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People and Pop Culture

Twenty for 20: Most Influential Sports Executives

Since 1998, the pages of SportsBusiness Journal have been filled with thousands of executive leaders who have been instrumental in shaping the business. But as we aimed to select the 20 most influential of the past two decades, the decisions became far more difficult and complex. Here are the executives we believe played at the highest levels of sports and significantly drove the business forward, covering all areas of the business. It’s a list, not surprisingly, populated by white men, which is an unfortunate reflection of the striking lack of ethnic and gender diversity at the highest levels of sports. But it’s these 20 individuals who dramatically influenced the evolution of sports business and were the architects behind the industry’s historic growth.

 

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Phil Anschutz

The Denver-based billionaire has been a force in the sports business industry as his AEG Group owns the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, MLS’s L.A. Galaxy, Staples Center and a piece of the Los Angeles Lakers. The reclusive leader has been the biggest advocate of soccer in the U.S. and he helped keep MLS afloat during its lean, early years. His powerhouse company also operates 100 arenas around the world and has jumped into esports with a team investment in the Overwatch League.

 

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Gary Bettman

Bettman celebrated his 25th year in charge of the NHL in February, a period in which the league has been significantly transformed under his watch. While three work stoppages have marred his tenure — including a lost season in 2004-05 — Bettman’s role in modernizing and growing the game cannot be understated. What was a league with $400 million in revenue when he was appointed is now pushing $5 billion this season, and Bettman currently holds court as the longest-running league commissioner.

 

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George Bodenheimer

Bodenheimer oversaw ESPN’s biggest period of growth as president from 1998 to 2012. ESPN became a sports media Goliath, commanding the biggest license fees from distributors by far, which helped finance the company’s bold rights deals. In 2002, Bodenheimer convinced the NBA to bring the bulk of its programming to cable, and other leagues soon followed suit. In 2008, it wooed the BCS college football playoffs, which brought a major championship to cable television. Bodenheimer was the calm, cool face of ESPN for nearly 15 years.

 

 

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Jim Delany

Delany’s legacy as Big Ten commissioner will forever be tied to the Big Ten Network, and rightfully so. In the landmark 2006 agreement with Fox to create the first successful conference channel, Delany guaranteed the Big Ten’s future for finances and exposure, as much as any conference commissioner can. His influence in the Big Ten and across the country not only drift back 20 years, but will be felt for years to come, long after he decides to retire.

 

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Dick Ebersol

The dean of network sports presidents, Ebersol earned a reputation for the highest quality sports productions combined with the deepest relationships in the business. His dealmaking with NBC Sports reshaped the sports media landscape. In 2005, Ebersol surprised the sports business by picking up “Sunday Night Football” rights and turning the series into the most successful in TV history. And over a series of deals, Ebersol locked up Olympic rights for decades.

 

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Don Fehr

Fehr is widely considered to be the toughest players-side labor leader in sports, due in large part to his work at the MLB Players Association blocking multiple attempts by owners to put in a salary cap. After retiring from the MLBPA in 2009, he agreed to help NHL players find a new executive director during a period of intense turmoil at the NHL Players’ Association. At the players’ urging, Fehr agreed to take the top job himself in 2010.

 

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Lorenzo Fertitta /
Dana White

They didn’t invent the hottest growth sport of the last two decades, but they sure engineered it, and made the most of it. The UFC was about to bleed out in 2004 when the co-owner Fertitta and frontman White tried for a moonshot, spending $2 million to launch “The Ultimate Fighter” series on Spike TV. A dozen years later, they received an eye-popping payoff from a $4 billion sale of UFC to agency WME-IMG. These two were the forces behind one of the most successful new entries in sports during the last 20 years.

 

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Tim Finchem

Finchem led the PGA Tour through an astounding period of prosperity during his leadership from 1994 to 2016. He ushered in lucrative events such as the FedEx Cup, World Golf Championships and Presidents Cup, and paved the way for player prize money to skyrocket from $90 million in 1994 to more than $400 million today. His legacy also includes creating The First Tee youth program to introduce the game to the next generation of players. Understated and a leader who stayed out of the headlines, Finchem was a huge force behind golf’s economic growth.

 

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Don Garber

The longtime NFL executive was tapped in 1999 to be the new commissioner of Major League Soccer, which at the time was struggling with relevance and annually losing tens of millions of dollars. But under Garber, the league has grown alongside the staggering rise of soccer in North America, leading to club valuations of more than $500 million, $150 million expansion fees and average attendance figures ahead of the NBA and NHL — giving MLS a spot at the table with the “big four” leagues. Garber’s management style and ability to attract a bold, young and successful group of owners to the league have continually drawn praise.

 

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David Hill

Best known for creating Fox Sports and developing it into a sports media powerhouse, Hill also is one of the most creative producers in sports television. He was the force behind the yellow first-down line that now is a part of all football broadcasts. He’s the brains behind the “Fox Box,” which shows the score and game clock and now is part of every sports TV telecast. And his glowing hockey puck, which debuted on NHL telecasts in 1996, is credited with introducing other high-tech production elements seen in sports telecasts.

 

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Jerry Jones

The Dallas Cowboys owner may be controversial, but his contributions to growing the NFL led to his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year. Whether it’s pushing the NFL to allow more entrepreneurialism or building his mega stadium in the teeth of the 2009 recession, Jones is always pushing the envelope. He flexed his muscles in 2016 and again in 2017 in backing winning bids for relocation — the Rams to Los Angeles and the Raiders to Las Vegas. Whatever Jones does, he does in a bold, big way.

 

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Phil Knight

Nike originated much of what we now call sports marketing, especially when it comes to individual athletes. Brand zealots pay homage to the brand Knight built, arguably sports’ most indelible, and, not coincidentally, a $34 billion company. Any marketer targeting fickle teen consumers can only dream about maintaining the relevance Nike still has after more than 50 years. That’s influence.

 

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Robert Kraft

Since he entered the NFL in 1994, Kraft has been a leader in virtually every major business policy and development emanating from the league’s Park Avenue office, specifically when it comes to labor and media. His family’s role in changing the fate of the Patriots from one of the worst franchises in sports to a dynasty has given Kraft unmistakable credibility, and his connections in the media, entertainment and political worlds reach the highest levels. His family was also behind the launch of MLS and continue to invest in technology, data and analytics. Few ownership groups have been as successful as Kraft’s.

 

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Mark Lazarus

Lazarus has had two distinguished sports media careers. As president of Turner Sports around 20 years ago, he built up the division by cutting rights deals with the NBA, NASCAR, Wimbledon and the British Open. In 2011, Lazarus replaced Dick Ebersol as chairman of NBC Sports Group — a position in which he oversees the broadcast network, cable networks and regional sports networks. Comcast brass think so highly of Lazarus that they promoted him to chairman of NBC Broadcasting and Sports in 2016.

 

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David Levy

Levy is best known for cutting the deals that bring NBA, MLB and NCAA Tournament games to Turner Sports, but he’s also one of the most innovative executives in the sports business. In 2015, he bought streaming technology company iStream Planet, a deal that offered a blueprint for other networks. In 2016, he was the first network executive to make a major investment in esports, setting up a league with Endeavor. In 2018, as everyone focused on ESPN’s planned over-the-top service, Levy beat ESPN to the punch by launching Bleacher Report Live.

 

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Sean McManus

Hired as president of CBS Sports in 1996, McManus made his mark by establishing some of the longest-standing relationships in sports. The Masters tournament has been on CBS for more than 60 years and the SEC for more than 20. Immediately after taking over CBS Sports, McManus cut a deal to bring the NFL back and, the following year, he shocked the industry by getting NCAA tournament rights. Together with Turner Sports, CBS holds rights to the tournament through 2032. Few executives are held in such high regard as McManus.

 

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Kevin Plank

Considering how pervasive Nike’s influence is across sports, anyone who can eat into the eager Beaverton’s share with sports apparel and brand equity can be deemed influential and deserves admiration. That person is Kevin Plank, who built Under Armour from the original compression T-shirt company into a powerhouse $5 billion athletic apparel brand. Nike was built on athletic footwear while UA grew from the apparel side. UA is still the brand that worries Nike the most.

 

 

 

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Bud Selig

Selig began his run as MLB commissioner in September 1992 amid chaos, both with players and internally among his fellow owners. In the ensuing 22-plus years, more chaos often remained nearby. But Selig left in January 2015 as the most impactful commissioner in league history, with a new playoff format, expansion, realignment, interleague play, a ballpark development boom, economic reforms, a new drug policy and MLB Advanced Media all happening on his watch. His influence was felt on every aspect of the sport.

 

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David Stern

During his 30-year tenure as commissioner, the visionary Stern built the NBA from a league whose finals were on tape delay to a powerhouse property by landing huge TV deals, building a major international business and developing an expansive digital presence. Under the hard-driving Stern, franchise values and league revenue soared as he led the NBA into years of prosperity. Combining the worlds of technology, globalism and entertainment, Stern brought a modern-day sophistication to sports.

 

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Paul Tagliabue

As NFL commissioner, Tagliabue shepherded the league to unprecedented growth and labor peace in the late 1990s and early 2000s and expanded into Europe with a league there. During his tenure, the NFL implemented league-backed stadium financing measures that led to a wave of new venues. His partnership with union chief Gene Upshaw was seen as a model of labor-management relations and one that sealed labor peace in football. His leadership after 9/11 clearly demonstrated his vast influence.


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