Tonight in Unpacks: SBJ announces its Year End Awards, and topping the list as the Best Hire of 2022 is NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman, whose steady hand helped the league not just grow but also address serious challenges related to abuse and misconduct reports.
Other headlines:
- USA Baseball turns to solar panels to power new building
- Leagues, brands, venues earn honors for interior design
- Op-ed: Breaking silos in advertising strategy
- Suns' Jason Rowley allegedly involved in misconduct
- Activision Blizzard's Daniel Alegre plans to leave
In today's Buzzcast, SBJ's Abe Madkour examines how after Qatar, World Cup attention shifts to 2026. Also, what's behind MLB's big spending, and LIV Golf loses a key exec.
SBJ highlights best of 2022, including NWSL’s Jessica Berman as top hire
NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman may have had one of the best opening acts of any leader in North American professional sports. After taking the helm on March 9, Berman oversaw a league that smashed previous attendance and viewership numbers, grew sponsorship revenue 90% from 2021, doubled headcount at its league office (a new facility after moving from Chicago to New York) and saw franchise valuations soar (with the San Francisco Chronicle reporting today that the league has named finalists for its next round of expansion).
But maybe most important, writes SBJ’s Alex Silverman, Berman also worked on repairing a fractured relationship between the league, its teams and its players, which has been broken by abuse and misconduct scandals and pay inequities. For all this, SBJ has named Berman the Best Hire of 2022.
“All of the growth and glow is real and earned, not just in the seven months I’ve been here but for years prior,” Berman said. “These are the best athletes in the world and they -- as well as the league -- have had to clamor for investment historically. The confluence of where we are as a society and the fact that our product is as excellent as it is has put us on a path where those two things have resulted in some of the incredible achievements that we’ve had as a league.”
Other honorees in the Year End Awards include:
- Best Innovation: Checkout-free shopping is all the rage, and no one is doing it better than Zippin and Amazon Just Walk Out, writes SBJ’s Bret McCormick.
- Best Fashion Statement: As a merchandise hit and a conversation starter on social media, the Nike MLB City Connect uniforms helped do exactly what the name suggests: connect, especially with younger fans, writes SBJ’s Erik Bacharach.
Over the rest of the week, SBJ Unpacks will highlight other Year End Award winners.
ICYMI: Expect colleges to continue a slow approach with sports betting
Caesars may have sponsorships with LSU and Michigan State, but after an all-day hearing Wednesday, SBJ’s Bill King says don’t expect Massachusetts colleges to follow suit.
When regulators challenged Caesars on those sponsorships, it said that not only did the company have no intentions on sponsorship deals in Massachusetts but also has no plans to add schools to its portfolio. Caesars execs discussed data on how these particular deals with LSU and Michigan State were focused on reaching alumni and fans of legal betting age, not underaged students.
Friday’s SBJ Betting newsletter also covers:
- Penn National sees regulatory backlash after Barstool promotion
- Top betting stories of 2022
- What to watch for 2023
