Some are born into the sports industry, raised in it the way others are raised on a farm or around a candy store or a firehouse. Some claw their way into it, planning and hounding and maneuvering until the door creaks open, then lunging inside. Some wander into it, beckoned during a chance meeting on a city street or a lunch with an old friend.

What matters is what they do once they get there.

That is what connects those selected for SportsBusiness Journal's fifth Forty Under 40 list. While they came to the business in varied manners and for assorted reasons, all have made the most of their opportunities.

We are proud to tell their stories.