April 22-28, 2019

Volume 22 issue 3 • $7.95

GoAl stAndArd
Minnesota United FC opens a stadium that connects
its passionate fans with the community and gives it
a vibrant home. Welcome to Allianz Field.
PAGE 22

NBA to offer teams Diverse group of execs How NFL hopefuls 1989 rewind:
global sponsorship on early list to follow manage their social Aikman on Rozelle’s
opportunities. Big Ten’s Jim Delany. media presence. final NFL draft.
PAGE 6 PAGE 8 PAGE 18 PAGE 38

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expertise across the secondary market?

dynamicpricingpartners.com
 SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL

67$7(2)3/$<

“It was an earthquake for the world of golf.”

MONEY TALKS

— Two-time Masters champion TOM WATSON on Woods’ win

RATINGS GAME
Rain pushed up the start of Sunday’s
final round to 9 a.m., depressing the size
of the CBS viewing audience. Here’s how
the live audience (in millions) compares
for each of Tiger’s five Masters triumphs.

20.3

19.2


14.6

13.1


10.8*


Tiger’s Back!
The gallery at the 18th hole got the first look at Tiger Woods, newly crowned Masters champion, after he
rolled in a putt to win the tournament last Sunday. It was the 43-year-old Woods’ fifth Masters victory and
* An additional 4.5 million tuned in to the encore
his first since 2005, the longest gap ever between wins at the world’s most famous golf event, and it capped broadcast during the traditional viewing window of
an incredible comeback from injury and scandal since his last major triumph at the 2008 U.S. Open. 2-7 p.m. ET

CASH ONLY
FASHION SENSE

Size of the check Woods got for his victory, the first time a Masters winner has ever received more than $2 million.

ODDS ARE

52$5,1*$+($'
Nike stock added more than $2 billion
in value during Masters week, while
companies such as Callaway,
Acushnet Holdings (owner of Titleist)
and Bridgestone also had big gains.

THE METER

48,(7,1*'2:1
Odds that Woods
will pass Despite his victory, early
JACK NICKLAUS’ expectations are that Woods will
record of 18 not fully recapture his power as
Getty Images (6)

“IT FITS,”
career major an endorser because of his age
wins, down from
25/1 before his and connection to past scandals.
said Woods, after slipping the famed
win at Augusta.
green jacket on for the fifth time.

WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM A P R I L 22-28 , 2 019 | 3

 ForuM
SBJ/SBD

Champions talk leadership, PODCASTS

FirSt Look &

building a career in sports

BuzzcaSt
check out our First Look
podcast every monday
where we discuss the week’s

L
eadership attributes and advice
for young people are constant
touchpoints in our industry. Many
look for pearls of wisdom and guidance
when it comes to the challenges of leading
people, and we are constantly asked about
the qualities young people need to get into
the sports business. That’s why I couldn’t
pass up the opportunity to ask five accom-
plished executives — among our Champi-
ons Class of 2019 — at the World Congress
AbrAhAm mAdkoUr
of Sports how they define leadership and
executiVe editor
the advice they give young people. Here
are their answers edited for brevity and
clarity:
Leadership
 Minnesota Vikings Coo keVin Warren:
“Leadership would be doing things that at
least 99 percent of the people around you
don’t do. They can do it, but they don’t do it.
That is really true leadership, to make your
mind up and have the grit to do things that
others will not do. And also, be consistent.
That is the sign of a true leader.”
 ForMer iMg Co-Ceo bob kain: “Great
leaders have to be great executives, first.
You can’t lead until you’ve accomplished
some things to gain respect. You receive a
lot of credit when you’re climbing that lad-
der and accomplishing things. When you
become a leader, it flip flops. You have to
stop taking credit and start giving credit.
It’s a total transition. You go from being the
top stories. Also, check out
 ron seMiao, nFL ViCe president oF pro- Buzzcast in sportsbusiness
graMMing and Media eVents: “Work hard, daily’s Morning buzz, our
daily two-minute look at the
so you can lead by example, and support
stories of the day.
your people. You need to trust your people,
support your people and guide them.”
earL santee, popuLous Managing direC-
tor For the aMeriCas: “I’ve just focused on
being the best servant leader I can be. My
job is to make others better, and I do it by the entire contents
understanding who they are and what they of this magazine are
copyrighted by street &
want. My job is to find the road map that
smith’s sports business
they can be successful on. It’s personal.” journal 2019 with all rights
reserved. street & smith’s
adViCe is a registered trademark
of American city business
 seMiao: “I’m going to use the words of journals, inc. reproduction
Jim Valvano. Don’t give up. Don’t ever give or use, without permission,
up.” of editorial or graphic
content in any manner
 FiLippeLL: “The one thing the younger
is prohibited. street &
people may not know how to do as well is smith’s sports business
communicate what you offer. What is a skill journal (issn-1098-5972)
set that you do? Tell me what is the best is published weekly, with
the exception of the first
skill you offer me so that I can fit you into week of january, the first
wherever I need you.” week of july and the last
 Warren: “It takes grit. Meaning that you week of december, for
are willing to do anything and everything $297 a year by street &
smith’s sports business
that it takes, within the rules, within the journal, at 120 west
laws, and by treating other people with re- morehead street, suite
spect, to get things done. It’s a long game, and 310, charlotte, nc 28202.
in canada $360 per year,
an overnight success is probably 25 years.
includes Gst and all other
You have to have the stomach to be able to countries $457, includes
just grind it out and be mentally and physi- a one-year subscription
cally tough.” and expedited air delivery
(Gst#139794580).
 santee: “Sometimes young people are periodicals postage paid at
afraid. Afraid to commit. Afraid to engage. charlotte, nc and additional

“
doer to sometimes the cheerleader and the
inspirational leader. Not everyone can do
it. Those skills don’t always translate. Some
of the greatest salespeople, most success-
Leadership would be ful people in our company, weren’t going
Afraid to understand. And they’re worried mailing offices. street &
smith’s sports business
they’re going to make a decision that affects
journal is a publication of
them for 100 years, not just the first year. American city business
So, getting them to understand they have journals, inc. street &
a long career ahead is hugely important in smith’s sports business

doing things that 99 to ever be great leaders. And you had to how they look at things.”
journal is an equal
opportunity employer.
percent of the people convince them [of] that, which isn’t always  kain: “Be prepared. Figure out what Postmaster: please
easy because they always want to climb the you’re trying to do, what you want to do, send address changes
around you don’t do. corporate ladder. But not everybody can what the company does. Be prepared to speak to street & smith’s

… That is really true make that change.” to the company in some intelligence. Tell
sports business journal —
subscriber services,
leadership, to make  teaMWork onLine Founder buFFy FiLip- them your best skills and be willing to get p.o. box 36637,
peLL: “People who are inspirational. That’s in at just about any level. You can come in charlotte, nc 28236-6637
your mind up and have what makes a great leader. There are dif- and talk about a company and know so much for customer service call
the grit to do things that ferent traits of leaders, but the one com- about it before you interview. Get ready, be 1-800-829-9839

others will not do. monality is that they inspire you to be your prepared, try and find a niche and go after it.” For article reprints, please

”
contact the YGs Group at
best. You get so excited about where you’re
(717) 505-9701 , x2204 /
going with this person and you want to be Abraham Madkour can be reached at sportsbusinessjournal@
a part of them.” amadkour@sportsbusinessjournal.com. theYGsGroup.com

This week

opinion . . . . . . . . . 34 SponSorShip Marketing Media Labor in depth

Careers . . . . . . . . 36
FaCes & pLaCes . . 37
CLosing shot .. . . 38
Cover image by Lane Pelovsky /
lpvisuals.com
9 high proFiLes
race team Alliance is sell-
ing sponsorship on front-
quarter panel of nAscAr
cars, which would include
the sport’s biggest teams.
By Adam Stern
12 the LeFton 14 in the MoMent 16 LoyaLty points 26 on the MoVe
report on tV or radio, jim nantz After his client’s masters teams and venues are
Granite bridge partners and mike tirico took a victory, excel sports finding new ways to
is shaping winning similar approach to call- agent mark steinberg cater to an on-the-go
streak into a hard-goods ing tiger woods’ winning begins looking to reward crowd more interested in
“building block.” moment at the masters. longtime partners. exploring than sitting.
By Terry Lefton By John Ourand By Liz Mullen By Mike Sunnucks

4 | A p r i l 2 2- 2 8 , 2 0 1 9 www.sportsbusinessjournAl.com
 +C3C<O<*DBCO
#RTKN
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upfront
A slam dunk strategy
nbA allows teams to sell international sponsorship rights,
creating a lucrative revenue stream. By john lomBardo
T
he NBA has come up with another groundbreaking
strategy to increase its global presence and bolster
team revenue, this time allowing clubs to sell in-
ternational sponsorship rights.
Owners approved a three-year test of the International Team
Marketing Program at their April 12 board of governors meet-
ing in New York.
The program is significant in that it will allow each of the
NBA’s 30 teams to sell global marketing rights to two current
or new sponsors beginning next season. Previously, the league
controlled all international sponsorship inventory. Domesti-
cally, teams are limited to a 75-mile marketing territory, a
policy that remains in place.
The international program allows teams to include global
advertising and marketing rights outside the U.S. and Canada;
activation at retail locations globally outside the U.S. and
Canada; and rights to post non-game team content on the spon-
sors’ own digital and social media sites such as their com-
6 | A p r i l 22 -2 8 , 2 0 1 9
teams had pushed for
the new inventory so
they could work with
more global brands that
had shown interest in
sponsorships.
pany Facebook or Twitter pages. Those global digital rights
also include the U.S. and Canada.
It addresses a push by teams that had interest among glob-
al brands but were restricted in what they could offer them.
For example, Infor, the patch partner of the Brooklyn Nets, is
looking to grow its presence in China, team officials said. Now,
under the new program, the company can use team marks in
branding and activation throughout Asia and in other global
markets.
The move follows the league’s decision to allow teams to
start selling jersey patch advertising starting with the 2017-18
season. Those patch sponsors may be among the brands most
interested in the new international inventory. While teams
can sell the new global rights to any two sponsors, many team
naming-rights and jersey patch sponsors are global brands
and would be likely targets in the new program.
“We decided to create a program to enable team partners to
help market the NBA globally and to give teams greater incen-
tive to create content focused on international markets,” said
Amy Brooks, president of the NBA’s team marketing and busi-
NBAE / Getty Images
ness operations division and chief innovation officer. “It makes
sense to work with these partners to create programs on plat-
forms outside the NBA.”
The program also stands as a lucrative new revenue stream
for teams.
www.sportsbusinessjournAl.com
 SportS BuSineSS Journal

naming-rights
sponsors wanting to A
expand their global PermAnent
presence, such
PAtch
as orlando magic
partner amway,
are seen as likely
candidates to buy nBa ownerS voted to
the new international continue the jersey
rights. patch program
indefinitely.
this move, which
was not surprising,
was made separately
from the new interna-
tional marketing
efforts (see related
story). the three-year
test program started
with the 2017-18
season.
changes to the
patch program
include allowing
teams to put the
advertising on nike
authentic jerseys sold
globally. previously,
teams could only sell
the uniform with the
For the Orlando Magic, which is beginning Marketing experts predict a wind-
“We decided patch in the u.s.
arena naming-rights renewal talks with Amway, fall for NBA teams. another change
the ability to package the new global rights to a “As popular as the league is glob- to create a allows a team’s patch
company that does 90 percent of its business over- ally, one of the ways to engage fans program partner to now have
seas is seen by team executives as a huge financial is through sponsorships,” said to … help creative variations of
opportunity. Emilio Collins, chief business of- their logo for different
In 2009, the Magic signed a 10-year, $40 million ficer for Excel Sports Management,
market the team uniform styles.
naming-rights deal with Amway and the team is which represents some teams in NBA globally For example, a brand
looking at the new international marketing rights their patch deals. “If done the right and to give could alter its patch
to help bring a massive increase in the value of way, it is a phenomenal increase in on a throwback jersey
a new deal. value to extract from the market. The
teams greater or city edition uni-
“Frankly, in our situation, I believe that these more that teams have the ability to incentive to forms used by teams
rights will help drive almost the doubling of value engage fans around the world, the create content throughout the
of what we receive for naming rights,” said Alex more the league can grow.”
Martins, chief executive officer of the Magic. “It Brooks said that while the new
focused on season. — J.L.

is that significant. On a league basis, it will open
up new partners and categories.”
As NBA teams hit the market following the
completion of the three-year jersey patch test
program, the international rights could provide
a major enticement for renewals or to attract a
new jersey patch partner. All 30 teams have patch
deals that range in value from $5 million to $20
million.
Consider the Milwaukee Bucks, which count
Harley-Davidson as their jersey patch partner.
Until now, Harley-Davidson could not activate
around their patch deal overseas. Now, the Bucks
can offer international rights that would allow
the company to use Bucks marks at retail loca-
tions outside the U.S. and Canada.
“This is a big deal to us as we go into talks to
extend our patch partner,” said Matt Pazaras,
senior vice president of business development
and strategy for the Bucks. “It is a massive ben-
NBAE / Getty Images (3)
plan offers teams more revenue, international
that’s not the primary goal. Instead, markets.”
she said it’s to take advantage of the
global reach of team partners and
to create more targeted non-game
content. Under the new plans, spon-
sors can use non-game content such
as behind-the-scenes features but
game highlights are prohibited.
The league has been working on
the change for some time as teams
clamored for global rights. Earlier
this year, the league extended glob-
al digital rights to teams and now
comes the new international market-
ing program.
Brooks added that because two-
thirds of a team’s social media fol-
lowers are from outside the U.S. and
the majority of NBA team marketing

efit. In our case with Harley-Davidson, their big- partners are global brands, the tim-
the league saw
gest growth market is in China and in other parts ing is right for the league to hand enough in the three-
of the world. There is so much equity in team global rights to teams. year test to approve
brands and the value of partner activation outside The league will restrict some cat- patch sponsorships
the U.S. We see so much more value so this is egories that are still to be deter- indefinitely.
incredibly helpful to us.” mined, Brooks said.

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com a p r i l 22-28 , 2 019 | 7

 83)5217

The Nine for Big Ten: Strong list of

Market candidates to succeed Delany
A M E AS U R E D LO O K
AT T H I S W E E K ’ S %<0,&+$(/60,7+
HOLDINGS
THE BIG TEN’S initial list of candidates to succeed Jim

BUY Delany include a diverse group of highly respected ex-

GOLD FOR TEAMWORK
NBCUniversal established a joint
venture with LA 2028 on media and
sponsorship sales for the Games from
2021 through ‘28. NBC’s commitment
will help cover a large part of the $2.5
billion domestic partnership sales goal,
and the media company gains on the
upside. It’s the first time such a deal
has been done, and one-stop shopping
should make it easier for sponsors.
ecutives, ranging from influential media experts to
veteran athletic administrators.
Five of the nine graduated from Big Ten schools, and
eight of the nine played a sport in college. Three are
women and two are minorities.
The Big Ten’s next commissioner, who will instantly
become one of the most powerful figures in college ath-
letics, could very well come from this list of candidates.
The initial list was composed by the conference and its
search firm, Korn Ferry.
Jim Delany, 71, will step down in June 2020 after 30 years
It’s the first indication that the conference’s search as the powerful commissioner of the Big Ten Conference.
to find a commissioner is ramping up, and it provides
a rare look into the Big Ten’s priorities as it seeks its Illinois and has a broad background in college athletics,
next leader. High-level searches like this typically are working at Arizona State, Tennessee and Notre Dame
kept quiet until a hire is made. before getting his first AD job at Northern Illinois. Phil-
Sources cautioned, however, that this early list is just lips, SBJ’s AD of the Year in 2018, has been the AD at
a starting point for the search. Names will move on and Northwestern for 11 years.
off the list as the search evolves. The conference and In addition to his work on campuses, Phillips has
Korn Ferry haven’t even begun reaching out to most cultivated a reputation as a national leader, having

SELL candidates yet, mostly because the conference has ample

GONE AND FORGOTTEN
Tampa sports fans had a rough night
on April 16. The Lightning, who had
tied the NHL’s regular-season record
with 62 wins, were swept out of the
playoffs in a stunning defeat to the
Blue Jackets, while the AL East-leading
Rays returned home from a road trip
and drew just 9,842 fans for a 4-2 win
over Baltimore.
runway of about a year to have a hire finalized and ready
to take the baton from Delany, 71, who spent 30 years as
the conference’s commissioner.
Delany, who makes close to $3 million in annual sal-
ary, plans to stay on the job until June 2020. Northwest-
er n President Morton Schapiro is chairing the
conference’s search committee, and the Big Ten presi-
dents will make the final decision.
What seems clear is that the Big Ten presidents asked
for a list of people who bring diverse backgrounds, var-
ied experiences and a range of expertise. Having at-
tended a Big Ten school might help, but it won’t be the
deciding factor.
The name on the list that’s the least surprising is Jim
Phillips, the athletic director at Northwestern. Phillips
has long been considered a favorite among Big Ten ath-
letic directors to ascend into the commissioner’s chair.
He grew up in Chicago, attended a Big Ten school at
chaired the NCAA’s Division I Council and sat on the
NCAA’s board of directors, the first sitting AD to be on
that board.
Candidates with a strong media background also are
prevalent. ESPN’s Burke Magnus, YES Network’s Jon
Litner and MLB’s Tony Petitti all bring a vast array of
media experience across TV and digital platforms, which
would mesh nicely with the conference’s co-ownership
of the Big Ten Network.
Having a commissioner with a wealth of media ex-
perience, sources said, would benefit the conference on
its next media deal as well. The Big Ten’s primary media
contracts with Fox and ESPN are up in 2022-23. One of
the new commissioner’s first jobs will be preparing for
the next round of negotiations.
The Big Ten is currently in a six-year, $2.64 billion
joint deal with both network partners. That does not
include Big Ten Network’s package of rights, which
runs to 2031-32. Fox owns 51 percent of BTN.

HOLD BIG TEN: COMMISSIONER CANDIDATES

KATRINA ADAMS AMY HUCHTHAUSEN JON LITNER

■ Former CEO, chair, U.S. Tennis
Association
■ Alma mater: Northwestern
■ Two-time All-American in tennis,
NCAA doubles champ
■ Commissioner, America East
Conference
■ Alma mater: Wisconsin-La Crosse
■ Played college softball; Earned
MBA from MIT Sloan School of Man-
agement
■ President, YES Network
■ Alma mater: Yale
■ Played college football, base-
ball; joined YES in 2016 after running
NBC’s RSNs

BURKE MAGNUS BETH BROOKE MARCINIAK TONY PETITTI

’VISION QUEST
The NBA finished a regular season in
which television ratings were down
across each of the four national
networks compared to last year, and the
decline continued in the first week of the
postseason, drops attributed partly to
■ Executive vice president, pro-
gramming and scheduling, ESPN
■ Alma mater: Holy Cross
■ 24-year veteran at ESPN; leads
the network’s acquisition of rights
JIM PHILLIPS
■ Global vice chair, public policy,
Ernst & Young
■ Alma mater: Purdue
■ First woman to earn a basketball
scholarship at Purdue
MARK SHAPIRO
■ Deputy commissioner, business,
media, MLB
■ Alma mater: Haverford College
■ Vast media background in-
cludes stints at ABC, CBS and NBC
BRAD TRAVIOLIA
Getty Images (3)

LeBron James and the Lakers missing
the playoffs. But the regular-season
declines were slight and there are still
almost two months of postseason play
remaining for a ratings turnaround.
■ Athletic director, vice president,
Northwestern
■ Alma mater: Illinois
■ Chaired the first NCAA Division I
Council
■ President, CEO, Toronto Blue Jays
■ Alma mater: Princeton
■ Played college football; former
MLB Executive of the Year with
Cleveland
■ Deputy commissioner, COO, Big Ten
■ Alma mater: Northwestern
■ College wrestler, Big Ten
champ, 22 years at the conference
office

8 | A P R I L 2 2 -2 8 , 2 0 1 9 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

NASCAR teams take new inventory to market
%<$'$067(51
THE RACE TEAM ALLIANCE is in the mar-
ket selling sponsorship on NASCAR
race cars in a unique proposition that
includes assets across the sport’s big-
gest teams.
Under terms of the charter system
enacted in 2016, NASCAR teams
gained the ability to own and sell ad-
vertising space on the front-side quar-
ter panels of their cars, space known
as the contingency area. Under the
old system that was in place for de-
cades, teams placed a number of small
decals for NASCAR series sponsors
on that area of their cars.
However, it’s taken a couple of years
for the teams to take the space to mar-
ket, in part because several sponsors
under the old system were allowed to
keep their decals until their deals ex-
pired, which has cluttered the space.
However, in 2020, only a couple of those
will remain along with endemic spon-
sors such as fuel and tires, so the RTA
is now out in the market selling the
‘Observe a lot just by watching:’
Yogi Berra movie options signed
%<7(55</()721
READY FOR Yogi Berra, the movie?
More than 50 years after retiring
as a player, 30 years after his last MLB
coaching job, and 3½ years following
his death, two movie options have been
signed this year for Berra produc-
tions: one for a feature film and one
for a documentary.
Actor Nick Basta, whose credits
include roles on “Law & Order: Crim-
inal Intent” and “Law & Order: Special
Victims Unit,” signed the option in
March to do a Yogi Berra feature film.
Basta said he’s been working on the
screenplay for around a year and
hopes to finish it within a few months.
Peter Sobiloff, executive producer of
the short film “Skin,” which this year
won an Oscar, has signed an option
to produce the Berra documentary.
Each now has around two years to
complete scripts and fund their projects.
“I don’t see this as a baseball movie,
just a film about one of the most unique
American characters ever,’’ said Basta,
who grew up a Yankees die-hard with
Getty Images
an Italian family in upstate New York.
“Some people think Yogi’s more quot-
ed in America than Shakespeare. His
WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM
NASCAR gave teams the right to sell advertising on the front-side quarter panels of
their cars, space held for decades by contingency sponsors of the sanctioning body.
space for teams across its membership.
“Now, with NASCAR moving away
from a title sponsorship in 2020, the
life was so American and he was an
immigrant, so politically, it’s an im-
portant time to tell his story.”
Attorney Ed Schauder of the firm
Phillips Nizer was the legal represen-
tation on the deal for the Berra Estate
and LTD Enterprises, which also han-
dles the estate’s commercial affairs.
The film options are the latest ex-
amples of the remarkable endurance
of Berra as a commercial icon. He won
10 World Series rings as a player and
three more as a coach, but was near-
ly as successful as a pitchman. Other
than his celebrated Yoo-hoo connec-
tion, which dates from the 1950s,
Berra’s endorsement portfolio in-
cluded a remarkable array of brands:
Aflac, Ballantine Beer, Camel ciga-
rettes, Pepsi, Stove Top stuffing, Visa
and Entenmann’s pastries. Amazon
already lists dozens of books by and
about Berra. Yogi’s son, Dale, will join
that group with the release of his
book, “My Dad, Yogi: A Memoir of
Family and Baseball,” next month.
“Dad’s story is still meaningful today
because he’s a rags-to-riches story,
because he had such a record of ac-
complishment on the field, and he was
just one of a kind,” Dale Berra said.
SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL
RTA offering becomes the only way
for a sponsor to secure a spot on all
of the NASCAR Cup cars,” Jonathan
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Marshall, executive director of the
RTA, wrote in an email.
Marshall said the “NASCAR Team
Activation” area will include place-
ment on the front-side quarter panels
of up to 30 cars. The RTA, which rep-
resents 13 teams including all of the
sport’s top entries, will also make
team and driver social media assets
part of the deal. Marshall said the
asking price is in the seven figures
annually but he did not get more spe-
cific on financial terms. He was clear
that a team’s sales effort will always
come first, and that the group has
collaboratively created a process of
clearance prior to making any sales
to avoid any sponsor conflicts.
Taking over the space is seen as sig-
nificant because it takes an area of the
car that was owned by the sanctioning
body and transfers it to the teams. The
contigency area involved running
various NASCAR series sponsor decals
in exchange for becoming eligible for
prize money those sponsors offered in
various categories.
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A P R I L 22-28 , 2 019 | 9
 83)5217

Other highlights include: new spon-

sor Lowe’s providing infrastructure
by helping to build the fan fest and
draft stage; Marriott and Visa teaming
on a private hospitality area; Procter
& Gamble again
providing a “style
Workers build a lounge” for draft-
platform across ees and families;
from Nissan Pe psi providing
Stadium that
oversized NFL hel-
will be used
for activities mets, now estab-
around the NFL lished as social
draft. media photo tar-
g ets; and thou-
sands of pizzas
being provided by Pizza Hut for hun-
gry staffers.
The draft itself will be staged in
downtown Nashville, where Tim Mc-
Graw will play the headline concert.
On the consumer products side of
the house, Electronic Arts will reveal
the cover athlete for “Madden 20,”
while New Era will sell its draft caps.
Wilson and New Era will make their
presence felt with branded trailers.
Licensees including Outer Stuff and
others will include both the draft logo

Corporate sponsors and media and the NFL 100th season mark. An
NFL-branded store will operate down-
town in Cotton-Eyed Joe from Tues-

partners get set for NFL draft day-Sunday.

%<7(55</()721
NFL CORPORATE SPONSORS ARE ready-
ing activation plans around the an-
nual player draft, which runs from
this Thursday-Saturday in Nashville.
It’s the third consecutive year in a new
locale for the draft and the smallest
city to date.
Dannon Oikos Triple Zero yogurt
is presenting sponsor of the NFL Draft
Experience, a three-day fan fest being
staged outside the Titans home, Nis-
san Stadium. Fifteen country music
performances are planned.
Tracie Rodburg, NFL vice president
of sponsorships and partnership man-
agement, said 27 sponsors will be
activating, the same amount as last
year in Dallas, and 41 total brands,
many supporting the NFL’s 100th sea-
son at the same time.
Oikos is also sponsoring a content
series on Whistle. First-year sponsor
Caesars is using the event as client
hospitality for 60 of its biggest cus-
tomers.
The draft will receive extensive
television exposure. NFL Network will
provide 77 hours of coverage. As a
local homage, Dolly Parton has nar-
rated the opening for the network’s
coverage, for which Visa is presenting
sponsor. Other coverage will be on
ABC, ESPN and ESPN 2. Courtyard
by Marriott is presenting sponsor on
ESPN/ESPN2; Home Depot is present-
ing sponsor on ABC.

Vivid Seats will not be in
NFL Ticket Exchange;
others expected to join
%<(5,&),6+(5$1''$1,(/.$3/$1
VIVID SEATS has withdrawn from its preliminary
arrangement to join the NFL Ticket Exchange after
talks ended between the two sides in the last few
weeks.
The exchange launched last year with
Ticketmaster, StubHub and SeatGeek,
allowing fans to buy authenticated
primary and secondary tickets through
those three companies.
Vivid Seats last year quietly negotiated to join as
well, reaching what sources close to the company
called a preliminary agreement. But a deal was
never formally announced, and the ticket integra-
“We are not participating in the platform,” said
Geoff Lester, Vivid Seats chief commercial officer.
“Our strategies were not aligned and it didn’t
make the most sense for us to participate.”
Vivid Seats, however, will still sell NFL tickets on
its platforms independently. “Nothing changes for
us,” added Lester. “We’re still going to have
perhaps the broadest selection of inventory of
NFL tickets anywhere.”
Robert Gallo, NFL vice president of club
business development, used similar language,
saying, “We just never
got strategically
aligned and at this
point we do not expect
them to be formally
part of the network.”
Asked why the talks broke down, Gallo rejected
the premise, responding, “I wouldn’t say it was a
breakdown in talks, like I said it was a shift in
There should be one or more ticketing compa-
nies added before the start of the upcoming
season, Gallo said. “We are not in a position to say
who yet, but we do expect the network to expand
and grow,” he added. “We are in negotiations with
other emerging players right now.”
Prior to 2018, Ticketmaster was the only
authenticated place to go for NFL tickets. In the
first year of the new exchange, 4 million tickets
were sold, Gallo said. That is not an exhaustive
figure for total NFL sales, as it does not include
other brokers (like Vivid) or personal sales (Gallo
declined to disclose total NFL ticket sales).
The exchange collected 2 million new names
that the NFL and its clubs did not have prior, Gallo
said.
Another key trend is mobile ticketing. Gallo said
half of the fans who entered NFL stadiums in 2018
used a phone for their ticket, up from 10 percent
in 2017. He added that five to six teams were fully
AP Images

tion planned for various points during the 2018 strategy. We both agreed it no longer made sense mobile for tickets and he expects the figure to
NFL season ultimately did not occur. to move forward.” He did not offer details. double this season.

10 | A P R I L 2 2 -2 8 , 2 0 19 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

AFL copying MLS with ownership model
by daniel kaplan
the arena FootBall league, sched-
uled to start its 32nd season this Fri-
day, has no team ownership for the
first time. Instead, two shareholders
— Ted Leonsis’ Monumental Sports
& Entertainment and Trifecta Sports
& Entertainment — co-own the league,
which then operates the teams.
The AFL, an indoor football league,
has long been plagued by shaky own-
ership groups and a changing number
of teams. It peaked with 19 teams in
2007, did not play at all in 2009 after
filing for bankruptcy protection and
was down to four teams last year. Now
the league is embracing the unitary
ownership model used by a different
American sports league.
“It’s copied from MLS,” said Randall
Boe, the AFL commissioner, who
worked with Leonsis at AOL and
Monumental before taking his current
post 13 months ago. “We have come
up with a model that is designed to
produce scalable, sustainable growth.
Getty Images
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com
We are going to have a nationwide
footprint in a couple years, but we
know from the past history of the
league that its efforts to expand too
quickly and then to questionable own-
ership groups gets you into trouble.”
The AFL added teams in Columbus,
Ohio, and Atlantic City, N.J., this sea-
son, and Boe projected another two
next season at locations yet to be de-
termined — and all will follow the
same ownership model.
SportS BuSineSS Journal
washington
won last year’s
arena bowl
despite losing
10 of 12 regular-
season games
in a four-team
league.
Like other sports leagues, the AFL
is focused on sports gambling.
“We are building ourselves around
being data-centric and enabling sports
betting,” Boe said. “We are developing
a platform so that eventually you will
be able to stream AFL games and at
the same time and in the same app be
able to place bets.”
Boe, who described the current AFL
as akin to a startup, did not have TV
deals in place for the season openers.
The league does expect coverage at
some point this season. Games last
year were on CBS Sports Network.
Asked if the focus on sports gam-
bling and an app mimicked the ap-
proach of the Alliance of American
Football, which last week filed for
Chapter 7 bankruptcy, Boe credited
the AAF for starting to collect his-
torical game data. However, he cri-
tiqued the consumer-facing part of
the league’s app.
“It was pretty rudimentary,” he
said. “What we are envisioning doing
is kind of the mobile version of look-
ing at the board in a sportsbook, that’s
the look and the feel. Not just icons
on a field and guessing the next play.”
The AFL is also continuing to work
with Vegas Stats & Information to
create weekly VSiN video segments
and articles previewing games and
listing betting odds. And the league
is talking to ViSIN about what Boe
described as a betcast stream of the
games, the details of which are still
in development.
a p r i l 22-28 , 2 019 | 11
 7+(,16,'(56
0$5.(7,1*$1'63216256+,3

Granite Bridge shaping Winning Streak

into hard-goods ‘building block’
ANATICS HAS consolidated the sports licensing? Upon further review, usual deals,’’ end. WinCraft is

F sports licensing industry and

grown to be a billion-dollar-
plus company by acquiring an impres-
sive amount of manufacturing
capabilities, brands, retail and prop-
erty rights, primarily
affecting the apparel side
of the business. So, when
we’re invariably asked
about the business, our
response for some time
has been, “It’s a Fanatics
world, we’re just living
in it.”
Still, the non-apparel,
or hard goods, side of
the business is a sector
that Fanatics Chairman
Michael Rubin has con-
sistently termed a low
priority. So the question occurred, is
there room for a hard-goods rollup in
it seems that there’s one already in
the works.
Winning Streak is a Lenexa, Kan-
sas, hard-goods licensee renowned
for its wool, commemorative sports
banners and pennants. It
has nearly every domes-
tic sports license, and
its retail price points
(g enerally $30-$100)
along with product qual-
ity and design exceeds
that of most hard goods,
derisively termed “trin-
kets and trash” long
ago. Private equity firm
%<7(55</()721 Granite Bridge Part-
ners acquired Winning
Streak in 2017 with the
intention of growing by
acquisition.
“This was a bit smaller than our
WEDNESDAY,
MAY 22, 2019
NEW YORK
MARRIOTT MARQUIS
AT TIMES SQUARE
IS PROUD TO BE A
PRESENTING SPONSOR
said Granite
Bridge partner
Michael Good-
the unquestioned
licensed hard-goods
leader, in terms of
man, “but we its collection, retail
liked their relationships and
margins, loved logistics mastery.
their products Wi n n i n g S t re a k
and saw it as a hopes to compete
building block.’’ for different cus-
Terms of the tomers.
purchase were “I have massive
not disclosed. respect for what
Granite Bridge’s WinCraft has built,
holdings include but from a price-
about a half-doz- point perspective,
en other firms, we’re very differ-
r a n gi n g f ro m e n t , ” L e n ch e s k i
a maker of pet s
said. “The issue
treats to a firm w
with hard goods
that manages and issn’t that they don’t
maintains medi- sell; it’s that there’s
cal equipment. t oo much of the
Attractive same — the market’s
p ro d u c t s w i t h oversaturated.”
enviable margins Winning Streak’s
do not necessar- le
eaders feel the same
ily mean a way about licensed
company is up Winning Streak is known for its wool, apparel as Rubin
to date. Only commemorative sports banners. and Fanatics feel
recently did about hard goods.
Winning Streak start selling directly “I just don’t see us chasing soft goods,”
to consumers and using digital mar- said Lencheski, who once represented
keting. If you received an email tout- the “Izzy’’ character for the 1996 Olym-
ing a commemorative championship pics. “Too many very able competi-
banner minutes after Virginia won tors.” Including Fanatics, of course.
the NCAA title, yeah, that was a first As for the rollup? “Owning the wall
for both the Cavaliers and Winning is our obvious direction,” Goodman
Streak. said. “Whatever we acquire, it won’t
Nonetheless, Winning Streak is debt be something like a company that
free and, with Granite Bridge behind makes mugs or another commodity
it, well-capitalized, making it largely product. We have to maintain quality.
unique within its competitive set. No … I want this to be a nine-figure busi-
retailers or leagues want to administer ness at minimum and we clearly see
a multitude of hard-goods licensees, a path there through organic growth
so the idea is to expand distribution, and acquisitions.’’
develop new products, add entertain- Goodman and Lencheski both told
ment licenses — like the classic Dis- us that calling what they’re building
ney characters and Star Wars — and “Fanatics for Hard Goods” is hyper-
acquire other hard-goods companies, bolic. OK, we understand the order of
transforming Winning Streak into a magnitude difference between Win-
company that can offer retailers a uni- ning Streak and Fanatics.
fied hard-goods selection. “We definitely have capital avail-
“We want to eventually offer a ‘wall able, but not that much,” laughed
of fandom,’” said sports marketing Goodman, who has more than 20
veteran Chris Lencheski, brought years of experience in private equity.
on within the past month by Granite “Would we like to be thought of as a
Bridge as CEO of Winning Streak, miniature version? Sure, maybe with
receiving some equity with the new one or two less zeroes to start.”
title.
Compared to many in the space, Terry Lefton can be reached at
Winning Streak’s product is high tlefton@sportsbusinessjournal.com.

12 | A P R I L 2 2 -2 8 , 2 01 9 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM
 Nominees and winners will be recognized for
outstanding achievement in the business of sports

SPO BEST
IN
BEST IN R
OF T TS EVEN FAN EX MOBILE
SPORTS MEDIA TE HE Y PERIE
T NCE
ETING EAR
ICES S
ON S
EAM N
TS T YE SOR NT A TIAL
SPOR E YEAR AR
IE N ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
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OF TH EXP
E OF THE YEAR
SPO
SPOR BREAKTHROU
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.SPORTS-BUSINESS-AWARDS.COM

632576%86,1(66$:$5'63$571(56
 thE InSIDErS

years from now, that’s going to be the moment where

Tiger returned to glory. I really believe that.”
Tirico: “I tried to describe what Tiger was doing.
In 15 years, when someone plays that
Jim nantz is highlight, they’ll either think it was
joined by Tiger really good or not.”
Woods and One of the questions Nantz and
Nick Faldo in Tirico field most consistently is
butler cabin,
whether they script those champi-
where nantz
was positioned onship lines. Both said they don’t,
earlier in the saying that scripted remarks tend to
cbs broadcast take them out of the moment.
to call woods’ Even when Woods only needed a
final putt on the
bogey on 18 to win, both announcers
18th hole.
insisted that they were not consider-
ing their final call.
Tirico referenced calling Jean van de Velde’s in-
famous blow-up at the 1999 British Open when the
French golfer carded a triple bogey on the final
hole and eventually lost in a playoff.
“We’ve all done enough tournaments that we’ve
burned ourselves a little bit,” Tirico said. “You
SportS M E D I A want to be careful that you don’t give somebody

Calls by Nantz, Tirico will be part the tournament because all of a sudden somebody
could hit a really bad shot and you never know what

of history. Now if they can only

they are going to make.”
For Nantz, who has called the biggest NFL, NCAA
basketball and golf events for CBS, he has more

remember what they said. opportunities.

“There’s a tonnage of moments where I thankfully
get to put the appropriate narrative to an important

I
t’s no surprIse that Jim Nantz
and Mike Tirico used different
styles to call the end of the his-
toric Masters tournament.
After all, Nantz was on CBS and let
the televised pictures tell the story.
Tirico was on Westwood One radio,
and had to describe the scene for his
listeners.
What is most surprising about their
two calls, though, is how similar they
were. Both announcers, two of the best
in the business in my opinion, used the
same general approach to describe one
the most historic golf events they’ve ever covered. Woods putts it. It’s in. He has done it. Tiger is back.
That is, they both eschewed scripts or stats and Tiger is back on top. Tiger Woods — the 2019 Masters
wound up getting lost in the mo-
ment.
I found it fascinating last week
when both announcers — in sep-
arate interviews with me days
after the tournament — admit-
ted that they could not remem-
ber exactly what they said. But
both were articulate about the
style they used to call a final putt
that will be replayed in highlight
reels for decades.
“I have a hard time going
through it with great detail be-
cause nothing was scripted out,
and I’m not exactly sure of what
I said in that entire scene at the
clips online. But immediately after
the tournament, when he was asked
on Golf Channel to describe his call,
he couldn’t remember. “I just did it
from the top of my head,” he said.
For the record, after Tiger Woods
sank his tournament-winning putt on
the 18th hole, Nantz simply said, “A re-
turn to glory.” Then he went silent for
nearly three minutes as Tiger hugged
By John ourand his family and competitors.
Tirico said, “Here it is. Woods has
two feet to win the Masters. Everyone
quiets down. Back behind the ball.
champion. One of
the great comeback
stories in American
sports history. Mas-
ters No. 5. Major
No. 15. And Augusta
National roars like
never before.”
Both understood
their roles in the
historical signifi-
cance of Woods’
win. Their voices
will narrate a clip
that is certain to be
shown in highlight
reels for decades to
moment,” Nantz said. “It’s a one shot deal at it. The
moment comes and goes.”
John Ourand can be reached at jourand@sports-
businessjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter
@Ourand_SBJ.
this major moment
spoke for itself
I asked JIm nantz about his decision to
remain silent for nearly three minutes after
tiger woods’ masters-winning putt, during
which time woods celebrated with his family,
caddie and other golfers. nantz, who called the
final hole from butler cabin, said remaining
quiet was one the easiest decisions he made.
“After that putt dropped on 18, there wasn’t
a chance in the world that i was going to say
anything. lance barrow’s a great producer
and we work together exceptionally well. He’s
in the truck half a mile away. i’m in butler
cabin already. And nick [Faldo] is 300 yards
away from me in the tower on the 18th green.
we had a three-way line of communication go-
ing out to the millions.
“As soon as the ball dropped, i said to lance
on the talk-back switch, ‘i’m not saying
anything for a long time.’ lance and i wanted
to make sure since that none of us were
together, the next time somebody spoke it was
CBS Sports; Getty Images

18th,” Nantz said. come. going to be me. we were going ride this thing
Tirico had almost the same “I thought about out and sit back and enjoy it. i never would
reaction. When I talked to him s ay i n g ‘ T i g e r ’s have jumped on a moment that was that big. it
on Monday following the tour- back,’” Nantz said. was just so big. there was nothing you could
nament, he had heard his final Mike Tirico and nantz didn’t script their calls. As “But when the clip do to add to it. You could only ruin it.” — J.O.
call several times from audio tirico said, “i just did it from the top of my head.” is played back 200

14 | A p r i l 22 - 2 8 , 2 0 1 9 www.sportsbusinessjournAl.com
 MAY 29-30

2019
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 the InsIders

labor and agents

Woods, Steinberg aim to reward existing partners

S
ince winning the Masters, the
level of corporate interest in
Tiger Woods has increased
exponentially, but early last week, his
longtime agent Mark Steinberg was
focused on rewarding the sponsors
who weathered the golfer’s tough
times.
“We have a number of
things in the works,”
said Steinberg, a partner
of Excel Sports Man-
agement, who has rep-
resented Woods for 20
years. He talked to SBJ
briefly the day after
Woods’ Masters win after
sleeping about two hours
the night before and was
just starting to reflect on
By Liz
what the win might
mean.
“Rather than what we are going to
do going forward for future partners,
to me, it’s about the existing part-
ners,” Steinberg said. “The people who
WEDNESDAY,
MAY 22, 2019
NEW YORK
MARRIOTT MARQUIS
AT TIMES SQUARE
have stuck by him and given him the
Tiger woods
love and given him the respect he de- and his agent,
serves. So we want to continue to give Mark Steinberg,
back to them.” shared an
Immediately after the win, Nike emotional
moment after
posted a 52-second spot of Woods that
the masters.
went viral on social media. The video
scrolled the words, “It’s
crazy to think a 43-year-
old who has experienced
every high and every low
and has just won his 15th
major is chasing the
same dream as a 3-year-
old.”
The footage included
Woods celebrating wins
and collapsing in pain
and finally as a 3-year- for Woods. “He didn’t need to win yes- ■ OCTAGON REPS TWO WNBA DRAFT
MuLLen old, saying, “I’m gonna terday to create a story,” Steinberg PICKS: Octagon is representing two
beat Jack Nicklaus.” said. “Yesterday just elevated the players selected in the WNBA draft,
Nicklaus holds the re- story.” Missouri guard Sophie Cunningham
cord for most golf major wins with In September, Woods broke a five- and Notre Dame guard Arike Ogun-
18. year drought, winning the Tour Cham- bowale, who has achieved fame off
Steinberg last week brushed off pionship after undergoing four back the court, including on “Dancing with
questions of what, exactly, was next surgeries, a DUI arrest, withdrawing the Stars” and an appearance on
from multiple “Ellen.”
tournaments and Ogunbowale
Tiger’s parTners
dealing with was selected
widespread spec- Brand (partner since) No. 5 overall by
ulation that he ■ nike (1996) the Dallas Wings
would never win ■ upper Deck (2001) and Cunning-
again. After that ■ Kowa (japanese heat rub, 2011) ham was taken
win, Steinberg ■ rolex (2011) No. 13 overall by
received about ■ Hero (india motorcycles, 2014) the Phoenix
1,400 emails and ■ Full swing (2015) Mercury in the
text messages ■ bridgestone Golf (2016) WNBA draft ear-
and spent 2½ ■ monster energy (2016) lier this month
hours answering ■ taylormade (2017) in New York.
them. ■ GolftV/pGA tour (2018) Erin Kane, vice
That was noth- president of Oc-
ing compared to tagon Basket-
the outpouring after Woods won the ball, is representing both players.
2019 Masters. Augusta National Octagon, as previously reported by
doesn’t allow cellphones, but when SBJ, decided last fall to make a con-
Steinberg got back to his hotel room certed effort to represent WNBA play-
that evening he worked from 7:30 ers. This is Kane’s first draft class.
p.m. to 4:30 a.m. the next day answer- “I was really focused from early on,
ing all of the emails, texts and calls on these two players,” Kane said. “Be-
he received. That’s typical Mark cause this is my first draft class, I want
Steinberg. to be very strategic and targeted about
What wasn’t typical was how he who I am working with. I want to help
reacted to Woods winning the Masters. them realize all the things they want
Steinberg could be seen as one of the to do as female basketball players,
people, along with Woods’ two chil- whether it’s in the WNBA, overseas, or
dren, his caddie and his mother, hug- the work they want to do off the court.”
ging Woods and it looked like Cunningham was Missouri’s all-
Steinberg didn’t want to let go. Asked time leading women’s basketball
if he cried, the agent said he did. scorer and Ogunbowale was the 2018
“My wife would tell you I don’t get NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding
emotional all that often, but I actually Player.
got emotional yesterday because he’s
Getty Images

so deserving of this moment and his Liz Mullen can be reached at

IS PROUD TO BE A kids and his mother were so deserving lmullen@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
PRESENTING SPONSOR of this experience,” Steinberg said. Follow her on Twitter @SBJLizMullen.

16 | A p r i l 22 -2 8 , 2 0 1 9 www.sportsbusinessjournAl.com
 SBJ’s College & University Program:

It’s How Your Students Suit Up

for a Career in Sports Business
• Flexible class subscription options • Discounted student rates • Professor comps
• Weekly teaching tools with each issue • Professor portal for class management

To learn more contact Molly Kirkpatrick at

ON
CAMPUS mkirkpatrick@sportsbusinessjournal.com or 704.973.1420.
 Portfolio research

How NFL prospects

delete that post

Fifty-six percent of the prospects

deleted at least one old post.

use social media

the top 50 prospects are more
likely to have performed social
maintenance and to be more
engaged on social. this group is
less likely to share or engage in
political commentary and/or

W
ith the NFL draft the Real deal how oFteN explicit language or content,
the pRospeCts
coming up this posted to theIR according to the study. one
week, many of the Although access to the accounts of a player soCIal MedIa prospect, who turnkey did not
top prospects are taking a look often requires his permission, turnkey reported aCCoUNts
name but said is a projected
at their social media personas to that many times their analysts were easily
second-round pick, deleted
make themselves more attrac- granted such access simply by making a
request through the player’s social media page. 11,500 posts.
tive to future NFL employers
and marketing partners, accord- to receive a blue verification badge from
ing to a study conducted by Facebook, for example, account holders must
Turnkey Intelli- provide the site a photo iD, an explanation as to
By DAVID gence on behalf of why they should be verified, and relevant
url(s) that prove people are interested in their
BROUGHTON Sports Business
Journal.
Turnkey re-
content.
“obtaining verified status on social media 56%
deleted at least one
platforms is a social media insurance policy for

viewed the public social media
accounts of 100 of the top NFL
draft prospects to see how so-
cially engaged each player has
57%
old post
athletes, as it prevents fraud, protects the
athlete’s reputation, and eliminates any chance
of an unnecessary pr issue for a team,” said A few times per week

33%
been; if inappropriate content rich calabrese, turnkey executive vice
or language was seen on his president and general manager, who oversaw

13% 33%
public profile; if he publicly en- the project.
1-2 times per day
gaged in controversial issues or
shared political opinions;
whether he talked about an NFL 61%
twitter 82%
10% Deleted 500+
posts
Deleted 1-99
posts

10% 44%
team or not; and if he had taken 3+ times per day
steps to clean up his accounts
verified instagram
verified
8%
over the past few months. Facebook
verified Deleted 100-499 Did not delete
Every prospect had at least posts any posts
one social media account.

polItICal & soCIal eVIdeNCe oF dRUG NFl teaM eXplICIt eXplICIt photo
CoMMeNtaRY & alCohol Use MeNtIoNs laNGUaGe oR VIdeo CoNteNt

42% 19%
demonstrated or
45% 60% 23%
mentioned an
shared a political condoned the use used explicit engaged with
nFl team in
opinion of drugs and/or language explicit content
some context
alcohol

7% Took a strong stance,

aligning with a
specific social movement or
4% Insinuated personal
drug use or
demonstrated party-centric
7% Said something
organically that they
would not want the
15% Used expressions
that could be
deemed demeaning toward
3% Liked pornographic
content, or media
graphically depicting sex
representative tendencies team to see certain groups, or fighting

20% Liked content or

retweeted a post 2% Shared casual alcohol
consumption 14% Spoke organically
about teams in a
words targeted at an
individual 7% Liked inappropriate
content, such as
pictures/videos of half-naked
with a political topic, but did
not share a strong, personal
13% Shared jokes or
playful, but unfavorable way
15% Used the “F” word,
“N” word, or
women, fight videos, and/or
content containing lewd acts
stance song lyrics
insinuating drug and/or 24% Mentioned their
NFL fanhood or
language that could be
considered derogatory
13% Liked funny or viral

15% Liked a mocking

post that is no
alcohol use liked posts related to specific
teams
30% Used foul language
posts that are
borderline risqué
longer relevant, or not very
political in nature 81%
content
Did not share drug
and alcohol related
55% Did not specifically
mention an NFL
in the spirit of
competition, cursing for
77% Did not engage
with explicit photo
excitement or positive reasons
58% Did not share
political
commentary
team

40% Did not share

explicit language
or video content

18 | A p r i l 22 -2 8 , 2 0 1 9 www.sportsbusinessjournAl.com
 SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL

HERE ARE TURNKEY’S ASSESSMENTS OF PROJECTED EARLY, MIDDLE AND LATE-ROUND DRAFT PICKS.
PROJECTIONS ARE BASED ON CBS SPORTS AND ESPN, AS OF APRIL 15.

jerrytillery
鎌倉大仏殿高徳院 (Kamakura Daibutsu)

Devin Bush II
@_Dbush11

1/3 Drug abusers started at an

age between 14-22

12 Mar 2015

dbush_10 Jerry Tillery Retweeted

Jonathan Lemire
@JonLemire

With Lincoln looking on

照してください

jerrytillery

dbush_10 || O P P O R T U N I T Y ||
MARCH 5
Mack Wilson
@iam__mw3o

Devin Bush II Every body different.. Everybody

@_Dbush11
come from different lively hoods.
But, it’s up to you to change that
for you and your family. Be the
of your family. #TGFAD

18 Jan 2015 10 Ma
ar 2019

jerrytillery ear. You know why

I’m here.
29w

DEVIN BUSH II (FIRST ROUND)
Michigan, linebacker
f Similar to other prospects, his most frequent
posts are about his family and football.
f Strong social following on multiple platforms
with a current social reach of over 57,000.
f Advocates against the use of drugs, going so
far as to share facts and the negative impact
of drug use.
f Explicit language has been seen on his social
profiles; has tweeted negatively about other
teams due to his Green Bay Packers fandom.
AP Images (3)
JERRY TILLERY (LATE FIRST OR MACK WILSON (LATE SECOND ROUND)
EARLY SECOND ROUND) Alabama, linebacker
Notre Dame, defensive tackle
f Posts feature workouts, faith, family, and
f His social behavior is tame and pointed. He significant other.
has been careful not to have anything highly f Has used language that is not league or
contentious on his profiles. brand-friendly, including last week on his
f Rarely posts anything from himself to social Facebook bio. His bio on Twitter referred to
media (mostly shares and retweets). a biblical passage and information on how to
f On Instagram, travel and adventure posts contact his marketing agency.
were his most common outside of football. f Often mentions God and being “blessed” but
f Behind the scenes posts. He shares photos of could come across as disingenuous based on
himself and his teammates in the locker other language used.

room, practice, on bonding trips, and photos f Instagram profile is private and has a small
from games. following, but accepted Turnkey’s “follow”
request within hours.

WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM A P R I L 22-28 , 2 019 | 19

 3257)2/,2:,6(32:(53/$<

WISE’s all-female panels LOS ANGELES

■ POWER PLAY: Up

grow into signature events Close with Women from

the Los Angeles Lakers
on March 13 at UCLA
Health Training Center:
IN 2010, THE NYC METRO CHAPTER of Women in roles,” said Van Adams, (from left) Lakers host/
Sports & Events posed a question: Where are creator of the “Power moderator Allie Clifton;
the women in sports business, and what do they Play” concept and presi- Allison Howard, VP,
do? dent of the WISE NYC corporate partnerships;
Christina Khosravi,
The response was the “Power Play: Up Close Metro Chapter. “Repre- director, business analyt-
With … ” initiative. An all-female panel dis- sentation matters. Pro- ics and strategy; Kiesha
cussion hosted annually in grams like ‘Power Play’ Nix, executive director,
March in celebration of Wom- advance the dialogue on Lakers Youth Foundation;
Elaine Shen, chief of
en’s History Month, “Power female leadership and
staff; Lisa Estrada, VP,
Play” features senior- to exec- encourage productive facilities and building
utive-level women from the conversations on career operations.
same organization, or section of sports busi- advancement by bring-
ness, who represent different disciplines. ing to the table those who inspire us to see
“We believed by presenting this group of the possibilities of progress.”
accomplished professionals who could speak After nearly a decade-long run with the NYC
confidently about their organization’s busi- Metro chapter, “Power Play” has become a
ness, their work and their career journeys, national signature program of WISE, with
we would be contributing to a larger conver- events held in 15 chapter cities across the U.S.
sation surrounding women in leadership and Canada last month.

LAS VEGAS
■ POWER PLAY: Up Close with Women in Live Events on March 20
at UFC headquarters: (from left) Kris Lingle-Griffith, VP, marketing,
AEG Presents; Monica Reeves, corporate director of entertainment,

WISE Los Angeles chapter; WISE Las Vegas chapter; Stephan Hudson / 2nd Chance Photography; Scott Murdoch / Five by Five Photography
Station Casinos; Amanda Moore, VP, marketing, Live Nation Las
Vegas; Erin Calhoun, executive director of booking, MGM Resorts
Entertainment and Sports; MaryAnne Beaman, director of sales and
special events, Fremont Street Experience.

TORONTO
■ POWER PLAY:
Up Close with
Executive Women in
Sports on March 28 at
the Toronto Marriott:
NYC METRO (from left): NHL EVP
■ POWER PLAY: Up Close with Women from Major League Soccer on March 12 at Proskauer: (from Kim Davis, NFL COO
left): MLSSoccer.com reporter/moderator Susannah Collins; JoAnn Neale, president/CAO; Jen Maryann Turcke,
Cramer, SVP, partnership marketing; Emily Unruh, VP, retail development; Jennifer Maurillo, SVP, retired NBA CMO/
events. EVP Pam El, and TSN
Sportscaster/modera-
FOR A SLIDESHOW of “Power Play” events across the country, visit sportsbusinessjournal.com. tor Katie Bierness.

The Playbook For

Sports Bus iness
DECEMBER 10-16, 2018
     
 
    



   

Rea d What the Lea ders in Sports Rea d

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\PMN]\]ZMWNXZWNM[[QWVIT7TaUXQKIVLKWTTMOQI\M[XWZ\[J][QVM[[ ‘It seems like the
game is secondary’ en it comes to offering more amenities at stadiums
and arenas, teams have jumped right in. But can
they still keep fans engaged in the game?

;]J[KZQJMVW_JaKITTQVO  !! ! PAGE 24

WZOW\W___[JR[JLKWU;]J[KZQJM Commitment by
AAC schools could
Bobbleheads continue
run as most popular
Bowl swag includes
electronics, apparel
This offseason will
test relationship
sweeten media deal. MLB game promotion. and even cornhole. between MLB, union.
3$*( 3$*( 3$*( 3$*(

20 | APRIL 22-28, 2019 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

the story allianz field
A Home Of
Their Own
the grand opening of Allianz Field is
a victory for minnesota united Fc, the
mls and, especially, soccer fans of
the north star state. by ian thomas
22 | April 22-28, 2019
ess than 24 hours before the opening of Allianz
Field on April 13, Bill McGuire was putting togeth-
er a checklist.
As the final touches were being put on the $250 mil-
lion, 19,400-seat stadium, the 71-year-old Minnesota
United FC owner and managing director circled the concourses,
looking for anything that didn’t match up with his vision. No detail
was too small for review. Did the 3-foot-tall refrigerator units at
the portable food stands ringing the concourse, as opposed to the
typical 6-foot-tall ones, provide the clear view of the field he had
hoped? Were the walls of the premium areas decorated in a way
Courtesy of Minnesota United FC
that allowed them to be “just a simple beautiful wall with a couple
things on it and that’s enough,” said McGuire, who had person-
ally selected photos for a three-story collage in the premium lobby
of the stadium featuring the faces of fans from across the world
at recent World Cups. How about the angle and placement of the
item the players would touch on their way to the pitch, a rock mined
from the iron range of Minnesota? If he spotted anything, he
quickly passed along a note to someone who could make the change.
www.sportsbusinessjournAl.com
 SportS BuSineSS Journal

AlliAnz Field
By The numBers

construction
start June 2017
construction
cost $250 million,
privately financed

architect
Populous

contractor
Mortenson

(B) capacity
19,400 (able to be
expanded to 25,000)

supporters
section
2,920 safe-standing
terrace

closest seat to
the pitch 17 feet
farthest seat
from the pitch
125 feet

number of taps
in the brew hall
96
(C) (D)

(a) (e) (F)

(a) a sellout crowd came When a decision needed to be made, he was quickly summoned. A 5,800-square-foot bar sits across the other side of the pitch,
out for the first game, a “When you look at some of the great clubs that have emerged featuring 96 taps of local beer. On the bar’s roof deck, a 250-per-
3-3 draw with nYcFc.
in America like Portland or Sporting Kansas City, but also in the son area that is reserved for group sales, there is the stadium’s
(B) the stadium club
offers approximately 900 great clubs across the world and even in the tiniest towns in the retro analog clock and manual scoreboard, which resemble what
seats at midfield. U.K., there is a relationship between the team and community the team had when it played in the North American Soccer League.
(C) the team has chosen that far transcends building just another big stadium,” McGuire The exterior of the building is an ode to Minnesota’s natural
to keep several naming- said. “That’s what we needed to be a part of; we needed a stadium resources, with the skin of the stadium aiming to depict the
rights opportunities that reflects the culture of our community and our sport.” Mississippi River and LED lights able to replicate the views of
open.
That stadium is Allianz Field. It might not have the massive the Northern Lights.
(D) this collage of fans
size of 71,000-seat Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, or the On that long-awaited game day, fans began to congregate out-
from recent world cups
was personally selected luxurious glitz and glamour of LAFC’s Banc of California Sta- side in nearby parking lots and at bars hours before kickoff. A
Courtesy of Minnesota United FC

by team owner bill dium, but the latest soccer-specific stadium to open in MLS offers spring blizzard had dumped almost a foot of snow on the city
mcGuire. something more to a community that has had momentary suc- the day before, but that did not dampen the enthusiasm for the
(E) the manual clock is a cesses in professional soccer over the last four decades — a true grand opening. As many stepped into the venue for the first time,
nod to the sport’s past in home. Minnesota United CRO Bryant Pfeiffer said there were two things
minnesota.
That sense is evident across all of the stadium’s features: a everyone seemed to do: take a picture or a selfie, and then get
(F) there are nearly 100
local beers on tap at the
2,920-person safe-standing supporters section built as steeply as emotional, some shedding tears.
stadium’s massive bar. possible, aiming to create a wall of intimidation for opposing “There has been 43 years of soccer in this market, it’s amazing
teams and an excitement that will spread throughout the venue. to see this come to fruition,” he said. Continued on Page 24

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com a p r i l 22-28 , 2 019 | 23

the story allianz field

Continued from Page 23
Community service
For Chris Wright there are three defining moments
in an MLS club’s history: the moment it is awarded
a franchise, its first game and when it opens its
own stadium.
Wright had been part of the first two moments
for Minnesota United even before he joined the club
as CEO in 2017. As the longtime president of the
Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx and a close
adviser to owner Glen Taylor, Wright had repre-
sented Taylor’s stake in the soccer club during the
expansion process and in its presentations to MLS,
leading to the club being awarded in March 2015.
Wright, a passionate soccer fan who played the game
growing up in England and got his start as a sports
executive with the Pittsburgh Spirit of the now
defunct Major Indoor Soccer League, also had been
one of the more than 35,000 people who attended
Minnesota United’s first MLS match in April 2017
at a snow-covered TCF Bank Stadium.
When he was named CEO in September 2017, he
knew the club had to maximize its opportunity for
the third moment.
“When you look at when the franchise was award-
ed and the rest of the timeline, everyone here was
sprinting. As the new person on the block I said
let’s pause for a minute,” Wright said. “We needed
to determine how does Minnesota United take its
place in this market and become relevant.”
To accomplish that, Wright brought together all
of the team’s major stakeholders for a two-day re-
treat at the appropriately named Brave New Work-
shop in Minneapolis. The club’s ownership group,
its executive team and staff, and its two biggest
corporate partners — Allianz and Target — as well
as executives from MLS gathered, said Wright, to
“declare our purpose as to why we exist.”
That group of 72 people helped the club discover
its why: to inspire and unite its community through
soccer, with a noted embrace of diversity and in-
clusivity.
“There are 251 dialects and languages spoken in
this community that is full of first-, second- and
third-generation immigrants that come from plac-
es where the beautiful game is played,” Wright said.
“That’s our market, and it’s not the football oppor-
tunity, not the basketball opportunity or the hock-
ey opportunity. We have a chance to be completely
different in this market, and our goal is to inspire
them and unite them inside Allianz Field.”
McGuire’s proposal to MLS as to why Minnesota
United and his bid should be selected over a rival
bid brought forth by the Wilf family to play at the
new Vikings stadium was quite simple: “Our pitch
was about soccer, about the legacy of soccer in this
community, what it stands for and what we’re going
to do with [Allianz Field],” McGuire said. “Having

ownership group has local titans

While Bill MCguire has been the
public face of the 16-person minne-
sota united ownership group, behind
the scenes there is a venerable who’s
who of minnesota business titans, a
group that mls Deputy commis-
sioner mark Abbott said contains
“the establishment of this commu-
nity.” mcGuire said that local commit-
ment has been crucial as the group
has looked at the team and Allianz
Field as “something that makes the
community better, something that
reflects those community values and
making sure we’re placing impor-
tance on things that will make a
difference in the future — it’s not just
‘wow, it’d be fun to own a soccer
team.’”
Although the team did not make
available the specific breakdown of
how much each investor owns or how
much they paid to be a part of the
BIll McGuIre The MorTenson
Former chairman and CEO faMIly
of UnitedHealth Group Operate eponymous
construction company,
Glen Taylor which was the general
Minnesota Timberwolves contractor of Allianz Field
owner
The BInGer faMIly
The Pohlad Represented by Erika
faMIly Binger, who sits on the
Minnesota Twins owners board of the McKnight
Foundation, one of the
Wendy carlson country’s largest family
nelson foundations, which was
Chairwoman of the started by her great-
Carlson Family grandfather William
Foundation, and member McKnight, the former
of family that founded chairman of 3M
business and travel
company CWT, formerly JusTIn Kelly
known as Carlson CEO of Winslow Capital, a
Minneapolis-based
MaTT MIThun investment firm
[Allianz Field] makes it very different than being
a tenant in a building of any kind that I don’t care
what story you tell, was never built for the same
purpose and principles. It can’t be.”
McGuire acquired the team in 2012, then playing
in the NASL as the Minnesota Stars, after falling
in love with the sport in large part due to the pas-
sion and commitment of the fans. Many of those
fans had also supported the other four profession-
al soccer teams that had failed in the city, dating
to the Minnesota Kicks of the original NASL in the
1970s, who regularly averaged over 23,000 fans per
game before folding in 1981.
“Clearly having your own stadium allows you
revenue opportunities in a lot of ways and sources
that you couldn’t have otherwise. Of course you
have expenses that go with that, but you can do
things you otherwise couldn’t,” he said. “But it also
lets you tell your story in your stadium with your
partners that you just couldn’t do in anywhere else.”
MLS Commissioner Don Garber said the league
was willing to “put all of our eggs in with [McGuire]
because of his vision to have this city return to the
glory it had once had, but also take it to the next
level of excitement and opportunity.
“When I look at Allianz Field and its design ele-
Courtesy of Minnesota United FC

group, this list represents the
majority of the team’s ownership
group. Glen taylor and the pohlad
family came on board as part of the
team’s move to mls in 2016, the
same year as the ceremonial ground-
breaking for Allianz Field. — I.T.
Family founded the ments both inside and outside, I think what it does
advertising and Ben GrossMan perhaps more than any other in the league is reflect
marketing firm Mithun Strategic consultant and the brand that Bill and Chris have tried to build
head of his advisory and for the club,” Garber said. “When I took a tour
JereMy JacoBs Jr. investment practice, about a month ago, I was struck by the old school
Delaware North co-CEO Selhurst Media Ventures clock — why did they do that? That’s at the core
of what this community is about when it comes to
the game.”

24 | A p r i l 22 - 2 8 , 2 0 19 www.sportsbusinessjournAl.com
 SportS BuSineSS Journal

(G)

(i)

(G) owner Bill McGuire wanted a stadium (H) even before becoming ceo in 2017, I) the supporters section for the loons will
(H) that would bond the team and the city.  Chris Wright was a minnesota united fan. seat almost 3,000 die-hard fans.

Kick Start
in addition to answering the club’s question of why,
Wright also put together a business plan for the
club and its 13 business lines, giving each depart-
ment monthly goals and tactics. Wright, who said
he’s a big believer in the strategy laid out by Gino
Wickman in his popular book, “Traction: Get A
Grip on Your Business,” said, “We’re on a path to
really develop a solid business that makes sense of
a $250 million stadium investment and a $100 mil-
lion expansion fee. Right now, MLS is all local rev-
enues, which makes it a tough business model, but
a doable business model — you have to be bullish
about your own brand and you have to have a swag-
ger about what you’re doing, where you’re going
and where you’re trying to take things in your local
AP Images; Nancy Kuehn / Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal; Courtesy of Minnesota United FC
inside the stadium, including for its prominent beer
hall and its major premium clubs. “We really want-
ed to hold those assets, because once people get in
here and see how vibrant the atmosphere is, their
value is going to skyrocket,” he said.
The team sold out of its self-capped 14,500 season
tickets well in advance of the start of the season,
which includes 1,600 premium seats that sold out
in less than two weeks. More than 5,000 people are
on a future season-ticket wait list the club is calling
“The Preserve.”
“You wouldn’t believe the number of people who
tell me, ‘The stadium is just under 20,000 seats, why
didn’t you build more,’” Pfeiffer said. “In a state
where pro soccer has come and died or been rein-
vented by four or five teams over the years it’s
they have to experience this.”
McGuire isn’t one to boast. That was clear enough
when, at a youth clinic celebrating the team’s
launch the morning of the first match, Garber and
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter made glowing re-
marks about the club, the new stadium and Mc-
Guire’s contributions. McGuire passed up taking
the microphone and instead offered a wave to the
crowd of dozens of children and parents from the
side of the room. Garber later described McGuire
as someone who, like a submarine, “runs silent
and runs deep.”
“There are many things in Allianz Field that I’m
happy about, and all have different values for why
I might be happy about them,” McGuire said. “Over-
all, it’s a beautiful piece of architecture, and that’s

market.” somewhat ironic that the view now is that we need important not just for the beauty sake, but how it
Wright said the goal is to have the team break a bigger venue, but that’s the beauty of it — it cre- fits into a neighborhood and a community, and how
even annually, a plan echoed by McGuire, espe- ates that scarcity factor where if there were empty it looks to people. Is it something they’re proud of ?
cially now that the stadium has opened. Wright seats, people would say I could get a ticket at any Is it something about which we have pride for and
said the ownership group has never told him that time. Now when they hear there’s a 5,000-person produces passion? If we’re proud and it works well,
they expect to make money annually, but that “they waiting list or see the secondary market, they say I think it will lead to many great things.”
don’t necessarily want to lose a lot of money either,
so we’re very deliberate.” Last year, the team ranked
17th of 23 teams across MLS in player salaries, ac- MlS stadiums under construction
cording to data released by the MLS Players As-
sociation. COLUMBUS FC INTER NASHVILLE
Moving in to Allianz Field will certainly help TEAM AUSTIN FC CREW FC CINCINNATI MIAMI FC SC
change that. Pfeiffer said the team expects to finish EXPECTED COST $225 million $230 million $250 million TBA $250 million
this year in the top five of revenue across the league. CAPACITY 20,500 20,000 25,500 - 26,000 25,000 30,000
Last year, the team hovered in the top 10 in most ARCHITECT Gensler HNTB and MKSK Populous HOK Populous
team business metrics.
EXPECTED TO 2021 2021 2021 2021 (team will 2022
Minnesota has more than doubled its corporate OPEN play in stadium in
partnership revenue, which includes the 12-year 2022)
deal it signed with Allianz for naming rights to the STATUS Expected to Team will Joined MLS in Team is Team will join
stadium that industry sources estimated at $4 mil- join MLS in continue to 2019, currently expected to join MLS in 2020,
lion annually, one of the more lucrative deals in 2021 alongside play in Mapfre playing in MLS in 2020; will play home
stadium opening Stadium until Nippert Stadium aiming to build games at Nissan
that category across the league. Pfeiffer said there construction is a stadium in Stadium until
is room for growth on that front as well, with the finished Fort Lauderdale construction is
team holding back two of its four gate title sponsor- to play for two completed
ships and several naming-rights opportunities seasons

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com a p r i l 22-28 , 2 019 | 25

IN -Depth faN experIeNce

the sierra nevada Draught House at Golden 1 center is one of the places fans can take in a sacramento Kings game.

Keeping pace
W
here Were you for Dwight Clark’s catch, Michael
Jordan’s buzzer beater against the Jazz, or Boise
State’s Statue of Liberty play?
If you were at the game when those events hap-

with the mobile pened today, you might be watching them from a
stadium’s party deck, while you are in line buying a craft cocktail, or
from the concourse as you post on Instagram or Twitter.

sports fan
Indeed, today’s fans are less interested in staying glued to their seats
and prefer instead to explore stadiums and arenas and watch games
as they mingle in social zones and bars. They enjoy trying out new
food and drinks and posting images of their experience on social
media.
teams and venues are finding new “Fans are seeking a more layered and diverse experience within a
single event,” said Ryan Gedney, national design director for archi-
ways to cater to an on-the-go crowd tecture firm HNTB. “So having the ability to move through the venue
that would rather explore than stay — change their vantage points, engage in a lot more amenities and
offerings — creates the need for a different kind of engagement.”
put in a traditional seat. In the pages that follow, stadium managers, architects, concession-
Sacramento Kings

aires and teams discuss how they are offering experiences that are
more fitting to modern fans, the technology they use and their culinary
by mike sunnucks
and social tastes.
Where will those fans be when the next big moment happens?

26 | April 22-28, 2019 www.sportsbusinessjournAl.com


Venue designs cater to wandering attendees
the moBile fan has forced changes to
how arenas and stadiums are designed
as well as how experiences within
them are presented.
The trend has resulted in a host of
new options for wandering attendees,
including standing-room-only spaces
for socializing, drink rails and party
decks. Such design elements have
shown up from T-Mobile Arena to
Fiserv Forum and down to minor
league and USL stadiums.
Today’s sports fans want the game
to be more than an experience; they
want it to be a personal event.
“Fans continue to evolve. People’s
tastes evolve,” said Michael Bucek,
vice president of marketing and busi-
ness development for the Kansas City
Royals, which has expanded concours-
es, concessions and social gathering
areas at Kauffman Stadium.
Design firm Generator Studio and
the Class AAA Fresno Grizzlies just
debuted a bar and social area at Chuk-
chansi Park that replaced 1,000 out-
field seats.
“You are seeing that a lot in terms
of seats being taken out,” said Gary
Arthur, senior project manager for
Color Art Partners, a design firm
whose sports clients include Enter-
prise Center in St. Louis, which added
a new rinkside premium club, new
lounges with standing and social
areas, and a new atrium via renova-
tions led by Generator Studio that
concluded last year.
To help with flow and to allow wan-
dering fans to still watch the game,
Illuminating. Intimidating. Intimate.
Kansas City Royals
PROUD DESIGNERS OF ALLIANZ FIELD
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com
the blue moon taproom is one of the social areas provided by the Kansas city royals.
concourses at many sports facilities
have been widened and made 360 de-
grees to loop the entire venue. Conces-
sions and restrooms have been
positioned so they don’t block views
or fan movements. Bars and social
areas, such as party decks, are designed
with views to the playing surface so
fans stay connected to the game.
“People aren’t going to sit in their
seats for nine innings. They’re not
going to sit there for three hours,” said
Anton Foss, senior vice president and
managing principal for architecture
firm HOK, which designed the new
$150 million Class AAA Las Vegas
Ballpark.
Foss and other designers have taken
to creating “neighborhoods” in dif-
ferent areas of facilities that feature
different food and beverage options,
SportS BuSineSS Journal
designs and color themes to appeal to
fans and encourage them to explore.
And in areas throughout sports fa-
cilities, designers are creating ele-
ments that appeal to the desire among
fans to share the experiences across
social media.
“It is all about creating these differ-
ent stories,” said Adam Stover, lead
designer at architecture firm Populous.
Little Caesars Arena features De-
troit Red Wings and Pistons photo-
graphs, memorabilia and exhibits
throughout the arena. Dodger Sta-
dium, State Farm Arena and Centu-
ryLink Field have installed murals,
sculptures and other exhibits that
entice fans’ inner influencer. Sloan
Park in Arizona, where the Chicago
Cubs have spring training, has a rep-
lica of the iconic Wrigley Field mar-
quee where fans pose and take photos.
“In a lot of our work we are think-
ing about where is the selfie moment.
Where is the spot where they want to
make sure they get a picture of them-
selves and their friends,” said Dan
Meis, a sports architect who designed
Staples Center, Paul Brown Stadium
and Stadio della Roma in Italy. “There
is definitely a strong sense now of not
just memorializing the event. It’s re-
ally about memorializing that you
were at the event yourself.”
Ryan Gedney, national design direc-
tor for architecture firm HNTB, said
creating post-worthy areas is impor-
tant to keeping fans engaged with the
venue and team. “They’re not going
to connect without a richer, interac-
tive experience,” he said.
All that will be for naught if build-
ings don’t have the bandwidth to keep
up with demands for wireless connec-
tivity, not to mention the growth in
mobile concessions ordering, as well
as virtual and augmented reality fan
experiences.
Jim Nannini, vice president of
building wide systems integration for
Johnson Controls, said venues need
to look at digital infrastructure the
same way they look at physical infra-
structure. Otherwise, venues face
more frequent major renovations or
the need for new builds.
“You are designing for some un-
knowns,” said Gedney. “You are de-
signing for a day-one opening event
but also for a future you don’t yet
know.” — M.S.
@Populous
+1 816 221 1500
populous.com/allianzfield
a p r i l 22-28 , 2 019 | 27
,1 -'(37+)$1(;3(5,(1&(
Better food
and drink
options get
fans moving
FOR THOSE FANS who view a day at the game as a jour-
ney, quality food and beverages are the surest way to
get them moving around the stadium.
“Nothing against chicken tenders, but how fun is
it to try something new?” said Erin Zinser, vice pres-
ident of brand activations for venue owner and man-
ager AEG. “They are always looking to add some kind
of unique fan experience.”
Zinser helped AEG bring Benihana restaurants to
Dignity Health Park in Carson, Calif., and Sprint
Center in Kansas City, complete with a teppanyaki
chef and items from Benihana’s RA Sushi brand.
Mobile sports fans are all about exploring the build-
ing and finding interesting food and drinks to try. In
return, concessionaires, venue managers and design-
ers are finding ways to increase destination dining
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Fans converge at a Sprint Center stand featuring
Benihana and its RA Sushi brand.
and shopping. That includes creating food and drink
areas — sometimes branded with popular restaurants,
craft brewers or distillers — aimed at fans who tilt
toward the higher end of the culinary scale and pre-
fer a more specialized adult beverage.
ABOVE: The
Progressive Field in Cleveland, for example, opened
Cleveland Indians
a rebranded and refurbished Discount Drug Mart rebranded and
Club area this season. The area holds almost 400 fans, refurbished their
has 88 televisions and has bars sponsored by Ohio Discount Drug Mart
microbrewery The Brew Kettle. And like other social Club.
LEFT: The club
and bar areas — at Citizens Bank Park, Rocket Mort- caters in part to
gage Fieldhouse, Guaranteed Rate Field and the lovers of
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum — the spaces microwbrews.
have drink rails, tables and standing areas to cater
to fans who don’t want to be stuck in their seats.
AEG; Cleveland Indians (2)
ELWO\EZQBPRUWHQVRQ
WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM
 SportS BuSineSS Journal

the Kansas city royals show off some of the upgraded food and
drink options available at Kauffman stadium.
“These are areas spe-
cifically designed for fans
to congregate, with great
food and drink options
that complement the at-
mosphere,” said Carl Mittleman, pres-
i d e n t o f A r a m a rk S p o r t s &
Entertainment.
Other venues have freshened up bars
and restaurants to draw and keep fans’
attention. For this season, the Cincin-
nati Reds refurbished two concourse
bars and rebranded them via a new
sponsorship deal with Jim Beam.
The Kansas City Royals debuted the
Bullpen Burger stand as part of outfield
areas that include bars, social areas and
large concourses for fans to mingle and
hang out.
Michael Bucek, Royals vice president
of marketing and business develop-
ment, said changing up and adding to
the food and beverage mix is key as fans
focus more on grabbing food quickly
and spending more time socializing.
He said the team will use the All-Star
break to evaluate ballpark traffic and
spending to see what’s working and
whether other areas could be enhanced.
Other venues and their concession-
aires are switching up concepts based
on the crowd and the event.
Delaware North adds more drink op-
tions for concerts as compared to games.
Levy switches a stand at Greater Ne-
vada Field from American favorites for
Class AAA Reno Aces games to street
tacos and cantina fare for USL Reno
1868 FC games.
The goal is to give fans destinations
that are tailored to their tastes, spend-
ing and movement patterns, according
to Andrew Spencer, vice president of
customer engagement and revenue for
Delaware North.
Designers have created “neighbor-
hoods” with varying food and beverage
and architectural themes that further
encourage fans to explore and socialize.
That was a central effort in renovations
at State Farm Arena and a design prior-
ity at the Globe Life Field being built
in Texas.
Popular national and local brands
— ranging from Shake Shack to Dutch
Bros. Coffee — can be part of that des-
tination dining mix.
The Carson and Kansas City stands
are the first sports foray for Benihana
and RA Sushi. AEG is considering
bringing Benihana and RA Sushi stands
to Gila River Arena, Target Center,
Pechanga Arena San Diego and the New
York market, where it manages Barclays
Center in Brooklyn and Prudential
Center in Newark.
“We are all about diversity and broad-
ening guest appeal. That’s what we look
for where can we add value to the ven-
ues.” said Benihana President and CEO
Tom Baldwin.
Concessionaires are also figuring out
the role technology plays in the food
and beverage experience. That includes
deploying self-service kiosks where fans
can place and pay for their orders fast-
er.
“We have to make the consumer’s
choice as quick as possible,” said Jaime
Faulkner, CEO of E15, Levy’s analytics
arm.
Faulkner said a consumer friendly
touch screen and self-service kiosk can
take the time to order and receive food
from 90 seconds at a traditional cashier
stand and cut that in half.
In other words, they can get lines,
and fans, moving. — M.S.

ACTIVATE YOUR
ENTERTAINMENT
AREAS
Use video wall displays to engage your fans.
Kansas City Royals

Follow the link to learn more.

EVERY MOMENT MATTERS | DAKTRONICS.COM/SBJFANEXPERIENCE

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com a p r i l 22-28 , 2 019 | 29

,1 -'(37+)$1(;3(5,(1&(

Technology leads the way

from the gate to the final play
IBM’S BENJAMIN BRILLAT sees the importance of his
work every time fans pour through the turnstiles
for a game.
“If you stand at the stadium during the time
when people are walking in, you will probably have
one or two people walk into you with a phone in
front of their face and they are just livestreaming
their entrance into the game through Facebook
Live,” said Brillat, chief technology architect for
IBM’s global sports and entertainment service
group.
Brillats’s division at IBM provides the technol-
ogy and wireless infrastructure that enables that
second-screen experience. IBM has provided such
work for Banc of California Stadium, Mercedes-
Benz Stadium and Wimbledon.
Sports venues are focused on keeping up with
ever-increasing data usage and the next technol-
ogy waves such as 5G, virtual and augmented real-
ity, as well as accommodating the bandwidth
needed for sports betting, mobile concessions and
cash-free buildings.
“Every building is trying to get their infrastruc-
ture beefed up — every building at every level,”
said Don Barnum, global sports leader and a prin-
cipal with architecture firm DLR Group.
Venues are deciphering how technology can help
them keep up with fans’ propensity to roam around
arenas, stadiums and ballparks in search of com-
pelling food, drinks and social areas.
“Now that the connectivity is there the venues
are looking to provide more value back to change
how you are interacting with the game, to really
kind of take you to a second-screen experience,”
Brillat said.
The second-screen experience is increasingly a
soup-to-nuts mobile and connected experience where
teams, venues and their technology providers help
fans from the time of their arrival and continuing
throughout the game.
Biometrics firm Clear, for example, allows fans to
ABOVE: Dodger Stadium uses Apple Maps inside the
quickly get into participating venues, such as Yan-
ballpark to help fans locate restrooms, concession
kee Stadium and San Francisco’s Oracle Park, via stands and team stores.
the use of fingerprint scans. Fans at CenturyLink RIGHT: That includes pointing out spaces that are
Field and T-Mobile Park in Seattle can also buy con- perfect for fans to take photos they can share across
cessions and have their age verified via a fingerprint. social media.

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Smart Companies data and analytics, with AI, customized reporting and
real-time access.
Issue! Is your company one of the organizations changing
the data landscape?
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Share your story with the teams, leagues and other
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30 | A P R I L 2 2 -2 8 , 2 0 1 9 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM

It’s all part of an effort to bring a more
seamless experience, said Ed O’Brien,
Clear’s head of sports. “Our goal this year
is to see those pieces together at one venue
where a fan, if they wanted, could come
to a venue and never have to pull anything
out of their pocket,” he said.
Clear isn’t alone in providing fans on the
move with easier access. The Sacramento
Kings and the Utah Jazz, for example, in-
stalled high-tech turnstiles and ticket scan-
ners (from Skidata and VenueNext,
respectively) to make for quicker entry.
Once fans are inside, teams and venues
are using technology to better track their
movement, tempt them with offers and
make sure they find what they need.
Dodger Stadium, for example, brought
Apple Maps inside the ballpark
to help fans locate restrooms,
team stores and concession
stands. Fiserv Forum, the new
home of the Milwaukee Bucks,
uses hundreds of cameras and
sensors to monitor fan flow and
get a jump on any potential prob-
lems that might arise.
“Our goal is that we have un-
believable food. We want great
bathrooms. But we want great
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reaction times to things and part of that
is how does your internal communication
system work,” said Peter Feigin, president
of the Bucks.
Fans who like to roam will often have
the benefit of digital screens throughout
the facilities that allow teams to message
them with advertising, promotions and
other content. At Vivint Smart Home
Arena, home of the Jazz, Samsung in-
stalled more than 600 digital screens as
part of a $125 million renovation that was
completed last year, said Bart Sharp, senior
vice president of marketing for the Jazz.
Technology provides the ability to create
more personalized marketing offers for
fans.
The Jazz’s mobile app, through VenueNext,
uses beacon technology to track fans and
send notifications to them on deals and pro-
motions. The system tracks fans’ spending
so that the next time they are in the building,
they may receive special offers for where they
have spent in the past. Citi Field and Oracle
Park also use beacon technology to ping fans
with specialized concessions, merchandise
and ticket offers.
ISM Connect, which counts multiple
minor league ballparks and NASCAR
tracks among its clients, uses facial rec-
For more information, visit us at
corning.com/gameday
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SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL
ognition technology to track who is in the
stadium, monitor ingress/egress trends,
and study where fans are making pur-
chases. Meka Morris, chief revenue officer
at ISM Connect, said teams and venues
can use that data to drill down on fan de-
mographics and sales patterns and make
wiser decisions on staffing and inventory.
Christian Lau, LAFC’s vice president for
information technology, said the team is
considering fully automated stores, similar
to Amazon Go stores, that are outfitted with
scanners and sensors that charge custom-
ers for purchases and track inventory, with-
out the need for cashiers. For fans who want
to order something ahead of time and pick
it up as they start to roam, they could use
Apple Business Chat to place the order and
then pay for it via Apple Pay.
LAFC may roll out a system by the mid-
dle of this MLS season that uses microchips
embedded in team gear fans wear to the
stadium. The chips will allow those fans
to make purchases without cash or credit
cards. The embedded technology would be
linked to their payment system of choice.
“They don’t have to bring their wallet,”
Lau said. “They just pay for what they want
in the stadium. It’s a really sticky experi-
ence.” — M.S.
A P R I L 22-28 , 2 019 | 31
IN -Depth faN experIeNce
the milwaukee brewers and Delaware north reimagined the food and beverage program at miller park prior to
the start of the 2017 season. the project included extensive renovations of concession stands.
The mission is in their job title
we asked some of those on the front lines of the game-day experience
what’s on their radar and where they see opportunities and challenges.
What trend dealing with the fan
experience are you watching the
closest?
Mark TaMar
Vice president, fan experience, Los Angeles Chargers:
One of the trends we are watching closely is in-seat
connectivity. … This technology allows fans to use
their smartphones for literally everything while in
the stadium, from choosing which replays to watch,
what stats to see and which food option to purchase.
This programming will have a great impact on our
relationship with the fans in-stadium and is affecting
how we communicate with them throughout the game.
Teddy Werner
Senior vice president, marketing and fan experience,
Milwaukee Brewers:
Anything and everything related to technology
— from data capture to line efficiency (ingress, bath-
rooms, F&B) to expediting purchasing (F&B/retail)
to connectivity to beacons to paperless tickets to
artificial intelligence.
Blake edMunds
Assistant athletic director, marketing and fan experi-
ence, University of South Carolina:
The biggest opportunity I see is creating as close
32 | A p r i l 2 2 - 2 8 , 2 0 19
to a comfortable environment for fans in the stands
as they have watching the game at home. That means
attention to bathroom and concession lines, variable
seating options and the ability for fans to receive
in-depth game info in real time like they do while
watching the game on their couch.
Jeff Munneke
Vice president of fan experience, Minnesota Timber-
wolves and Lynx:
Concessions: Variety, selection, pricing as we
look at how many different offerings we have in
the future. Quality versus quantity versus price.
david vedder
Corporate services and gameday operations manager,
Saint Louis FC:
We are focusing on creating a memorable fan expe-
rience from the moment fans drive into our parking
lots until they leave at the end of the match. We want
FC fans to have enjoyed themselves so much that
win, lose or draw, it doesn’t matter because as they
head home and during the subsequent days they
are reminiscing about the fun they had watching
the game, interacting with their friends, family,
other fans, hanging out in our pregame festival
area, eating and buying new gear in the fan shop
— they can’t wait to attend the next home match
or away match watch party.
What are the most common gripes
you hear from fans following an
event?
vedder: Pricing of tickets, concessions, mer-
chandise and areas for kids to play and be enter-
tained once they lose interest in the match.
TaMar: The No. 1 gripe going back to when video
boards were first introduced to today is that there
are never enough replays. Even though we show
nearly every play and usually two angles of each,
there never seems to be enough. The second gripe is
the request for more out-of-town scores/stats during
our games. This is based on the increase in fantasy
leagues over the years and has generated a desire for
up-to-date league info all the time. We do everything
we can to meet this need, but the request for more is
always there.
Munneke: Team related and concession pricing.
Our focus continues to be on the fan dividing into
“7 Pillars of Fan Experience:” In-seat experience,
entering-exiting the building, getting to and from
the arena, in-game entertainment, in-arena F&B,
in-arena technology, in-arena retail.
What’s the latest initiative/strategy
you’ve rolled out to improve the
event experience (technology, ren-
ovation, marketing, etc.)?
Werner: Prior to the 2017 season, the Brewers
— in partnership with Delaware North — invested
$20 million to reimagine our food and beverage pro-
gram. The project included updates to food and bev-
erage offerings as well as an extensive renovation of
the concourse and concession stands. The initiative
was the single largest upgrade to Miller Park by the
club in every measure, from scope to financial invest-
ment, since the facility opened in 2001.
vedder: The latest renovation that we rolled
out this season is two new viewing areas for our
fans, allowing them to be within arm’s length of
the players during the match. The two new on-field
hospitality patios (one behind each goal) provide
fans with an unforgettable intimate experience
viewing the match from only 10 feet away. One patio
is an all-inclusive food and beverage ticket for the
entire match while the other is open to the public
to come and go freely.
Munneke: We are amplifying the promotion of
the Timberwolves.com blended marketplace as the
only place to purchase tickets and solidify a mul-
tiyear ticket management plan which will help us
determine optimal product-type seating per seat
level.
TaMar: Over the last year, we’ve really focused
our strategies on ways to entice fans to show up
for the event earlier. We’ve done this by adding nu-
merous activation areas around the stadium, in-
cluding a very popular beer garden. Along with
Milwaukee Brewers
this effort, we’ve increased our live music options,
incorporated happy hour food and beverage pric-
ing, and opened the gates into the bowl earlier so
fans can watch more behind-the-scenes prepara-
tions and practice time. — M.S.
www.sportsbusinessjournAl.com
 2019
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
AWARD RECIPIENT

Tim
Finchem
F O R M E R P G A TO U R CO M M I S S I O N E R

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 2019

NEW YORK MARRIOTT MARQUIS TIMES SQUARE

ISSUE DATE: MAY 20 A DV E R T I S E I N T H E I S S U E

AD CLOSE: MAY 6 Colleagues, partners and organizations can
AD MATERIALS DUE: MAY 8 show support for Tim by advertising in the
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Julie Tuttle at 212-500-0711 or
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 OpiniOn
the explosive growth potential of esports in 2019 should entice mainstream brands to take concerted action in the space.
Esports: Don’t get ganked
A
s AmericAn youth watch less TV, brand
marketers in technology, cars, fast food,
energy drinks and other categories are
under pressure to find new ways to engage their
target consumers. A compelling alternative is es-
ports. With 21 million U.S. fans, 84 percent of whom
are under 35 and 83 percent male, esports is now
the third-most popular spectator sport for young
men, according to Simmons Research.
Esports has the potential to be an even more pow-
erful branding medium than traditional sports on
TV. Fans watch almost an hour a day of live match-
es on streaming platforms (Twitch, YouTube) and
streamers are willing to wear, consume and endorse
sponsors’ products during broadcasts. In the last
year, brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Coca-Cola, and
Arby’s have moved esports from the experimental
marketing budget to the core sponsorship lineup.
Still, marketers eager to enter the
arena are discovering that the complex- By Dan Singer
ity and fragmentation of esports makes
it impractical to reach fans through a
anD JaySon
single league, team or athlete. Brands
need to understand the challenges and
what it will take to overcome them. Otherwise, like
so many unseasoned gamers, those same marketers
risk getting ganked. Gank: “In a video game, to use
underhanded means to defeat or kill a less experienced
opponent.” (OxfordDictionaries.com)
1. Playing is not watching
With 211 million gamers in the U.S. (EEDAR re-
search, September 2018), playing video games is
hugely popular. Yet only 37 percent of those who
play competitive video games at least once a week
also watch esports weekly, according to McKinsey’s
34 | A p r i l 22 -2 8 , 2 0 1 9
proprietary survey of 383 U.S. esports fans (Decem-
ber 2018, men ages 18-49).
2. Too many game titles
There are currently esports leagues and compe-
titions for over 30 game titles, with frequent shifts:
“Fortnite” and “PUBG” are two of the top five es-
ports in terms of Twitch hours watched in 2018,
and neither existed until March 2017. This year,
“Apex Legends” reached 50 million players in its
first four weeks. No esports organization fields teams
for all the titles. Players rarely compete in more
than one title, and therefore a sponsored athlete
reaches only a small segment of fans.
3. The most popular streamers are not esports
pros
The most popular individual esports events are
still the major team competitions, such as the League
of Legends World Championship, which had 20 mil-
lion average viewers for the final match
between China’s Invictus and Europe’s
Fnatic in 2018 (Riot Games, “2018
Chi Events by the Numbers,” from Dot
Esports, December 2018). Pro competi-
tions, though, constitute just 11 percent
of video game streaming. Seven of the top 10 Twitch
channels for 2018 were the personal channels of
video game streamers, only two of whom are cur-
rently members of pro teams.
4. No esports organization is globally domi-
nant, and most have out-of-market fans
Sponsors will find that at least 30 percent of es-
ports viewers are from outside the team’s home
country, which leads to wasted impressions. Sev-
eral esports leagues, such as Overwatch League
and NBA 2K League, have created city-based fran-
chises to tap into fans’ hometown passion
(and local sponsorship budgets). Nonethe-
less, these franchises report that so far
around 80 percent of viewers are outside
the home metro area.
5. Measurement is imprecise
Twitch and YouTube now report unique
viewers and average audience for esports.
However, we still can’t segment esports
viewers: How many are in the U.S.? Male?
How many watch less than an hour per
week vs 10-plus hours? As with other
forms of digital advertising, brands also
have concerns about ad viewability, bots
and fake accounts, and targeting.
6. Most esports fans are also fans of
traditional sports
There is a mistaken perception among
many sports marketers that esports fans
are completely separate from traditional
sports fans. Only 13 percent of U.S. esports
fans in our survey said that “esports is
the only sport I watch.”
7. Sports video games are secondary
esports
NBA, NFL and MLB owners see the
potential to activate sponsors and fans
across real-world and virtual teams. How-
ever, none of the top 10 video games
in 2018 were sports-based, and those
who play only sports-based video
games are less likely to watch esports. For market-
ers, reaching esports fans requires association with
combat-oriented games, which presents brand risks.
Esports will be thwarted by fragmentation and
opacity, unless the industry takes concerted action:
■ Activate consistently. Esports organizations
can solve the efficient reach problem for sponsors
by activating under the same team name across
multiple leagues and titles. But they must beef up
their marketing and analytics talent.
■ Lock in the streamers. There is natural syn-
ergy between streamers and the esports teams —
they can cross-promote, make joint appearances
and deliver better engagement than platforms and
better market coverage than leagues. But teams
are in a battle with agencies for the top streamers.
■ Get face to face. Live esports events have proved
immensely popular, and sponsors value in-person
much more than digital engagement.
■ Improve audience measurement. The major
streaming platforms should enable marketers to
cap ad frequency and measure unduplicated reach,
including sponsorships sold by teams and leagues.
■ Target. Esports is now at an efficient scale for
ad targeting, and the industry should enable spon-
sors to target microsegments of esports fans.
This year promises explosive growth for esports
sponsorship, but only if the industry lays the foun-
dation for mainstream brands to succeed.
Dan Singer leads McKinsey & Company’s Global
Sports and Gaming Practice. He is also an investor in
TSM, an esports organization. Jayson Chi is a senior
adviser at McKinsey and an early-stage investor in
interactive entertainment, including investments in
TSM and Popdog, an esports and streaming agency.
Getty Images
Uta Allenstein, Oliver Gediehn, Alex Kimmet, and
Daniel Sun of McKinsey & Company contributed
valuable data, research and expertise.
www.sportsbusinessjournAl.com

Future of mobile sports
wagering in U.S. at risk
in-game wagering expansion can only happen with reliable data, but the
Doj’s recentwire act interpretation deprives leagues of a legal market.
F
ollowing the demiSe of PASPA (The Pro-
fessional and Amateur Sports Protection
Act of 1992) last year, the United States
has seen strong growth in the regulated sports
wagering market, as states that were previously
shut out of the legal sports gambling market —
Delaware, Mississippi, New Jersey, West Virginia,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and New
Mexico — rolled out offerings. By GreG GemiGnani
One of the strongest growth sections
of this market is remote account-based
and Jennifer Gaynor
wagering (offered on an intrastate
basis) and the in-game betting that
remote wagering enables. Whether the customers
must initially sign up in person at a race book/
sports pool or are allowed to open the accounts
online, there is no doubt that mobile wagering is
popular. For example, William Hill U.S. estimated
that about 75 percent of Nevada sports betting
revenue comes from mobile, and the American
Gaming Association said that they expect that “70
percent of sports betting will be coming from in-
game wagers” in the future.
But such mobile sports wagering in the U.S. is at to organized crime. Although several of the ac-
risk because of a recent Wire Act interpretation
AP Images
remote account-based wagering is a growing market in the u.s., but it could be on shaky legal ground.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com
by the U.S. Department of Justice, which was re-
leased on Jan. 14 (“2019 DOJ Wire Act Opinion”).
How did we get here?
Well, sports wagering has long been part of the
American experience. From colonial times through
the late 19th century, horse racing and horse race
wagering were popular pastimes for Americans.
In the late 19th century, when Ameri-
cans began to embrace other spectator
competitions, such as baseball, wager-
ing on those sports grew in popularity.
In fact, wagering on baseball became
so popular that exhibition games be-
tween professional baseball teams were arranged
for the primary purpose of betting, and the practice
was called “hippodroming.” Newspapers often re-
ported on wagers made by professional baseball
team coaches and managers. Interest in baseball
grew in parallel with wagering on baseball … until
the Black Sox Scandal.
Accusations were made that players for the Chi-
cago White Sox accepted payments to lose the 1919
World Series from known bookmakers with ties
cused players denied being paid, the damage was
SportS BuSineSS Journal
done in the court of public opinion. States without
bookmaking prohibitions quickly moved to adopt
them and states with bookmaking prohibitions
stepped up enforcement.
Such prohibitions led to the creation of a vibrant
domestic illegal sports wagering market domi-
nated by organized crime. In the 1930s, however,
Nevada alone legalized wide-open gambling, in-
cluding wagering on sporting events and athletic
competitions.
Nevada’s sports wagering industry was a small,
but meaningful, portion of casino revenue. Since
1984, sports wagering accounts for about 1.32
percent of gaming revenue on margins of about
4.6 percent. Since 2012, however, sports wagering
accounts for about 2.1 percent of gaming revenue
on margins of about 5.4 percent. The increased
margins correspond with increased sports wager-
ing activity in Nevada. Year-to-year growth of
sports wagering handle (the amount wagered by
bettors) for legal sportsbooks averaged about 6
percent per year from 1984 through 2011 and
jumped to about 8.4 percent per year between 2012
and 2018.
This jump in handle coincided with Nevada’s
approval of the use of smartphones within the
state for account-based sports wagering. In other
states, such as New Jersey, mobile wagering has
already outpaced land-based revenue. Patrons enjoy
ease of use and the ability to engage in in-game
wagering. Regulators and law enforcement also
benefit from the betting records created by account
wagering, which allow easier anti-money-laun-
dering compliance and allow licensed book op-
erators to more easily detect anomalies in betting
behavior that may indicate an event has been com-
promised.
Unfortunately, the 2019 DOJ Wire Act Opinion
may end any form of remote account wagering,
even on an intrastate bases. The argument put
forth by the DOJ is that if a communication can
cross state lines, it ceases to be an intrastate trans-
action, even if the sender and receiver are in the
same state. Because nearly all communications
now use IP-based technologies, all such commu-
nications could cross state lines without the knowl-
edge of those communicating.
The new DOJ opinion not only affects legal state-
licensed sportsbooks, state taxation revenue and
efforts to limit the influence of organized crime,
it is likely to affect current and future revenue
streams for sports leagues.
This is because in-game wagering expansion
can only occur with reliable real-time data, and
sports leagues and their partners are in the best
position to generate and monetize such data. By
making the activity a de facto illegal activity, even
on an intrastate basis, the DOJ will deprive sports
leagues of a legal market for their data. Therefore,
the federal threat to the growth of legal sports
wagering may have consequences far beyond state-
regulated sports book operators.
Greg Gemignani and Jennifer Gaynor are based in
the Las Vegas office of Dickinson Wright PLLC
(www.dickinsonwright.com) and work closely with
sports and sports betting companies. Jeff Silver
and Kate Lowenhar-Fisher contributed to this
column.
a p r i l 22-28 , 2 019 | 35
 &$5((56

On the Move
Changing places and
positions around the industry

CHRISTENSON POWELL MULLEN BOESKOV WRIGHT

Marketing
Capture Sports Marketing hired EMILY
HILTZIK as director of events. Hiltzik was part and BRITT BOESKOV independent non-exec-
of the event operations team for the National Ticketing utive directors and ANTONIA WRIGHT secre-
Football League. tary and legal director.
StubHub hired ARNIE KATZ as vice president
Octagon named DENNIS TRAUTWEIN agen- and chief product and technology officer, MIGUEL The USA Boxing board of directors named
cy director for its Tokyo office. Trautwein GIRIBET GIRAL as vice president of global eCommerce TYSON LEE president, JOHN BROWN first vice
was vice president at the company’s office in and STEPHANIE BURNS as vice president president and PATRICK BUTLER treasurer.
Dusseldorf, Germany. and general counsel.

Other
Media Awards and Boards
FanDuel Group named LAINIE COONEY
Fox Sports hired DAN DONNELLY as senior The Fiesta Bowl named PATRICK BARKLEY as chief people officer. Cooney was chief
vice president of ad sales marketing. Donnelly chair of the board of directors; RANDAL NORTON human resources officer for Blue Apron.
was head of the U.S. sports and entertain- chair-elect; and ED ERHARDT, HARRY GAREWAL
ment division for Publicis Media. and BRYCE HANCOCK to the board. Major League Fishing hired JEFF
CLACHKO as senior vice president of spon-
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame named sorship and media sales.
Olympics PAT CHRISTENSON and STEWART CARTER to its
board of governors. Navigate Research hired AL CONNOR
U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Proper- as senior vice president of strategic
ties hired DAVE MINGEY as head of partner- The PGA of America named RENEE POWELL partnerships.
ship management and activation and ZAI- the first at-large director to its board of directors.
LEEN JANMOHAMED as head of partnership Nolan Partners hired CAROLYNE SAVINI
development and innovation. Racecourse Media Group named JIM MULLEN as a partner.

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The Playbook For

Sports Bus iness J U LY 2 3 - 2 9 , 2 0 1 8
     
 
    



    

Rea d What the Lea ders in Sports Rea d

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He’s the talk of baseball
and could soon be the
game’s richest player.
So why don’t more people
recognize this man?

;]J[KZQJMVW_JaKITTQVO  !! ! INSIDE MLB’S

MARKETING
DILEMMA
WZOW\W___[JR[JLKWU;]J[KZQJM *Find out on Page 20

Nike to land MLB’s NBA employees catch Warsaw at 25: For Katie Ledecky,
on-field uniform rights a breather thanks to Honoring the past. training didn’t
starting in 2020. sabbatical policy. Planning the future. take a vacation.
3$*(  3$*(  3$*(  3$*( 

36 | A P R I L 2 2 -2 8 , 2 0 1 9 WWW.SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL.COM
 SportS BuSineSS Journal

Faces & Places

SportS laW
DiSCuSSionS
From the miami law Global
entertainment and sports
law + industry conference
on april 4-5 at the university
of miami Donna e. shalala
center.
TOP: “athletes as
entrepreneurs” session: Rudy
Cline-Thomas, founder/
managing partner, mastry
inc.; Chuck Baker, partner/
co-chair of the sports
industry group at o’melveny
& myers; and Roger Mason
Jr., co-founder and chief
business officer, Vaunt, and
retired nba player.
LEFT: “issues Facing
in-House team counsels”
session: Todd Davis, Vp,
legal affairs, los angeles
rams; Marcus Bach-
Armas, senior director
of legal and government
affairs, miami Dolphins and
Hard rock stadium; John
SportS eventS marKetinG experienCe Ruzich, moderator and chief
administrative officer/chief
at the 16th annual seme 2019 on april 6 at american university in legal officer, legends; Steve
washington, D.c., Jason Levien, owner of D.c. united, and Matt Weinreich, Vp and general
Winkler, director and professor, sports analytics and management counsel, minnesota wild.
masters at american, discuss sports business issues and ownership.
Sara Moores; Carolina Borroto (2); Patrick Ryan; Trent Hanselman / Loras College; Tom Garbett / L.A. Clippers; John McCreary

loraS ColleGe Sport BuSineSS SympoSium

From the third annual loras college sport business symposium
on april 5 on campus in Dubuque, iowa. morning panelists at the
symposium were: Jamar Thompson, university of northern iowa
athletics; Mackenzie Arthur, long Hollow canopy tours; Tyler
Daugherty, travel Dubuque; Andrew Lehman, john Deere classic;
Chuck Yrigoyen, master of ceremonies, americas river conference.
SportS tHrouGH analytiCS
From the inaugural andrew t. berlin sport analytics symposium in chicago on april 3 hosted
by syracuse university’s David b. Falk college of sport and Human Dynamics. Berlin (center),
a syracuse trustee and alumnus, partner investor of the chicago cubs, chairman and owner
of the south bend cubs and chairman and ceo of berlin packaging, meets Charles “CB”
Garrett IV, Cody Barbuto, Justin Perline and Evan Weiss, who are syracuse sport analytics
majors and berlin scholars who presented their senior thesis research posters at the event.

CeleBratinG
ralpH laWler
the los angeles clippers
honored legendary
broadcaster and the newest
member of the basketball
Hall of Fame, Ralph Lawler,
on april 10. lawler, who
called his 3,229th clippers
game on that night, has been
the “voice of the clippers” HoCKey in ConneCtiCut
for 40 years. He will retire at snY announced plans on march 25 for a three-day festival celebrating
the end of this season. From youth, amateur and collegiate hockey in connecticut. the festival,
left: Gillian Zucker, clippers set for jan. 24-26, 2020, at webster bank arena in bridgeport, will
president of business surround the first tournament pitting the state’s four ncaa Division i
operations; Jo Lawler; men’s hockey teams against each other. all games will be broadcast
ralph lawler; clippers spirit live on snY. From left: Yale coach Keith Allain, Quinnipiac associate
Dance team members; and head coach Bill Riga, snY president Steve Raab, connecticut coach
members of lawler’s family. Mike Cavanaugh, sacred Heart coach C.J. Marottolo.

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com a p r i l 22-28 , 2 019 | 37


A New Star In Dallas
in 1989, the revamped cowboys made troy Aikman the no. 1 pick of an nFl draft that bears little resemblance
to the media spectacle it has become in the intervening 30 years.
Troy AikmAn says the above photo of
him and Pete Rozelle from the 1989 NFL
draft is one of his favorites. Why? “Be-
cause of how much Pete meant to our
league,” he says. “That first round of
that year was the last time Pete Rozelle
presided over the draft. I didn’t think
a lot of it at the time but in hindsight
it is pretty cool.”
Even the legendary Rozelle, whose
29-year tenure as NFL commissioner
marked him as one of the true vision-
aries in sports, might have had a hard
time imagining just how big the draft
would become in the subsequent 30
years. More than a quarter of a million
fans are expected in Nashville this
week for the three-day event, the first
two nights of which will be broadcast
in prime time on ABC.
The draft was certainly different in
1989, when it was held in New York’s
38 | A p r i l 22 - 2 8 , 2 0 1 9
Closing shot
by daniel kaplan
The Dallas Cowboys had already signed Aikman
by the time the draft got underway, and he was
the only player at the event.
Marriott Marquis and limited to two
days, only the first of which was broad-
cast by ESPN. More notably, unlike
today, the No. 1 pick was already
signed. Aikman, a 6-foot-4 quarterback
out of UCLA, had days earlier agreed
to a then-record six-year, $11.2 million
contract. He was also the only player
at the draft, compared to the 23 ex-
pected to attend this week.
Aikman had flown to New York on
the jet owned by new Dallas Cowboys
owner Jerry Jones. Jones’ children,
Stephen and Charlotte, and Aikman’s
agent, Leigh Steinberg, were on board.
They had dinner the night before and
went to “Phantom of the Opera,” Aik-
man’s first Broadway show.
After the snapshot with Rozelle,
Aikman did a few interviews and then
went back to his room to watch the
draft. He and the Jones family would
leave that night and fly back to Dallas.
Aikman had already set up residency
there and obtained a Texas driver’s
license, enabling him to avoid paying
state taxes in California because Texas
has no state income tax.
The Cowboys’ new star was certain-
ly no stranger to his new city or his
new coach. In fact, he had played his
last college game at the Cotton Bowl
in Dallas, where he had been scouted
by Cowboys head coach Tom Landry
and general manager Tex Schramm.
Weeks later, Jones bought the team and
Troy Aikman joins
Pete Rozelle at the
last draft the former
commissioner
presided over.
fired both Landry and Schramm, re-
placing the former with Jimmy John-
son from the University of Miami.
As it turns out, Aikman had twice
rebuffed Johnson’s collegiate recruit-
ing: once when Aikman enrolled at the
University of Oklahoma, and a second
time when he transferred to UCLA.
“Here I am thinking, ‘Gosh, I have
turned Jimmy down twice already.’”
Aikman and Johnson turned out to
be a pretty effective duo, leading the
Cowboys to back-to-back Super Bowl
wins following the 1992 and ’93 seasons.
Aikman has been back to the draft only
once since then, last year as a com-
mentator for Fox Sports, a role he had
planned to reprise this year before the
rights shifted to ABC.
That may be for the best. As Aikman
AP Images
said and as those involved with the
draft know, “It’s a lot of work.”
www.sportsbusinessjournAl.com
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