Here is a glimpse of the deliberations among the judges in some of the most closely contested or high-profile categories for the Sports Business Awards. We have been doing these awards for 19 years, and this year had some of the most intensely debated decisions.
SPORTS MEDIA: The toughest category to determine that I can recall in all my years of sitting in these discussions. This one took hours to get a winner. First, Rogers Sports & Media had support for its programming and production, and how it dominates the Canadian market. NBC Sports had such a portfolio of big events, and its coverage of the Milan Cortina Games was widely praised, especially the experience on Peacock, and judges believed the network has dramatically increased interest in the Olympics. Judges agreed NBC Sports does the best storytelling of any media company and had a monster year. With ESPN, judges felt the company moved its business — and the industry — forward with the unique deal for the NFL Network, the new DTC Unlimited hub and building out its rights portfolio. This debate eventually narrowed to a discussion of NBC and ESPN, and the judges even discussed a tie. Deliberation continued, and arguments centered on which company did more in the past 12 months to lead to long-term success: Which one had a definable impact on the industry in the past year, but lined up the pieces that could ensure future excellence? Which company evolved the most? That seemed to slightly shift momentum to ESPN. It was incredibly hard to honor one company when both had such great years.
TEAM OF THE YEAR: Another difficult category followed Sports Media. 23XI Racing was credited for changing NASCAR, being disruptive while also showing a blueprint for other teams to follow. Many felt the Toronto Blue Jays aren’t given enough credit for their grassroots marketing, renovating Rogers Centre and driving interest in baseball in Canada. But it soon narrowed to a debate around the first-year Golden State Valkyries and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Everyone loved the story of the Valkyries and how they are such a best-in-class operation. A first-year team without stars built an incredibly robust season-ticket business, which is so difficult to do, and got that entire Bay Area marketplace to care. All existing and expansion teams will take a page from the Valkyries. While judges discussed the size, scale and resources of the Dodgers, there was real admiration for how they continue to excel with their domestic and global strategies. Judges dug into the Dodgers’ data, analytics, pricing and merchandise approach, as well as on-field excellence, and couldn’t overlook how the organization’s business results truly dominate virtually all other teams in sports. On this one, those impressive revenue results really seemed to shift the calculus to the Dodgers.
LEAGUE OF THE YEAR: The NFL always seems to be at a disadvantage because of its size, which is of course not fair, but it’s been a prevailing sentiment from judges over the years. The NFL did get a lot of credit for being so culturally relevant, and between its efforts around flag football and non-Super Bowl events, it was in the conversation. But judges also felt it was in-between some important items, from adding an 18th game to addressing its media rights. While MLB had a lot of support for product improvements and relevancy around big events, many felt the league’s story is not complete, with media deals and collective bargaining looming. The NHL kept coming up, from its CBA and harmony with the players association to strong attendance and a growing media footprint, as well as the influx of new stars and the effective social storytelling around that generational talent. The NHL seemed to be having a real moment, and that made the difference.
EVENT OF THE YEAR: Judges appreciated the NHL Stadium Series in Tampa, and there is consistent appreciation for the NFL taking the draft to markets where it can be the biggest show in town and really resonate. But judges also zeroed in on the World Series and how that event, through some luck, became so special and kept the attention of American and Canadian audiences. The stars aligned for this seven-game classic, and it drew in so many non-fans while being talked about on morning shows and talk shows. Judges also noted the interest around the world was a result of the investment MLB teams have made to attract global talent.
SPONSOR OF THE YEAR: This largely came down to a discussion about Delta, State Farm and AWS, and judges were most impressed by AWS’s innovation around in-game activation while bringing stats and data to life. AWS’s partnership with leagues resulted in effective storytelling and offered a true benefit to fans and viewers, and was seen by judges as a model for future sponsorships.
I couldn’t hit on every point, but this gives you an idea of the conversations. These were very, very tough decisions. Let me know if you are interested in participating in these debates in the future.
Abraham Madkour can be reached at amadkour@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
