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Year End

What They Said in 2017

“It’s like you’re running for office with no election date.”

— UNLV ATHLETIC DIRECTOR DESIREE REED-FRANCIS,
on the time demands on ADs

“Is there really a time that we shouldn’t be talking about equality? Is there really a time that we shouldn’t be talking about racial discrimination? … We find time to talk about the Kardashians. We find time to talk about fantasy football.”

— SEAHAWKS DEFENSIVE END
MICHAEL BENNETT

“Having an NBA franchise is not a day job. It’s a day job, it’s a night job, it’s a morning job. You think about it all the time, the things you should do.”

— ATLANTA HAWKS OWNER
TONY RESSLER, on not
anticipating the rigors of the role when he bought the team in 2015

“We’re all in the toy department. We’re all getting to work in sports and it’s all fun and games. But then a day like this happens.”

— TNT’S ERNIE JOHNSON,
reflecting on layoffs at ESPN

“It is a bold change. But look at every major league sport. Everybody is trying to look for a way to make their sport more engaging and entertainment.”

— FOX NASCAR ANALYST
DARRELL WALTRIP, on races
being broken into segments this season

“The players are not about to engage in collective bargaining in return for getting an opportunity to go to the Olympics for which they aren’t being paid.”

— NHLPA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
DONALD FEHR, on players
not making CBA concessions in return
for Olympics participation

“I would tell every senior male executive in here that your mentorship of young women is critical. I wouldn’t be sitting here if I hadn’t been mentored by David Stern.”

— BIG EAST CONFERENCE COMMISSIONER VAL ACKERMAN,
at the Learfield Intercollegiate
Athletics Forum

“I was engaged in that other national pastime, paying bills. Then I went to the post office.”

— VIN SCULLY,
on what he was doing on Opening Day after calling Dodgers games since ’50


SBJ Morning Buzzcast: April 26, 2024

The sights and sounds from Detroit; CAA Sports' record night; NHL's record year at the gate and Indy makes a pivot on soccer

TNT’s Stan Van Gundy, ESPN’s Tim Reed, NBA Playoffs and NFL Draft

On this week’s pod, SBJ’s Austin Karp has two Big Get interviews. The first is with TNT’s Stan Van Gundy as he breaks down the NBA Playoffs from the booth. Later in the show, we hear from ESPN’s VP of Programming and Acquisitions Tim Reed as the NFL Draft gets set to kick off on Thursday night in Motown. SBJ’s Tom Friend also joins the show to share his insights into NBA viewership trends.

SBJ I Factor: Molly Mazzolini

SBJ I Factor features an interview with Molly Mazzolini. Elevate's Senior Operating Advisor – Design + Strategic Alliances chats with SBJ’s Ross Nethery about the power of taking chances. Mazzolini is a member of the SBJ Game Changers Class of 2016. She shares stories of her career including co-founding sports design consultancy Infinite Scale career journey and how a chance encounter while working at a stationery store launched her career in the sports industry. 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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