Going through the notebook from a fantastic week at L.A. Live for the IMG World Congress of Sports and our Forty Under 40 gala:
> IGER ON STAGE: Walt Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger delivered a 30-minute lesson on life, leadership and innovation during our one-on-one interview. Despite moderating hundreds of sessions in 20-plus years in sports, I prepared more for this interview than any other, talking to current and former employees, rivals and partners. We hit a number of issues and Iger rolled through them in an easy, commanding and thoughtful style. He was honest, saying that sports rights will continue to increase in value. As a buyer paying the tab, he easily could have predicted a leveling off. He also reminded the audience that the power of sports as a platform remains true to the famous tagline of his first show, ABC’s “Wide World of Sports,” as he slowly recited on stage, “Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport … the thrill of victory … and the agony of defeat … the human drama of athletic competition.” He added, “As long as it stays great, and I believe that it will, there will be not only a voracious appetite [for sports] by the consumer, but by those that repackage it, resell it and redistribute it.”
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In the green room at World Congress: SBJ/SBD Publisher Richard Weiss, ESPN President John Skipper, Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger, SBJ/SBD Executive Editor Abraham Madkour and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver
Photo by: TONY FLOREZ PHOTOGRAPHY
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My other takeaways: He sees ESPN’s growth coming through expanding consumption — “broadening of consumption and deepening of engagement.” He stressed innovation/aggressiveness: “Status quo is not a winning strategy for a business today. … Be part of the disruption.” He advised the audience not to fear failure and shared an anecdote of admitting a big mistake in his mid-20s to then ABC Sports President
Roone Arledge, who railed in a production meeting over a missed sports highlight. Iger called it one of the most cathartic moments in his career and something he continues to live by. “I owned up to my mistakes. I ask all of my team to do the same,” he said.
As I noted in my introduction of Iger, we’ve been trying for more than five years to have him serve as our keynote at World Congress. This year, stars aligned, and it sure was worth the wait.
> COMMENTS I’LL REMEMBER: During our annual Champions panel, Mike Trager and Donna de Varona graciously exchanged differences about corporate support of women’s sports. … Russ Granik and David Falk discussed a New Year’s Eve deadline to reach a deal to ensure the Dream Team’s participation in the 1992 Olympics, with Michael Jordan’s sponsorship relationships the main sticking point. … The straightforward, honest and traditional opinions of Calgary Flames President Brian Burke. …The spot-on messaging of LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner, who offered a compelling story of innovation, compassion management and company philanthropy. … The powerful simplicity of John Walsh’s comments during a media panel. Every time Walsh spoke, the audience seemingly leaned forward to learn from his years of experience. But the comment, so straightforward and obvious yet often overlooked, that stuck with me was about what media today stands out. “Quality defines itself,” he said. “Quality counts. Quality matters. That’s the one message I’d have for anyone here. People, especially sports fans, recognize quality.”
> WITHER BOSTON?: The U.S. Olympic Committee, especially Chairman Larry Probst and CEO Scott Blackmun, must be incredulous over the mistakes made by the Boston 2024 bid group. To his credit, Blackmun didn’t duck the issue at World Congress. “We didn’t get out of the gate, I think, the way we wanted to,” he said. But the issues in Boston are troublesome. You have a bid chair, John Fish, who built his successful construction company by calling all of his own shots. You have a bid group bringing on former politicians for a bid that needs transparency and broad-based support, not polarizing personalities. “We do need to make more strategic decisions. We have to include in our communications some very, very credible spokesmen who understand the Games and who the people in Boston believe in, so I think you’ll see some new things coming out of Boston,” Blackmun added.
That would seem to indicate a lower profile for Fish and larger role for those who can connect more effectively. “We have to do a better job at the communications,” Blackmun said. “It’s a really, really good bid that’s all about education, innovation and using existing facilities. It’s about cost-effectiveness. So if we can engage the super-intelligent and super-engaged community — and Boston press — in the right way, we think we will win them over.” I suggested the bid group move away from “legacy” talking points, as those are easily shot down by opponents. Messaging could be about a celebration of the city on a global stage and demonstrating its leadership in innovation, creativity and ingenuity in producing an event like no other. Showcase that publicly and articulately.
“The Games would not be successful unless the people of Boston support it,” Blackmun said. “So the last thing we want to do is take the Games to Boston if they don’t want it. … For me, it’s all about transparency and credibility at this point. And once we establish that beachhead, we’ll be able to talk about legacy.”
I asked Blackmun whether the USOC regretted its decision not to bid for the ’22 Winter Games when the two finalists — Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan — are not strong candidates, and the U.S. would present a strong, safe choice. “Our ability to reach the youth of America and get them engaged in Olympic sport had a little bit longer reach if we went for the Summer Games,” he said. But later he added, “I would be kidding you if I had told you we hadn’t thought about it. But it is what it is and we’re looking forward and focused just on ’24 right now.”
> PRESS HITS: Two NBA owners, both of whom have been the subject of media controversies over coaching moves, admitted dealing with the fourth estate is the most challenging part of team ownership. “The hardest thing about being a sports owner is dealing with the media every day,” said Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob, who came from the venture capital world and bought the team in 2010. “That’s just something you can’t possibly have exposure with in your other businesses.” Sacramento Kings owner and managing partner Vivek Ranadivé, who was criticized by local media for meddling in coaching decisions, agreed. “There really is nothing else that can prepare you for that scrutiny,” he said.
Abraham D. Madkour can be reached at amadkour@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
