SSAC

Real-world issues in sports and business have always been intertwined. In sports, these challenges are very visible, and even more so since Colin Kaepernick’s protests during the National Anthem in 2016. Schools, workplaces, and communities have been grappling with issues around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for years, and while not as publicly visible, the challenges are just as big. What is next in sports, business and culture to evolve a more equitable and accurate depiction of gender, race, and sexuality across sports and business? Progress must be made. On Wall Street, public boards must have female representation. In the NFL, the Rooney Rule hasn’t changed the numbers on Black head coaches. How do we move from the initiatives of today - hosting events, educating, and training on DE&I to truly living DEI - having truly diverse, inclusive, representative organizations and teams on and off the field? It is time to move the chains on DE&I initiatives in sports and this panel will highlight leaders who are the change.

Observing the raw energy of a mixed martial arts match, one might assume that analytics don't have a place in the octagon. 10 years ago that might have been the case, but the UFC has revolutionized the use of analytics in the sport through their pioneering Performance Institutes. Bringing together a global pool of athletes, these facilities have devised new methods to create data where there was none before and deliver impact during development, training, and the matches themselves. This panel brings together UFC executive, performance scientist, and athlete perspectives to dissect how far the space has come and what the next opportunities are to deploy technology and analytics for knockout results.

This year marks the NBA's 75th anniversary. In the last three-quarters of a century, the game has evolved in such a way that even James Naismith might not recognize it. While there have been some massive overhauls – from the merger of the ABA and NBA in 1976 to the introduction of the three-point line in 1979 – the NBA product has changed each year, most recently with the play-in game playoff format. It is inevitable that the game will continue to change. But how? Is the 4 point line a realistic next step? Will teams have a spot for traditional centers? Will we continue to see the rise of international superstars like Luka and Giannis? Will the WNBA continue to grow at a historic pace? What will the competitive advantage of the next dynasty be? Will the mid-range shot be extinct? Join our panel of expert basketball minds as they opine on the future of the game.

Suzy Whaley (moderator) - Honorary President, PGA of America

Golf has been booming at all levels in recent years, experiencing the largest net increase in participation in decades as over 500,000 new golfers hit the links in 2020. Golf looks much different than it did 17 years ago, due in large part to a data revolution. Beyond ball speeds and spin rates making Bryson Dechambeau a household name, advances in data collection and analysis are impacting all aspects – how the game is played and broadcasted, how fans are interacting with golf-related content, and how data is being used to attract new players and fans. This panel brings together leaders from the top golf associations and brands to discuss the embrace of data and the path forward from here.

While 2020 saw college sports scrambling through the pandemic, 2021 brought about a flurry of changes that reshaped the landscape of college sports. Massive changes to the NIL rules have resulted in college football recruit Travis Hunter receiving $1.5M before he even enrolls at Jackson State, Texas and Oklahoma signaled they are going to make the jump to the SEC in another conference realignment move, and the new NCAA constitution enacted in January gives significantly more autonomy to divisions to develop their own policies. As a result of these changes, schools have an entirely different regime to navigate heading into the next decade. Will there be a super division? How will the concept of scholarships be altered? Which athletes will reap the rewards? Will we still see an overhaul of the college football playoffs? What will the NIL rules mean for the Olympics? This panel brings together the key leaders from different areas of the college ecosystem, including schools, conferences, agencies, and advocacy groups to discuss all of the massive recent changes, and to answer the ultimate question: What is the future of college sports?

The world of ticketing has been front and center to the challenges and changes of live sports over the last two years. As fan preferences change and technology improves, the landscape for ticketing for all parties involved -- teams, leagues, and actual ticketing agencies -- is also rapidly evolving. With contactless and paperless ticketing becoming the norm, teams and leagues are now thinking more critically about their ticketing strategy, which has kicked open the door for deeper integration between ticketing and the fan experience before, during, and after games. This panel brings together executives across teams and leagues and ticketing strategists to discuss the lasting effects of COVID, how new technology will continue to foster innovation, and what ticketing will look like at the end of the decade.

“The game is on!” is a refrain that has rung out around the world for over a hundred years. The way in which we experience these contests has evolved dramatically - live viewing, radio, television, streaming - and new innovations promise to continue revolutionizing the viewing experience going forward. Cutting edge analytics and real time data feeds, including live sports betting content, add texture to the action while groundbreaking augmented and virtual reality displays promise to enmesh us in the experience in ways never before possible. Even more, it is not just the viewing that has evolved but also the nature of the contests themselves as sports content is continuously reinvented. Combine all this with increased engagement driven by the advance of legalized sports betting and there is a convergence of data, technology, and interest that promises to reinvigorate the fan experience and capture the imagination of new generations. Join us as key leaders in tech, media, content, and data discuss how their worlds are colliding and what it means for the future of sports business.

The data doesn’t lie – 90% of start-ups fail, including 65% that raise VC funding, and only 5% of VCs return more than 3x to their LPs. Yet the allure of entrepreneurship and investing drive innovation across industries and sectors, including sports and analytics. This panel brings together successful entrepreneurs from Microsoft and investors and venture capitalists from ARod Corp and Drive by DraftKings to discuss building companies, burgeoning investment trends, and their best advice for emerging founders.

Returns in sports ownership have outpaced public market indices by ~4-6% per year over the last decade. And just recently, leagues have begun allowing institutions to acquire interests in sports teams. These rule changes paved the way for a banner year for sports private equity investments in 2021. Firms invested nearly $2 billion into acquiring stakes in professional teams; namely, Sixth Street Partners and Dell took a 30% stake in the San Antonio Spurs, and Arctos Sports Partners acquired 10% of the Minnesota Wild. This panel convenes titans from JP Morgan and Arctos, NBA ownership in NBA Champion Wes Edens, and the MLS President who opened the league to more diverse ownership structures. This will be a lively discussion on what makes sports teams an attractive investment opportunity, the private equity plan for ownership, how primary team ownership has evolved, and where investors will be looking for alpha in the future.