NBC Sports Group, NHL Big Winners At Last Night's Sports Business Awards

NBC Sports Group and the NHL emerged as the big winners last night at the 7th annual Sports Business Awards presented by SportsBusiness Daily/Journal/Global, which took place in front of a record crowd of 800 execs at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square.  For the NHL, which came off a lockout that ended in January '13, the night capped off a successful year. The league won Event of the Year for the ‘14 Bridgestone Winter Classic, League of the Year and Commissioner Gary Bettman earned the high-profile Executive of the Year. NBC Sports Group also had an impressive haul, sweeping all three media categories (Media, Television, Digital Media). The evening featured a special Lifetime Achievement Award to Steelers Chair Dan Rooney, who was introduced by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, while former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue was in the audience. There were several notable repeat winners -- as Pepsi earned its second Sponsor of the Year honor and, as noted, the Winter Classic won its second Event of the Year. There also were a number of first-time winners, including Team Epic, which took home the competitive Best in Corporate Consulting, Marketing & Client Services award. In accepting the award for Best in Sports Media, the company’s third of the night, NBC Sports Group CMO John Miller said, “This is quite a night for the NBC Sports Group. It’s a remarkable honor. We did have a great year. The Olympics. The Premier League. The growth of the Golf Channel. The National Hockey League with record performance. It was a team effort.”  Taking the stage to accept the Sports League of the Year Award, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said, “There are so many important building blocks. Our partners have been so supportive, ownership has been great, and our players are not only great athletes but great people. We worked really hard coming out of our labor issue in 2004 to create a foundation for growth, and we’re now seeing a lot of fruits of that.” Meanwhile, Excel Sports Management Principal Casey Close, whose agency won Best in Talent Representation & Management, during his speech said, "This is a very competitive landscape. This award says that we definitely achieved something special." Pepsi VP/Consumer Engagement Adam Harter, who brought his 10-person sports marketing team onstage with him, said, "At Pepsi, sports is part of our DNA, so to be recognized for our work in this space is really an honor."