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NBA's Adam Silver Tops SBJ's List Of 50 Most Influential People In Sports Business

NBA Commissioner ADAM SILVER tops SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's annual list of the 50 Most Influential People in Sports Business. His influence has "never been greater," as he presides over a league that this year will reach more than $8B in revenue. Franchise values are "soaring, revenue is skyrocketing, a new labor deal is expected any day and the game itself is as healthy as it’s ever been." It is an "uncanny mix of style and substance that Silver brings to the table." He has "improved player relations by decreasing the number of back-to-back games and lengthening the all-star break, all while encouraging players to speak out on social issues." The respect he has among players is "unique in sports because they feel Silver listens." On the business front, Silver has "no fear in expanding the league’s boundaries." Consider that the NBA this year became the first of the major U.S. stick-and-ball leagues to "allow advertising patches on game jerseys, beginning next season," with the 76ers and Kings "having deals in place and others expected." Silver also "understands the entrepreneurial bent of NBA owners and encouraged their investment in esports, as some of the league’s most prominent and forward-thinking owners are diving headlong into the nascent but promising world" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 12/5 issue).

50 MOST-INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN SPORTS BUSINESS
RANK
EXEC
1
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver
2
Disney Chair & CEO Bob Iger/ESPN President John Skipper
3
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell
4
WME-IMG co-CEOs Ari Emanuel/Patrick Whitesell
5
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred
6
NBC Sports Chair Mark Lazarus
7
Turner Broadcasting President David Levy
8
Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones
9
MLB President of Business & Media Bob Bowman
10
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman
11
CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus
12
Patriots and Revolution Owner Robert Kraft
13
Fox Sports President & COO Eric Shanks
14
Nike Brand President Trevor Edwards/
Nike President, Chair & CEO Mark Parker
15
Wasserman Chair & CEO and LA 2024 Chair Casey Wasserman
16
Under Armour Founder, Chair & CEO Kevin Plank
17
AEG Chair Phil Anschutz
18
Warriors co-Owner Joe Lacob
19
MLS Commissioner Don Garber
20
Monumental Sports & Entertainment Founder, Chair & CEO Ted Leonsis
21
Dalian Wanda Chair Wang Jianlin
22
Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert
23
NASCAR Chair & CEO Brian France
24
CAA Sports co-Heads Michael Levine/Howard Nuchow
25
IOC President Thomas Bach
26
NFL COO Tod Leiweke
27
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan
28
NBPA Exec Dir Michele Roberts
29
Fanatics Exec Chair Michael Rubin
30
Rams Owner Stan Kroenke
31
Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany
32
Proskauer attorneys Joe Leccese/Bob Batterman
33
A-B InBev VP/Marketing Strategy for Core Brands Jorn Socquet/
U.S. VP/Marketing Marcel Marcondes
34
NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith
35
Coca-Cola North America President Sandy Douglas
36
MLBPA Exec Dir Tony Clark
37
USOC Chair Larry Probst
38
Twitter COO Anthony Noto
39
76ers and Devils co-Owners Josh Harris/David Blitzer
40
NCAA President Mark Emmert
41
Falcons and Atlanta United Owner Arthur Blank
42
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick
43
Covington & Burling attorneys Doug Gibson/Gregg Levy
44
PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi
45
Raiders Owner Mark Davis
46
Bruin Sports Capital Founder & CEO George Pyne
47
Facebook Head of Global Sports Partnerships Dan Reed
48
Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman
49
HKS Architects Principal Designer Bryan Trubey
50
Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein

TWITTER REAX: Sports PR consultant Zack Smith: "Great top-50 list ... SBJ strives 4 diversity. To that: maybe specifically list those execs just beyond top-50?" The American Gaming Association's feed: "Adam Silver, advocate of legalized regulated #sportsbetting, named most influential in sports business." Sports Agent Blog's Chris Lesley: "Goodell 3rd most influential in sports according to SBJ. Emanuel/Whitesell 4th. I'd swap them around. ... A lot of (mainly int'l) omissions from the SBJ influential list: Scudamore, Raiola, Sexton, Ecclestone, Mendes, Infantino, Carter." Bragi Communications Lead Jake Duhaime, a former NWHL exec: "There are no women in the Top 25. ... It's an industry problem. ... Personally, I don't think Ackerman belongs. I'd substitute Alex Morgan cuz she is only F athlete who can bring that lawsuit vs US Soccer."

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