SSAC

Neil Paine – Senior Sportswriter, FiveThirtyEight

Robert Hess – Chess Grandmaster, Coach, Commentator & Writer

John Urschel – Mathematician & Former NFL Player

Daryl Morey – General Manager, Houston Rockets

Danny Rensch (Moderator) – Chief Chess Officer, Chess.com

What happens in Chess will eventually happen in all sports. Chess was the first sport to incorporate a theoretically sound rating system, Elo, that has been the foundation of most rating systems in other sports such as soccer, tennis, esports ladders, and more. In addition, AI came to chess well before any other sport and it is now changing the foundation of nearly every sport. Chess has also been first with automated cheat detection which may have been useful in another hardball sport recently. Hear chess Grandmasters, athletes, and enthusiasts weigh in on these topics and discuss the lessons the sports industry will untap in the future from chess. Additionally, don’t miss out on attendees challenging a chess Grandmaster in a live chess simulation.

Daryl Morey – General Manager, Houston Rockets

Bill James – Statistician

Sashi Brown – Chief Planning & Operations Officer, Monumental Sports & Entertainment

Dick Thaler (Moderator) – Nobel Prize Winning Economist, University of Chicago - Booth School of Business

Let’s face it, despite decades of data and statistical analysis to lean on, players, coaches and GMs alike continue to fall into predictable behavioral traps when it comes to decision making – whether it’s wasting timeouts, being overly conservative on 4th down, or overpaying for a high draft pick. Hear from a Nobel Prize winning economist, a baseball historian and statistician, an NBA General Manager and a seasoned sports executive as they discuss and debate some of the most common decision making pitfalls made by teams and how they can be avoided.

Mitch Lasky – Co-Owner, LAFC

Scott O'Neil – CEO, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment

Wyc Grousbeck – Lead Owner and Governor, Boston Celtics

Warren Zola (Moderator) – Executive Director, Boston College Chief Executives Club

While wins and losses are paramount, learn how owners and team leaders of some of sports’ most beloved teams – Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, and the emerging celeb-favorite Los Angeles FC – are extending their sports property investments in creative and meaningful ways. From incubators to esports investments to the creation of funds around sports, this panel explores how owners are leveraging the brand to other business areas as well as to community impact. This panel will highlight the hidden challenges of an owner, how long-tenured executives drive an owner’s vision, and how the landscape of sports-business is evolving.

Steve Pagliuca – Co-Chair/Managing General Partner, Bain Capital

Josh Harris – Owner, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment

Eric Chemi (Moderator) – Sports Business Reporter, CNBC

Not only has the popularity of sports investing increased in recent years, but the value of sports franchises has grown by 3-5x in the past decade. Learn how industry leaders, Josh Harris, Co-Founder of Apollo Global Management, and Steve Pagliuca, Co-Chairman of Bain Capital, successfully turned their financial investing expertise towards sports investing. With returns of 8-10x in their initial investments in the Sixers and Celtics, respectively, both will articulate their shared principles for success that translate across industries. In addition, they’ll touch on the rationale for acquiring a team, the unique opportunities in each league, the additional sports assets they maintain in their portfolio, and the new growth areas they’re interested in pursuing.

Ryan Leaf – Analyst, ESPN & Former NFL Player

Seth Moulton – Congressman, United States House of Representatives

Corbin Petro – CEO & Co-Founder, Eleanor Health

Stephanie Wittels Wachs (Moderator) – Chief Creative Officer & Co-Founder, Lemonada Media

Addiction is now the leading cause of death in America for those under 50. The opioid epidemic has touched all facets of society over the past two decades, with the sports world at greater risk due to heightened exposure to prescription painkillers. This recent public health crisis has broadened the discourse to explore the underlying mental health issues regarding substance abuse and addiction in general, while acknowledging how pervasive addiction is across all walks of life. This panel will shed more visibility into the prevalence of substance abuse and the lessons sports can learn from other industries, data analytics, and public policy leaders.