Scott O’Neil likes being first, and it shows.
He’s CEO of the forward-thinking Philadelphia 76ers — the first major American team among the major sports leagues to complete a jersey-patch sponsorship deal. That StubHub patch has been visible this season as the 76ers have puffed out their chests during their revival on the court. And it has reminded Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons fans about the team’s StubHub ticketing platform that combines primary and secondary tickets in a single marketplace.
As CEO of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, O’Neil leads the newly-formed umbrella company that includes the 76ers, New Jersey Devils, Crystal Palace FC, Prudential Center, Team Dignitas and Sixers Innovation Lab Crafted by Kimball.
“We think that there’s so much value to be created and won in and around sports and entertainment, and we’d like to be at the forefront of it,” O’Neil said on the SportTechie Podcast.
Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment is all about esports. The esports brand, HyperX, sponsored its first NBA team in the 76ers and also sponsors Team Dignitas. The first esports team to be acquired by the ownership group of a North American sports franchise, Team Dignitas is managed by the 76ers and now offers live streaming on Facebook. The Sixers Innovation Lab officially opened its doors at the 76ers’ training complex in Camden, N.J., providing office space plus industry expertise and meals for entrepreneurs in esports and daily fantasy sports.
The Prudential Center unveiled the largest in-arena, center-hung scoreboard in the world so fans can have what O’Neil called a “monstrous experience.” Under O’Neil’s leadership, the family of holdings thinks big.
“We want to create something that might not have been created yet,” O’Neil said.
The nominees for the SportTechie Award for Most Innovative Executive were:
Scott O’Neil, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, CEO
Gareth Capon, Grabyo, CEO
Alejandro Agag, Formula E, CEO
Andrew Paradise, Skillz, CEO
Benoit Simeray, Catapult Sports, Consumer CEO
