Media fragmentation and rights fee escalation has been and will continue to be perhaps the single most dominant trend in the sports industry, said members of the opening panel from Day Two of the ‘11 IMG World Congress of Sports, "World Congress At 10." A proliferation of new platforms and a historic rise of social media enabling direct content sales to the consumer has given even more premium content to the live sports experience, as witnessed by historic TV ratings and broadband consumption for many properties in recent years. "We could see a doubling or tripling of media rights still come (for many leagues)," said AEG President & CEO Tim Leiweke. "Live is live. Live programming is everything." IMG Sports & Entertainment President George Pyne was among those quickly concurring. "The world is very fragmented, and live sports is still something that aggregates people." Similarly, the rise of team-owned RSNs, particularly YES Network, was cited as a seminal moment in the recent history of sports business. "If you think about where the business is going, teams are moving from being just teams to conglomerates," said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. "They're running their own business that are now big, integrated sports and entertainment entities."
SAFETY SUIT: Beyond media rights and distribution, much of the discussion centered on security and player safety issues, particularly in light of the post-9/11 world and ongoing awareness of concussions and related injuries. "You ask what keeps me up at night. It's the safety of our players," Garber said. Added Pyne on the concussions, "It's a big issue. It's not insignificant, and we definitely have not heard the last of it." The NHL, which recently implemented new guidelines for concussions and treatment of head injuries, was lauded for its proactive stance on the issue. "Other sports have to take it as seriously as we have," said Bruins Owner Jeremy Jacobs. Labor, like during most other sessions at World Congress, also was a significant thread. The panelists all readily agreed that the NBA labor situation holds strong potential to be even more fractious than the NFL, and more lengthy in a work stoppage. "The NBA issues are even more complex. It could be a long [work stoppage]," said Tom Shine, Reebok Int’l Senior VP/Sports & Entertainment Marketing Worldwide.
THE KINGS AND I: Leiweke called the potential relocation of the NBA Kings to Anaheim a "foregone conclusion," and said he could not get the Maloofs to discuss a potential move to AEG's new but underutilized arena in K.C. But he said of Las Vegas, "At some point, you can't ignore that market. At some point, they're going to get a new arena, stadium or both. And that more people (are) going through that airport than New York."
ENGLISH BEAT: International opportunities additionally was a prime topic, and Garber said the much-debated deal to bring David Beckham into MLS is one he would immediately do again. "It's been huge for us. It's gotten people talking. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It's been a terrific deal for us. He's been a great player, a great member of the Galaxy, and we made money on it."
