We are pleased to announce the nominations for the fifth annual Sports Business Awards, which will be announced during a live ceremony May 23 at the New York Marriott Marquis at Times Square. The list includes 77 nominees across 15 categories and was selected after extensive research and review by the editorial staffs of SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily. The awards recognize outstanding achievements in sports business from March 1, 2011, to Feb. 29, 2012. ESPN and the NFL received the most nominations, four each. Fox Sports, IMG and MLB each received three nominations. All of the nominees are listed here, and a special Sports Business Awards preview issue will be published May 21 offering additional highlights. A panel of sports industry execs will now study the nominees and serve as category judges. Those execs, and members representing SportsBusiness Journal/Daily, will evaluate the nominees and determine the winners of 13 of the 15 categories by a private vote. The winners of the Executive of the Year and Athletic Director of the Year categories will continue to be judged solely by the editorial staffs of SportsBusiness Journal/Daily.
| SPORTS TEAM OF THE YEAR | BEST IN TALENT REPRESENTATION & MANAGEMENT |
| Boston Bruins | Boras Corp. |
| Dayton Dragons | CAA Sports |
| Sporting KC | Excel Sports Management |
| Stewart-Haas Racing | IMG |
| Texas Rangers | Priority Sports and Entertainment |
| | Wasserman Media Group |
| SPORTS LEAGUE OF THE YEAR | BEST IN CORPORATE CONSULTING, MARKETING & CLIENT SERVICES |
| Major League Baseball | GMR Marketing |
| National Football League | IMG |
| National Hockey League | The Marketing Arm |
| Pac-12 Conference | Octagon |
| PGA Tour | Richards Sports + Entertainment |
| | Team Epic |
| SPORTS EVENT OF THE YEAR | BEST IN PROPERTY CONSULTING, SALES & CLIENT SERVICES |
| 2011 Carrier Classic | AEG Global Partnerships |
| 2012 Humana Challenge | Aspire Group |
| 2011 NBA Finals | IMG |
| Super Bowl XLVI | Premier Partnerships |
| UFC 129 | Wasserman Media Group |
| SPORTS EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR | BEST IN SPORTS EVENT & EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING |
| Tim Finchem, PGA Tour | Intersport |
| Roger Goodell, National Football League | Jack Morton Worldwide |
| David Hill, Fox Sports | LeadDog Marketing Group |
| Larry Scott, Pac-12 Conference | Major League Baseball/Fan Cave |
| Bud Selig, Major League Baseball | Momentum Worldwide |
| | Team Epic |
| ATHLETIC DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR | SPORTS SPONSOR OF THE YEAR |
| Bill Bradshaw, Temple University | Allstate |
| Dave Brandon, University of Michigan | Bridgestone |
| Mark Hollis, Michigan State University | Kia Motors America |
| Jeff Long, University of Arkansas | MillerCoors |
| Ian McCaw, Baylor University | Procter & Gamble |
| BEST IN SPORTS MEDIA | SPORTS FACILITY OF THE YEAR |
| ESPN | Amway Center |
| Fox Sports | Livestrong Sporting Park |
| National Football League | Mercedes Benz Superdome |
| NBC Sports | Salt River Fields at Talking Stick |
| Turner Sports | |
| BEST IN SPORTS TELEVISION | BEST IN SPORTS TECHNOLOGY |
| CBS Sports | America's Cup Event Authority/Sportvision |
| ESPN Networks | Bloomberg Sports |
| Fox Sports | Panasonic/Speedway Motorsports Inc. |
| NBC Sports | Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment |
| Turner Sports | ESPN's WatchESPN |
| BEST IN DIGITAL SPORTS MEDIA |
| Bleacher Report |
| ESPN Digital Media |
| MLB Advanced Media |
| SB Nation |
| Yahoo! Sports |
