Year in Review: Through the decade

Decade of Transformation. The industry truly experienced unprecedented change in the last 10 years. From leadership, media, technology to consumption habits of fans, one could argue it’s been the most significant decade of change in the history of sport. So much has happened both on and off the fields of play it’s hard to capture what it all means. You had change across the highest levels of sport — two of the big four leagues saw the torch passed as David Stern and Bud Selig give way to Adam Silver and Rob Manfred; the IOC saw Jacques Rogge give way to Thomas Bach; Peter Dawson stepped away from the R&A; Billy Payne stepped away from Augusta National; Richard Scudamore stepped away from [Premier League]. And there were also major changes in team ownership and management as well as media ownership and management. The media landscape has forever been altered as technology enabled OTT platforms, social media platforms and other technological advancements to the point where consumer habits have been irreversibly changed.
— David Abrutyn, partner, Bruin Sports Capital

Decade of Diversity. The number of people of color and women, at the franchise and league level, has skyrocketed. There are numerous examples within the NBA, beginning close to home with the Hawks hiring the first (chief diversity and inclusion officer) in the NBA, Grant Hill serving as vice chairman of the board and then including other influential owners such as Vivek Ranadive and Michael Jordan and women in power such as Amy Brooks at the NBA. I believe the NBA is leading the way. 
— Andrew Saltzman, executive vice president and chief revenue officer, Atlanta Hawks

Analytics. Everything in our business is shifting to analytics, from newly formed business intelligence departments to the reporting of the actual sports themselves, data will impact all sides of the business. This includes ticket sales models, partnerships reporting, acquisition of athletes and how sports organizations evaluate the performance of all and the cycle continues. From how a fan watches a broadcast to how marketing spend is judged, data and analytics touch every part of the business.
— Shawn Thornton, senior vice president, Florida Panthers and BB&T Center

Innovation and diversification. 
— Randy Levine, president, New York Yankees

The decade of comebacks, from Tiger Woods coming back in 2018-19 to Auburn upsetting UGA and Alabama in 2013 to UMBC upsetting Virginia in the college basketball playoffs (2018) to LeBron coming back to the Cavaliers (2014) and winning a title in 2016, it was a decade of exciting and riveting comebacks!
— Kelli Hilliard, partner, chief people officer, Teall Capital Partners

The decade of “US.” This decade — and our world — was changed forever by the historic intersection of smartphones and social media networks. At that intersection, fans gained a voice, players became global icons, esports and Fortnite were born and all of us got to experience sports every minute of every day all over the world. 
— John Kosner, partner, Micromanagement Ventures

Instant news and a rapidly decreased news cycle. The rise of social media has also brought fans closer to the games and personalities as ever before.
— Sean Henry, president and chief executive officer, Nashville Predators

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Women as superstars and role models. Serena Williams. Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and the USWNT. Simone Biles. The U.S. Olympic Hockey Team. Katie Ledecky, Elena Della Donne, and many more. These are all dominant athletes with stories to tell, stories that inspire. They have made an impact on the playing field and in our culture, and they will be remembered for future generations.
— JoAnn Neale, president and chief administrative officer, Major League Soccer

The modernization of the fan experience. The advancements in technology and use of digital media have been game changers in sports business this past decade. Creating more connection, real-time and personalized content, and data insights that allow us to make smart, data-driven decisions. Fans don’t have to wait in lines at a box office — they purchase their tickets with a couple clicks in an app. No need to print off your tickets — just scan the barcode on your phone at the gate. Purchase food at the stadium with your mobile pay provider — no need to worry about cash or opening up your wallet. Get live stats and updates while the event is happening, and sharing their experiences on their favorite social platforms. 
— Dionna Widder, chief revenue officer, Houston Dynamo

That one is easy for me — it’s the BAMTech transaction. When you think about it, before the transaction took place, to make it possible, the deal we made with the NHL for their digital rights was an important signal to the marketplace that this platform was for real. It took a lot of guts, I think, for Commissioner [Gary] Bettman to make that deal with another league. Once that happened, our ability to find what I regard to be the perfect suitor in Disney and the subsequent development of ESPN+ and all that has come since then — a pretty seminal moment for me.
— Rob Manfred, commissioner, Major League Baseball

Following our success in transforming IMG through its sale to WME/Endeavor, partnering with George Pyne, Tony Crispino and Jeff Roth to launch Bruin Sports Capital in January 2015 to create an innovative new firm to help build and transform businesses across the industry. Beyond that I would have to say Las Vegas, June 7, 2018, when Lord Stanley finally made its way into to the hands of Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals (a personal 44-year wait for me).    
— David Abrutyn, partner, Bruin Sports Capital

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It is the Supreme Court’s ruling on sports gambling.
— Steve Koonin, chief executive officer, Atlanta Hawks

When the L.A. Clippers were sold for $2 billion. Wow!
— Ed O’Hara, chairman, SME 

The creation of the College Football Playoff and the impact it has made in the college football industry. I feel it has elevated the already incredible passion and pageantry around collegiate sports. If I’m specific, I must say the UGA vs. Oklahoma game at the Rose Bowl for the 2017-2018 playoff game and then the UGA vs. Alabama College Football Playoff National Championship in Atlanta.
— Kelli Hilliard, partner, chief people officer, Teall Capital Partners

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Thankfully, there have been so many. But our first ever home game on April 14, 2011, stands out. It was both a culmination of an incredible collective effort by the club and the community and the start of what has been nothing short of a magical ride and love affair between Portland and the Timbers and the Thorns. And of course it poured down rain. 
— Mike Golub, president of business, Portland Timbers

My most vivid memory has been being witness to the changing culture of our industry and seeing women climb the ranks and earning the appointment of significant top executive positions, blazing trails for women who seek to follow in their paths. Such as Amy Brooks (NBA chief innovation officer and president of team marketing and business operations), Gillian Zucker (LA Clippers president of business operations), and Cynthia Marshall (Dallas Mavericks chief executive officer) to name a few.
— Dionna Widder, chief revenue officer, Houston Dynamo

My most vivid memory from the past decade in sports business is Adam Silver’s press conference in 2014 announcing the lifetime ban of Donald Sterling, who then owned the L.A. Clippers. A new commissioner, in his first real test of leadership, following a legend, David Stern, and Adam aced it. The subsequent sale of the Clippers to Steve Ballmer reset the bar for franchise valuations across sports and the NBA’s global trajectory has only increased.
— Scott Rosner, academic director, Columbia University Sports Management Program

The amazing 2015-16 NBA season, when the Golden State Warriors won their first 24 games and an NBA-record 73 wins in the regular season. But then, LeBron James rose up to block Andre Iguodala’s layup and the Cavaliers not only became the first NBA team to overcome a 3-1 NBA Finals deficit — they also won Cleveland’s first sports championship in over 50 years. 
— John Kosner, partner, Micromanagement Ventures

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The crowds of 70,000 for the 2018 and 2019 MLS Cups in Atlanta and Seattle, respectively. Those are moments I’ll never forget. Could anyone have envisioned that for soccer before this decade started? We had 16 teams in 2010. We’ll announce our 30th in the near future. It’s one thing to talk about how far we’ve come. But to actually walk into amazing new soccer stadiums like Banc of California for LAFC, Audi Field for D.C. United, and Allianz Field for Minnesota United, or see massive crowds like we had for our last two championship games, that’s really vivid. 
— JoAnn Neale, president and chief administrative officer, Major League Soccer

How did you or your organization change in the past 10 years?

We became one organization. That process is going to come to culmination when we all move into the same building. But it was more than just physical location. It was about becoming a single, integrated business and making decisions based on research and analytics.
— Rob Manfred, commissioner, Major League Baseball

When I used to think of this team as a player 10 years ago, I would question the stability of the franchise. Now, the Panthers are permanently embedded in the community and the value of everything from ticket prices to partnership assets to the brand as a whole is at an all-time high.  
— Shawn Thornton,  senior vice president, Florida Panthers and BB&T Center

 We became part of the Atlanta community. The renaissance of the Hawks came when new ownership came. We are part of Atlanta on a 365-day basis. Much more than the games is the role we play in the city, from building basketball courts in the city to connecting with colleges and universities to creating arguably one of the top buildings in the country.
— Steve Koonin, chief executive officer, Atlanta Hawks

Notes: 

■ The ACC was one of the major realignment shuffle winners, losing only Maryland in the process.

■ Another power five league that did well in realignment, the Big Ten hasn’t lost a member school since 1946 (University of Chicago). 

■ The AAC is the successor of the original Big East. The numbers reflect changes since Its formation in 2013. 

■ All seven schools that left C-USA joined the AAC upon its formation in 2013. 

■ The Pac-12 emerged from the realignment reshuffle unscathed, while adding Colorado and Utah in 2011. 

■ Two of the Big South’s premier member schools, Coastal Carolina and Liberty, left the league because of football pursuits. 

■ The seven private school members of the original Big East announced in late 2012 that they were breaking away from FBS football-playing league members to form their own basketball-centric league in 2013. 

■ MVC lost its two basketball powerhouses, Creighton and Wichita State, to the Big East and AAC, respectively. 

■ The WAC was jolted during the 2012-13 academic year, when the majority of its football-playing member schools left the league, a diaspora that took schools to five different conferences. The WAC dropped football as a sponsored sport and has slowly rebuilt the league in part through adding schools transitioning from Division II to Division I. 

■ MEAC member Savannah State dropped to Division II in 2019, while Winston-Salem State, which aborted its transition to Division I in 2010, never reached full MEAC member status. 

■ Conference USA plundered the Sun Belt in 2013 and 2014. The Sun Belt replaced its losses with teams from the Southern Conference, Western Athletic Conference and Big South. 

■ Five former Division II programs stepped up to D-I and joined the A-Sun during the last decade.

 

 

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