Casey Wasserman Tops List Of 50 Most Powerful In L.A. Sports Scene

Wasserman Media Group Founder, Chair & CEO CASEY WASSERMAN's "web of influence is just one of the reasons" he tops the list of the most powerful people in L.A. Sports, according to Clay Fowler of the L.A. DAILY NEWS. He has molded WMG "into a global leader that represents more than 1,300 athletes." There also is his "philanthropic arm," the Wasserman Foundation, worth a reported $320M. His "devotion to the city where he was born and raised" is "no small factor in his efforts to build L.A. into a sports hub measured on an international scale." But Wasserman "isn’t a familiar face even among the sports-loving public in his own hometown." It is the "elite circles ... where he is a household name." Neither the now-abandoned Farmers Field proposal nor L.A.'s Olympic effort "were high percentage plays, but Wasserman’s role in events of such scale are an indication of his stature in his hometown and the potential for him to massively alter the city’s sports landscape in the future" (DAILYNEWS.com, 4/24).

FAMILY TRADITION: In L.A., Mark Medina noted Lakers Exec VP/Business Operations JEANIE BUSS, who is No.7 on the list, "stressed she will maintain" her late father's legacy. She has "overseen the Lakers as both the team’s president and governor" during NBA BOG meetings since JERRY BUSS' death. Buss also said that she has "tried to emulate" her father's style, which "entailed giving the team’s basketball operations monetary support without micromanaging" (DAILYNEWS.com, 4/24).

NEW PLAYER IN THE GAME: In L.A., Tom Hoffarth wrote TMZ Sports Exec Producer EVAN ROSENBLUM, who is No. 13 on the list, has been given "much financial backing and flame-throwing technology to change the relentless course by which athletes are covered," whether it is "on, off or far beyond the field of play." TMZ Founder HARVEY LEVIN said of Rosenblum, "He’s really created something out of nothing over the last two years and made it an amazing business" (DAILYNEWS.com, 4/24).

CHANGING LANDSCAPE: The DAILY NEWS' Fowler noted the "recent rise and fall of L.A. sports royalty" includes the transition from Jerry to Jeanie Buss, FRANK MCCOURT to MARK WALTER (Dodgers) and DONALD STERLING to STEVE BALLMER (Clippers). Wasserman said, "There has been a lot of transition in sports in a city that didn’t have much of that for a long time. But frankly, I think those transitions will create a lot of opportunities going forward and will lead to much more interesting times ahead.” Fowler wrote the "depth and breadth of the competition for sports supremacy in a city that doubles as the entertainment capital of the world make for a difficult climb to the top." The "ambitious environment emblematic of L.A. ensures a stay at No. 1 is even more difficult" (DAILYNEWS.com, 4/24).