Presenting our roundup of the top sports business newsmakers of '16.
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| Cutler (r) helped the 76ers become the first NBA team to sign a jersey sponsorship deal |
SCOTT CUTLER: StubHub, known for its dominance of the secondary ticketing marketplace, blew up the model under Cutler’s leadership. The StubHub president moved the company into primary sales through a partnership with the 76ers that blends both types of ticket inventory into a single platform without designating what is primary or secondary. Months later, StubHub mended fences with the Yankees by guaranteeing the team more than $100M to become the club’s official resale partner.
LISA BORDERS: The former Coca-Cola executive was named WNBA president this year just as the league prepped for its 20th season. Her leadership skills were quickly tested when a group of players wore unsanctioned T-shirts to support Black Lives Matter. The WNBA initially fined the players, but Borders later lifted the penalties, choosing instead to help players organize discussions with police and find other ways to address their social concerns.
VIN SCULLY: “I have said enough for a lifetime, and for the last time, I wish you all a very pleasant good afternoon.” And with that, the Dodgers broadcaster wrapped up a 67-year career. Scully’s distinctive voice and masterful storytelling took listeners through many of baseball’s biggest moments.
CONOR MCGREGOR: The fighter has singled himself out as the UFC’s greatest asset, whether he’s making the talk show circuit or pulling in big numbers for pay-per-view events. Uncontainable confidence now has him challenging WME-IMG to give him an ownership stake in the UFC. Does his marketing muscle give him an edge?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: The tennis player was hit with a suspension in March after she failed a doping test. Sponsors immediately distanced themselves, but late in the year, some of those relationships had begun to rekindle. The United Nations helped with the rebuilding process by saying it would reinstate Sharapova as a goodwill ambassador next April, when her suspension is completed.
GREG BROWN: The Learfield President & CEO guided the sale of the company from Providence Equity to Atairos Group for $1.3B in October. Seeing the potential for long-term growth with Atairos, which was launched earlier this year with $4B from Comcast, Brown ensured that Learfield will keep its name and seven-person senior management team intact.
BILL SIMMONS: Life beyond the Worldwide Leader has been anything but easy for Simmons, who left ESPN last year after various tussles with management. His weekly HBO show “Any Given Wednesday” lasted only six months before HBO pulled the plug. Meanwhile his website, The Ringer, attracts high-profile writers but has not carried the same buzz or audience as the Grantland site he ran while at ESPN.
ANGELA RUGGIERO: The American, who serves as Chief Strategy Officer for LA 2024, was elected chair of the IOC athlete commission, which includes a seat on the powerful IOC executive board. Late in the year, Ruggiero extended her reach beyond the Olympic world by joining former NFLer Isaiah Kacyvenski and entrepreneur Joshua Walker to create Sports Innovation Lab, a sports-focused technology consultancy based in Boston.
PETE BEVACQUA: The CEO of the PGA of America oversaw a successful new strategy at this year’s Ryder Cup, allowing corporate branding to blanket the event for the first time. And while corporate messaging had a story to tell, the competition itself drew a raucous crowd that saw the U.S. team win the biennial event for the first time since '08.
