Ian Thomas

Ian Thomas is the lead writer on the business of both hockey and soccer. His coverage of the global sports spans from the NHL to MLS and other U.S. professional leagues, U.S. Soccer, FIFA and European soccer. Prior to joining the Sports Business Journal in 2014, Thomas wrote for Bloomberg News, Crain’s New York Business and the Financial Times Group, covering a variety of business topics. A native New Yorker, Thomas is based in SBJ’s New York City office.

NYCFC finds new fans via College Pass program

Weekly Issue-06/16/2019

That program, priced at $99 for the team’s final 10 home games in 2018, quickly found success, Quarino said. When the ticket sales team investigated who was buying those tickets, something popped up more frequently than not — a college email address. Quarino said of the group that bought those ticke...

06/16/2019

MLS: The lure of ‘the last frontier’

Weekly Issue-06/02/2019

In January, four of MLS’s biggest offseason acquisitions came to the league’s New York City headquarters. The group, all previously hailing from well-known organizations, were swept through a two-day crash course on the league, which included a sit-down with MLS Commissioner Don Garber, a tour of th...

06/02/2019

Content is key to U.S. Soccer campaign

Weekly Issue-06/02/2019

“We want to take this team and women’s soccer as a whole in this country to the next level,” Berhalter said.

06/02/2019

Networks counting on U.S. team’s ‘rock stars’ to deliver viewers

Weekly Issue-06/02/2019

When Fox and NBCUniversal’s Telemundo won FIFA’s U.S. rights for the 2015-22 event cycle in 2011, most headlines anticipated that the key parts of the deal would be the two men’s World Cup tournaments during that period.

06/02/2019

NWSL aims to make most of spotlight

Weekly Issue-06/02/2019

The league, in its seventh season, is perhaps at its most stable point yet. No previous U.S. professional women’s soccer league ever surpassed three.

06/02/2019

Renovated Providence Park should give boost to Timbers and Thorns

Weekly Issue-05/26/2019

The Portland Timbers and Thorns will debut a renovated Providence Park this weekend, an $85 million project that is expected to provide a significant financial and fan engagement boost to the two clubs that are already leaders in those categories in their respective leagues.

05/26/2019

2019 Sports Business Awards: ‘Soccer has made it’

Weekly Issue-05/26/2019

Don Garber knows how to throw a 20th anniversary party.

05/26/2019

Clippers, Second Spectrum’s CourtVision Win Best In Technology

The Clippers and Second Spectrum’s Clippers CourtVision won Best in Sports Technology at the Sports Business Awards. The technology, which Second Spectrum spent four years helping develop, uses augmented reality and machine learning to provide viewers of Clippers games on Fox Sports Go with multiple...

05/23/2019

Gritty Wins Best In Sports Social Media

Gritty has had quite a year. Revealed at the start of the current NHL season as the mascot of the Flyers, his arrival was initially viewed with great skepticism by an often-critical Philadelphia fanbase. But his quirky and unpredictable personality has transformed him into a beloved personality. Now...

05/23/2019

Twitter Wins Sports Business Award For Best in Mobile Fan Experience

Twitter won Best in Mobile Fan Experience at the Sports Business Awards, as the platform continues to raise the stakes as a sports content provider. Twitter Head of U.S. Sports TJ Adeshola, who accepted the award, said the service views itself as a “global sports bar -- it’s always on, and it’s an o...

05/23/2019