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Michael Eisner To Receive SBJ/SBD Lifetime Achievement Award

In '95, Eisner led Disney’s purchase of ABC, and assumed the company’s 80% stake in ESPNGETTY IMAGES

ABC. Paramount Pictures. Walt Disney Company. ESPN. Mighty Ducks. “Miracle.” “Remember The Titans.” Portsmouth FC. MICHAEL EISNER's professional success has been rooted in media, entertainment and storytelling, and he was a pioneer in recognizing the intrinsic power of content and sports. For his vision in identifying the potential of ESPN and his effective use of sports as a rich tool for storytelling, Eisner will be presented with the SportsBusiness Journal/Daily Lifetime Achievement Award  in N.Y. on May 23. Born in N.Y., the Denison Univ. graduate shot up the ranks of the entertainment world, becoming a VP at ABC before the age of 30. He ran Paramount Pictures and was behind such hits as “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Saturday Night Fever.” Over a 21-year career, he turned around Disney Corp., leaving the company in '05 well positioned as a global media empire. It was Eisner’s distinct vision at Disney that transformed sports. In '95, Eisner led Walt Disney’s purchase of Capital Cities/ABC, and assumed the company’s 80% stake in ESPN, which dramatically changed the fortunes of both companies, the sports industry and fans around the world. During his tenure, Eisner was frequently referred to as the most powerful person in entertainment, and he was always bullish on the sports business. He signed off on the creation of Disney Sports Enterprises, which in '92 landed an NHL expansion franchise for $50M in the unlikely market of Anaheim, Calif. The team, of course, was named Mighty Ducks, after the '92 Disney film “The Mighty Ducks.” Eisner said at the time, “We made a movie called ‘The Mighty Ducks,’ which did unbelievably well. That was our market research.” In '96, Disney Sports Enterprises acquired a stake in the California Angels, took over control a year later and renamed the MLB club the Anaheim Angels. Disney later sold both the Ducks and the Angels in the mid '00s, but not before the Angels won a World Series title in '02. Eisner has valued sports as a programming vehicle, from his days at ABC when it began broadcasting “MNF,” to storytelling through sports, where he has been behind such films as “Miracle,” “The Bad News Bears,” “Remember the Titans” and “Angels In The Outfield.”

POST-DISNEY LIFE: He left Walt Disney Co. in '05 and established the investment firm, The Tornante Company. In '07, the firm purchased the trading card company Topps, but that was far from the last move Eisner would make in sports. In August '17, he took control of English football club Portsmouth, which he runs with his three sons, BRECK, ERIC and ANDERS. Speaking at a conference of our corporate partner Leaders in London, Eisner summed up the connection he has always seen between sports and entertainment. “There are differences between sports and entertainment -- one must be scripted, planned, produced, and the other is more spontaneous, extemporaneous. But both have conflict, a climax and an ending. And whatever your brand, product, league, club -- the idea of loyalty or passion is key.” 

 

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