NFL Commissioner ROGER GOODELL has been selected as SPORT BUSINESS JOURNAL's Most Influential Person in Sports Business, and SBJ's Ben Fischer writes the NFL "maintains its iron-clad grip on the hearts and minds of the American sports fan." The league has "near total control of the country's most-watched broadcasts and the public relations crisis" of the '17 season is now a "distant memory." Goodell, now in his 14th year on the job, has "kept the top dog on top." No single exec "drives more decisions across media, Fortune 500 brands and competing sports properties." Now in the "middle of a two-year comeback, Goodell has moved the NFL subtly away from its conservative reputation in search of more fans, bringing content to TikTok and bridging cultural gaps by enlisting influencers" such as pro gamer TYLER "NINJA" BLEVINS and actor DWAYNE JOHNSON. This year, Goodell "stood with JAY-Z to announce a cross-cultural partnership between the league and Jay-Z's Roc Nation" (SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL, 12/9 issue).
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RANK
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EXEC
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RANK
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EXEC
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1
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NFL's Roger Goodell
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26
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WWE's Vince McMahon
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2
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NBA's Adam Silver
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27
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Agents Scott Boras & Rich Paul
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3
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MLB's Rob Manfred
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28
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NBPA's Michele Roberts
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4
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Fox Sports' Eric Shanks &
Michael Silverman
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29
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Activision Blizzard's Bobby Kotick
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5
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USWNT
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30
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Serena Williams
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6
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CBS Sports' Sean McManus &
David Berson
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31
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FanDuel's Matt King, MGM Resorts Int'l's Jim Murren & William Hill's Joe Asher
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7
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NHL's Gary Bettman
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32
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Amazon's Marie Donoghue
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8
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ESPN's Jimmy Pitaro & Disney's Kevin Mayer
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33
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NASCAR's Jim France & Steve Phelps
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9
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NBC Sports' Mark Lazarus & Pete Bevacqua
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34
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A-B InBev's Marcel Marcondes &
Nick Kelly
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10
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LeBron James
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35
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USOPC's Sarah Hirshland & Susanne Lyons
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11
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Cowboys' Jerry Jones
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36
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Bruin Sports Capital's George Pyne
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12
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Wasserman's Casey Wasserman
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37
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom
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13
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Patriots' Robert Kraft
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38
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Penske Corp.'s Roger Penske
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14
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AEG's Phil Anschutz
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39
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Learfield IMG College's Greg Brown
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15
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Nike's John Donahoe & John Slusher
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40
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Adidas' Zion Armstrong
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16
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Turner Sports' Jeff Zucker &
Lenny Daniels
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41
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Coca-Cola's Bea Perez & John Mount
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17
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Endeavor's Ari Emanuel, Patrick Whitesell & Mark Shapiro
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42
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NCAA's Mark Emmert
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18
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MLS' Don Garber
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43
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MLBPA's Tony Clark
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19
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CAA Sports' Michael Levine &
Howard Nuchow
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44
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PepsiCo's Adam Harter &
Gatorade's Brett O'Brien
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20
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Rams' Stan Kroenke
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45
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DAZN's John Skipper
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21
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Fanatics' Michael Rubin
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46
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ACC's John Swofford
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22
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PGA Tour's Jay Monahan
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47
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Sinclair's Chris Ripley
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23
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Clippers' Steve Ballmer
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48
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SEC's Greg Sankey
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24
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Live Nation's Michael Rapino
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49
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Octagon's Rick Dudley
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25
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NFLPA's DeMaurice Smith
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50
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Mavericks' Cynthia Marshall
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