Tim Clark, NASCAR Chief Digital Officer
As NASCAR’s chief digital officer, Tim Clark has been at the forefront of innovations that are reinvigorating the motorsport league. Over the past eight years with NASCAR, Clark has led the company’s digital efforts at a time when NASCAR has faced pressure from upstart motorsport leagues, such as Formula E. Under his direction, NASCAR has put 360-degree cameras in race cars, launched digital augmented reality activations through the league’s mobile app, and launched a free-to-play fantasy and prop gaming platform to increase fan engagement. Clark has been particularly excited about the company’s eNASCAR iRacing series, which turned 10 years old this past season. Clark has high hopes for its future development not only as another tool to engage fans, but also as a mechanism for official NASCAR teams to scout and develop talent.
James Kimball, UFC VP
James Kimball has been with the UFC for more than nine years, first starting off in community relations before switching over to athlete development. He currently leads the development of the UFC Performance Institute, serving as VP of operations. After the successful opening of the Las Vegas-based PI at UFC’s headquarters, Kimball and his team began expanding the model internationally. The UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai, which is larger than the one in Vegas, opened this past spring, and the company plans to open a third one in Mexico City next year. Through a web of sophisticated technologies, the PI has helped the UFC better train its athletes. In China, the UFC has even adopted an academy model to scout new talent through the local PI. This expanding fleet of institutes also serve as a burgeoning source of revenue for the company, with third-party athletes from hockey players to ultramarathoners now paying to train at the world-class facilities.
Tina Shah, Turner Sports GM
“Innovation has always been at the core of our NBA Digital partnership,” says Tina Shah, Turner Sports EVP and GM, and 2019 was a banner year for new consumer-friendly products. Since the beginning of the 2018-19 season, NBA Digital, which Turner operates in conjunction with the league, launched a direct-to-consumer version of NBA TV; launched a 20-game Center Court package with experimental viewing options; began offering small game segments for purchase through League Pass, beginning with the fourth-quarter and then 10-minute increments; expanded its NextVR partnership to include nightly VR content; and saw booming international growth of League Pass subscribers. In 2019, Turner Sports also broadcast the UEFA Champions League final for the first time on TNT and streamed the match on B/R Live. The company also produces NCAA March Madness Live, which had record usage during the 2019 tournament, and the majority of PGA Championship coverage, which set record highs of video streaming.
Travis Tygart, USADA CEO
In 17 years at the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Travis Tygart has played a key role in the organization’s most significant victories against drug cheats. As the USADA’s general counsel he helped bring down the BALCO performance-enhancing drug operation that had supplied elite athletes, including MLB’s Jason Giambi, the NFL’s Bill Romanowski and U.S. Olympians Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery. After being named CEO in 2007, he led the investigation into the U.S. Postal Service cycling team that ultimately stripped Lance Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles. This year, the USADA recorded another major win in the fight, banning Nike Oregon Project head coach Alberto Salazar for four years. Tygart has also become one of the most vocal advocates for clean sports, testifying in front of committees of the U.S. Congress and foreign governments. Over the last year he has put the USADA’s support behind the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, which seeks to bring international sports competitions that involve either U.S. money or athletes under U.S. jurisdiction. The USADA has also been pursuing the development of new technologies, such as dried blood spot sampling, that could make testing cheaper, easier and far more widespread.
Rick Welts, Golden State Warriors COO
Rick Welts is the chief operating officer of the Golden State Warriors. Over the last few years, he’s been primarily focused on the development and opening of the team’s new arena, Chase Center. The 18,000-seat venue in San Francisco features the largest center hung video board in the NBA. The retractable scoreboard, which measures nearly 10,000 square feet, features key on-court stats, which Welts says appeals to a new generation of fantasy-playing fans who rely on those numbers to make decisions about their lineups. Welts, 66, has had an extensive career in the NBA. He spent 17 years in the NBA league office in NYC, working directly under and being mentored by David Stern. At the NBA, Welts helped refresh and revitalize the NBA brand, helped create the NBA All-Star Weekend, led marketing for the 1992 Olympic Dream Team, and helped to launch the WNBA. In his last role before going back to the team side, Welts served as the NBA’s chief marketing officer.
