SBJ Unpacks: Meet the 2025 Sports Business Awards nominees

Tonight in Unpacks: The 18th annual Sports Business Awards are May 21 in NYC, and in this week’s magazine, SBJ reveals the 93 nominees vying for honors in 14 categories.

Also tonight:

• Nike gear leads March Madness, but Under Armour makes gains on women’s side
• TGL adds seven corporate partners ahead of postseason debut
• Sources: Progressive in talks for NASCAR team deal
• Op-ed: How to champion young women in sports

Listen to SBJ’s most popular podcast, Morning Buzzcast, where Abe Madkour kicks off the week examining March Madness men’s and women’s brackets, the PWHL looking at expansion as it enjoys a strong second season, the NWSL’s growth metrics in its 13th season and more.

Presenting the 93 nominees for the 18th annual Sports Business Awards, recognizing excellence over the past year.

The winners in 14 categories will be determined by a group of industry executives. Award winners in two categories — Athletic Director of the Year and Executive of the Year — will be selected solely by Sports Business Journal. Award recipients will be announced during our live event on Wednesday, May 21, at the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square.

The Celebration of Service Award recipient is Figure Skating in Harlem.

David Hill, the founding architect of Sky Sports in the U.K. and Fox Sports in the U.S., also will be presented with our Lifetime Achievement Award.

2025 Sports Business Awards Nominees

Best in Sports Betting

DraftKings

Fanatics Sportsbook

FanDuel

Genius Sports

Best in Sports Media

ESPN

Fox Sports

NBCUniversal

Prime Video

Netflix

Best in Sports Social Media

Bank of America: The Human Sponsorship at the Boston Marathon

Brooklyn Nets: From ___ to Brooklyn Series

Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose Retirement

Jameis on Fox at SBLIX

Jordan Brand “Banned”

Best in Property Consulting, Sales and Client Services

AEG Global Partnerships

CAA Sports

Elevate

Excel Sports Management

Legends

OVG Global Partnerships

Best in Talent Representation

Athletes First

CAA Sports

Excel Sports Management

Octagon

Wasserman

WME Sports

Agency of the Year: Brand Consulting

160/90

Excel Sports Management

Genesco Sports Enterprises

GMR Marketing

MKTG Sports + Entertainment

Octagon

Optimum Sports

Wasserman

Brand Activation of the Year

Gainbridge x Caitlin Clark at The ANNIKA LPGA

Kingsford “King of the Tailgate”

Minnesota Vikings Winter Whiteout

Texas Tech x Adidas x Patrick Mahomes Launch

The USAA Experience at 125th Army-Navy Game

Verizon Super Bowl FanFest

Deal of the Year

Legends acquires ASM Global

NBA signs media deal with Amazon, NBCUniversal and Disney

Smith Entertainment Group brings NHL franchise to Utah

Strategic Sports Group completes investment in PGA Tour

Willow Bay and Bob Iger acquire controlling stake in Angel City FC

WWE and Netflix agree to global media deal

Sports Breakthrough of the Year

Cosm

CPKC Stadium

EA Sports College Football 25

TGL

Unrivaled Basketball

Sports Event of the Year

4 Nations Face-Off

Kentucky Derby: 150th Running

MLB at Rickwood Field

Noche UFC

U.S. Olympic Team Trials — Swimming

U.S. Open Golf Championship at Pinehurst

Sports Facility of the Year

Caesars Superdome

Churchill Downs Racetrack

Crypto.com Arena

Intuit Dome

Rogers Centre

TD Garden

Sports Sponsor of the Year

AT&T

Capital One

Lowe’s Home Improvement

Constellation Brands: Modelo

Verizon

Xfinity

Sports League of the Year

National Basketball Association

National Football League

National Hockey League

National Women’s Soccer League

Ultimate Fighting Championship

United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee

Women’s National Basketball Association

Sports Team of the Year

Cleveland Cavaliers

Florida Panthers

Indiana Fever

Inter Miami CF

Los Angeles Dodgers

USA Gymnastics

Washington Commanders

Athletic Director of the Year

Jeramiah Dickey, Boise State University

Pat Kraft, Penn State University

Candice Storey Lee, Vanderbilt University

Jamie Pollard, Iowa State University

Danny White, University of Tennessee

Executive of the Year

Bela Bajaria, Netflix

Gary Bettman, National Hockey League

Sarah Hirshland, United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee

Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN

Adam Silver, National Basketball Association

Lifetime Achievement Honoree

David Hill, Founding President, Fox Sports

Celebration of Service Honoree

Figure Skating in Harlem

Nike continues to dominate as the top jersey and shoe provider of teams in the NCAA Tournament. Nike and its affiliated Jordan Brand are outfitting 41 of the 68 teams in the field (33 Nike, 8 Jordan), down just one team from last year’s 42. Notably, two No. 1 seeds, Houston and Florida, wear Jordan Brand while Duke is the only top seed to wear Nike. Under Armour again has the second-most team with 14 schools, though that is down from 16 that earned a bid in 2024. They do have the last No. 1 seed with Auburn. Adidas sees slight jump this year, with 12 teams making the bracket after just 10 were in last year. Meanwhile, New Balance gets a rare appearance thanks to America East champ Bryant.

TGL has added seven sponsors ahead of its inaugural playoffs, which begin tonight on ESPN2 at 7pm ET. Coming on board are Verizon, Mastercard, AG1, Hard Rock Bet, Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood and Stanley 1913.

AG1 joined TGL as the regular season concluded and will continue through the playoffs, which feature semifinal matches tonight and tomorrow, followed by the championship series next week. Hard Rock Bet is now an official sportsbook of TGL, while Seminole Casino Coconut Creek and Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino are also coming aboard as partners.

Mastercard has joined the league as its official payment servicer. Though an official deal has not been announced, Mastercard has had press conference backdrop branding this season with New York Golf Club, which is playing tonight against L.A. Golf Club. New York’s Cameron Young is a Mastercard ambassador.

Stanley 1913 is now with TGL as its official insulated drinkware after signing an official marketing partnership with the PGA Tour just last week. The PGA Tour has a stake in TGL.

Finally, Verizon is joining the league as its official wireless partner.

TGL’s postseason starts tonight with New York-L.A., followed by another semifinal tomorrow between The Bay Golf Club and Atlanta Drive GC at 7pm ET on ESPN. TGL’s best-of-three championship series tees off next Monday at 9pm ET on ESPN2.

Progressive insurance is in discussions to add a team deal to its advertising presence in NASCAR, sources say, a move that would bring one of the blue-chip insurance brands in America deeper into the sport.

The Ohio-based insurance company has done TV advertising around NASCAR before including last year, when it was the fourth-largest spender across NASCAR races at an estimated cost of $1.855M, according to iSpot TV data.

But it’s mostly skimmed the surface of the sport from that perspective, with no official league deal and few team partnerships. It did sponsor RFK Racing in 2020 as the primary sponsor of the team’s No. 6 Ford driven at the time by Ryan Newman.

That’s continued this year, when it’s been the pit road sponsor of The CW’s new coverage of the Xfinity Series. But now, four people familiar with the matter say Progressive has shown a renewed interest in a team-side deal in NASCAR.

Sources have pegged Joe Gibbs Racing as the favorite to land Progressive’s business. The team’s No. 11 Toyota driven by Denny Hamlin has had a significant amount of inventory to fill with the loss of FedEx and Mavis Tires & Brakes over the offseason.

JGR declined comment, while Progressive did not respond to a request for comment. Front-running NASCAR teams like JGR tend to ask for low to mid six figures per race from sponsors.

This past week, JGR helped shore up some of its open inventory by signing West Coast-based gas station chain AMPM to a two-race deal for the events at Sonoma in July and Las Vegas in October. Other partners of the No. 11 team include National Debt Relief, Sport Clips, King’s Hawaiian and Yahoo.

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the many trailblazers in women’s sports who have paved the way for me, as well as consider the ways I can contribute to their progress. Being a young female in the historically male-dominated sports industry comes with its challenges. What I have learned from these challenges allows me to advocate for the success of future generations of women in sports. It’s more important than ever to amplify the voices of young women in athletics and shape a future where representation is the norm.

My role as a female athlete is part of my identity — I have been a competitive runner for over a decade. I was on the track and field and two-time national champion women’s cross-country teams at North Carolina State University. After graduation, I took a job in the sports industry as assistant director for the Durham Sports Commission. While sports have always been center stage in my life, I’m happy to see women getting the recognition they deserve on a much larger scale. Standouts like Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky are gaining attention for their talent and helping grow the visibility of women’s sports.

I recognize the importance of representation and have been grateful to have many female role models in leadership positions in my life. In the Durham community alone, several women are paving the way. Dr. Ingrid Wicker-McCree was the first woman to hold the permanent title of director of athletics at North Carolina Central University and is now the chairwoman of the Durham Sports Commission. Dr. Kendra Green is the deputy athletic director for internal affairs at NCCU, Nina King is the director of athletics at Duke University, and Francie Gottsegen, a Duke graduate, is the president of the North Carolina Football Club. I’m lucky to follow in their footsteps and continue to push the needle forward.

With these prestigious universities in my backyard, I’ve had several opportunities to participate in leadership programs geared toward women in sports. At N.C. State, I was part of the Wolfpack Women initiative. This program focused on supporting female student athletes and sport management students by providing experiences, opportunities, exposure and resources through community engagement. This year, Duke Athletics hosted a National Girls and Women in Sports Day Youth Clinic, which allowed young female athletes to gain tools from college student athletes. It’s apparent that universities in the Triangle are at the forefront of creating pathways for women’s success and serve as a model for other universities in creating these initiatives.

I am proud to be involved in planning similar programs now in my professional life, including the third annual Emerging Women in Sports Leadership Summit. The Durham Sports Commission hosts this event to unite women eager to advance as leaders in sports and business. It’s a platform for attendees to connect, share experiences and collaborate on ideas to break barriers in the industry.

There is a need, however, for these initiatives to grow to more universities and organizations. In fact, they should serve as a building block for efforts beginning at a younger age. Sports do not have to be viewed as just an athletic endeavor for young girls. Investing in these types of programs at the high school, middle school or even elementary level would only increase exposure and create a pipeline for more young women to go into sports business, management, entertainment and media. Providing resources at a younger age allows them to imagine themselves in these leadership positions and develop a vision for their future beyond traditional expectations. Additionally, early exposure opens girls up to possibilities they may not have otherwise considered while fostering an understanding of belonging in this field. An investment in women-focused leadership programs goes a long way to ensuring the future of sports is filled with talented, empowered and well-prepared female leaders.

I’ve seen firsthand the impact that mentorship and leadership programs can have on young women, which is why I take every open opportunity to share my experiences and lessons learned with students navigating similar paths. Recently, I visited sports management and administration classes at N.C. State and the University of North Carolina to share my experience in the sports tourism industry, offer advice about the transition from student to professional, and frankly, just lift other young women up. I once sat in their seat, too.

While I take pride in working to shine a light on women in sports, there’s always room for improvement. The progress made by female leaders in the sports industry is inspiring, but continued efforts, at every life stage, to support and empower the next generation of women are essential. And I do think we will get there — the industry continues to evolve, and celebrations of women’s successes in the sports world will one day be the norm.

Lulu Black is the assistant director of the Durham Sports Commission, established in 2016 as a 501(c)(3) with a mission to create economic and social impact by leading the community’s efforts to attract, support, and promote youth, amateur, collegiate, and professional sporting and recreational events. She is a graduate of North Carolina State University and student athlete for both the track and field and two-time national champion women’s cross-country teams.

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