SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL
Manica left HOK Sport in 2007 to laden back half of the project — doc-
launch his own sports design firm, umentation and guiding the project
Manica Architecture. The practice over the finish line — to a partner
subsisted off mostly international architect of record (AOR).
projects for a half-dozen years until “He’s a guy who has always believed
2013 when it landed the Warriors’ in himself, and I think he felt that being
Chase Center job, followed later by in a smaller environment where he had
the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium. Both more direct influence on the projects
were successfully completed and made was something
substantial impressions on their re- David Manica that was exciting
spective leagues. purposely keeps to him,” said
his K.C. shop David Carlock, a
That slowly building momentum small and totally developer and
free of clutter longtime friend of
snowballed in 2022, giving a visitor so he can stay Manica’s.
focused and
and Manica plenty to talk about while
sipping cocktails at The Monarch.
This year alone, Manica won — or involved in In the spring of
every project 2007 and with a
received local government sign-off for personally. year’s worth of
— the Coyotes’ proposed new arena
project; the Guardians’ Progressive living expenses
Field renovations; the Titans’ new banked, Manica struck out on his own.
stadium effort; and Inter Miami’s new If the money ran out before the risk
soccer-specific venue. Worth roughly paid off, he could always get another
$5 billion combined, the projects cover job at one of the big firms.
four of the continent’s top sports “I didn’t really know what market I
leagues. That total doesn’t even count would find,” Manica said. “I just had a
the Bears’ Arlington Heights stadium vision of doing something differently.”
development project that Manica re- The timing wasn’t perfect. A global
portedly is working on, though he economic recession was kicking off,
hasn’t confirmed that publicly, or two arch’s cocktail list — and wears ible listener, he’s also a very good and Manica’s wife, Noelle, had just
arena projects underway in Japan. custom-tailored suits and Panerai communicator. He dresses impecca- given birth to the second of their three
“We haven’t won all of them, but wristwatches worth thousands. His bly. That might lend itself to the ‘Rock children, Sophia. Manica bought a
we won the ones we wanted, and it’s collection of automobiles ranges from Star Architect’ persona. He certainly laptop computer, opened it on the din-
been great,” Manica said. “I never a 1984 Ford F-150 pickup truck to a doesn’t come across as your tradi- ing room table and began letting
anticipated that I would be in the po- Maserati sports car. tional architect from that standpoint, people know he was launching his own
sition I am here in the U.S. to compete “He has a certain lifestyle and qual- but his talent is undeniable.” firm and was available for work.
on such great projects with such large ity that covers every aspect of his life,” LIFTOFF It’s rare for startups or solo designers
corporations.” said Manica Principal Keith Robinson. to successfully launch sports venue
Inherent in the teams’ decisions to “Whether that’s the attire, the fashion, architecture firms because the scale
work with the firm is the growing the food, the cocktails, the travel, where Manica grew up in Prairie Village, and risk involved with the building type
reputation of Manica — the guy and he likes to spend his time ... he’s very Kan., a short distance from his firm’s greatly favors well-capitalized corpora-
the company — as reliable partners curated in that sense.” office. He graduated from the Univer- tions. One of Manica’s biggest immedi-
in the earliest stages of projects that Manica’s win spree rankles some sity of Kansas with an architecture ate hurdles was the cash needed for
could last four to six years and cost in the sports architecture world. degree in 1994 and joined HOK Sport travel required to compete for work.
billions. Adam Hardy, Mortenson That’s likely rooted in ambivalence (which later morphed into Populous), The flights, many of them to Asia, were
Sports + Entertainment director of about the firm’s focus on only the front climbing the company’s ranks over costly, and not just financially.
project development, called Manica a half of projects, or Manica’s sleek ap- the next dozen years. Manica led HOK “My social calendar absolutely dis-
“vision steward” for his knack at con- pearance, or jealousy at Manica’s Sport’s design on Toyota Center and appeared,” Manica said. “There was
necting with owners eager to make a success as it carves out a new way of NRG Stadium in Houston and Beijing no one else there, and it was up to me
statement and leave a legacy with their operating in the industry. Those that Olympic venue Wukesong Arena, to make it happen. I just worked all
new stadium or arena but who are also have worked with Manica or know while playing major roles at London’s the time. Work and sleep. And that
totally overwhelmed. Hardy, who him best just shrug at those theories. O2 Arena and Wembley Stadium. lasted … for years, honestly.”
worked with Manica on “The Rock Star Architect? When we first met Manica didn’t take any of his HOK
him, that’s what a few of the people involved
Chase Center and Alle- Sport clients with him, but within
giant Stadium, said it’s were calling him. He’s an incredible listener,
something that Manica’s he’s also a very good communicator.“ two months of his launch he had a
competition, mostly full-
service firms with staff paying gig designing a master plan
sizes 10 to 30 times larger,
is struggling to match. for a Houston horse racing track.
“I do think that he has Through connections with Carlock,
Manica got involved with the NBA-
inspired arena growth spurt in China
where he landed one of his first big
identified a very unique — Marc Badain, Oak View Group president, Las Vegas projects, serving as the design archi-
solution to a very com- tect for Guangzhou Arena.
mon problem in this exact space,” said “The Rock Star Architect? When By 2007, he was the firm’s managing “It wasn’t like I just jumped and
Hardy. “I think others are curious, we first met him that’s what a few of director of design, but an idea of de- figured it out later. I did have a vision
like, ‘What makes him different?’ Why the people involved were calling him,” livering major sports venue projects and hoped that this approach to de-
aren’t they able to do it?” said Oak View Group’s Marc Badain, differently was germinating in his livering a project would work,” Man-
Carol Bliss (2) The firm’s success starts with Man- president, Las Vegas, who worked mind. He’d put more focus on the cre- ica said, “but I believed it would
ica, a man who makes a striking first closely with Manica on Allegiant Sta- ative front-end concept design and because it makes a lot of sense.”
impression. He drinks Negronis — dium as the former president of the channeling the owner’s vision and
there are four versions on The Mon- Las Vegas Raiders. “He’s an incred- shunt the more grueling and risk- CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
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 7-13, 2022 | 1 9
THE STORY MANICA
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 “These larger projects need a lot of people in the David Manica was able to
later stages, especially construction documents,” channel owner Mark Davis’
EARLY ALIGNMENT Manica explained. “That’s when the horsepower Vegas vision for the Raiders
of a large firm really comes to bear on a project and Allegiant Stadium.
Details are important to Manica, whether the like this.”
signature scents at each of his three bars — The If bigger sports architecture
Monarch’s is limey bergamot, musk and citrus — or SMALL AND EFFICIENT firms use the same teams for
his precisely organized use of email — Manica Se- different projects, they run
nior Project Designer Aaron Fletcher called him Only one of Manica’s architects has worked at the risk of a well-oiled unit
“the Mozart of email.” another firm, and all of them have been with him bolting the firm for a com-
for at least six years. Over time, the team’s effi- petitor or starting its own
Similarly, Manica’s eye for detail seeks out clean- ciency, expertise and chemistry has exponentially studio. And another advan-
liness — in his own physical appearance, the tidi- improved, lessening any size disadvantage. tage of being small: By not
ness of his cars, projects or office. There are no 3D doing the documentation in
building models on display inside the Manica HQ, “You can ask me or Keith a question really about the back half of the project,
nor is there a materials library. No room for clut- any project in our portfolio, and we can answer it Manica doesn’t have an army
ter in Manica’s head, or physical space. because we worked on it,” said Hon. “I think that of drafters to keep busy.
resonates in the interview process.”
“You could take the microwave and just tilt it “A lot of firms, as soon as
one degree off the wall, and I guarantee he’s going Hon joined Manica out of college in 2010 follow- you get into that business you
to see it and fix it when he comes in,” said Will ing an internship, while Robinson interned in 2012 have to start feeding the beast,” said Carlock. “The
Hon, Manica principal, technical director. “That and joined officially in 2013. They’ve been given bulk of the hours are knocking out the 3-inch thick
level of rigor is in everything we do.” significant opportunities and mentorship early in drawing sets.”
their careers; Hon was the project director on Chase In the sports world, Carlock said, architects are
Manica’s scrupulousness is invaluable at the start Center as a 24-year-old. often paid a percentage of the project’s total value.
of a major sports venue project, when the swirl of Manica declined to share details about his com-
ideas and enormity of work lying ahead can over- “I started that job barely married and finished pany’s performance, but as project values skyrock-
whelm clients. Hardy described Manica’s concep- it with a kid in kindergarten,” he said. “I was very et, the business has gotten better for smaller firms
tual design process with owners and team executives heavily invested in Chase Center.” like his. Plus, Manica doesn’t need extensive back-
as more intimate and emotionally engaging than office operations to oversee hiring, compliance and
other firms he’s witnessed, resulting in a vision on That kind of continuity appeals to many project compensation; its namesake can spend more of his
paper that’s fully steered by the client’s inspirations owners and developers, including Carlock. When time on the firm’s design work.
and thoughts, not a designer’s ego or preconceptions. he picks designers for his projects, the firm is almost “Really great design creatives, I don’t want that
irrelevant. guy to be good at accounting,” Carlock said.
“There is no way any human on this planet can
wrap their mind around 2 million square feet and “By far the most BREAKTHROUGHS
make design decisions,” said Hardy. “He really important consider-
holds their hands throughout the entire process.” ation is, who are the Manica’s future in the U.S. market was unclear
people you’re get- after the firm fell short in a 2013 joint bid with Ew-
Nearly all of Manica’s main competitors, includ- ting?” he said. “Every ingCole to design what would become the Falcons’
ing AECOM, Gensler, HKS, HOK, HNTB and Popu- large firm has folks Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
lous, are part of large full-service architecture that are stronger and
practices with thousands of employees globally. folks that aren’t as The gloom was quickly dashed when Manica
They generally handle sports projects from start strong, folks that are landed the Chase Center job that same year. Then
to finish, but also design other large public assem- a good fit for your the Farmers Field football stadium project in L.A.
bly buildings like hospitals and airports. project, and folks that collapsed in 2014; those ripples led to Manica win-
are less of a fit. That’s ning a gig designing a potential Southern California
“[Manica] only have 10 or 12 on staff, but they’ve inherent with any stadium shared by the Chargers and Raiders. The
specialized on the front end,” said Titans project large services firm two teams went in separate directions in 2015, but
executive Kellen DeCoursey. “There are critical — law firm, architect, Raiders owner Mark Davis liked Manica and hired
decisions that you make early in the process. If it doesn’t matter.”
you’re going to change this down the line, it’s going CONTINUED ON PAGE 21
to cost you money and time. They walked us through The Warriors’ and
it, and it helped us capture critical things that we Manica’s desire for Getty Images (2)
weren’t aware of.” luxury were a perfect fit
when designing Chase
A bad early design, especially if the scope of work Center.
and budget don’t line up, can throw a project off
track immediately, delaying it and even poisoning
the vibe between the key parties involved.
“I can’t overstate the importance of that moment
in time,” said Hardy. “Just imagine, you’ve been
working with an architect for six months to a year,
and you get to this point where you hire a contrac-
tor and in meeting No. 1, they say ‘your [rendering]
is pretty, but you can’t afford it and we have to
hack it up.’ Whatever you can do to avoid that is
valuable.”
Because it doesn’t produce construction docu-
ments or stamp them — when a firm or architect
stamps documents it assumes much of the liabil-
ity for a building — Manica always partners with
an AOR, either chosen by Manica or the client, then
hands off the project about halfway. Even though
Manica remains involved in an advisory role, its
projects wouldn’t get completed without larger firms
or local AORs. Unsurprisingly, he views his ap-
proach as different but not adversarial.
2 0 | N OV E M B E R 7-13, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM
SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20 billion building?” Fletcher said. Active Manica Projects
“Well, it’s right there in Las Vegas.”
the firm a year later for his Allegiant Manica has two arena projects underway in Japan — one in Osaka and an-
Stadium project in Las Vegas. GROWTH … ? other in Aichi prefecture. Here are the firm’s active U.S. projects:
Chase Center and Allegiant Stadium Manica’s firm turned 15 this year, 1. PROGRESSIVE FIELD mixed-use development in Tempe,
spotlighted Manica’s creative eye for no small feat given that it launched RENOVATION Ariz., for the Coyotes, who will play
unique, luxurious premium spaces during the first recession of the 21st the next few seasons in a new 5,000-
and seating bowls that are alternate- century and not only survived the n Client: Cleveland Guardians seat arena at Arizona State.
ly compact but comfortable. The proj- second one during the COVID pan- n The gist: Manica’s first base-
ects also underlined that the firm demic, but saw its business explode. ball stadium project will focus on n Projected cost: $2.1 billion
doesn’t have a signature style; Chase the left-field experience and the n Status: The project is on pause
Center and Allegiant Stadium great- That leads to an interesting ques- upper deck concourse, as well as a as a deal to purchase the needed
ly reflect their owners’ core desires. tion for Manica: What’s next? That more interesting social experience 46 acres from the city of Tempe is
question intrigued sports architec- behind home plate. Partnered with being negotiated.
Warriors President Brandon Schnei- ture veteran Ron Turner, who local architect of record Moody nProjectedcompletiondate: 2026
der conceded that working with such helped build sports practices at Nolan; Mortenson is handling con-
an unproven firm in the U.S. was a risk. NBBJ, Ellerbe Becket and Gensler, struction. 4. NEW ARLINGTON HEIGHTS
But, he said, “there is a risk no matter and has worked on over 150 sports n Projected cost: $435 million FOOTBALL STADIUM
what you do. We’re talking about invest- venues in his career. He’s seen many n Status: The renovation is
ing $2.1 billion in a project, that’s a huge sports designers launch their own scheduled to commence at the con- n Client: Chicago Bears
risk. If you do what everyone else has firms, only to flame out. clusion of the 2022 MLB season. n The gist: The Bears are plotting
done, that’s one way to go. But we’re n Projected completion date: TBD a new, and substantial, stadium-an-
always trying to be innovative.” “What they have to figure out is chored, mixed-use development in
growth,” Turner said. “What kind 2. NEW MIAMI SOCCER- the northwest suburbs of Chicago.
The Warriors wanted a showpiece of practice does he really want for SPECIFIC STADIUM (BELOW) n Projected cost: $5 billion
that spoke to the Bay Area’s upper the future, because that’s where you n Client: Inter Miami n Status: This one is still in the early
crust. Manica ensured they didn’t get have to be. You have to bring people n The gist: Privately funded 25,000- stages, but the Bears have acquired
a cookie-cutter building. up in the practice. It’s always looking seat stadium would sit amid 131 acres the 300-plus acre-Arlington Park horse
to the future and how do you grow of mixed-use development, including track and are hashing out project fi-
They also liked that Manica’s own the practice and sustain the practice, 58 acres of public parks. Its first soccer nancing with local and state officials.
name was on the line. Chase Center that’s what’s really important.” project, Manica is working with archi- n Projected completion date: TBD
opened in 2019 on time and on budget. tect of record Arquitectonica.
Manica appreciated Turner’s n Projected cost: $1 billion 5. NEW NASHVILLE
“Being that the company is called questions because he’s been think- n Status: The stadium project FOOTBALL STADIUM
Manica Architecture and you’re work- ing about the same things. His recently received zoning approval,
ing with David Manica, that is impact- mentorship of Hon and Robinson and environmental cleanup of the (TOP LEFT)
ful,” said Schneider. and the responsibility he’s en- Melreese golf course, which oc- n Client: Tennessee Titans
trusted with them, and others at cupies the site, should begin soon. n The gist: The Titans are build-
A year after Chase Center opened, the firm, seems to indicate as Construction would follow once the ing a new 60,000-seat stadium with
Allegiant Stadium was completed $25 much. In January, Robinson and site is prepared, potentially within a roof next door to Nissan Stadium.
million under budget. That project Hon were both elevated to the role the next six months. Manica provided concept designs,
showcased Manica’s emotional intel- of principal. n Projected completion date: but the Titans haven’t chosen a proj-
ligence. He’s immediately likable and 2025 ect architect yet.
confidently interacts in social set- “My guess is in 15 years we’ll be n Projected cost: $2.1 billion
tings. It wouldn’t take a couple of building these things differently in 3. NEW TEMPE n Status: The project’s financing
Negronis to see that. a completely collaborative manner,” HOCKEY ARENA (TOP RIGHT) plan needs Nashville city council
said Hardy, “and it’s Will and Keith n Client: Arizona Coyotes and Metro Sports Authority approval
“The architect’s ability to walk into that are going to do that.” n The gist: A 16,000-seat arena to break ground.
a room and hold a room and talk about and hockey practice facility open to n Projected completion date:
things that can be nebulous, these are Manica’s studio has empty desks the public would be the hub of a new 2026
critical components to being successful,” and room to grow as it addresses
said Generator Studio founding partner the pile-up of major projects. But — Bret McCormick
Tom Proebstle, who has long operated there is a limit, he said.
Manica (3) in the same smallish Kansas City sports
architecture circle as Manica. “I want to stay small enough to
be involved with all the projects we
Allegiant Stadium — a black, white touch, because it’s very important
and silver visual love letter to the to me and part of the ethos of our
Raiders mythos — was exemplary of company,” Manica said. And “if we
the kind of project where Manica get to the point where I don’t know
thrives, working with an owner like everybody, that would also bother
Mark Davis who desired an aesthetic me. So, then the question is well,
statement. That was doubly important what’s that number?”
in a glitzy market like Las Vegas.
That leads Manica to acknowledge
“You couldn’t come to Vegas and the most valuable gain from the
build something just basic here; you huge risk he took 15 years ago to
had to build something spectacular,” become his own boss, the thing that
Badain said. gave him total creative indepen-
dence and fulfillment, a (slightly)
“Between the vision of those two toned-down travel schedule and
guys, we were able to design that, then personal life, and even some spare
execute on it.” time to design three cocktail bars.
Together with Chase Center, Alle- “At some point,” he said, “I’d
giant Stadium changed the trajectory rather say no to a project than con-
of Manica, establishing its reputation tinue to grow.”
in the U.S., and providing ample ammo
to fire back at any critics.
“People can say that you’re a small
firm and how can you deliver a $1.8
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 7-13, 2022 | 2 1
OPINION
Vigilance is top priority in addressthemrepresentapotentiallypowerfulway
to start the next 50 years. We need to figure out
wake of Title IX milestone what levers to pull to make the broadest audience
possible care about equity. Should we devote more
time and energy to educating the next generation
about Title IX, to organizing more awareness-rais-
W HAT HAPPENS AFTER THE TITLE IX celebra- we need to act before it’s too late. That knowledge ing campaigns, to raising up different voices and
tions? At the end of a year spent com- raises the next critical question: What should we capitalizing on new platforms? Probably all that
memorating the 50th anniversary of the do? What actions should we take? What should the and more.
Above all, though, collaboration is the key to
landmark law, it’s a question we need to ask. And strategy look like from here? Strong emphasis on translating vigilance to more progress. That re-
we need to ask it with a sense of urgency as court strategy. Vigilance does little unless it produces quires a shift in mindset. At the moment, we ap-
decisions take away women’s rights and reshape the purposeful, collective, collaborative action. That proach women’s sports from the perspective of a
college sports landscape. One answer is vigilance. combination — vigilance and strategic, collabora- limited pie where everyone fights for limited re-
Preparing for a panel at the Sports Business Jour- tive action — is what needs to happen after the sources. We think in terms of scarcity because that’s
nal’s Game Changers conference with women’s bas- celebration. what happens when sponsorship dollars, media
ketball pioneer and Hall of Famer Ann Meyers “It’s about mobilizing every piece of the women’s coverage and leadership opportunities remain hard
Drysdale, Women’s Sports Foundation CEO sports environment,” said Leighton, to come by.
Danette Leighton and University of Vir- BY SHIRA SPRINGER after the panel. “So, it’s collegiate, na- “We’ve just accepted that we only have this one
ginia Athletic Director Carla Williams, the tional governing bodies, USOPC, play- little sliver of the pie so that everybody competes
need for vigilance came up time and again. ers associations, professional leagues, for that one little sliver,” said Leighton post-panel.
All three panelists expressed concern about losing corporations, etc. It’s convening
ground in the fight for equity in women’s sports. and working together to build best “Everybody can be in
They worried about progress being taken for grant- practices. Everybody can be in competition on the field …
ed until it’s gone, using the U.S. Supreme Court’s competition on the field and on the but when it comes to building
decision to overturn Roe v. Wade as a reference point. court, but when it comes to build- models that make sense we are
ing models that make sense we are much stronger together.”
“There aren’t enough people talking about the much stronger together.”
concerns moving forward,” said Williams in a pre-
panel call. “Title IX should be celebrated, but there’s Anyone familiar with the eq-
a smokescreen happening.” uity issues in women’s sports
Citing recent court cases lost by the NCAA, in- knows that women’s leagues,
cluding a unanimous ruling against the organiza- teams and athletes face similar
tion in NCAA v. Alston, Williams added: “The NCAA challenges. There needs to be more women in lead- “We should really change the narrative to one where
is transforming. The entire system could look dif- ership positions making decisions across the sports there’s a much bigger opportunity out there.”
ferent. So as court cases alter our procedures and landscape, more investment in women’s sports as As an example, Leighton talked about content
policies, it’s going to change the access.” a business and not a cause, more sponsorship dol- creation and distribution. She noted that “between
The cascading effect of changes to the NCAA’s lars, more marketing resources, more media cover- Netflix, Apple TV, linear and digital platforms,
business model: Unless sports leaders care about age, more pipelines to the top jobs, more there’s so much content capability” and that ca-
equity, it’s likely those changes will reduce access merchandise for women’s teams, more purpose-built pability can easily translate into increased op-
for female athletes at all levels. facilities, more performance research focused on portunities for women’s sports. The throughline
From that perspective, it’s easy to understand female athletes, and more attention paid to com- is obvious: Visibility makes people care about
the need to shift from celebration to vigilance. With munities of color underserved by Title IX. equity and people who care about equity work to
vigilance, we see where the greatest potential threats Collaborative efforts that discuss those needs, ensure it.
to access and opportunities exist. We learn where collect data on them, and develop best practices to On paper, all of this looks like a big ask; too big,
some might say. But it’s not too big if you understand
the stakes. Access to women’s sports and the op-
portunities that follow drive progress far beyond
women’s sports. That was a popular refrain through-
out this year of Title IX celebrations. To highlight
the stakes, the interconnectedness between what
happens in women’s sports
Ann Meyers and what happens in society,
Drysdale (right) those celebrations often cited
speaks at the 2022 Ernst & Young’s research that
Game Changers found 94% of women in C-suite
event with (from positions played sports.
So, let’s continue celebrating
left) panel modera-
tor Shira Springer, Title IX and women’s sports
Carla Williams and and women’s progress. But
Danette Leighton. let’s also make sure the cele-
brations don’t obscure the
reality. We need to guard against taking Title IX
for granted and move forward with a combination
of vigilance and collaborative strategic thinking
and bigger ambitions. That way we’ll ensure we
have more to celebrate. Marc Bryan-Brown
Shira Springer writes about the intersection of
sports and culture and teaches leadership communi-
cation at MIT Sloan.
2 2 | N OV E M B E R 7-13, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM
SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL
CAREERS
On the Move Sodexo Live hired KATHRYN MARTINI as lead
business development writer, growth strategy.
Changing places and
positions around the industry OGUCHE MARTINEZ MARKETING
BASEBALL ANC named MICHAEL O’BRIEN vice president,
The Class A Charleston RiverDogs advertising partnerships. O’Brien was general
promoted EMILY LEMMON and EVAN
COURTNEY to senior account executives and manager and consultant at Playfly Sports.
hired CHASE GARBER as operations
manager; JALIN BROWN as food truck ESPORTS IMG hired ROBERT KLEIN as managing director,
manager; LANCE FLETCHER as director of head of global football for IMG Media. Klein was
club sales/events; MICHAEL LOPES as Riot Games promoted FRANK RINALDI to CEO of Bundesliga International.
director of marketing; and RILEY HOLLAR as chief of staff, esports operations.
ticket sales associate. Integrity 9 hired CHELSEY BURNS as senior
EXECUTIVE SEARCH director of sponsorships. Burns was senior director
The Minnesota Twins hired EDDIE of corporate partnerships and premium suites at
EIXENBERGER as vice president of ticket Prodigy Search hired TAMMY WEST-BENNET Orlando City SC.
sales and strategy. Eixenberger was vice as a senior recruiting consultant and TY
president of ticketing and merchandising at THOMAS as a senior recruiter. Learfield named ANDREW LEE general manager for
the Fiesta Bowl. Bengals Sports Properties at Idaho State. Lee was
FOOTBALL an account executive for the Boise Hawks
BASKETBALL Professional Baseball Club.
The Miami Dolphins named MICHAEL SHAW
The Cleveland Cavaliers, Rock vice president, brand marketing. Shaw was Two Circles hired WYNDHAM RICHARDSON as
Entertainment Group and Rocket senior vice president of brand, experience group executive director. Richardson was founder
Mortgage FieldHouse named SUSAN and innovation for the Miami Marlins. and CEO of Pulselive, the sports technology
OGUCHE executive vice president and chief company spun out of Hawk-Eye Innovations.
communications officer. Oguche was director
of consumer product communications at Nike. GOLF VaynerSports promoted HAYLEY COHEN to
director of marketing.
COLLEGES LIV Golf hired TROY TUTT as senior vice
president, ticketing and hospitality. Tutt was MULTITEAM COMPANIES
The Big 12 Conference hired JENN head of strategic partnerships at
HUNTER as chief diversity, equity and TicketManager. Monumental Sports & Entertainment named
inclusion officer. Hunter was senior director FRIDAY ABERNETHY general manager of NBC
of DEI for the Portland Trail Blazers and EVENTS Sports Washington.
Rose Quarter.
Legends named JOAQUIN MARTINEZ chief To have your personnel announcements included in
revenue officer, Iberia. “On The Move,” please send information to
[email protected].
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Subscription Information: 1-800-829-9839 Taylor Bloom, CEO & Co-Founder
REPORTERS Eric Bohm, Director, Sales & Strategic Partnerships Julie Tuttle, Strategic Partner Director
LEADERS GROUP CHARLOTTE
Bill King, Senior Writer — Betting Andrew Cohen, Staff Writer AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
Whitney Shaw, Chairman Bret McCormick, Facilities, ticketing, tennis Tom Friend, Senior Writer
Warren Thune, CEO Alex Silverman, Hockey, soccer Keith Jicha, Manager, Partnerships Andrew Shrader, Sales Manager
Michael Smith, Colleges Daniel Kaufman, Managing Director Hunter Steinberg, Circulation Account Executive
Eileen Silvergleid, Chief Revenue Officer Adam Stern, Motorsports, combat sports Joe Lemire, Senior Writer
Derek DeVeaux, Global Product Owner NEW YORK Casey Robinson, Director, Experiential Strategy & Samuel Trader, Circulation Account Executive
Shaun Robbins, Program and Operations Manager Terry Lefton, Editor-at-Large — Marketing, sponsors Gabe Hubbard, Circulation Account Executive
Erik Bacharach, Baseball Partnerships
Nick Brown, Fullstack Developer Ben Fischer, Football David Rumsey, Newsletter Editor Abby Shipp, Circulation Account Executive
Brandon Moyer, Senior Business Intelligence Manager John Ourand, Media Cody Snyder, Director of Audience Engagement Molly Kirkpatrick, On Campus Program Manager
LOS ANGELES Jasmine Tong, Events Activation Manager
Mackenzie Grant, Senior Marketing Analyst Liz Mullen, Bureau Chief — Labor unions, agents Loren Williams, Creative Manager Bridget Ernst, Administrative Specialist and
Martin Ilarionov, Business Intelligence Analyst Chris Smith, Finance Management Support
Brandon Oliveri, CRM Data and Research Analyst SBJ ATLAS
DALLAS Dan Magovney, Sales Support Associate
Melissa Curwick, Senior Data Analyst Eric Prisbell, Basketball, golf David Moggio, Director of Data Strategy, SBJ Kellie McBride, Customer Service Manager
Brian Arriaga, Full Stack Web Developer Jeremy Long, Product Manager Johnathan Rollings, Customer Service Associate
Rebecca Reyes, Director of Commercial Products ESPORTS
Jason Wilson, Esports Editor Derick Moss, Senior Market Analyst MARKETING
SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL Nick Pound, Engineering Manager
Hunter Cooke, Staff Writer Denise Sicking, Editor, Research Lead Sean Burke, Marketing Director
Abraham Madkour, Publisher & Executive Editor Kevin Hitt, Staff Writer Grayson McClead, Front End Developer Alexa Brooks, Marketing Coordinator
David Albright, Managing Editor Hayley Farris, Junior Graphic Designer
Tobias Seck, Staff Writer Cole Bui, Software Developer Ryan Holmes, Sponsored Content Editor
Kristin Petritz, Human Resources Manager Michael Cupello, Senior Research Analyst Alden Sterka, Junior Graphic Designer
Brandi Wyant, Controller DAILY
Jonathan Heijjer, Research Analyst Sara Vigen, Marketing Manager
Debbie Harley, Accounting Manager Rick Ellington, Managing Editor Ari Snyder, Account Manager Katelyn Zander, Senior Graphic Design Manager
Josh Carpenter, Assistant Managing Editor
EDITORS Francesca Fumagalli, Customer Service Associate SBJ CONFERENCE & EVENT GROUP
David Bourne, Assistant Managing Editor Mike Alongi, Assistant Editor Kaitlyn Dunlap, Quality Assurance
Richard Bush, Assistant Managing Editor Preston Bounds, Assistant Editor Jim Sullivan, Managing Director
Betty Gomes, Assistant Managing Editor Joshua Broughton, Research Assistant Tiffany Ancharski, Account Executive, Events
Mike Boylan, Assistant Editor
Ted Keith, Assistant Managing Editor Tyler Everett, Assistant Editor MULTIMEDIA Laura Case, Senior Program Director
David Broughton, Research Director Olivia Green, Assistant Editor Lori Fuller, Program Director
Austin Karp, Managing Editor, Digital Paul Sanford, Television Editor Ross Nethery, Managing Director, Multimedia
Na’Andre Emerson, Staff Writer Programming & Production Dominique Fergerson, Events Coordinator
Jake Kyler, Chief Copy Editor Donna Johnson, Senior Program Director
Kody Timmers, Copy Editor Xavier Hunter, Staff Writer Chris Mason, Video Producer and Graphics Editor Michelle Martinez, Account Executive, Events
Corey M. Edwards, Editorial Graphic Designer Valerie Page, Staff Writer Reggie Walker, Video Producer / Editor
Trevona Williams, Staff Writer Acie Wyatt, Senior Producer Megan Meade, Program Manager
Maggie Swider, Virtual Event Specialist
ADVERTISING Kayelei Wright, Event Activation & Attendee
Jay Freshwater, National Sales Manager Experience Manager
Megi Beqiraj, Sales Coordinator
For complete listing and contact information, visit
Jerrod Campbell, Account Director www.sportsbusinessjournal.com
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 7-13, 2022 | 2 3
FACES & PLACES
PICKLEBALL ANYONE? MEDIA DAY AT MSG CELEBRATING TIPOFF
Dallas-area hometown favorites golfer Jordan Spieth, tennis player From Big East Basketball Media Day on Oct. From the 10th annual Men’s College
John Isner, former Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki and golfer 18 at Madison Square Garden: From left, Greg Basketball Tip-Off benefiting the Cal
Scottie Scheffler participated in the PPA Tour’s Dick’s Sporting McDermott, Creighton men’s basketball coach; Big Ripken, Sr. Foundation on Oct. 3 in
Goods Celebrity Battle Presented by Selkirk Sport on Oct. 13 East Commissioner Val Ackerman; Larry Jones, Baltimore: Jay Wright, former Villanova
alongside the top-ranked professional pickleball players in the world Fox Sports EVP of business; Joel Fisher, MSG EVP men’s basketball coach; Kevin Willard,
to kick off the PPA Tour Round-Up at Life Time Frisco in Frisco, Texas. of marquee events and operations; Ed Cooley, Maryland men’s basketball coach; Cal
Providence College men’s basketball coach. Ripken Jr.; Terry Arenson, Ripken
Foundation board member and event
co-chair; Scott Van Pelt, ESPN broadcaster
and emcee of the event; Kyle Neptune,
Villanova men’s basketball coach;
Gary Williams, former Maryland men’s
basketball coach; and Frank Culotta,
Ripken Foundation board member and
event co-chair.
ACC TIPOFF L.A. ICE PPA Tour; Big East Conference; Robert Smith / Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation; ACC Network; Juan Ocampo; Nate Ward z/ Finch Creative; Amanda Westcott / CBS Sports
ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips discussed the coming basketball AEG Sports and LA Kings executives Luc Robitaille, Kelly Cheeseman, Daryl Evans, Mike Altieri,
season with ACC Network analysts and hosts Debbie Antonelli, Kelly Jennifer Pope and Chris Crotty participated in a ribbon-cutting event at LA Kings Iceland at
Gramlich and Kelsey Riggs for 2022 ACC Tipoff on Oct. 11 in Charlotte. Paramount on Oct. 26 in Paramount, Calif., after the facility reopened following completion of a
million-dollar renovation and rebrand.
COLLEGIATE
LEADERSHIP DESTINATION BROOKLYN
Vanderbilt Athletic Director CBS Sports brought its “UEFA
Candice Storey Lee Champions League Today” studio
and SEC Commissioner show to the U.S. for the first time,
Greg Sankey shared the with “Destination Brooklyn”
stage during the opening presented by Paramount+ taking
dinner session of the 12th place on Oct. 25-26, originating
annual Collegiate Athletics live from Brooklyn Bridge Park. CBS
Leadership Symposium Sports’ on-air talent took part in the
on Oct. 2 at the Country network’s coverage from Brooklyn,
Music Hall of Fame in along with current and former pro
Nashville. players: Front row — Maurice Edu,
Jenny Chiu, Kate Abdo, Christina
Please submit photos for review of industry conferences, parties, product launches and Unkel, Clint Dempsey. Back row —
openings showcasing the people and personalities at the event. Include the event date, Thierry Henry, Peter Schmeichel,
location, names/titles of those featured along with credit information. The photo specifications Charlie Davies, Midge Purce,
are as follows: 300dpi, tiff, jpeg or eps color images. Submit digital photos for review at: photo@ Jamie Carragher, Micah Richards.
sportsbusinessjournal.com or send color prints to: Faces & Places, c/o Street & Smith’s Sports
Business Journal, 120 W. Morehead St., Suite 310, Charlotte, NC 28202.
2 4 | N OV E M B E R 7-13, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM
SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL
FACES & PLACES: GAME CHANGERS
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s wide- Led by moderator Kit Geis of Genesco Sports
ranging one-on-one with SBJ Publisher and Executive Enterprises, Pepsi’s Erica Smith and the NBA’s
Editor Abe Madkour covered topics from Brittney Lauren Sullivan described how the Las Vegas
Griner’s imprisonment in Russia to the business Aces’ A’ja Wilson, the first female basketball player
transformation and future expansion of the league. on the Mountain Dew roster, has become the face
of the WNBA.
WWE superstar Bianca Belair discussed being an
example not only for girls to see her performing for WWE
but for boys as well.
PRESENTING PARTNER
The elevation of women’s sports was a major theme Generator Studios executives, who are designing the Keynote speaker and Ally Financial CMO Andrea
as SBJ hosted its 10th Game Changers conference, KC Current’s new stadium, caught up with the NWSL Brimmer, U.S. Soccer Federation President Cindy
presented by Pepsi, at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 26. team’s owners, Chris and Angie Long, during the Parlow Cone and Game Changers ceremony
More than 350 attendees heard from compelling guest conference. From left, Christina Franklin, Chris Long, emcee Ann Meyers Drysdale, vice president of
speakers and panelists during the daylong event, Tom Proebstle, Angie Long and Jill Monaghan. the Phoenix Suns and Mercury, pose for a photo.
which culminated with the recognition of the Game
Changers Class of 2022.
All Photos by Marc Bryan-Brown Members of the Game Changers Class of 2022 take a moment to celebrate during a group photo shoot.
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 7-13, 2022 | 2 5
CLOSING SHOT
Florida Gov. Ron
DeSantis (front
left) and Wisconsin
gubernatorial can-
didate Tim Michels
mingled with tail-
gaters prior to a
Green Bay Packers in
September.
Political Roll Of The Dice
Sporting events offer a tempting arena for politicians, but based on past
and current election campaigns, it’s enter at your own risk.
BY ERIK SPANBERG
AS ELECTION DAY approaches and polls tighten, can- “It’s a time-honored American tradition for poli- Orleans before the 2020 College Football Playoff Twitter
didates looking for any available advantage are ticians to attend sporting events,” said Ari Fleisch- national championship game.
likely to pop in at a football game, a tailgate — or er, the former White House press secretary who now
anywhere else sports fans gather and can be poten- runs a communications firm that includes a sports Then, too, there is the matter of rooting allegiances.
tially swayed. It’s a familiar tactic, but fraught with division. He said politicians and their advisers un- In the current election season, Republican guber-
potential brickbats. derstand that backlash at public events “comes with natorial candidate Tim Michels in Wisconsin took
the territory.” fellow GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida to a Green
“There is a risk any time candidates put themselves Bay Packers-Chicago Bears game at Lambeau Field,
in front of a crowd of people, but at sports events, Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) said attend- an outing that The New York Times later examined
you have the added layers of alcohol and a propen- ing sporting events was “always one of those issues, after learning that Michels said during a campaign
sity to get loud,” said Amy Bass, professor of sport but you know what, you deal with crowds as they stop elsewhere that DeSantis was texting Tampa
studies at Manhattanville College. “We saw crowds come. I didn’t hesitate to go to events when I was Bay Bucs quarterback Tom Brady at the time. Mi-
taunt Donald Trump at Game 5 of the World Series running, I didn’t hesitate to go when I was [in the chels, the Times reported, remarked that he hoped
in 2019, which somewhat shocked him … when did Senate]. I knew that, statistically, there were a lot to soon be governor and take up texting with Aaron
Donald Trump ever put himself in front of a crowd of people there that didn’t particularly like me, but Rodgers, the Packers’ quarterback.
that he and his team had not curated?” the fact that you’re out there and doing things, I Hillary Clinton went on NBC’s “Today” show in
think that’s important.” 1999 and proclaimed herself a devoted Yankees fan
Bass added that the biggest lesson for candidates despite growing up in Chicago. Anchor Katie Couric
is that, “Unlike a rally, they don’t have control of Fleischer noted that Democrats tend to fare better immediately asked about Clinton’s previous profes-
what the crowd at a sporting event will do, and they at sporting events in the Northeast and in California, sions of Cubs fandom, prompting Clinton, who would
don’t have control of who will be there. So, it is a traditional party strongholds. Republicans, too, fare be elected senator from New York the following year,
political rolling of the dice, but it is also a chance better in the South and other regions where voters to clarify that she remained a devout Cubs fan but
for them to test the waters, see where they are, and favor their party. He pointed to NASCAR and college needed an American League favorite.
perhaps let people who may not know anything about football crowds as ones more likely to lean red. After all, in politics, parsing the language — like
them take a look.” employing tired sports metaphors — is a big part
Trump, as noted above, bears out those notions. of the playbook.
Experts on the political right and left, when asked The Republican president received sustained ap- Erik Spanberg writes for the Charlotte Business
whether political polarization might endanger sta- plause in 2019 when he attended the LSU-Alabama Journal, an affiliated publication.
dium and arena photo ops, offered a rarity in re- game in Tuscaloosa and an equally enthusiastic
sponse: bipartisan agreement. response during a pregame walk on the field in New
2 6 | N OV E M B E R 7-13, 2022 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM
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