Menu
Events and Attractions

IMG World Congress Of Sports: Top Sports Execs Sit For Roundtable Discussion

SportsBusiness Journal/SportsBusiness Daily's IMG World Congress of Sports kicked off this morning in Miami with a rapid-fire roundtable discussion about the top issues in the sports business industry over the next 12 months. The panel featured WTA Chair & CEO Stacey Allaster; USOC Exec Dir Scott Blackmun; NHLPA Exec Dir Donald Fehr; Turner President of Sales, Distribution & Sports David Levy; EA Sports President Peter Moore; Gatorade North America President and PepsiCo Global CMO of Sports Nutrition Sarah Robb O’Hagan; and ESPN announcer Mike Tirico. Right away, the discussion focused on the hottest topic in sports: the NFL lockout. A poll of attendees revealed that 47% believe there will be a full 16 game season in ’11. O’Hagan noted Gatorade’s partnership with the NFL and said, “We are betting on that season happening.” Moore joked, “We finished developing 'Madden,' therefore there must be a season.” He added, “If there’s no platform to market our product, it’s an issue for us.” Asked about what property could capitalize on an NFL lockout, the panelists dismissed the idea. “From an outside perspective, it’s a denial of a service customers are interested in,” said Fehr, adding that football fans are not necessarily going to turn to other sports if Sundays are empty. Blackmun added, “We’re very hopeful there is no work stoppage. It’s good for sport.”

A LITTLE BIRD TOLD ME: Social media and its role in the sports industry was a subject of discussion, and all seven panelists acknowledged both the importance and the danger of Twitter, especially for athletes who now have an immediate platform to share what is on their mind. “You have to give up control, and you have to get super comfortable with it,” O’Hagan said. “For all of us who work with athletes on a daily basis, it’s a daily learning process on getting them to understand that everything they say or tweet is on the record.” For the most part, however, the prospect of how social media can drive interest in a sport or property excites the panelists. “I love social media,” Allaster said, “and for a traditional and global sport that’s not always on broadcast, it gives us the opportunity to reach a new fan base, a younger fan base.” Moore mentioned EA Sports’ new partnership with ESPN, allowing fans to vote for the cover athlete of “Madden NFL 12,” as a way his company has capitalized on the evolving media landscape. “The best example for us is that we’ve actually given up control of who the cover athletes are. It’s up the players to lobby their fans,” Moore said. He added that EA will accept as the cover athlete whoever fans vote for, including Eagles QB Michael Vick. Levy suggested social media is a key reason for record TV ratings in sports as of late, saying, “One reason we’re seeing an uplift in sports ratings is because [of] what’s happening with social media. ... We have to touch all these different consumer points.”

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY: Tirico cited NFL players using social media to criticize Bears QB Jay Cutler for leaving the NFL Championship game with a knee injury. “That to me is the home run example that you can’t ignore this anymore,” he said. “A year ago, you got these guys on the phone and they (would not say anything). ... The next day, players backpedaled. Why? Team PR officials got to them.” O’Hagan disagreed a bit. “That adds to the engagement,” she said. “You have to accept that’s the way the world’s gone.” O’Hagan added that Gatorade uses social media to constantly monitor what and how much is being said about the brand. Levy: “It’s authentic. ... The athletes are talking directly to their fans.” Fehr mentioned how new Twitter is to everyone, and therefore there is an inherent risk with how it is used. “We haven’t worked out what the zone of privacy is in this new world,” he said. Blackmun: “This isn’t just about public figures; it’s about life in general.” Fehr noted how public conversation is shaping how NHL players feel about issues surrounding head injuries in the sport. “Athletes are used to playing in a certain way. They become very conservative when it is suggested they have to change,” Fehr said. “What’s going on now, I think the public conversation is becoming so omnipresent that for the first time, it’s driving internal conversation.”

SOME GOOD FORTUNE: Moore provided a lighter moment, recounting a letter he received from a fan who, after playing “Madden” a couple of years ago, alerted the company that a player could receive a concussion in the game and return the next quarter. Moore acknowledged EA was at fault and moved to fix the error immediately. Moore then sent the fan, whom he identified as Josh Baer, a copy of a future “Madden” edition and continued the conversation. Soon thereafter, Moore ran into MLB Giants President & CEO Larry Baer, who told him, “Thanks for engaging Josh.” Moore laughed and said, “Good thing I did! I got two World Series tickets out of it.”

FINAL THOUGHTS: The discussion closed with the panelists being asked what the sports industry needs to do a better job of.

Allaster: “Taking care of our fans

Blackmun: “Connecting with our fans.”

Fehr: “I would say the same thing”

Levy: “I’m gonna go with fans." (laughter)

Moore: “I think I’m still standing outside (Cowboys) Stadium, waiting to get in.”

O'Hagan: “Continuing to increase participation in sport.”

Tirico: “We need to get the young generation in the stadium to experience the sports the way we did.”

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2011/03/30/Events-and-Attractions/WCOS-Roundtable.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2011/03/30/Events-and-Attractions/WCOS-Roundtable.aspx

CLOSE