Bloomberg Business of Sports

National Basketball Association Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum discusses a host of business-related issues, including how technology is helping to create fans -- and generate revenue -- in China, India and Africa. Tatum also talks about how the league is reaching millennials, and why the NBA, unlike the NFL, isn't dealing with any fallout associated with player protests. Tatum also delves into new owners like Brooklyn's Joe Tsai and why buying into the NBA -- even at more than $2 billion -- is a good investment. 

Tatum became the league's No. 2 executive in 2014. A 17-year veteran of the league office, he is responsible for the NBA's business operations, including its international efforts. He oversees global partnerships, marketing, communications and team marketing and business operations. Prior to joining the NBA Tatum worked for Major League Baseball in its corporate sponsorship and marketing department.

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Octagon Senior Vice President of Media Rights Consulting Dan Cohen talks about the business of valuing global sports rights. He talks about the headwinds facing the NFL, why the television is still king and which emerging bidders are most likely to claim major sports rights. He also discusses Nascar, Mexican soccer and what goes into placing a value on sports rights. Cohen also talks about ESPN and how sports leagues are divvying up their content. 

Octagon in August began its media rights practice, which provides consultation to U.S. and international rights holders, broadcasters, emerging distribution platforms and the sports investment community. Prior to joining Octagon, Cohen was senior vice president of the Americas for MP & Silva.

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Bloomberg sports business reporter Eben Novy-Williams, Michael Barr and Scott Soshnick look ahead to some of the biggest sports business stories of 2018, including what to expect from the National Football League. The trio also utilize the special extended conversation to discuss the New York Yankees with Giancarlo Stanton, who came from the Miami Marlins, where new investor Derek Jeter is already feeling the heat. Also talked about are legalized sports betting and the future of the Olympic Games.

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Bill Hancock is the first executive director of the College Football Playoff, a four-team format that was created in 2012 as a way to crown a champion that's determined on the field and not by polls. Hancock discusses the business behind this year's championship match-up, an all-Southeastern Conference affair between the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama, the third and fourth seeds, respectively. The game is scheduled for Jan. 8 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Hancock also discusses the media contracts and sponsorship that drive the revenue of college athletics, and whether there's a widening gap between the marquee programs in the so-called Power 5 conferences and the others.  

Hancock was the first full-time director of the NCAA Final Four, the first executive director of the Bowl Championship Series and, currently, the first executive director of the College Football Playoff. He led the conference commissioners and university presidents in creating the playoff. He spent 16 years with the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, 13 as its director. He's also served on the U.S. Olympic Committee staff at 12 Olympics

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Zach Leonsis, senior Vice President of strategic initiatives for Monumental Sports & Entertainment, discusses a host of sports business-related topics, including the value and future of esports, digital distribution of sports content and what legalized sports betting would mean for established U.S. sports leagues and teams. Leonsis, son of former AOL executive Ted Leonsis, helps to oversee a company whose assets include the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals and their arena, Capital One Arena. He also talks about why the NBA could surpass the NFL for global dominance. 

Leonsis is also general manager of Monumental Sports Network, a first-of-its-kind regional sports network for digital, mobile and over-the-top platforms. In 2016, Leonsis led the transformation of Monumental Sports Network – co-owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment and NBC Sports Group – from an ad-based blogging platform into a direct-to-fan service content provider.

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Peter Cohen, Global Head of Media Banking at Barclays PLC, discusses the rapidly changing landscape of sports media -- including Walt Disney Co.’s purchase of a portion of 21st Century Fox’s sports assets, declining TV ratings for the National Football League and the value of regional sports networks. The media banker also discusses the resignation of ESPN President John Skipper, and the emergence of tech companies like Amazon and Twitter as bidders for future media rights. That’s helping fuel the skyrocketing valuations of sports franchises like the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, who will be sold during the off season by embattled owner Jerry Richardson.

Cohen has run Barclays’s media banking division since 2015. Prior to joining Barclays, Cohen ran the Media and Entertainment division at Blackstone Group, where he advised on the $2.15 billion sale of baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012, then a record for a franchise transaction. Cohen also represented the Tribune Co. on its 2009 sale of the Chicago Cubs.

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Milwaukee Bucks President Peter Feigin discusses a bevy of topics related to his National Basketball Association team, which is owned by private equity investors Marc Lasry,  Wes Edens and Jamie Dinan. The former Madison Square Garden executive talks about the financial effect of the team’s new, yet-to-be-named arena, as well as the impact his star player, Giannis Antetokounmpo -- aka the Greek Freak -- has on negotiations with prospective sponsors seeking a global audience. He also talks about the team’s entry in the NBA 2K, a joint esports venture between the NBA and Take-Two Interactive.

Feigin was named president of the Bucks in 2014, and was charged with spearheading the growth of the franchise’s business operations. He has worked to build the team’s season ticket base, sponsorship and presided over the effort to build a new $500 million-plus arena. The building is scheduled to open in the fall of 2018. Feigin previously was president and COO of Marquis Jet and helped lead its acquisition by Berkshire Hathaway-controlled NetJets in 1998.

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Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber discusses a host of topics related to the business of the U.S.’s top soccer league, including the mushrooming valuations of franchises and the decision to expand by another two clubs. Garber also answers, as Deadspin asked in an August article, whether MLS is a Ponzi Scheme. The commissioner also talks about implications of the U.S. men’s team missing the World Cup and whether team owners in his league will ever have to worry about the financial risk that accompanies relegation. He also touches on new media and whether soccer’s millennial-heavy audience puts MLS in an enviable position when its broadcast contracts expire in 2022.

Garber was named commissioner of Major League Soccer in 1999. During his tenure, the league has expanded to 23 teams (for now), added 20 new owners and inked broadcast deals with ESPN, Fox and Univision. His teams have also developed more than 15 soccer-specific stadiums in North America. Prior to joining MLS, Garber spent 16 years in a variety of roles at the National Football League.

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Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott discusses a host of topics related to the business of college athletics, including the effect the Department of Justice's bribery investigation is having throughout the NCAA and its member institutions. Scott also talks about his push to rebrand a conference whose membership includes UCLA, USC and Stanford. He also touches on the changing media landscape -- like the conference's deal with Alibaba -- and the opportunities presented by digital and mobile platforms.

Scott has spent the past eight years as the Pac-12 commissioner, stressing the advantages of a West Coast location. He also led the conference through an expansion for the first time since 1978 by adding Colorado and Utah. He’s also focused on increasing exposure for women’s and Olympics sports, and has created digital and mobile platforms to distribute content throughout the world. A former captain of the Harvard tennis team, Scott is a former professional tennis player and CEO of the Women’s Tennis Association.

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American Gaming Association President and Chief Executive Officer Geoff Freeman discusses the status, outlook and implications for federally regulated, legalized sports betting in the U.S. Freeman discusses the upcoming case before the Supreme Court, the timeline for sports betting and why the U.S. sports leagues and television networks seem to have embraced the idea. He also talks about how much money is at stake and who stands to gain. 

In his role with the AGA, Freeman is the leading advocate for the commercial and Tribal gaming industry. He's responsible for positioning the association to address regulatory, political and educational challenges and opportunities. Prior to joining the AGA Freeman was the COO of the U.S. Travel Association.

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