deal to have this opportunity.” include the FanDuel or DraftKings sportsbooks.
signed by an NFL team, locking down FanDuel It is an opportunity easily misunderstood, a Prices range widely, based on market size, sport,
category that can rain cash in a market like exclusivity and regulatory framework within each
Sportsbook. A day later, they announced another Denver, one chock full of fans eager to wager and state. Additional hard costs, such as the build-out
fed by fierce competition between sportsbooks, of swanky betting lounges, also can affect pricing.
with little-known U.K.-based operator Betfred. Three most of which are building brands from scratch.
It also can punish those with unreasonable Though financials have not been disclosed, sources
weeks after that, they raised the curtain on a third expectations, like in states with high tax rates at leagues, teams and sportsbooks said deals typically
cutting into sportsbook budgets, or little range from $350,000 to $500,000 annually for
deal, with BetMGM. competition among books to drive bidding.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
Courtesy of Denver Broncos Each would include a component meant to
distinguish it from the others, a reason for
competitors to share a sandbox in a market that
opened with four authorized sportsbook sites and
already has grown to 15, with still more to come.
The timing of the NFL’s decision to relax its ban
allowed the Broncos to not only be the first NFL
team in the country to secure a deal, but also be
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 NOVEMBER 2-8, 2020 | 13
PORTFOLIO SPORTS BETTING
SPORTSBOOKS PLACE
BET ON TEAM TIEUPS
The nation’s rapidly expanding Fans make bets on the
mobile sports betting footprint has first day of legal sports
yielded 33 sportsbook sponsorship betting at Capital One
deals for 22 teams across MLB, the Arena in Washington,
D.C. William Hill has
NBA, NFL and NHL. Here are the deals with both the
pairings that have been announced: Capitals and Wizards and
is building a new two-
COLORADO NEW JERSEY story sportsbook on site.
Handle: Handle:
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 deals are the the most of any market. The Rockies have a deal
$207,655,942 $748,588,349 with DraftKings. The Stan Kroenke-owned Nuggets and Avalanche
Gross revenue: Gross revenue: nonexclusive agreements and up to $4 million annually locked down an exclusive deal with PointsBet, an Australian
for exclusivity in a larger, competitive market. bookmaker that has made Denver its U.S. headquarters.
$4,166,334 $45,083,178
Broncos: Devils: There can be outliers, such as the exclusive deals PointsBet has established itself among the bigger believers
that have William Hill operating a brick and mortar in team deals, signing with the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts,
FanDuel, FanDuel, sportsbook at Capital One Arena in Washington, Indiana Pacers and Detroit Tigers. BetMGM also has six, going
BetMGM, William Hill, D.C., and DraftKings opening a flagship location heavy on the NFL with the Broncos, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas
Betfred Unibet adjacent to Wrigley Field. Raiders, New York Jets and Tennessee Titans, along with the
Rockies: Giants: Vegas Golden Knights. DraftKings has the Cubs, Colorado Rockies,
DraftKings DraftKings But, in aggregate, teams typically generate $1 Indiana Pacers, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles and
Nuggets: Jets: BetMGM million to $3 million from the category, sources said. 76ers. William Hill has the Capitals and Wizards in D.C, plus the
PointsBet Colts, Devils and Golden Knights.
Avalanche: ILLINOIS* Chicago is the largest of the pro sports DMAs with
PointsBet Handle: commercial sportsbooks up and running, followed There also are some done that haven’t yet been announced and
by Philadelphia, Washington, Denver, Pittsburgh and plenty still to be negotiated in a nation that wagered more than
PENNSYLVANIA $139,331,865 Indianapolis, although proximity to state lines also $2.5 billion on sports in September.
Handle: Gross revenue: can bring markets such as New York City into play.
TEAM DEALS BUILD TRUST, CONNECTION
$462,787,392 $6,909,706 The pecking order after that generally shakes THE SPORTSBOOKS that play in the space see team deals simi-
Gross revenue: Cubs: out based on handle, the amount of money bet on larly. They expose their brand to a market’s most avid sports
each sport. The NFL historically has generated the fans, the very group that is most likely to open an account and
$18,277,566 DraftKings highest handle, followed by the NBA and MLB and bet on games. While they also can do that through TV, radio and
Eagles: Bears: then NHL, so sponsor pricing generally has followed outdoor, and can do it hyper-efficiently through targeted online
that order as well. ads, the sponsorship is seen as conveying trust and credibility.
Fox Bet, PointsBet That’s especially important for a legal betting app, considering
DraftKings, Online handle Because the category is so competitive in most the negative connotations some associate with gambling, and
Unibet markets, exclusivity comes at a heavy premium, particularly illegal offshore sports betting.
Sixers: share: especially for NFL teams. The Broncos explored
DraftKings, BetRivers, 87%; the possibility briefly before determining that they Typically, only FanDuel and DraftKings have high brand
BetRivers DraftKings, could generate considerably more from three deals. awareness going into a new betting market.
Flyers: 10%;
BetRivers FanDuel, 3% Colorado provides an interesting window into “We’ve got to build a brand,” said Eric Foote, chief commercial
Penguins: the marketing assets that sportsbooks value, which officer at PointsBet. “We’re new. We’re a challenger brand. We
BetRivers NEVADA can vary by book and by state. All three of the understand that. We’ve got to find a way to build that brand trust
Online handle Handle: Broncos deals include digital marketing, a crucial and credibility. One way we we do that is finding the proper team
share: piece in a business that generally lives in fans’ or leagues or media partners to partner with.”
FanDuel, 41%; $575,069,930 palms. But after that, each is distinct.
DraftKings, Gross revenue: Though MGM Resorts is a well-known commodity, the BetMGM
28%; FanDuel’s is largely about getting Broncos fans online sportsbook that it owns in joint venture with U.K. operator
BetRivers, 12%; $32,894,000 to sign up with a brand they know, with a smattering GVC Holdings is only 18 months old. While BetMGM piggybacks
Fox Bet, 6%; Raiders: of stadium, TV and radio advertising to drive home off its resort properties to gain national exposure on occasion —
Barstool, 6% the connection and lots of home-team promotions such as when its logo appeared during Los Angeles Lakers “home”
BetMGM that reward fans who open accounts. BetMGM’s games from the NBA bubble or on the left field wall at Globe Life
Golden deal hinges on plans for a stadium lounge that will Field during the Dodgers’ World Series games — its primary objective
operate similarly to a retail sportsbook, with a bar, is to drive sign-ups to an app with which few fans are familiar.
Knights: tables, TVs and odds displays, as well “ambassadors”
William Hill, to help new bettors sign up and play. Betfred also Generally, the brand’s NFL team sponsorships come with IP
BetMGM has plans for a lounge, though its will be through rights, signs and digital advertising. But tweaks set each apart.
a tailgate party set up on the adjacent lawn.
INDIANA WASHINGTON, “The teams that we’ve ended up working with have all had an
Handle: D.C.^ Though betting has been live only since May, and above and beyond type idea or two embedded in our proposal,”
Handle: the first three months were squelched by coronavirus-
$207,042,428 depleted schedules, Denver’s six reported sportsbook
Gross revenue: $12,186,041
Gross revenue:
$11,266,606
Colts: $1,305,402
Capitals:
PointsBet,
FanDuel. William Hill
William Hill Wizards:
Pacers:
PointsBet, William Hill
DraftKings
Online handle MICHIGAN**
share: Tigers:
DraftKings,
52%; PointsBet
FanDuel, 33%; Lions: BetMGM
BetMGM, 8%;
BetRivers, 4%; TENNESSEE**
PointsBet 4% Titans:
BetMGM
*Figures from August. All other states are Getty Images
from September.
**Deals are in advance of the start of
mobile sports betting in these states.
^Excludes GameBet state lottery app.
Note: Online share where available.
Source: Sports Business Journal research
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SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL
TOP SPORTSBOOKS HIT MORE THAN 3 BILLION IMPRESSIONS IN KEY MEDIA MARKETS
FanDuel Sportsbook’s ads on local TV, VOD and OTT are earning more media impressions than competitors in Chicago, Denver, Indianapolis, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh,
the five largest media markets in states that have opened up to sports betting, according to SBJ analysis of 2020 iSpot.tv data through Oct. 25 where betting is legal.
To read: FANDUEL (FD) DRAFTKINGS (DK) BETMGM (BM) POINTSBET (PB) WILLIAM HILL (WH)
BREAKDOWN IN MAJOR CITIES BREAKDOWN BY
SPORTSBOOK
PHILADELPHIA DENVER CHICAGO INDIANAPOLIS PITTSBURGH 1.856b
876,839,408 886,110,484 372,139,322 467,092,856 538,316,461
1.5b
579.1m
500m 1.152b
400m 439.1m 379.7m 1b
347.4m 158.6m 500m
300m 291.0m
200m
199.4m 258.8m
161.2m 194.0m
100m 99.0m 118.6m
12.2m
6.73m 10.9m 652k 12.9m 1.4m 1.3m
FD DK BM FD DK PB WH FD DK BM PB
66.0% 33.2% 0.8% FD DK BM WH 53.6% 43.3% 2.9% 0.2% 55.4% 41.5% 2.8% 0.3% FD DK FD DK BM PB WH
49.6% 39.2% 11.2% 0.1% 70.5% 29.5%
Notes: BetMGM also had 7,504,293 impressions in New York City and 3,169,917 impressions in Nashville. PointsBet had 583,763 impressions in New York.
Source: Sports Business Journal analysis of iSpot.tv data
said Matt Prevost, chief marketing officer of an outdoor area, a large bar and lounge and a VIP conversion, you’re competing against Google and
BetMGM. “In the case of the Titans, it was the ability Facebook and Instagram and Twitter and all these
to sponsor field goals and extra points. If you watched area tailored to high-end bettors. ad sites that can specifically target you and say,
the game the other night [when the Titans played ‘Here’s this fan of X team, this is his makeup, we’re
on CBS on a Tuesday], the signage was remarkable.” “As long as you follow the proper guidelines within going to try to hit him and push him to conversion.’
We need to do that better than they do.”
In Denver, a key component of BetMGM’s the state, you can re-create something very, very
sponsorship of the Broncos is the betting lounge, Tracking the performance of its Jets sponsorship,
a sports bar that functions similarly to a retail similar to retail that gives you that bang for your BetMGM found that users were 50% more likely to
sportsbook, serving as a place for BetMGM to drive click through from an ad that included a Jets logo
sampling and signups and reward bettors. Bettors buck,” Foote said. “It’s finding an opportunity where than an otherwise identical ad without the logo.
must wager on their mobile devices, but it will look
and feel like an MGM Resorts sportsbook. the sports bar is open 365 days a year, not just game “That suggests there’s a real value to using that
IP,” Prevost said. “Because of the nature of our
The lounge PointsBet has planned as part of its days. People will be interacting with our brand, brand and the category, direct player acquisition
exclusive sponsorship with Kroenke will give it a will always be a big feature of any relationship. So
presence similar to that which sportsbooks will our content, our lines, our odds and our ambassadors our ability to leverage the team’s assets toward some
have in D.C. and Chicago, where regulation carved form of direct player acquisition will always be a
out retail sportsbook licenses attached to the major who are educating the fans, walking them through big piece of the puzzle.”
pro sports venues. Accessible from both the street
and the arena, PointsBet’s sports bar will include making deposits.” As markets have emerged, the executives at teams
within them have worked to learn a new business,
PointsBet will track the ROI of its sponsorships and how they might fit into it. When Broncos
marketers were preparing for conversations with
with eyes toward metrics in three areas: awareness sportsbooks, they considered the fan base’s relatively
high count of millennials to be a plus, knowing that
of both the brand and the sponsorship; expression group overindexed as online sports bettors.
of purchase preference and an associated willingness What they found was that sportsbooks had deeper
research showing Colorado had a high percentage
Getty Images to refer friends; and, most importantly, acquisition of illegal offshore bettors and DFS players, metrics
they found far more attractive than any broader demo.
and retention of customers that can be tied directly
“We’re all learning,” Kellogg said. “It wasn’t even
to the sponsorship. six months ago that all this occurred. In our market,
nobody had anything. How fast stuff has happened,
It is the last of those that is at the head of these particularly at a time other stuff has slowed down,
is amazing.”
deals, even for the unknown brands. Branding
matters, but conversion is king.
“Teams are fantastic at brand, especially with
partners that are less known,” said Adam Davis,
who as chief commercial officer of Devils owner
Harris Blitzer Sports was the first U.S. team executive
to build a portfolio of sportsbook sponsors. “We are
great at introducing them to our fan bases. We are
The Golden Knights great at building trust
have sportsbook deals
with both BetMGM and among our fan bases with
William Hill. BetMGM these brands. Where we
also has a deal with the have to get to the next
level is conversion.
Raiders. “When you talk about
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 NOVEMBER 2-8, 2020 | 15
PORTFOLIO MARATHONS
Nowhere antine due to COVID-19, the racing industry has
To Run
been running on empty. Everything from the Boston
Marathon in April (30,000 runners) to the Peachtree
Road Race in Atlanta (60,000 runners) on Indepen-
dence Day to the fall marathon season has been one
giant DNS (Did Not Start). Besides New York, mar-
athons in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Philadel-
phia have all been KO’d by COVID.
“It has been a horrible year for any and all live
events,” says Jean Knaack, executive director of
the Road Runners Club of America, which repre-
sents 1,500 running clubs and organizers. Or, as
Tom Grilk, the CEO of the Boston Athletic Asso-
ciation, organizer of the most prestigious race in
the sport, the Boston Marathon, puts it, COVID
brought the business of racing to “a grinding halt.”
The stoppage has done more than snuff the tradi-
tions relished by runners like Jerry Marcus. Mara-
thons pump millions into local economies, with
runners (and their families) spending money on food,
Marathons have been canceled across the travel, accommodations and merchandise during a
country, and organizers face a long road back
weekend of festivities. The TCS New York City Mar-
athon reportedly generates $415 million for the city.
Boston measures its impact at $200 million. And Chi-
cago, which was due to have its 43rd running on Oct.
FOR YEARS JERRY MARCUS has been waking early marathons in America’s urban centers. 11, derives over $400 million. But it’s not just big cit-
— 3 a.m. early — on the first Sunday of November For Marcus, the canceled marathon meant no ies profiting from the sport. The Monterey, Calif., area
to make and eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. pre-race carbo loading Italian meal with fellow draws 75,000 runners, relatives and friends by hosting
But this year was different. When 3 a.m. struck, members of his Pizza Runners Group. No fighting two race weekends each year. In 2020, both events
Marcus just stayed in bed. It wasn’t an for a seat on the Staten Island Ferry that were canceled, and the economic benefit was lost.
appetizing thought. BY CHARLES transports runners to the start come race The trickle-down effect from the missing events is
Why? Because a tradition, at least BUTLER day. No loud roars greeting him as he
makes his way into Manhattan from widespread. Often, charities secure slots in the cov-
for one year, had been put on hold.
eted races, then make them available to runners will-
Marcus, 70, lives in Manhattan and Queens via the 59th Street Bridge. “I’m ing to fundraise for a charity’s cause. Last year,
has run 23 New York City marathons missing it now,” Marcus, a retired tech- charity runners doing the Bank of America Chicago
since his first one, in 1987. “Signed up the day nology executive, had said a couple of weeks Marathon raised more than $25 million for 100 char-
before,” he says, “and paid 10 bucks.” before the scheduled marathon date. “I’m not ities. With the race canceled, those organizations now
This year on marathon day, though, Marcus training as I used to and I am not training with face thousands of dollars in lost revenue.
— along with 50,000 other people who paid upward my friends. That whole social environment, in- And then there’s the hit on runners’ wallets. A
of $255 to run the largest marathon in the world dependent of the race, is gone. The anticipation. New York City marathoner could spend roughly $500
— was in no rush to run 26.2 miles. Because of The nervousness. I’m going to miss all that.” to gain entry into the race: $255 for the actual event
COVID-19 the TCS New York City Marathon was This fall, the nation’s roadways are missing and another $250 or so to take part in nine smaller
canceled, just like most races in the country, from thousands of runners like Jerry Marcus. Since races that guarantee entry into the big one. This
small-town 5K charity runs to historic mega- March, when most of the world went into quar- year, New York Road Runners, the marathon orga-
nizer, offered either a full refund or a defer-
ral to a future marathon, a strategy
employed by organizers in Chicago and
Philadelphia, among other places.
Usually, though, races don’t offer refunds
when they’re canceled. Eddi Walker, a run-
ner from Butte, Mont., says she spent about
$400 on race fees this year
Last year’s but received only $175 in
TCS New York refunds. She directs
City Marathon races in Butte, so she un-
set a record derstands the no-refund
with more policy. Races have ex-
than 53,000 penses — from permits
finishers. to booking exhibit space
for pre-race expos to pur-
chasing T-shirts — that can’t be recouped.
Still, the lost entry fees are “kind of prob-
lem. I am not working full time,” Walker
says. “I substitute teach, and as a teacher
they closed school down for a long time
— and now it’s too scary to [teach].”
Race directors say they feel the runners’ Getty Images
pain. Their bottom lines hurt, too. New York
Road Runners’ 2019 tax forms show revenue
of more than $113 million, of which an es-
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SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL
A PROBLEM FROM START TO FINISH qualified for the April
race; 18,000 signed up,
Nearly a year’s worth of major marathons have been called off with finishers receiv-
Event Last Held Most recent ing a Boston medal.
finishers New York leads the
TCS New York City Marathon November 2019 53,627 pack when it comes to
Bank of America Chicago Marathon October 2019 45,932 virtual racing. This
Boston Marathon^ April 2019 26,771 year, it offered differ-
Honolulu Marathon 18,805 ent tiers, ranging
December 2019 from a free entry to
Marine Corps Marathon October 2019 18,355 elite levels of $150. By
Walt Disney World Marathon* January 2020 14,116 mid-October, 26,000
Philadelphia Marathon November 2019 10,065 runners had signed
Chevron Houston Marathon* January 2020 6,899 up to do the virtual
Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon October 2019 6,747 marathon. Runners
could download an
The 2020 Boston Marathon was canceled for the first time since its debut San Francisco Marathon July 2019 5,226 app that offered
in 1897, and the 2021 version has been postponed until at least the fall. Frank Sinatra’s ren-
* Canceled race for 2021; ^ 2021 race postponed dition of “New York,
timated $12 million came from marathon entries. With $6 million in revenue, also laid off employees, ac- New York” when they began their marathon — even
the cancellation, NYRR will be refunding runners cording to race director Carey Pinkowski. While if their run started in Des Moines or Spokane. They
who are not deferring to a future marathon. It is also not disclosing the number of affected employees, could also take a photo of themselves when finished,
negotiating with sponsors who signed up to be part Pinkowski says, “You have to make adjustments with an “augmented reality” medal appearing on
of a race that isn’t happening. In some cases it may on what you are doing; pull back on a lot of things. their chests.
have to return sponsorship dollars. “It is significant,” Our goal is to keep our core team together, but it’s TCS developed the AR feature. The company also
Jim Heim, senior vice president of events and race the economics. We’re fortunate that we have some worked with NYRR on a podcast and YouTube train-
director, says of the financial hit. “[The marathon] reserves to draw on and as we move into 2021.” ing program in order to get some value out of its title
is the biggest financial driver that we have.” Doug Thurston, race director of the Big Sur In- sponsorship, a role it has held since 2014. Michelle
New York knows the trials a cancellation can cause. ternational Marathon in California, says his orga- Taylor, TCS’s head of global sports sponsorships, says
In 2012, Hurricane Sandy wiped out the race just days nization has reserves too — they’re just not what such programming showed a shared interest between
before its scheduled running. That year, NYRR lost they were before COVID. Canceling major events the event partners “to keep runners engaged in these
$19 million, although it recouped $15 million via its in April and November cost the organization close crazy times … We want to do everything we can do
insurer. By canceling this year’s race four months in to $3.4 million in revenue — and eventually jobs. with the race property to help create the experience
advance, NYRR officials say they avoided some major In August, Thurston laid off five of seven full-time and opportunities wherever people are.”
costs they usually incur. Still, they’re not yet clear staffers. He also announced the cancellation of all Taylor did add that TCS and NYRR will need to
how much insurance will cover other losses. 2021 races, becoming one of the first race directors resolve “how much of the value we have tradition-
Timing did not favor the Boston Marathon. to raise the white flag on the coming year. ally gotten is not able to be delivered.” That’s a near-
COVID-19 was hitting East Coast cities hard when “It is completely a survival game. Completely,” term conversation. Another conversation looms: TCS’s
the BAA pushed its mid-April race to September; says Thurston, who says he took a pay cut at the contract with NYRR ends after the 2021 marathon.
in May it was canceled for the first time in its 124- time of the layoffs. “We know how much money is That’s 12 months away, and while Taylor says the
year history, with a virtual edition later held instead. in the bank. There is not much more going in. We company is committed to running and runners, like
Race officials had already incurred costs for shirts, can sell a few shirts now and then, but that barely everyone involved in the sport “we are trying to get
medals and other event-related expenses. “There pays the electric bill. Our balance in the bank is just a sense of where things are heading.”
are costs to cancellation, costs that cannot be can- going to keep going down and down and down each Jerry Marcus knows the feeling. On Oct. 24, he ran
celed,” says Grilk. “A race organizer in many cases month until we can get a new influx of cash.” the virtual New York City Marathon. Instead of hit-
is stuck with those costs.” He says the BAA also And when’s that? Race directors say planning for ting all five boroughs, Marcus kept his route to the
had sponsorship deals to consider. While not dis- 2021 remains a waiting game. Until a vaccine is ap- streets of Manhattan. Instead of running with 55,000
closing exact figures, Grilk says the BAA “did return proved and widely available, staging large-scale others, he ran solo, for 5 hours, 40 minutes, and 46
money” to John Hancock, its longtime title sponsor, racing events is unlikely. Organizers also need city seconds. And instead of being cheered by New York-
after a “data-driven analysis” that looked at what and state authorities to ease restrictions. Already, ers lining the streets in different neighborhoods, he
value John Hancock had gained prior to the cancel- December’s BMW Dallas Marathon has been re- dodged tourists clueless to what he was doing. But
lation. Like NYRR, the BAA did have insurance scheduled to April 2021, January’s Chevron Houston he ended his run at a familiar spot: the finish line in
that covered cancellation caused by such events as Marathon has been canceled, and even the Boston Central Park that he had crossed 23 previous times.
a pandemic, according to Grilk. Marathon has been pushed to at least the fall. Waiting for him, with a Mylar jacket, was his wife,
The lost revenue, in some cases, has cost jobs. For now, virtual races have become the industry’s Roberta, and five other members of the Pizza Runners
The 229-person New York Road Runners has laid lifeline, keeping runners connected to their favor- Group. They had run 26.2 miles that day too. A picnic
off 26 employees and furloughed 65 others. Chi- ite events. Runners who signed up for, say, the vir- followed, with Marcus celebrating his 24th New York
cago, with its 45,000 entrants generating about tual Chicago Marathon in October could run the City Marathon. Sort of.
26.2 miles on a route of their choosing with- “Without the normal lead-up to a race, without
Getty Images; Courtesy of Jerry Marcus out having to travel to Chicago. They received running with people competitively, particularly in
a complimentary digital race bib number and New York where you go through different commu-
a finisher certificate. They nities and get the vibe — all that was missing,” he
Jerry Marcus could also tour the virtual said.
(second from race expo. (They did need to And as it turned out, one other thing was differ-
right) and his pony up for a race T-shirt.)
ent: He ran 26.3 miles. “That’s the problem when
Pizza Runner The BAA, on the other hand, you make your own course,” said Marcus. “You can’t
buddies ran a charged $50 for runners to plan it perfectly.”
virtual take part in its first virtual
marathon Boston Marathon. The field Charles Butler is a freelance writer based in
last month. was limited to those who had Eugene, Ore. He has written frequently for Runner’s
World, among other publications.
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 NOVEMBER 2-8, 2020 | 17
PORTFOLIO STADIUM TOUR
High Rollers
The pandemic has delayed the arrival of
Raiders fans, but Allegiant Stadium still makes
a bold statement for the Silver and Black.
BY KARN DHINGRA above: The Raiders went with three video boards instead of a giant Getty Images (2)
single-hung version to create a more compact atmosphere.
T HROUGHOUT THE RAIDERS’ 60-YEAR HISTORY, the franchise top: Fans have already dubbed the stadium the “Death Star” for its
never had its own home. Whether at Oakland Coliseum out-of-this world appearance.
or Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Raiders were
always tenants. Allegiant Stadium is the Raiders’ first home they Los Angeles and NFL owners approved Stan Kroenke’s SoFi
can truly call their own, and it was created in the team’s new Stadium and its mixed-used development in Inglewood, Calif.
Las Vegas image, appearing as a gleaming black and silver alien
spacecraft on the south end of the Vegas Strip. “In 2014-2015, we were invited to participate in a design com-
petition for a new NFL stadium in Los Angeles in Carson, Calif.,
The story of the Raiders’ $1.98 billion, 65,000-seat home start-
ed when the Chargers threw their lot in with the Rams’ move to
1 8 | N OV E M B E R 2-8, 2020 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM
SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL
HONORING AL DAVIS
The Las Vegas Raiders Al Davis Memorial Torch commemorates the late franchise owner’s life and may
be the world’s largest 3D-printed object. Kansas City-based Dimensional Innovations designed and built
the 93-foot, or nine-story, torch. The firm spent 50,000 hours developing, creating and installing the struc-
ture, which rises above the main concourse at Allegiant Stadium.
Dimensional Innovations used 225 3D-printed blocks made of carbon fiber, each weighing approximately
350 pounds. Over 100,000 pounds of raw material were used to print the blocks. The monument also has
1,148 surface panels, made from over 35,000 pounds of raw aluminum, that make up its reflective surface.
The high-tech final touch involved Dimensional Innovations using a robot to paint the surface panels.
which was hosted by the San Diego Chargers,” said Manica ar-
chitect Keith Robinson, who led the design team for Allegiant
Stadium. “As part of their design critique [the Chargers] said
we needed to develop a building that could accommodate two
teams; it wasn’t clear if that was another NFL franchise or a
college team.”
Shortly afterward, Manica was informed it had won the com-
petition and was asked to render out the proposed stadium and
change the seat colors to black and silver. “And meet us in Al-
ameda because the Raiders and the Chargers are going to pursue
their relocation to Los Angeles jointly,” Robinson added.
But after NFL owners approved SoFi, the Raiders informed
Manica in late 2015 that they would need help with their new home.
“That’s when [Raiders President] Marc Badain called us and
said, ‘We’re not moving to L.A., we’re moving to Las Vegas and
we need your help to
BY THE NUMBERS evaluate some sites to
make sure we find the
$1.98 billion cost to build perfect site for our new
building,’” Robinson
“Once it’s filled with
said. “That’s really It was also very impor- and Manica inter-
65,000 capacity where it started; they tant to the Raiders that they 65,000 people, which viewed with the
liked what we did.” played on grass, so Manica we all hope is sooner Chargers,” said Lan-
(expandable to 100,000) looked to how the Arizona than later, it will feel son Nichols, vice
Cardinals installed the president of sports
8,000 club seats To finance the con-
88 loge boxes struction of Allegiant team’s roll-in natural grass absolutely incredible.” architecture at
Stadium, the Raiders field at State Farm Stadium, HNTB. “When [the
127 suites contributed $1.02 billion Robinson said. Raiders] weren’t se-
through a combination
19 million pounds weight of of an equity loan from Manica’s design of Al- lected for the L.A.
Bank of America and a
legiant Stadium also incorporates three market, things went quiet for a while
the retractable grass tray sold-out personal seat video boards instead of following the trend but discussions ramped up pretty
1.75 million square feet license campaign headed of installing one giant video board, such quickly over in Vegas and we all kind
by Legends that brought
stadium footprint in $549 million. Clark as the center-hung structure in venues like of re-competed and were selected
AT&T Stadium or the video board rings there,” Nichols said. “We got a trial run
7,865 feet white light ribbon County kicked in $750 that encircle the field at Mercedes-Benz in L.A. and finished it off in Vegas.”
million from bond sales
encircling the exterior and a room tax on Las Stadium and now SoFi Stadium. For Al- HNTB designed the Raiders’ locker
legiant Stadium, Manica found the perfect room and the Raiderettes Lounge.
7,400 glass and metal Vegas hotel rooms. The mix of LED screens that would give the “We worked with the Raiderettes,
remaining $200 million
panels on the exterior venue a tight and compact atmosphere, and [Raiders owner Mark] Davis very
2,200 TVs came from the NFL’s sta- Robinson said. much wants that to be a part of the
1,800 Wi-Fi access points dium loan program.
“Once it’s filled with 65,000 people, tour and it’s a part of the history of
Dubbed by the Raid-
Dimensional Innovations; Michael Clemens / Raiders which we all hope is sooner than later, it the team,” Nichols said. “Football’s
Source: SBJ research ers and NFL fans as the will feel absolutely incredible,” Robinson Fabulous Females is their tagline.
“Death Star,” a refer-
said. (The Raiders have already said they There’s even kind of a miniature hall
ence to a planet-destroy- will not host any fans in the stadium’s of fame — we call it story in style in
ing space station in the inaugural season because of the pandem- the entry area — that goes through
“Star Wars” movie franchise, or the “Roomba,” a popular robot ic, but UNLV planned to hold at least two the history of the team and shows the
vacuum cleaner, the Raiders used paints and coatings from Ohio- home games there starting on Halloween different outfits and pictures.”
based PPG to give Allegiant Stadium its distinctive black and with up to 3% of stadium capacity.) As far as premium inventory, Al-
silver finish. Manica worked with HNTB, the archi- legiant Stadium features 8,000 club
“When we went to Vegas, we decided we would show it to tect of record on the project, and Daktron- seats, 127 suites, eight premium clubs
them in all black and part of that is related to their brand,” ics to get the video boards designed and and 88 four-person loge boxes on the
Robinson said. “We felt that decision had enough to stand its installed. sidelines.
own ground in that city. But the inspiration for the design was “The team actually came together orig- Inspiration for the loge seats came
a sports car.” inally in Carson, Calif., when both HNTB CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
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PORTFOLIO STADIUM TOUR
THE COMPANIES BEHIND two-market approach, so “They said the goal Deals” will feature $3 items including
ALLEGIANT STADIUM you’ve got local Las was to create and hot dogs, nachos and pretzels.
Vegas — kind of old- design signature
PROJECT LEADS school Vegas and new- Since fans won’t be allowed this
school Vegas — is how we experiences for all our season, the Raiders and Levy
u Architects: HNTB, Manica Architecture looked at it, and we in- guests, that includes launched a preview of Allegiant Sta-
u Project Manager: CAA ICON corporated restaurant families to diehards dium’s offerings called Gameday to
u General Contractor: Mortenson and partners that had a long- to internationals and Go. Food and merchandise packages
McCarthy (joint venture) standing homegrown for season-ticket holders range in
u Concessionaire: Levy Restaurants price from $50 to $200. Raiders fans
u Operations Contractor: ASM Global
tradition here in Vegas, high rollers, that they can order the packages via the team’s
KEY PARTNERS like Ferraro’s Restau- can come together mobile app and pick them up at Al-
rant, which has been in a state-of-the-art legiant Stadium. Gameday To Go has
u Allegiant Air (naming rights) around for three decades, averaged more than 100 orders per
u America First Credit Union
u Aristocrat Technologies but also tying it to some stadium.” week since launching with a limited
u Caesars Entertainment of the cool new home- offering for Week 2 of the NFL season.
u Coors Light
u Cox grown partners like Fu- When Levy was brought on board
u Credit One Bank
u Ford kuburger,” Kohler said. to handle food and beverage at Alle-
u Intermountain Healthcare
u Modelo “Then also mindful of why visitors giant, the company had the opportunity to interview
u MGM Resorts
u Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling come to Las Vegas, that it’s a world-class the Raiders to understand what they expected, said
u San Manuel Casino
u Twitch destination for food and entertainment Levy Chief Creative Officer Alison Weber.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 in general outside of gaming, so we in- “They said the goal was to create and design signa-
from business-class seats on a long-haul flight, corporated nationally known partners ture experiences for all our guests, that includes
Robinson said. “They have their own private floor
and they share it with another luxury suite level. like Guy Fieri, who is also a huge Raiders families to diehards to internationals and high rollers,
The concept is they’re ergonomic and all of what
you need is right at your fingertips, everything fan, along with Michael Mina and our that they can all come together in a state-of-the-art
from pre-chilled drinks that are from a cooler
that is pre-stocked with your preferences for you local mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim, who stadium,” Weber said.
when you show up, your own TV screen right in
front of you on a dashboard, integrated phone really created
chargers, power storage, you name it.”
the term.” above: Twitch branded
Then there’s the north end zone field club, which The Raiders a lounge in the lower
will essentially become a nightclub, Robinson level as part of its team
said. The Raiders had space in the building that wanted to weave partnership.
was going to be used for bunker suites but they in every demo-
found there was a lot of interest from casinos in
that valuable real estate, so they used the space graphic and price left: Gameday to Go Michael Clements / Raiders; Joey Ungere / Raiders
for the nightclub concept instead, Robinson said. point at Allegiant gives fans the oppor-
Stadium to pro- tunity sample the sta-
Few details about the club have been released, vide experiences dium’s concessions.
but Robinson offered Sports Business Journal
a description: “You can stand in the end zone, that range from
and right behind where people are standing, there
are tiered luxury booths, like VIP bottle service all-inclusive pre-
booths. You can pay for a booth for 10 to 12 people
and sit right in the end zone. It’s going to be an mium clubs,
absolutely incredible experience.”
suites and fine-
On the food and beverage front, the Raiders
teamed up with Levy Restaurants to create Silver dining to tradi-
and Black Hospitality to handle concessions. Al-
legiant Stadium’s food and beverage concepts tional stadium
will be a mix of new and old local offerings from
Las Vegas’ culinary scene. They will include: fare, Kohler said.
Guy Fieri, Michael Mina, BBQ Mexicana from
Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, Holsteins, In a nod to Las
Fukuburger, Rollin Smoke, Ferraro’s, Capriotti’s
Sandwich Shop, Pizza Rock by Tony Gemignani, Ve g a s c a s i n o
Evel Pie and Battle Born Burgers.
lingo, “House
The Raiders polled their fans in Oakland and
Las Vegas to see what they expected in a food
and beverage experience, said Jim Kohler, pres-
ident of Levy West. “We incorporated really a
2 0 | N OV E M B E R 2-8, 2020 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM
DEGREE PROGRAMS IN SPORTS BUSINESS
Sports Business Programs More Important Than Ever
Sports is a cultural touchstone for America, and in these uncertain times, the sports industry has an opportunity and a responsibility
to provide creative and capable leadership.
In a climate of such tumultuous and permanent change, it’s ever more crucial to be well-rounded, not only in the traditional
business practices, but in the safety and cultural landscape that will be the foundation of sports and fandom moving forward.
With changes such as playing without fans, truncated seasons and the move to virtual and creative multi-platform sponsorships,
sports business education needs to be agile and relentlessly up to date. Students must be equally skilled at negotiation and crisis
management as they are in selling media rights. They require a fierce commitment to diversity and inclusion and how that will be
reflected in ever y aspect of the business moving forward. And their sports business programs must reflect, teach and embrace all
those qualities across the board.
The colleges and universities featured here can lead the way in providing the knowledge and skills students need for success.
COLUMBIA COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY panels, and speakers, drawing on the
abundant resources of our faculty,
UNIVERSITY Columbia University students gather on the steps of Low Library for a photo opportunity Columbia University, and New York City
during orientation week. — The center of the Sports Universe.
Columbia University is home to the
only sports management graduate opportunity to go to Madrid, Spain for on the abundant resources of our fac- Your Faculty.
program in the Ivy League. The Master a week-long intensive to learn from ulty, Columbia University, and New York Learn from successful industry
of Science in Sports Management fea- the program’s partner, Escuela Univer- City. practitioners and leaders in all areas
tures a leading-edge, market-driven sitaria Real Madrid Universidad Euro- of the sports industry.
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access to sports industry leaders and Real Madrid C.F. industry experts, and graduates work- Your Curriculum.
experts. The program takes advantage ing in leadership positions across the Acquire practical skills through a
of Columbia’s New York City setting In the program, you will… global sports ecosystem. best-in-class curriculum in areas
and global reach, by providing exten- including digital sports media, sports
sive industry networking, internship, • Learn from successful industry In A League of Our Own analytics, business intelligence, ath-
and employment opportunities across practitioners and leaders in all areas lete activism, sports entrepreneurship
a wide variety of sports. Students com- of sports business. Your Columbia. Your City. Your and innovation, global sports man-
plete special projects special projects Faculty. Your Curriculum agement, sports marketing, finance,
with organizations including the NFL, • Gain practical knowledge and sponsorship sales and activation,
NBA, MLB, NHL, FC Bayern Munich, and training with sports organizations such Your Columbia. negotiations, facility and event man-
ESPN. The program offers both full-time as the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, FC Bayern Earn a degree from one of the top agement, sports law and ethics, and
and part-time options. Munich, LaLiga, Real Madrid, and universities in the world. intercollegiate athletics.
many others.
For both the full-time and part-time Your City. Who Should Apply?
options, students take courses on • Expand your network through Expand your network through direct
Columbia’s New York City campus. direct access to industry events, gath- access to industry events, gatherings, Young professionals who aspire to
The full-time program takes up to 16 erings, panels, and speakers, drawing have a career in sports.
months to complete, and only fall
entry is permitted. The part-time pro- Current sports professionals who
gram takes up to 4 years to complete want to enhance their skill set and
and allows both fall and spring entry. advance their careers.
Outside of the classroom, students Career-changing professionals
have the opportunity to work side-by- who want to transition to a sports
side with industry leaders. Every year, career.
the program hosts the Columbia Uni-
versity Sports Management Confer- Visit our website to learn more
ence on Morningside campus, where about the program and start your
they get a first-hand experience of future, today.
planning and producing a live event
with high-profile speakers. During sps.columbia.edu/sports
Spring Break, students are given the
SEE PROGRAMS, PAGE 22
NOVEMBER 2-8, 2020 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION I SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL 21
DEGREE PROGRAMS IN SPORTS BUSINESS
PROGRAMS, FROM PAGE 21 NEUMANN UNIVERSITY Neumann is launching
NEUMANN Neumann University student Grant Wallace strikes a pose during an experiential learning visit a unique means for
UNIVERSITY to the Philadelphia Phillies’ Citizens Bank Park.
students to access
Neumann University has long
prided itself on creating a student- classes while living
centric environment in its master of
science of sport business. in a busy modern
Now, in honor of the program’s environment.
20th anniversary as an on-campus
degree, Neumann is launching a Neumann’s master’s can be com-
unique means for students to access pleted in 12 months but can also be
classes while living in a busy modern completed asynchronously. The
environment. school has rolling admissions, mean-
ing students can begin their program
Students have three options that at the beginning of any semester.
they can craft to suit themselves
throughout the duration of their stud- “People in our industry don’t work 9
ies. They can take a traditional on- to 5, Monday through Friday. You
campus class. Or they can upload a can’t expect a baseball coach to
recorded class at a time that suits show up for on-campus classes in the
them best. Or they can log in virtually spring, for example,” said Lanzillo. “But
to a class in real time. Or do some of a coach could find time to upload a
each. class in the evening or squeeze out
time during the day for a virtual class.
“We’ve been working on the hybrid He may then have flexibility to take
model for quite a while now. It just so on-campus classes in the fall.”
happened that our launch has coin-
cided with the pandemic,” said Julie The new approach means stu-
Lanzillo, the program director and dents can continue working full-time
associate professor. “The virtual option or travel for business or participate
may turn out to be the most conve- while living beyond the environs of
nient for many of our students right Philadelphia. Or, in keeping with the
now. We’ve taken a one-size-fits-all moment, stay home with kids during a
option and made it flexible for every- pandemic, without sacrificing their
one. We want to meet our students master’s studies.
where they are.”
SEE PROGRAMS, PAGE 23
In a League of Our Own
“The Columbia University Your Columbia Your City
Sports Management program Your Faculty
has provided me with the Your Curriculum
toolkit and mindset to make
a career switch. The program @CU_SPS_Sports
has taught me how to discuss linkedin.com/company/cusm
critical business topics in a
manner that inspires growth,
impact, and innovation.”
Layden Williams
Current Columbia University
Sports Management Student
sps.columbia.edu/sports
22 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION I SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL NOVEMBER 2-8, 2020
DEGREE PROGRAMS IN SPORTS BUSINESS
NEUMANN UNIVERSITY
NYU
NEW YORK MS in Global Sport students and faculty
Neumann University’s graduates, such as Mark Bennett, have taken on leadership roles UNIVERSITY (NYU SPS Tisch Institute) at the Tokyo
across the industry. Olympic Countdown Clock at Tokyo Station
NYU SPS Preston Robert Tisch Institute (1 Chome Marunouchi, Chiyoda City, Tokyo
PROGRAMS, FROM PAGE 22 and brands. The students are diverse, for Global Sport Preparing the Next 100-0005, Japan). From left to right, Kushal
with fully half of them women. Generation of Sports Business Patel, Russell White, Joe Ruesgen, Professor
Neumann is also unusual in that the Professionals Cameron Myler, Olivia White, Caroline
program has a staff member strictly Three years ago, Lanzillo asked Kasper, Dr. Daniel Kelly, and Pedro Moreira.
dedicated to creating a unique strate- influential members of the sports There’s never been a more exciting
gic path for every individual student. industry, “What skillsets do you need time to be part of the sports industry Even prior to the
now?” The answers brought a as it charts its new, dynamic course. emergence of the
“For each student we build a strat- revamped sport master’s curriculum. Changes that were expected to COVID-19 pandemic,
egy, starting with the question, ‘where evolve industry wide over the course the NYU School of
do you want to go?’” said Lanzillo. “Decision-making, for example, of a decade are likely to materialize Professional Studies
“Sometimes a student doesn’t know, was a top-needed skill,” said Lanzillo. in just a few short years. The emer- Preston Robert Tisch
and we make that part of the strat- “We’ve taken that and threaded it gence of platforms such as 5G will Institute for Global
egy. We set a goal, then work back- through every one of our courses, not usher in a modern world of sport, a Sport was addressing
ward. We ask, ‘How are we going to confined it into a single one. So, yes, new era of fandom, and the next the changes taking
position you to be marketable?’ Our analytics is key for learning decision generation of sports leaders. place in the world.
staff member goes out into the indus- making. As is learning to build reve-
try to build relationships and nue strategies in a sports finance Even prior to the emergence of the author, media host, and highly
strengthen our brand, then, in turn, course. We looked for the common COVID-19 pandemic, the NYU School respected expert in the area of base-
brings those contacts back to themes and made sure we met them of Professional Studies Preston Robert ball analytics, faculty members take
strengthen a student’s marketability. all.” Tisch Institute for Global Sport was an approach that challenges students
Our job is to make sure you get addressing the changes taking place to think about the current sports busi-
where you want to go.” Other courses include facility man- in the world of sport by introducing ness landscape, and even more
agement; leadership and ethical innovative curricula that embraced importantly, to anticipate what will
Neumann’s graduates, about 15 development; communications and the paradigm shifts occurring.
per year, have taken on leadership digital media; and partnership activa- SEE PROGRAMS, PAGE 24
roles across the industry, working with tion. The Tisch Institute’s MS in Global
professional sports teams, college Sport is a 36-credit, low-residency
conferences, high school and colle- Lanzillo’s efforts have paid off. The master’s degree program that is com-
giate athletic departments, agencies program boasts close to a 100 per- pleted in just 12 months, beginning in
cent job placement rate within a few September of each year. It is
months of graduation. designed for busy professionals from
around the world and is offered pre-
dominantly online, complemented by
three or four residencies in NYC and at
NYU sites around the world.
The globally-ranked MS in Sports
Business is a 36-credit program that
integrates business theory with industry
specific analysis and knowledge that
is immediately applicable in the
sports professional’s working environ-
ment. Both are distinguished by
courses that delve deep into the area
of innovation, which will play an even
more critical role post COVID-19.
Led by Tisch Institute’s Associate
Dean Vince Gennaro, a well-known
Your dream career in the sports industry awaits
[email protected] @SDSUSPORTSMBA BUSINESS.SDSU.EDU/SPORTS-MBA
SBJ_Ad_6.16.indd 1 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION I SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL 6/16/20 8:26 AM
NOVEMBER 2-8, 2020 23
DEGREE PROGRAMS IN SPORTS BUSINESS
PROGRAMS, FROM PAGE 23 NYU Jets, the WNBA, the New York Mets,
CNBC, and the New Jersey Devils —
emerge from it. As the COVID-19 situ- MS in Global Sport students and faculty (NYU SPS Tisch Institute) at the Japan Olympic all while earning course credit.
ation has evolved, discussions led by Museum in Japan Sport Olympic Square (4-2 Kasumigaokamachi, Shinjuku City, Tokyo
Gennaro and Tisch Institute faculty 160-0013, Japan). From left to right, Russell White, Joe Ruesgen, Caroline Kasper, Olivia Tisch Institute faculty members not
members have focused less on the White, Dr. Daniel Kelly, Professor Cameron Myler, and Kushal Patel. only teach and mentor their students,
limitations affecting the industry and but also conduct their own industry
more on the limitless opportunities “The tools with which Tisch students leagues, and media outlets; expand research. Their findings help to ensure
that lie ahead, exploring topics such are equipped provide a solid ground- their world view through Global Field that course content remains fresh
as the virtual season ticket, navigating ing in the business of sport, while Intensives, and take part in events and ahead of the curve. “The Tisch
the new normal in sports, and the pos- instilling in them the creativity, curios- that the Tisch Institute hosts. The Tisch Institute is all about using the latest
sible uses of blockchain in sports and ity, and openness to change that will Institute often collaborates with exter- technology to teach and to develop
eSports. be required to not only survive in the nal organizations such as Israel-based industry focused materials that serve
post COVID-19 world of sport, but to HYPE Sports, to explore blockchain- to inform students, sports business
“Tisch students benefit from a thrive,” Gennaro asserted. In addition enabled sports tech. As part of its professionals, and the public about
learning environment that encour- to classroom learning, students are “Real World” program, students have all that is happening. We recently
ages them to look toward the future exposed to a wide range of guest the opportunity to work directly with began a live lecture series of ‘Chalk
of sport and the ways they can take lecturers, have the opportunity to visit executives from companies such as Talks.’ Each episode focuses on a
advantage of change and disrup- and complete internships with teams, Nike, ESPN, Fox Sports, the New York new trend in sport and provides
tion,” said Gennaro. Courses like “The invaluable exposure to the expertise
Science of Fandom” provide them of faculty members who share their
with an understanding of the under- insights,” said Gennaro.
pinnings of fans’ perspectives, atti-
tudes, and affinities. “Digital Sports This Spring, the Tisch Institute will be
Marketing and Media” illuminates how embracing a tech-forward approach
the digital wave is influencing every to deliver all of the rich content that it
facet of sport and how the sports busi- has developed in sports business
ness professional can use digital tools education. Due to the continuing
to engage fans in new and innovative pandemic, students applying to
ways. “The Globalization of Sports” the MS in Sports Business for Spring
highlights the extent to which contem- 2021 will have the option of studying
porary sport cultures are the result of in NYC or taking classes remotely for
an interplay between local, regional, the Spring semester and resuming
national, and global forces, providing classes on-site in Fall 2021. The MS in
a look at international competitions, Global Sport is an online degree
the expansion of leagues beyond program with four residencies.
national borders, and the ways sport Admitted students are automatically
can overcome cultural differences.
SEE PROGRAMS, PAGE 25
24 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION I SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL NOVEMBER 2-8, 2020
DEGREE PROGRAMS IN SPORTS BUSINESS
PROGRAMS, FROM PAGE 24 Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport
enrolled in online courses throughout (TIDES), has students take a deep ana-
their program of study. Due to the
pandemic, scheduled residencies lytical dive into disparities in profes-
may require completion at a later
time. Because the Tisch Institute is sional and college sports personnel
digitally-oriented, students will be able
to start either degree without missing positions.
a beat.
Having students tackle such a
In addition, a broad range of
online programming is being devel- massive cultural undertaking head-on
oped for the Spring that will focus on
the changing industry, and the oppor- dovetails with the philosophy behind
tunities that it presents to those who
are prepared to meet its challenges. the DeVos program — that sports can
There’s still time to apply. To be used as a means to improve soci-
learn more about the Tisch
Institute’s master ’s degrees, visit ety and that sports organizations and
sps.nyu.edu/tischinstitute01.
Call 212-998-7100 or email their leaders have a responsibility to
[email protected] for
questions regarding admissions. be good corporate citizens.
SAN DIEGO STATE The Report Card indicates areas of
UNIVERSITY
improvement, stagnation and regres-
San Diego State University’s Sports
MBA program combines an excep- sion in the racial and gender compo-
tionally engaged group of alumni with
its rigorous, intensive course of study. sition of professional and college
This year, courses were forced online
due to COVID-19, and alumni-student sports personnel, looking at every pro-
interactivity has pivoted.
fessional position in the industry team
With the sports industry facing a cri-
sis unlike any it has ever seen, many by team, from coaches to owners.
SDSU Sports MBA alumni have reached
Industry professionals use the Report
Before classes shifted
SDSU Card as an important means to
online, students visited
San Diego State University master’s students apply classroom knowledge to real-world issues, improve integration in their own front
with two Sports building their professional skills in interacting with executives from major league franchises. office and college athletics depart-
ment positions.
MBA alumni at Honda
on a semester-long sponsorship proj- rate to my survey; it just shows how “By the time our students graduate,
Center to begin work ect with the Anaheim Ducks. For feed- much our alumni care about the they will have co-authored important
back on the first draft of their research future of the program,” she said. research studies, an accomplishment
on a semester-long reports, students presented the proj- that will serve them well in their
ect to an executive with the Pittsburgh As a result of alumni guidance, the careers,” said Dr. Richard Lapchick,
sponsorship Penguins — another alum. program has added courses in data chair of the program.
analytics and sustainability, and will
project with the “Our sponsorship project with the focus more on providing students with This August, students will begin their
Anaheim Ducks provided a unique practical skills that will make them degree program by volunteering with
Anaheim Ducks. experiential learning opportunity for competitive in a drastically different groups dedicated to alleviating
the students both in terms of applying job market. The next intake of stu- homelessness in UCF’s hometown of
out to support the current students and the classroom knowledge to a practi- dents for SDSU Sports MBA will be Fall Orlando. Incoming students normally
are interacting with the class while cal real-world setting and in terms of 2021. begin their degree by rebuilding
both are working from home. developing their professional skills houses in hurricane-ravaged areas,
interacting with and presenting to UNIVERSITY OF such as New Orleans. Volunteering
“I can’t thank our alumni enough executives from a major league fran- CENTRAL FLORIDA serves a dual purpose — giving stu-
for how much they give back to our chise,” said SDSU Sports MBA Professor dents a tangible way to give back to
students, but the Sports MBA pro- of Sports Marketing, Dr. Vassilis Dal- The DeVos Sport Business Manage- the community, while building cama-
gram’s relationship with alumni has akas. “It is especially exciting for me to ment program at University of Central raderie with faculty and fellow stu-
always been a two-way street,” said know that I can rely on many success- Florida is consistently ranked as a top dents.
program director Scott Minto. “Alumni ful program alumni in all major sports five sports master’s degrees in the U.S.
have always supported students and leagues who want to be engaged Along with intensive coursework and “With the loss of tourism and sports-
the program. Now, as the sports indus- with the program and provide such extensive networking, UCF gives its stu- related jobs because of COVID-19,
try is reckoning with not only a pan- learning experiences for the current dents real-world experience in pro- Orlando is suffering from one of the
demic but also its role in addressing students.” ducing prestigious industry research. highest unemployment rates in the
massive societal injustices, our alumni nation,” said Lapchick. “Food and
need to know that we’re here to sup- Students also see tremendous The well-known and highly shelter insecurities are big issues for
port them as well. Alumni in the indus- benefit to constant alumni interac- regarded Racial and Gender Report our area. ”
try have always had a hand in shap- tion. “My interactions with alumni Card, produced through UCF’s The
ing the Sports MBA program, and will have been one of the highlights of Students earn two degrees — a
continue to play a major role as the the program for me,” said Jenn traditional MBA and a Master of Sport
program makes changes to better Gerdes, a 2020 Sports MBA Graduate. Management — in their four semes-
prepare future leaders in the sports “I have found the alumni to be
industr y.” SEE PROGRAMS, PAGE 26
Before classes shifted online, stu- incredibly generous with their time,
dents visited with two Sports MBA
alumni at Honda Center to begin work knowledge and networks. They have
shared their experiences, offered
advice, connected me with other
professionals and helped get my
resume noticed. My experience with
them makes me excited to do the
same for future SDSU Sports MBA
graduates.”
As part of a project to update the
curriculum, the program elicited
alumni feedback and received an
overwhelming response. “Input from
alumni is incredibly valuable, not only
because they have first-hand knowl-
edge of the MBA curriculum as former
students, but also because they have
the insight to tell us where the sports
business industry is headed,” said
Gerdes, who surveyed alumni for a
consulting project researching ways in
which the program curriculum could UCF
adapt to the challenges presented by In the University of Central Florida’s DeVos Sport Business Management program, ethics are
the COVID-19 pandemic. a core part of the curriculum. The master’s teaches students to become good corporate
citizens in a worldwide community.
“I was blown away by the response
NOVEMBER 2-8, 2020 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION I SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL 25
DEGREE PROGRAMS IN SPORTS BUSINESS
UCF
UCF
By the time students graduate with their master’s from UCF, they’ve co-authored important Incoming students spend their first two weeks building houses in hurricane-ravaged areas,
industry research studies, including UCF’s prestigious Racial and Gender Report Card. such as New Orleans, to build camaraderie and team spirit. This fall, because of Covid-19,
students will remain in Orlando, working with organizations dedicated to helping the homeless.
PROGRAMS, FROM PAGE 25 for the sports industry. The current ros- and innovation as the pillars of the enrollment at 20, which ensures
ter of clients includes ESPN, the strong business curriculum. increased intimacy and enhances the
ters of on-campus coursework and Orlando Magic, the USTA, NASCAR program’s ability to place students
one semester interning or working. In and Minor League Baseball. “Ours is the only one that empha- upon graduation.
addition, they participate in a series sizes diversity and inclusion and using
of intensive training camps focused “Companies pay us a consulting the power of sport to affect positive “Our goal is to develop profes-
on specific areas not covered in tra- fee for research and they then use social change,” said Lapchick. “The sionals who have critical sports busi-
ditional coursework: innovation; tech- students’ findings within their organiza- Orlando Magic has been a great ness management skills, a commit-
nology; social media; esports and tions,” said Lapchick. “It is invaluable model for that in Central Florida. The ment to using sport to improve life in
gaming; player development; com- hands-on business experience.” DeVos students are seizing this time society, well-developed leadership
munity engagement; diversity and during protests about racism. They are abilities and uncompromising ethical
inclusion; and gender violence pre- In addition to rigorous coursework, actively trying to do their part to make standards,” said Lapchick. “Our grad-
vention. students are expected to volunteer 42 sure this protest is different and that uates go on to lead organizations to
(Jackie Robinson’s number) hours of change will come because the build the bottom line and be good
Throughout their time, students community service per year. Lapchick movement could be sustained.” corporate citizens in their communi-
tackle a variety of real-world projects said the program is singular in its focus ties.”
on diversity, ethics, service, leadership UCF’s prestigious program caps
MASTER OF SCIENCE
IN SPORT BUSINESS
30 credit hours
Can be completed in 12 months
Now fully online (hybrid and
on-campus formats also available)
Faculty expert practitioners
(all faculty have sport industry
experience)
Combines classroom and
practical preparation
LEARN MORE AT: Aston, PA
www.neumann.edu/NUSportBusiness NOVEMBER 2-8, 2020
PASKILL STAPLETON & LORD
2D6at e: 6.4.20 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION I SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL
Neumann University
Client: Steve Bell
Contact: 20-NEUMAN-0623
Job: Sport Business Journal
Publication:
WHEREVER YOU
ARE IN THE WORLD
YOU CAN EARN YOUR
GRADUATE DEGREE AT
NYU SPS
PRESTON ROBERT TISCH INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL SPORT
With the dynamic changes occurring in today’s sports industry, it is critical for future leaders in this field to
acquire the insights, tools, and connections needed to effectively compete and succeed in the global marketplace.
The Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport is an innovator in sports business education, uniquely
positioned to deliver curricula that focuses on the critical emerging areas in sports—technology, globalization,
and the next generation of fan engagement.
MS in Sports Business
The MS in Sports Business is a 36-credit program that integrates business theory with industry specific analysis and
knowledge that is immediately applicable in the sports professional’s working environment. Core courses that are
designed to provide a strong business, marketing, and finance foundation, enhanced by the opportunity to chart
your personalized focus area ranging from global sports media, to sports operations, sports law, eSports, or one
of a dozen other choices. Students gain unmatched global perspective while taking advantage of all that NYC—the
sports capital of the world—has to offer.
MS in Global Sport
The MS in Global Sport is a 36-credit, low-residency master’s degree program that is completed in just 12 months,
beginning in September of each year. The program, which is designed for busy professionals from around the world, is
offered predominantly online, complemented by your choice of three or four one-week residencies—in New York City
and at NYU global locations worldwide. Students acquire knowledge and critical skills in key facets of sports business
including digital media and marketing, analytics, leadership, finance and economics, and sports law, while building
their global sports industry network.
FLEXIBILITY FOR SPRING 2021 Contact us to discuss
your best option
Study in New York City OR begin your degree
remotely from anywhere in the world and join us Phone: 212.998.7100
on campus in Fall 2021. NOTE: Certain restrictions and Email: [email protected]
Visit: sps.nyu.edu/tischinstitute01
requirements may apply for international students. Apply: sps.nyu.edu/gradadmissions
Gain the NYU education that will set you apart
and empower you to build a stellar career.
IN-DEPTH XXXX
Cool
customer
Athletic Director of the Year
Scott Stricklin is at his best when
the heat is on. His steady leadership
is built on communicating with
transparency, whether it’s within
his department at Florida or
with fans on social media.
BY MICHAEL SMITH
LORIDA FOOTBALL COACH Dan with his misplaced rallying cry. Reporters imme- On the plane ride back to Gainesville, Stricklin Alex de la Osa
Mullen was agitated after the diately turned to Stricklin for a response. took a seat next to Mullen and calmly but point-
Gators’ close loss at Texas edly asked, “So, Dan, what were you thinking there?”
A&M last month. Irked that It was a potentially volatile scenario that could Those who have worked with the Florida AD say
the Aggies had enough people have pitted coach against AD, but Stricklin defused that’s precisely his style — poised and unflappable.
in attendance to create a the situation by saying he would listen to the med- He’s at his best when he’s turning down the heat
home-field advantage, Mullen ical professionals, not the football coach. on a potentially flammable situation.
called on Florida fans to “pack The Swamp” at the
Gators’ next home game. “In situations where there’s a lot of excitement, “Scott has this unique ability to take emotion
Of course, in the age of COVID, that wasn’t going you can’t say something publicly that you want to out of it when there’s a decision to be made,” said
to happen. Mullen, caught up in the emotions of be true unless you know it’s true,” Stricklin said Chip Howard, the Gators’ executive associate AD
the team’s first loss, had unwittingly backed Flor- of his approach to communications. “I think some- for internal affairs. “Athletics are, by their nature,
ida’s athletic director, Scott Stricklin, into a corner times people get into trouble when they say some- highly emotional. He doesn’t let emotion get in
thing in a quote that they hope is true, but they the way.”
don’t know it’s true.”
2 8 | N OV E M B E R 2-8, 2020 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM
SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL
Stricklin greets fans at In 2003, Stricklin, then working in athletics at SBJ
The Swamp and also Baylor University, was appointed to a crisis team ATHLETIC
engages with them on during the basketball scandal that broke after DIRECTORS
social media, where he player Patrick Dennehy was murdered by a team- OF THE YEAR
has more than 76,000 mate. It was “horrific, intense, traumatic and over-
followers on Twitter whelming,” Stricklin said of the case that thrust 2000
alone. the school into the nation’s news for all of the wrong Lew Perkins
reasons. He emerged as the front person for the University of
Jay Metz CALM IN THE SPOTLIGHT SCOTT group, a position normally reserved for a veteran Connecticut
STRICKLIN WAS NAMED Sports Business Journal’s 2020 STRICKLIN university communications chief or an outside
Athletic Director of the Year at the Sept. 30 Sports consultant, not the 33-year-old media relations guy 2001
Business Awards for his run of achievements in facil- Athletic Director, from athletics. Ted Leland
ity development, including a new baseball park; broad- University of Florida Stanford University
based competitive success; his savvy use of social Later, Stricklin became the spokesman for Ken-
media; and a $155 million fundraising campaign. Resides: tucky basketball, which resides under the constant 2002
Gainesville, Fla. heat of the spotlight. More than once, Stricklin Bob Bowlsby
The intangible with Stricklin is the background came around the corner of a hallway in UK’s Me- University of Iowa
in communications that helps him navigate poten- Age: 50 morial Coliseum to find cameras fixed on him
tially tricky circumstances or thrive when talking Hometown: because of a developing story. 2003
directly to the fans through his Twitter account, Andy Geiger
which has more than 76,000 followers, one of the Jackson, Miss. When a UK player suffered a facial injury, Strick- Ohio State University
largest followings of any AD (see list, Page 30). Alma mater: lin was asked by the media to model the face mask
the player would wear in the next game. It was 2004
Mississippi State that level of scrutiny. Eric Hyman
Degree: Texas Christian
Alabama AD Greg Byrne, who was on that UK University
B.S., marketing, athletics staff, planted the seed with Stricklin over
1992 many lunches at Qdoba that he had the chops to 2005
Family: be an AD one day. Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart, DeLoss Dodds
Wife, Anne; who hired Stricklin, in part, because of his expe- University of Texas
daughters, Abby rience in crisis communications, saw it too and
and Sophie gave him more responsibility. 2006
Previously AD: Jeremy Foley
Mississippi State “You could tell Scott was really intelligent and University of Florida
2010-16 he had this ability to step back and see the big
Previously worked: picture,” Byrne said. “He’s always asking, ‘Why 2007
Kentucky, Baylor, can’t we do this or that.’” Tom Jurich
Tulane, Auburn University of
Also: Stricklin called his time at UK a turning point Louisville
College Football for him professionally, a time of immense profes-
Playoff selection sional growth on a staff that included future ADs 2008
committee member Rob Mullens (Oregon), Mark Coyle (Minnesota), Ron Wellman
John Cohen (Mississippi State) and Byrne. Strick- Wake Forest
lin likened going to work every day to a doctorate University
program for aspiring ADs.
2009
“People either deal with feelings or facts,” Barnhart Joe Castiglione
University of
CONTINUED ON PAGE 32 Oklahoma
2010
Gene Smith
Ohio State University
2011
DeLoss Dodds
University of Texas
2012
Mark Hollis
Michigan State
University
2013
Mal Moore
University of
Alabama
2014
Kevin White
Duke University
2015
Jeff Long
University of
Arkansas
2016
Gene Smith
Ohio State University
2017
Dan Radakovich
Clemson University
2018
Jim Phillips
Northwestern
University
2019
Mitch Barnhart
University of
Kentucky
2020
Scott Stricklin
University of Florida
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 NOVEMBER 2-8, 2020 | 29
IN-DEPTH ATHLETIC DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
AD HIRINGS
Twenty-eight Division I athletic director openings have been filled since Nov. 1, 2019.
HALF of those vacancies were filled 6 came from an AD position 6 were promoted 22 have a postgraduate degree
by a woman or minority (1 Black at another D-I school from within
woman, 9 Black men, 1 Hispanic man, 2 white women)
Patrick Kraft Kortne Gosha Jamie Gordon Rachelle Paul Martin Jarmond Candice Storey Lee
Boston College Florida A&M Morehead State Saint Peter’s UCLA Vanderbilt
Amy Folan Jared Benko Jonathan Terrell Mikki Allen John Cunningham Richard Duran
Central Michigan Georgia Southern Nicholls State Tennessee State Cincinnati Incarnate Word
Elliott Charles Erin McDermott Melody Webb George Lee Brian Barrio Tim Crompton
Chicago State Harvard Norfolk State University University of Arkansas UMBC Weber State
at Little Rock
DeWayne Peevy Scott Dolson Donald Reed Keith Carter Alex Gary
DePaul Indiana Prairie View A&M Chris Peterson Mississippi Western Carolina
University of Arkansas
Matt Roan Eric Wood James Downer at Pine Bluff Mike Bohn
Eastern Kentucky Louisiana Tech Saint Francis USC
ADS WITH THE MOST TWITTER FOLLOWERS Source: SportsAtlas
Florida’s Scott Stricklin has a robust Twitter following, which ranks him third among athletic directors, as of Oct. 24. 116,573
Jeff Long @jefflongKU
Kansas
Phillip Fulmer @phillipfulmer 115,861
Tennessee
Scott Stricklin @ScottStricklin 76,072
Florida
Ray Tanner @RayTannerSC 68,070
South Carolina
Greg Byrne @Greg_Byrne 63,645
Alabama
Ross Bjork @RossBjorkAD 51,715 NACDA AWARD WINNERS
Texas A&M 50,711
45,913
Mitch Barnhart @UKMitchBarnhart 45,562 The following are winners of the 2019-20 National Association of
Kentucky Collegiate Directors of Athletics Under Armour AD of the Year Award.
FOOTBALL BOWL SUBDIVISION
John Cohen @JohnCohenAD Bubba Doug Gillin Rick Hart Mack
Mississippi State Cunningham Appalachian Southern Rhoades
Methodist
Hunter Yurachek @HunterYurachek University State University Baylor
Arkansas of North University University
Carolina
Josh Whitman @IlliniAD 35,880 FOOTBALL DIVISION DIVISION II
Illinois 35,143 CHAMPIONSHIP I-AAA
34,430 Jim Johnson
Chris del Conte @_delconte 34,183 SUBDIVISION Amanda Braun Pittsburg State
Texas 31,193 University of
30,221 Mark Jackson Wisconsin- University
Tom Holmoe @TomHolmoe 29,945 Villanova Milwaukee
BYU 29,082 University Laura Liesman
28,726 Philip Hutcheson Georgian Court
Jamie Pollard @IASTATEAD 28,553 Bob Scalise Lipscomb
Iowa State 25,321 Harvard University University University
Bobby Valentine @BobbyValentine Neil Sullivan Bill Scholl Tim McMurray
Sacred Heart University of Marquette Texas A&M
University University-
Dayton Commerce
Steve Watson
Lynn Thompson Loyola University Lindsay Reeves
Bethune-Cookman University of North
Chicago
University Georgia
Kirby Hocutt @kirbyhocutt DIVISION III NAIA JUNIOR/
Texas Tech COMMUNITY
Dana Harmon Brett Simpson
Gene Smith @OSU_AD Worcester Loyola University COLLEGES
Ohio State Polytechnic
University New Orleans Joe Jennum
Danny White @UCFDannyWhite Mt. San Antonio
Central Florida Jim Miller Thomas Smith
North Central Missouri Baptist College
Joe Castiglione @soonerad
Oklahoma College University Jake Ripple
Dodge City
Allan Greene @AGreeneIV Craig Poisson Debbie Warren Community College
Auburn Springfield College Indiana Tech
Doug Spiwak
Laurie Turner Drew Watson Harper College
Pacific Lutheran Southeastern
Troy Tucker
University University Northampton
Community
John Currie @John_Currie Source: NACDA
Wake Forest College
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SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL
COLLEGE BALLPARK CONSTRUCTION SPENDING $256.0
Spending on college baseball and softball venues that opened this year hit a record $256 million, including the $65 million the University of Florida spent on Florida Ballpark at
Alfred A. McKethan Field. The below represents the cost of ballparks that opened in these years.$172.2 $191.9
$250m $156.9
$200m
$150m
$100m
$50m
$51.0
$59.5
$17.3
$105.0
$63.2
$24.5
$80.9
$60.6
$50.5
$19.4
$63.7
$93.9
$17.0
$39.9
$50.5
$65.1
$18.6
$12.0
$55.4
$100.5
’98 ’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16 ’17 ’18 ’19 ’20 ’21-
’22*
Note: Includes baseball and softball facilities *Projected Source: Sports Business Journal research
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IN-DEPTH ATHLETIC DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29 WHAT
THEY SAID
said. “In an emotional world, Scott is really good at weighing out
the facts. That doesn’t mean he won’t get fired up about something, ABOUT
but he’s coming from a place of information and research.” SCOTT
STRICKLIN
When Byrne got the AD job at Mississippi State in 2008, he
soon hired Stricklin, essentially making him the deputy in the “Scott’s mind
department. Most importantly, he took on more fundraising du- never shuts down
ties that helped Stricklin position himself for the AD chair when
Byrne went to Arizona in 2010. at a game. For
all the years we
LEAVING HIS DREAM JOB Men’s tennis coach Bryan Shelton and Stricklin celebrate as the Gators worked together at
STRICKLIN FULFILLED a dream when he became the AD at his went undefeated in conference play and won the SEC title in 2019. Mississippi State,
alma mater, Mississippi State. He grew up in Jackson, Miss., we would be at a
the middle of three children. His father traveled throughout share what was in his heart.” basketball game
the week with a job in sales, so his mother, a huge Cincinnati That Stricklin and Foley have turned out to be such good friends or baseball game
Reds fan, and Scott’s older brother, David, fostered his love of and I would get text
sports. is a testament to both. The anticipated angst over the transition messages throughout
from Foley to Stricklin never materialized, say those who were the game. ‘Why did
Scott would disappear to his room for hours reading Sports in the office. Stricklin’s humility and ego-absent style contrib- we play that song’ or
Illustrated and The Sporting News. Whenever Mississippi State uted to that, as did their friendship from having worked in the ‘Hey, that light bulb
or Ole Miss played football games in Jackson, which was more SEC together. is out.’ He’s always
common in the 1970s than now, David would take Scott. asking ‘Why did we
It was Foley who first advised Stricklin that there might be an do this or that?’ He’s
“It didn’t matter who was playing in Memorial Stadium,” David opportunity at Florida. always looking at
Stricklin said. “If we could get tickets, we would go. SEC games things through the
in Jackson were always a big event. “I’m not sure how it happened, but we became good friends eyes of the fans.”
the last few years” before Stricklin became a Gator, Foley said. Scott Wetherbee
“Scott would say, ‘Mom, one of these days I’m going to be some- “We’d gravitate to the same table during AD meetings or dinners, Eastern Michigan AD
body in sports and I’m going to get you free tickets to all the and bust each other’s chops. Because of that, it made the transi-
games.’ And he’s done that.” tion easy.” “When Scott got
to Florida, he had a
When the AD position opened at Florida in 2016, there were During Stricklin’s first week in Gainesville, Foley made a point reputation for being
two schools of thought. It was either one of the five best jobs in of saying that he had stepped down from the job. “I’m not the this really intelligent,
the country with its abundance of resources or it was a thank- AD at Florida; I just want to help,” Foley said. “But I’ve always
less grind with relentless expectations, not to mention that the respected the fact that Scott’s in the chair now.” even-keeled,
next AD had to fill the oversized shoes of Jeremy Foley, a legend authentic leader and
in the industry after 25 years as the chief Gator. that’s exactly what
he was. Those of us
Some of the most heralded names in the profession were linked
to the job before Stricklin emerged as the hire. Before he de- who were already
parted Mississippi State, Stricklin gathered his staff and explained there appreciated
every aspect of his decision. He was so torn from the process, that Scott didn’t
Stricklin said he barely recalls the meeting. walk in with a plan
to overhaul the staff.
Leaving his home state and his school proved to be one time Everyone was given
Stricklin couldn’t separate emotion from the equation. a chance to prove
“He ordered in lunch for the whole staff and explained his themselves.”
decision and how hard it was to leave,” said Georgia Southern Mike Hill
AD Jared Benko, who was on Stricklin’s MSU staff. “It was so
genuine. He didn’t owe that to any of us, but he just wanted to Charlotte AD
FOLLOW STRICKLIN’S WELL-CONNECTED PATH “On my first day at
Florida Athletic Director Scott Stricklin’s career path has connected him with 19 ADs along the way. Mississippi State,
Scott and his family
MISSISSIPPI STATE TULANE MISSISSIPPI STATE were on vacation and Courtesy of Florida Athletics
1992: Stricklin earns an undergraduate 1998: Joins Tulane as assistant AD for 2008: Returns to Starkville as senior they were about to
degree in marketing. media relations. associate AD for external affairs under board a cruise. But
Connections: Connections: Byrne. He is promoted to AD two years later. Scott took the time to
LARRY TEMPLETON is In his fifth year as AD Current Penn State AD SANDY BARBOUR is Connections: call me and welcome
Eastern Michigan AD SCOTT WETHERBEE me and tell me about
in Starkville. the Green Wave AD. a speed trap to watch
Current Mississippi State AD JOHN COHEN Retired St. Mary’s College AD SCOTT is senior associate AD for external affairs. for on the way to
Georgia Southern AD JARED BENKO is work. He didn’t have
is an undergraduate. DEVINE is senior associate AD for external
affairs. deputy AD and chief financial officer. to do that.”
AUBURN Jared Benko
1993: Joins Auburn as associate media KENTUCKY FLORIDA Georgia Southern AD
relations director. 2003: Is hired as associate AD for media 2016: Is hired as AD in Gainesville.
Connections: relations. Connections: “I’m not sure
DAVID HOUSEL is promoted to AD in 1994. Connections: Former Auburn AD JAY JACOBS joins staff there’s anybody in
VMI AD DAVE DILES is an assistant AD. Kentucky AD MITCH BARNHART is a year the country who
Virginia Tech AD WHIT BABCOCK is as executive associate AD for external understands the
into his tenure in Lexington, Ky. affairs. He was associate AD for operations
assistant AD for development. Oregon AD ROB MULLENS is deputy AD. when Stricklin was at Auburn. communication
South Carolina State AD STACY DANLEY is Minnesota AD MARK COYLE succeeds Charlotte AD MIKE HILL is executive process, internal and
associate AD. external, better than
assistant AD for external affairs. Mullens as deputy AD. Memphis AD LAIRD VEATCH is executive
IUPUI AD RODERICK PERRY majors in Alabama AD GREG BYRNE is associate AD. associate athletics director for internal Scott does.”
Murray State AD KEVIN SAAL is executive affairs. John Cohen
health promotion, with an emphasis Mississippi State AD
in sports administration, and earns associate AD. — Compiled by David Broughton
his master’s in higher education — Compiled by
administration. Michael Smith
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SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL
OPINION
Proof in the data:
New model emerging
for women’s sport
The authors’ thought leadership is shared through the efforts
of The Collective Think Tank. The Collective, Wasserman’s wom-
en-focused division, has assembled this global consortium of some
of today’s greatest academic minds and industry leaders focused
on gender parity and improving diversity. A first of its kind, this
group shares data and insights to promote more opportunity for
women to succeed in sports.
E VEN AFTER RECORD-SETTING successes in 2019, specula-
tion on the future of women’s sport has continued. Pre-
sumably, concern for the future of women’s sport is based
on the challenges surrounding the 2020 pandemic.
Yet, the business case for women’s sport has been questioned
for decades.
It’s time to wake up.
Perhaps the comparison to established mainstream men’s sport
with years of tradition, marketing and media con-
BY NANCY tributes to the doubt, or perhaps the mindset of
LOUGH the economic value offered by women’s sport has
not been adequately communicated.
For years we have studied the business of wom-
en’s sport to better understand what it will take
to achieve the same level of investment and economic viability
as mainstream professional sports. The model that worked for
top-tier men’s sport organizations has not translated to elevate
women’s sport to the same status. There are many explanations
for this phenomenon. Most notable is the lack of media coverage
women’s sport receives. This, in effect, suppresses the valuation many an influencer, but difficult to find avail- In some cases, the viewership for women’s sport
for women’s sport when it comes to sponsorships (less than 1%), able to purchase. In most outlets, it sold out has surpassed the ratings for the men’s equiv-
ticket sales, merchandise and related revenue streams. the first week of the season. In essence, this alent sport product, like MLS.
The cautionary, doubting narrative perpetuated about women’s points to the fact that demand is exceeding All of this points to the growing economic
sport is out of date and falling on deaf ears when it comes to supply far too often
Gen Z and millennial female consumers. Time and again, the in women’s sport, The cautionary, doubting narrative
with no explana- perpetuated about women’s sport is out
demand from these consumers has exceeded supply. tion for why. This of date and falling on deaf ears when it
compromised rev-
It is time for a change in mindset and a new vision for women’s
sport.
For those looking to find and invest in growth, let’s wake up to enue stream is the comes to Gen Z and millennial female
the stories — overflowing with data — that destroy the unfound- reflection of the consumers.
ongoing narrative
ed concern around the growing women’s sports community.
on women’s sport
FIFA’S STORY OF VIEWERSHIP AND SALES that fails to reflect the growth, success and viability of women’s sport, and directly con-
In the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, more than a billion televi- growing demand. tradicts the age-old claim the media makes
sion viewers tuned in, breaking global records. The round of 16
match between Brazil and France was watched by over 58 million that “no one is interested in women’s sport.”
people, becoming the most viewed women’s soccer match of all
time. The economic benefits were felt directly by those who in- THE SOUND OF CONTINUOUS As we’ve seen the viewership metrics for
vested, like broadcast rights holder Fox Sports, which sold out its
available advertising space and nearly tripled its expected revenue. RECORDS SHATTERING the WNBA and NWSL grow, it’s clear that a
Even merchandising surprised Nike, one of the most seasoned
players in the business of selling sport apparel. The U.S. women’s Viewership numbers for the 2020 NWSL and new model is emerging that will serve as the
national soccer team jersey sold out on the way to becoming the
highest-selling soccer jersey of all time, men’s or women’s. No one WNBA seasons have continued to eclipse re- path toward more economic viability and
knows how many jerseys Nike could have sold because either its
mindset or its algorithm resulted in an underestimation of demand. cords, even during this global pandemic. In an sustainability for women’s sport. Great
Aug. 4 Power Plays newsletter, Lindsay Gibbs change begins with an ambitious vision, and
reported that an average of 540,000 viewers those who fail to see the vision may be left
watched the WNBA season opener on ABC, in the dust.
up 20% over 2019, and an average of 419,000
viewers watched the opening game on ESPN. Nancy Lough is professor and co-director of
After these initial ratings, 13 WNBA games the Sport Research & Innovation Initiative,
were added by ESPN to the national television University of Nevada Las Vegas. Also contrib-
MERCHANDISE AND INFLUENCE schedule, resulting in a record 77 WNBA games uting: Nicole LaVoi, director of the Tucker
Similarly, when Sabrina Ionescu was drafted No. 1 during the aired on national television in 2020 season. In Center for Girls & Women in Sport, University
WNBA’s virtual draft in April, her jersey sold out in minutes.
This was followed by the NWSL’s 2020 team jersey selling out women’s professional soccer, the first game of of Minnesota; Ann Pegoraro, Lang Chair in
the first week of its tournament as teams returned to play dur-
ing the pandemic. When the WNBA returned to play in the Bra- the NWSL Challenge Cup tournament averaged Sport Management, Lang School of Business
denton Bubble, its WNBA-logoed orange hoodie was seen on
572,000 viewers, while the final game averaged and Economics, University of Guelph; and
653,000. Both ratings “obliterated previous Katie Lebel, assistant professor, Ted Rogers
NWSL television records,” according to Gibbs. School of Management, Ryerson University.
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 NOVEMBER 2-8, 2020 | 33
CLOSING SHOT
Auburn basket-
ball coach Bruce
Pearl (right) greets
Birmingham Mayor
Randall Woodfin at
an in-person event
for the Mike Slive
Foundation in 2019.
This year, Pearl will
be taking part again,
although the event
has shifted to a vir-
tual format.
Still Making A Difference
Like other organizations, the Mike Slive Foundation has turned to a virtual approach during the pandemic,
and its upcoming “Beyond Blue” event continues its mission to combat prostate cancer.
BY MICHAEL SMITH
ANNA SLIVE HARWOOD likes to joke that or the upcoming gala on Nov. 12, of her father’s friends, Horizon Instead of bidding on a 20-minute Mike Slive Foundation
she’s channeling her inner Wayne which is being called “Beyond Blue,” League Commissioner Jon LeCrone, coffee with SEC Commissioner Greg
Gretzky when she says that you miss a reference to the blue ribbon that has a daughter who performs in the Sankey at Salem’s Diner in Birming-
100% of the shots you don’t take. Can- signifies prostate cancer awareness. “Nutcracker” ballet. Through her, the ham, Ala., it will be a 20-minute video
cer doesn’t stop because of COVID, Laura Rutledge and Mike Tirico will foundation received “Nutcracker” conference call.
she says, and neither does the need host. tickets, backstage passes and tours.
for research dollars and grants. Harwood said she was emboldened
John Calipari and Bruce Pearl, the Many auction items in the past by her experience with the virtual
Harwood is executive director of men’s basketball coaches from Ken- have been tickets and travel pack- “I’m With Mike” 5K in June. She set
the Mike Slive Foundation, named for tucky and Auburn, respectively, will ages to big sporting events, and be- a goal of having 500 registered par-
her late father, the former SEC com- be among the online guests for what cause of COVID, those events are not ticipants from all 50 states and wound
missioner, who lost his battle with will be like a one-hour television show being held or they’re being held with up with 615 people signed up.
prostate cancer in 2018. She under- with an auction to raise money. no fans or limited capacity. Some auc-
stands that the pandemic has shifted tion items are going virtual as well. In three years since the foundation
some priorities when it comes to phi- When gathering items for the auc- started, it has raised $1.5 million and
lanthropy, but Harwood is not afraid tion, Harwood reached out to Archie “What we’ve tried funded 12 research grants.
to say that she’s still asking. Manning, a member of the founda- to do is use the Mike
tion’s advisory board, hoping to maybe Slive name and all of “I’m hoping we can create an event
The foundation, like a lot of busi- get an autographed football. What his connections from that people find interesting and com-
nesses in 2020, has shifted to virtual came back from Manning was an au- college sports to take pelling,” Harwood said. “What we’ve
events and found some success. Going tographed football by Manning and on this disease.” tried to do is use the Mike Slive name
virtual has provided Harwood with his sons, Eli, Peyton and Cooper. and all of his connections from college
the ability to reach people who could sports to take on this disease. It’s a
not have attended the annual 5K race The path to some other auction little different this year, but cancer
items was a little more circuitous. One doesn’t stop because of COVID.”
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