The leading online source for news, analysis, events and trends in sports-related travel and event management. Serving event organizers, destinations, industry suppliers, teams, and travel professionals with expert insights since 1997.
The Olympic Summer Games begin Friday in Rio de Janeiro and SportsTravel will be on site to see how the event is being organized. With all the negative publicity surrounding the lead-up to the Games, it was refreshing to see things working smoothly at the city’s Tom Jobim International Airport. Olympic volunteers were plentiful and […]
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When Rob Manfred was named commissioner of Major League Baseball in 2014, he took on the role of leading the game into an uncertain future. But his history with MLB made him an ideal choice. From 1998–2012 he was executive vice-president for labor relations and human resources, negotiating three new labor agreements. He later served as executive vice-president for economics and league affairs, and chief operating officer. Now he faces a host of issues that confront pro baseball including negotiating a new player contract, reducing the length of games and engaging the next generation of fans. He has also taken a strong interest in the league’s special events, abandoning a traditional rotation for hosting the All-Star Game. In this interview with SportsTravel’s Jason Gewirtz, Manfred discusses the league’s special events,…
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Since being named chairman of CBS Sports in 2011, Sean McManus has overseen all operations across CBS Sports properties. That has included negotiations for high-profile events such as the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, the PGA Tour and Thursday and Sunday NFL games, as well as the rebranding of CBS Sports Network. Since joining CBS in 1996, he has held a variety of key roles, including president of both CBS Sports and CBS News from 2005–2011. In April, CBS and Turner announced an eight-year, $8.8 billion contract extension for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament through 2032 that includes all digital rights to the championship. And in February, the NFL awarded CBS a new package of Thursday night games as well. In this interview with SportsTravel’s Jason Gewirtz, McManus discusses the NCAA renewal…
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When it comes to understanding the athlete experience at a major international competition, Janet Evans knows of what she speaks. In 1987, at the age of 15, she broke world swimming records in the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle. At the 1988 Olympics, she won three gold medals, then followed in 1992 with another gold and a silver. At the 1996 Games she failed to medal, but nonetheless became part of Olympic history by handing the torch to Muhhamad Ali in one of the Games’ most iconic moments. Today, she is vice-chair and director of athlete relations for the LA 2024 bid committee, and has taken on the charge of making sure athletes’ voices are heard as Los Angeles competes against Paris, Rome and Budapest. In this interview with SportsTravel’s Jason Gewirtz, Evans discusses the role of athletes in the bid, her start in swimming and the power of the Olympic movement.…
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There was a time when it seemed every top pick in the NFL draft was represented by Leigh Steinberg. And that wasn’t too far from the truth. At the height of his career through the 1990s, Steinberg represented eight first picks and several dozen first-rounders. When Cameron Crowe was doing research for “Jerry Maguire,” it was Steinberg he followed around to study. But Steinberg’s career faced a serious setback after a public battle with alcohol that cost him his agent certification. Sober for six years and having regained his certificate, he now represents University of Memphis star Paxton Lynch in the 2016 draft. He also has formed Steinberg Ventures to raise money for products that can prevent concussions, an issue on which he has advocated for years. In this interview with SportsTravel’s Jason Gewirtz, Steinberg discusses the impact of concussions, making “Jerry Maguire”…
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There seems to be no shortage of sports-related scandals. Major League Baseball has been battling issues over player steroid use for years. International federations are being investigated by governments. Even underinflated footballs have caused a stir. But when those types of incidents occur, Ari Fleischer is there to help. As White House press secretary under President George W. Bush from 2001–2003, he oversaw communications for the administration’s share of crises, including the 9/11 attack. When he left, he moved to New York and formed Ari Fleischer Sports Communications to provide media training and crisis response to sports clients that have included leagues and teams and, recently, Peyton Manning in his fight against HGH-use allegations. In this interview with SportsTravel’s Jason Gewirtz, Fleischer discusses how his business began, the advice he offers athletes most and why everyone lost in Deflategate.…
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After 27 years with the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, Steve Simon wasn’t expecting to get the call he got late last year. But when Stacey Allaster stepped down as CEO of the WTA, the board of the professional women’s tennis tour had only one candidate in mind. Simon had helped grow the Indian Wells event into the largest tennis tournament in the world outside the Grand Slams. A college tennis player at Long Beach State, Simon joined the event in a sales role in 1989 and in 2004 became tournament director and COO. Now he will be in charge of overseeing a star-filled tour with a lengthy calendar that has caused many top players to wear down with injuries as the season progresses. In this interview with SportsTravel’s Jason Gewirtz, Simon discusses his plans for the schedule, the WTA’s future and how he once wrote his way into Wimbledon.…
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