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Opinion

Spring ahead: Issues and people to watch

You will want to be in New York City on Wednesday, May 18. That evening, we will hold our ninth annual Sports Business Awards, which has become one of the must-attend evenings on the sports business calendar. Talk to people who have been there. It’s a gathering of top executives for a night of networking as we aim to produce a swift and efficient awards show.

This year, we are recognizing 87 nominees across 17 categories, three of which are new categories: Best in Sports Social Media, Sports Breakthrough of the Year and Best in Mobile Fan Experience. Not surprisingly, we have 39 new nominees, the most ever, and we’ve worked hard to diversify the companies and executives recognized for excellence over a 12-month period.

The most popular new category was Best in Sports Social Media, where we had an overwhelming number of nominations from properties but ended up going with a diverse group made up of a specific campaign, specific properties and an athlete. The addition of a specific athlete for their use of social media was debated the most. My favorite going in was Tom Brady, who I feel used Facebook very successfully in offering a behind-the-curtain look at his life. But proving an editor doesn’t always get his way, in the end, we went with Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the successful storytelling and audience development he had over the past year.

We anticipate and expect disagreement and controversy over some of the nominations. Surely the people of St. Louis and across Missouri will think we’ve missed the mark in recognizing Stan Kroenke as a nominee for Sports Executive of the Year, but we felt his adept entry into the Los Angeles market behind a privately financed, incredibly ambitious development project stood out for business achievement.

So that is some brief insight into our process for this year. Now we will tab independent, outside judges to study the nominees and vote for the winners, who will be announced for the first time on the night of May 18. If you are up to speed on your industry knowledge and confident in your ability to independently and objectively review and vote on these categories, drop me a line, and we will consider you for our judges panel.

And we look forward to seeing you in May.

> THE FUTURE OF MLS: I sat in on an interview with MLS Commissioner Don Garber at Leaders’ Sport Business Summit in New York earlier this month, on the eve of the league’s 21st season. Most importantly, it was good to see Garber looking so good and filled with energy after his bout with prostate cancer. When it came to his remarks, a couple of things struck me. First, there’s his belief in the continued growth of soccer in China and the United States, saying, “We [the U.S.] represent, along with China, the future of futbol.” He was among a few executives I trust who pointed out the potential of the game in China — something that eventually could include a company I am closely watching: Dalian Wanda (see next item).

MLS Commissioner Don Garber speaks with ESPN's Max Bretos on Leaders' Sport Business Summit stage.
Photo by: COURTESY OF LEADERS
Second, a topic I am continually asked about from potential investors: MLS expansion. Garber said “expansion is still a priority for us” and noted the league will have 24 teams by 2018, with a goal for 28. Others I know talk about a path to 30 teams. You can’t argue with the league’s recent success, and its track record of picking ownership groups remains stellar. We see Orlando City SC as a nominee for our Sports Breakthrough of the Year after its successful inaugural season (and it drew 60,147 for its opener this year); NYCFC had a strong debut last year as well, averaging 29,016 a game; a second Los Angeles team has one of the most star-powered ownership groups in sports and will start in 2018; and Garber is still very bullish on the Miami market for a David Beckham-led team. Atlanta has sold 30,000 season tickets for its inaugural season in 2017; Minnesota United is on the books for either 2017 or 2018. And look at the other markets that want in. St. Louis is a legitimate market if an ownership group emerges, while other potentially vibrant markets include San Antonio, Sacramento, Austin, Detroit, Charlotte and Indianapolis.

There are a number of interesting components at play here. With such little turnover among NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB ownership, MLS is a path for many potential investors to get into team ownership. There is an urban development angle, as most of these stadium plans are tied to inner city revitalization. There is a millennial marketing focus and future stock appreciation, as well. Add it all up, and you can see why Garber and MLS President and Deputy Commissioner Mark Abbott have investors eager to meet with them.

> HEARD AT LEADERS: Going through my notes from sitting in a few of the sessions at Leaders, in which SportsBusiness Journal/Daily parent American City Business Journals has an equity investment: Interesting to hear CBS Sports President Sean McManus mention soccer and MMA as sports that are on his radar. He cited the demos of MMA, which one wouldn’t think would be a natural fit with the more-traditional properties that fill out the CBS Sports portfolio. … Virtual reality can’t be discussed enough, but the conversation is now moving away from concept to more specific use, business model and content rights. The novelty of the technology now must lead to an actual business case for it and how it will enable storytelling in sports. The amount of capital behind it is staggering, as industry advisers Digi-Capital reported that investment in the VR space has exceeded $1 billion in just over the last two months. But the path to widespread consumer use (are goggles a huge barrier?), how the marketplace will work, rights issues and skeptics claiming it won’t be the next big thing are all issues to watch. … Everyone is keeping an eye on the aggressive strategy of the Chinese conglomerate, Dalian Wanda. It has the capital and is targeting sports and entertainment. In the past year, it has acquired Infront Sports & Media, Ironman organizers World Triathlon Corp., a stake in La Liga club Atlético Madrid and Legendary Entertainment. It reportedly is looking at acquiring the Tour de France and is viewed as a serious bidder for any major agency, event operator or global event, as well. Worth paying attention to. … One of the best speakers I’ve seen was Everton CEO Robert Elstone, who gave a remarkable presentation about the culture, mission and challenges of running an EPL club. The only thing I really knew about Everton was that it is the team of longtime die-hard Evertonian and friend Bernie Mullin of The Aspire Group. But Elstone outlined in detail the collective goal of the organization — being informed, being a club, being easy to buy from, being memorable on match day — and the significant impact an organization can have on all aspects of a community. But he was also critical of the commercial partnerships of the Premier League, including jersey sponsorships, saying he didn’t think the level of brands the league attracts matches having the best players and broadcast partners around the world. If you get a chance to see Elstone present, do so, as he offers a compelling story.

Abraham D. Madkour can be reached at amadkour@sportsbusinessjournal.com.

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

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