PROFESSIONAL
What I Like …
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Bilello, whose Revolution kicks off its regular season this weekend, has a ball with daughters Samantha (top), 8, and Madison, 6.
Photo: COURTESY OF BRIAN BILLELO
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■ An insight: Treat every interaction as if you will be gaining or losing equity with that person based on your performance.
■ An influential person in my career: Robert Kraft.
■ An out-of-the-box idea: Twitter.
■ A timeless idea: Networking.
■ A business deal: Fox grabbing World Cup rights for ’18 and ’22.
■ A sports facility: Sporting Park.
■ A sports event: World Cup.
■ A strategy: Low ticket pricing.
■ A brand: Harley-Davidson.
BRIAN BILLELO
President
New England Revolution
■ What I do: Manage both our business and team operations with a focus on integrating those two areas as much as possible. Work on a variety of league committees to help grow MLS and the sport of soccer in the U.S. I have a passion for working with our fans as much as possible.
■ Where I'm from: Born in Staten Island, N.Y.; currently reside in Franklin, Mass.
■ Where I Went to School: MIT, B.S. in chemical engineering.
■ My First Job: Busing tables at Banzai Japanese Steakhouse (probably shouldn’t say my age). First job out of college: Bain & Co.
■ A trend: Use of sports analytics.
■ An innovation: Adidas miCoach.
■ A pro league or team business initiative: MLS Youth Academies, where our kids don’t have to pay to play.
■ A story that bears watching: The continued growth of soccer and MLS.
■ An idea or invention I wish I had thought of: Facebook.
■ A fantasy job: Astronaut.
What I Like about …
■ My job: Helping grow the sport that I love.
■ Sports: The win-or-lose ultimatum.
■ Sports business: Fans (instead of customers).
■ Sports media: Independent journalists.
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Robert Kraft
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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■ Sports technology: On-field analytics.
■ Competing: Pushes you to be your best.
■ The future of sports business: Enhancing the live experience in and out of the stadium.
■ Sports fans: Their passion
What I Would Like To …
■ Change: Respect for soccer from some traditional media.
■ Change in what I do: Spend more time enhancing the workplace for my staff.
■ See more of in sports: Players connecting with fans.
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Sporting Park
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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■ See more of in sports business: Teams working collectively to grow their sport.
■ See less of in sports: Elimination of school sports. Some of the most important things we learn aren’t from books, not to mention the long-term health impacts from not being active.
What I Don’t Like …
■ In general: People you can’t trust.
■ Pet peeve: Those who reach out to multiple people in the same organization.
■ In sports: Losing.
■ In business: Losing.
■ About sports fans: Anger.
PERSONAL
What I Like …
■ People: Friends that span time and distance.
■ That would surprise those who know me: My MIT tattoo.
■ Above all else: Family time.
■ About myself: Work ethic.
■ Heroes: All those who serve.
■ Player: Taylor Twellman. Great career cut short by concussions, started a concussion awareness organization, ThinkTaylor.org.
■ Teams: New England Revolution (of course), New England Patriots, Liverpool FC.
■ Memento: 2007 U.S. Open Cup championship medal, 2003 Super Bowl ring.
■ Time of year: Fall. Great New England weather and MLS playoffs.
■ Music: Anything not picked by my two daughters. (Sorry, One Direction!)
■ Author: Malcolm Gladwell.
■ Magazine: MIT Technology Review.
■ Website: newsmap.jp.
■ Gadgets: iPad/iPhone.
■ IPad app: “MLS Matchday” — can watch all our matches live.
■ Chores: Fixing things.
■ Hobbies: Watching/coaching my girls.
■ Trip: World Cup 2002 with my wife (Korea/Japan).
■ Movies: “Goodfellas,” “Star Wars.”
■ Concerts: Daughters’ piano.
■ Artist: Monet.
■ Food: Ribeye steak.
■ Vacation spots: Hawaii, Disney.
■ Aftershave: Gillette Fusion ProSeries.
■ Quote: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” — Neil Armstrong.
