Tag: Q&A

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Chris Overholt

The head of the new Toronto Defiant in the Overwatch League is one of the most high-profile sports executives to make the leap to esports There is no question that esports are becoming more mainstream by the day. Traditional sports venues are hosting esports events, blue-chip sponsors are increasingly on board and teams are treating […]

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Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros

As sports betting prepares to take off, the CEO of the Sport Integrity Global Alliance is leading an effort to safeguard competition on the field. The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that paved the way for legalized sports wagering will have profound impacts on the sports industry in the United States. Among the many concerns as sports organizations, betting regulators and host cities navigate the new landscape is how to protect the integrity of the competition on the field, which may be ripe for corruption or match-fixing when more money is at stake on the game. Leagues have also expressed an interest in collecting an “integrity fee”—a portion of the bets placed to help them monitor these issues—which has its own challenges. Fortunately, the Geneva-based Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA)

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Ann Hand
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Ann Hand

The CEO of Super League Gaming is committed to expanding and diversifying esports competitions at the youth level Professional esports have garnered considerable attention, and with good reason. The events at the top level have become spectacles and leagues continue to evolve to the point where players can earn a living and teams are attracting […]

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Sophie Goldschmidt

At first glance, you wouldn’t necessarily equate surfing with technology. A wave, a board, a surfer would seem all you would need. But in reality, the World Surf League is in the midst of an innovation period that will see a new breakthrough this season: an event at a man-made wave facility. Leading the helm into the new era is CEO Sophie Goldschmidt, who began her role in August. Before that, she worked in a variety of executive roles with the Rugby Football Union, the NBA, the WTA and Adidas. She most recently was group managing director for CSM Sports and Entertainment. With WSL

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Rocky Harris, USA Triathlon. Photo by Mark Reis

Rocky Harris

Rocky Harris is one of a new wave of national governing body executives with no prior background working in Olympic sports before he was named CEO of USA Triathlon in August. But what he did have was a solid background in professional and collegiate sports, most recently serving as chief operating officer of the Athletic Department at Arizona State University. There, his role included direct oversight of strategic planning and day-to-day operations of the department, a role that included adding triathlon as a sport at the university. Prior to that he worked for the MLS Houston Dynamo and AEG Global Partnerships as chief marketing officer and senior vice-president

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Branch Rickey
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Branch B. Rickey

Branch B. Rickey comes from some extraordinary baseball lineage. His father was a lifelong baseball executive and his grandfather of the same name was a legend, signing Jackie Robinson when he was an executive with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Rickey, however, has seen his own remarkable success. After decades in various leadership roles with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds, he spent seven years as president of the former Triple-A American Association. Since 1998, he has been president of the Pacific Coast League, the 16-team organization that with the International League makes up today’s Triple-A

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Mike Tirico

It’s never easy replacing a legend. But NBC’s Mike Tirico will attempt to do so in February when he becomes the prime-time host of the network’s Olympic Winter Games coverage, taking over for Bob Costas, who held the position since 1992. For Tirico, however, it’s only one of many tasks he has taken on since moving to NBC in July 2016 after 25 years at ABC and ESPN. The former play-by-play host of “Monday Night Football” is now NBC’s voice for “Thursday Night Football” and the on-site host of “Football Night in America,” which leads into NBC’s Sunday night coverage. He also hosts NBC’s Triple Crown and golf coverage and is the voice

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Tim Hinchey

Being a competitive swimmer since he was a child, Tim Hinchey has a natural affinity for the sport. But his background has been in professional sports, most recently with MLS’ Colorado Rapids, where he was president since 2011 and MLS executive of the year in 2016. Before that he served as the team’s chief marketing officer and in the same role for Derby County, FC, a professional soccer team in England. His previous stops included executive roles with the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats and New Orleans/ Oklahoma City Hornets. He began his career with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. In June, Hinchey got to return to the sport he loved, being

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Craig Levine

As the e-sports landscape continues to evolve, several veteran organizations are leading the industry into new territory. And at the center of that is Craig Levine, CEO of ESL North America, the world’s largest e-sports company. A longtime gamer, Levine in 2002 founded Team 3D, one of the first professional e-sports teams. He also co-founded ESS Agency, an event marketing and technology company. In 2014, ESS was acquired by Turtle Entertainment to expand the North American footprint of ESL, a company whose live events are becoming some of the largest in the industry. In this interview, Levine discusses the state of e-sports, the

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Jamie Davis

Jamie Davis

After years under the leadership of Doug Beal, who was an icon in the sport as a player, coach and executive, USA Volleyball went in a decidedly different direction when it hired Jamie Davis in January. Davis is the national governing body’s first CEO with no prior experience in the sport and was hired by design for his marketing and e-commerce background. Davis founded his own company, Jomandrew Sports and Entertainment, after serving as president of online retailer Fanatics from 2012 to 2014. Before that, he served as president of the Versus television network from 2008 to 2011 and held several roles with News Corporation, Fox Sports and

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