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Sports Business Awards

‘Industry of Relationships’

At awards, Silver and Ebersol reflect on good fortune of working in sports

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver accepted awards for Sports Executive of the Year
 and Sports League of the Year.
Photo by: MARC BRYAN-BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY
The atmosphere before the eighth annual Sports Business Awards in New York City last week offered celebration mixed with anxiety, as hundreds packed a pre-event reception and, amid networking, speculated on the night’s potential winners.

One college executive talked about his boss getting in the proper mindset in case he didn’t win any hardware. An agency CEO mused about how much more fun the evening would be if it ended with a trophy.

Once inside the ballroom, clear winners began to emerge. ESPN won three awards, while the NBA and College Football Playoff had a connection to multiple winners.

Ebersol is credited with remaking sports television with his storytelling style.
Photo by: MARC BRYAN-BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY
But as the night wore on, and in a departure from previous Sports Business Awards ceremonies, the event turned from a competition for hardware into a celebration of the business and people fortunate enough to work in it.

The night’s theme of one united sports industry followed a tone set by Lifetime Achievement Award winner Dick Ebersol, who implored the 800 attendees at New York City’s Marriott Marquis to remain thankful that they make a living in such a fun, unique business.

“We are the luckiest people in the world in this room — anybody who is lucky enough to work in the world of sports,” Ebersol said during his acceptance speech. “Really, think about it. For most of us, this was our first love outside of our families.”

As an example, Ebersol referred to the much reported hug NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell shared with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft after weeks of bickering over Deflategate.

“I’m sure what happened was that they both thought — maybe Robert more than Roger because he was in sort of the toughest seat — how lucky we are to be in this world and figure out a way to bridge the differences,” Ebersol said. “Remember that when you leave here tonight. You are, we are, the luckiest people in the world to work in this industry.”

From the Sports Business Awards:
All of the night’s award winners accepting their trophies
Faces & Places: From the red carpet, reception and ceremony
A complete list of winners
Sports Business Awards judges

Many of the award winners echoed that theme as they accepted their trophies. It started with the night’s first award, which ESPN won for Best in Digital Sports Media. “There’s not a day that goes by that we don’t wake up in the morning excited about our opportunities and grateful for them,” said John Kosner, ESPN’s executive vice president of digital and print media.

The theme continued through to the evening’s final award, when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver received a standing ovation as he was honored as Sports Executive of the Year.

“If you want a theme from tonight, it’s about what Dick said,” Silver said afterward. “This is an industry of relationships. Not everyone here won an award. But everyone is so fortunate to work in the sports industry.”

To underscore the point, 17 NBA staffers followed Silver on stage when the NBA was honored as Sports League of the Year. During the photo shoot that followed, Silver made sure that all 17 were included in an official picture with the league’s trophy.

A similar “group approach” was seen by executives from Levi’s Stadium for Sports Facility of the Year to nearly a dozen staffers on the stage when the Los Angeles Kings won Sports Team of the Year.

The executives who accepted ESPN’s awards also carried that theme of industry cooperation through its sweep of all three media awards. All three executives — Kosner; Burke Magnus, executive vice president of programming and scheduling; and John Wildhack, executive vice president of programming and production — credited other nominees in each of the categories. Magnus went so far as to express surprise that ESPN beat out CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Univision Deportes and the SEC Network as best in sports TV.

“There is a palpable feeling of appreciation in the air for how fortunate we all are to work in this industry,” he said afterward. “Everyone seemed to put our respective scorecards away for the night and truly acknowledge all the great work being done across our industry and being done by all those nominated. It’s a special feeling.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, named Sports Executive of the Year, hugs 2014 winner NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
Photo by: MARC BRYAN-BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman mentioned that viewpoint as he handed out the night’s final award to Silver.
“To everyone who has been nominated or won an award, well done and congratulations,” he said. “Let’s … applaud for that, as well.”

Ebersol’s family and friends made up more than three tables in front of the stage, and it was striking to see how frequently honorees and presenters complimented him from the stage, including former competitors like Magnus and Wildhack.

Ebersol’s message of relationships appeared to strike a chord with the audience.

“I daresay there’s nobody in the room who hasn’t been impacted by Dick Ebersol and his great work,” said Val Ackerman, commissioner of the Big East Conference and the first president of the WNBA.

For example, University of Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long addressed those themes as he accepted the award for Athletic Director of the Year.

“As Dick Ebersol mentioned, we get to work — in Arkansas’ case — with over 500 student athletes in our program,” he said from the stage. “And we have outstanding coaches and staff, all supporting young people to help them prepare for the rest of their lives. My cup runneth over.”

Another heartwarming moment came from retiring SEC Commissioner Mike Slive, who was in attendance having been nominated for Sports Executive of the Year. His SEC Network also was nominated in the sports TV category.

Several executives also referred to Slive during the evening.

NBC Sports’ Cris Collinsworth and Bob Costas provided a rousing intro for their former boss Ebersol.
Photo by: MARC BRYAN-BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY
“Mike is more than just a commissioner,” Long said. “He has become a friend and a trusted colleague, and he’s helped me so much, both personally and professionally, over the last eight years.”

Magnus also spoke of Slive’s vision as the reason why SEC Network was nominated in Sports TV.

One of the lighter themes of the night dealt with Ebersol’s “No Assholes” policy, which Bob Costas mentioned while introducing his former boss. As Costas put it, Ebersol only wanted to work with people to whom he felt a personal connection where he wouldn’t get sick of someone if they were snowed in over a weekend.

“It was as important to him to have personal relationships that mattered and worked as it was to have broadcasts that were well-produced and business relationships that were profitable and beneficial,” Costas said. “He’s got the whole package.”

Said Octagon CEO Rick Dudley: “I endorse Dick’s philosophy of a place without assholes, and I firmly believe that culture beats vision and strategy all day long.”

Family, friends from NBC Sports and longtime business partners cheer Dick Ebersol after he received SBJ/SBD’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Ebersol said, “You are, we are, the luckiest people in the world to work in this industry.”
Photo by: MARC BRYAN-BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY


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