Former NBA Senior VP/Global Partnerships Rachel Jacobson today was introduced as the new Drone Racing League President, according to Steve Gardner of USA TODAY. Jacobson "understands the appeal of combining technology and competition, especially with a young target audience that advertisers covet." She said, "When I think of my time at the NBA and other professional sports properties, we have all those key ingredients for success." Jacobson noted that the league "already has coverage deals with NBC, Twitter and other networks around the world." Gardner notes Jacobson "rose through the ranks during her 21 years with the NBA before joining a start-up company 2 1/2 years ago." But a "desire to get back in sports and some advice she received" from late NBA Commissioner David Stern "drew her to the position with the DRL." Meanwhile, the DRL is "moving forward with plans" for its '20 season. Jacobson said, "We already had deep roots with an esports community and we were able to accelerate some other things in the pipeline that we could rush to market right now." As for her vision for the future, Jacobson said that "expanding the Drone Racing League to other countries and giving it greater broadcast exposure are two main goals." A partnership with FanDuel announced earlier this month has "already introduced a fantasy component to drone racing" (USA TODAY, 4/27).
