The '15 IMG World Congress of Sports may be over, but there were some memorable moments from the event. Here are some of the top quotes from the two days in L.A.
* NBA Kings Managing Partner Vivek Ranadive, on whether China or India is the more important international growth market: "It's not either/or. You have to do it all. And I'm encouraged that in the NBA we are."
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| Iger said that ESPN's digital platforms in '14 logged 82 billion minutes of consumption |
* Disney Chair & CEO
Bob Iger, on the growth of content consumption: “ESPN in 2014 had 82 billion minutes of consumption on its digital platforms. That’s 157,000 years of interacting with ESPN in one year on digital platforms. The ability to do that did not exist five years ago even.”
* NFL CMO & Exec VP Dawn Hudson, on damage to the NFL's image during the Ray Rice episode: "You have to separate between the shield and football at large. Football at large is doing great. Probably the place where it had the most impact is among non-fans. But this also created an opportunity for change, and sports is a big platform where you can make a difference. ... I can't say to you there was no damage, but it wasn't necessarily financial."
* MLS CMO Howard Handler, on the difference between brand marketing and sports property marketing: "Sports and entertainment is much more art than science, more judgment.”
* Jordan Brand President Larry Miller, on possibly replacing adidas as the NBA’s jersey provider: “We’ve always had -- between Nike, Jordan Brand and the NBA -- a great partnership. We work together with a focus on growing the game of basketball, and I think the uniform deal is something we’d absolutely be interested in.”
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| Burke (c) expressed his disdain for the idea of putting advertisements on sports uniforms |
* Flames President of Hockey Operations
Brian Burke, on the possible addition of ads to jerseys in stick-and-ball leagues: “People that have an iPad: Go look up a Swedish hockey team and the advertising on the uniforms. It’s sickening. I hate it. If you need the revenue that badly then cut your labor costs. We don’t sell heroin. We shouldn’t sell advertising on our jerseys.”
* The MMQB's Peter King, on the two biggest NFL stories he is following: "Number one, the long-term effectiveness of [NFL Commissioner] Roger Goodell. Not that I feel his job is in jeopardy. But he remains a very polarizing figure, particularly with the public. Number two, should America be playing football? That remains a very big question."
* Former ESPN Exec VP & Exec Editor John Walsh, on a major story he is following: "The culture of domestic violence is something we have to keep a close eye on.”
* Yahoo Sports' Ken Fuchs, on the future of content consumption: “In a few years, people won’t go to home page. They’ll get (content) through five or six platforms, peers or brands they trust. They may not know that content is associated with a media brand. That completely changes how you build an audience over time, build brands, and advertise in native formats. It’s a tipping point.”
* Bank of America's Chris Traeger, on feedback from Generation Y: “Millennials on social media are immediate focus groups that don’t have filters.”
* Bruins Principal Charlie Jacobs, on reaching millennials: “On the loyalty side, the best way to win and curry favor is to produce a winning product. Until you make that first engagement or pull at millennials, new customers, if you have a poor product it’s almost a moot point.”
