SBJ Unpacks: USTA extends relationship with IMG

Tonight in Unpacks: The USTA rewards IMG for getting north of $2 billion from ESPN in a recent media rights renewal, signing a deal to retain the agency as its negotiating representative, reports SBJ’s Rob Schaefer and Mollie Cahillane.

Also tonight:

• WNBA Draft audience second-best on record despite 49% drop
• WWE’s Chris Legentil relishes expanded role in talent relations
• Legends deploys new leadership plan for college division
• Op-ed: The marketing hits and misses of March Madness

Listen to SBJ’s most popular podcast, Morning Buzzcast, where Abe Madkour’s midweek musings include another strong broadcast performance for the WNBA Draft, more remarkable attendance figures for the NBA this season, interesting changes for the Kraken’s fan experience and more.

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The USTA is extending its relationship with IMG as the governing body’s representative in U.S. Open media rights negotiations on a multiyear basis. Parties declined to specify the length.

IMG has worked with the USTA since 2011, primarily focusing on international efforts, but will now add brokerage of domestic media rights to its purview. The group advised and represented the USTA in its recent domestic renewal with ESPN, which starts in 2026, runs through 2037, and is worth north of $2B total.

A key tentpole there is the revolutionized Mixed Doubles Championship, which will move from the second week of the U.S. Open main draw to Fan Week and feature a $1M prize. IMG and the USTA hope increased attention on the event will further expand international deals.

IMG also represented the French Tennis Federation last year in its 10-year, $650M domestic deal with TNT Sports to air the French Open, and is partnered with AELTC (Wimbledon), ATP Media and WTA Ventures.

The agency has a host of high-profile partners outside of tennis as well, including the NFL, which it represents in more than 30 markets across Asia and Europe. The NHL, NWSL, PBR and more are part of the portfolio.

The WNBA Draft on Monday night lost half of the audience seen last year with Caitlin Clark going No. 1 overall, but was still easily the league’s second-best draft audience on record. The audience performance for the draft was similar to what ESPN saw around the recent NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.

ESPN drew 1.25 million viewers for the WNBA Draft, which saw UConn G Paige Bueckers go No. 1. That’s down 49% from last year, but 108% better than what is now the No. 3 draft audience (2004 on ESPN, with 601,000 viewers). ESPN also was up 119% from 2023 (572,000 viewers), when South Carolina F Aliyah Boston went No. 1 (that’s now the No. 4 draft all-time). Most WNBA Draft audience figures in the past were well under 500,000 viewers.

Monday night’s draft audience peaked at 1.46 million viewers. The draft was the No. 1 primetime program (cable or broadcast) among males 18-34, males 18-49 and adults 18-49. “WNBA Countdown” headed into the draft averaged 647,000 viewers.

For a comparison, the WNBA Draft audience is bigger than any audience the MLB Draft has seen. The high for the MLB Draft is 1.03 million back in 2021. Last year, the MLB Draft averaged just 863,000 viewers on ESPN/MLB Network. The 2025 WNBA Draft is also 84% better than the best NHL Draft on record (that was 681,000 viewers on ESPN in 2023 when the Blackhawks selected Connor Bedard No. 1 overall).

WWE’s Chris Legentil won’t be in the spotlight at the upcoming WrestleMania in Las Vegas, but the results of his work will be hard to miss.

In the rare dual role of executive vice president of talent relations and head of communications, it’s Legentil’s job to do everything from hype WWE events to negotiate contracts with talent.

The role is not for the fainthearted, requiring him to attend more than 80 events a year, roaming the corridors behind the black curtain, knowing when to say yes to a contract request and how best to deliver a no.

In the words of WWE President Nick Khan, it takes someone like Legentil, who is always on.

Khan was co-head of television and a sports media agent for CAA prior to being named president of WWE in 2020. Legentil was among Khan’s first big hires. He brought him on board in 2021 as senior vice president and head of communications, impressed with Legentil’s work in media relations and communications for DAZN. The two also shared the common bond of having attended public schools — Khan in Las Vegas and Legentil in New Jersey.

“You could sense ambition in Chris in the most positive way,” Khan said. “Chris was working in a pizza shop around 15 years ago. I’ve often found that those of us who come from humble beginnings are grateful to be in the conversation and to get the opportunities that Chris has earned.”

“You could sense ambition in Chris in the most positive way. Chris was working in a pizza shop around 15 years ago. I’ve often found that those of us who come from humble beginnings are grateful to be in the conversation and to get the opportunities that Chris has earned.”

—  WWE President Nick Khan

Indeed, Legentil reflects back on those days baking pizzas at Pompilio’s in Westwood, N.J., at first short on career aspirations but learning valuable lessons that would guide him in the years ahead. “It turns out a lot of what you learn in the service industry, at a pizzeria, applies in a corporate setting,” he said. “Understanding a customer. Thinking quickly. Juggling several items at once. There is no substitute for hard work.”

At age 25, Legentil was managing the pizzeria until a local attorney invited him to work in his office. The result was a more serious approach to school and work goals. Legentil graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Rowan University in New Jersey, and departed the restaurant for a role as an account executive with Ketchum in 2008. Over the next 10 years, he worked his way through the sports industy with communications and media relations roles at Showtime, the NBA and DAZN, at which he was introduced to Khan by John Skipper and Jamie Horowitz.

Khan sees comms as more than marketing, but as a revenue driver. So when Legentil joined him at WWE and later started passing along articles about cities paying host fees for sports and entertainment events, Khan told him to jump on a plane and see if he could explore similar deals for WWE. Khan told him, “You’re the PR person; you understand what all of our talking points are, how much economic impact we bring to these cities. Just go and talk to them.”

The deals with WWE soon followed. Recent highlights include Indianapolis, which will host WWE premium live events Royal Rumble, SummerSlam and WrestleMania; and Perth, Australia, which was the site of Elimination Chamber in February. The Greater Orlando Sports Commission is seeking an $18 million grant that over multiple years would in part be used to attract WWE events.

During an earnings call in February, executives with WWE parent company TKO Group, which also controls UFC, said site fees became a new revenue contributor in 2024. Now, about one-third of WWE and UFC marquee live events attract the fees, including this month’s WrestleMania at Allegiant Stadium and SummerSlam at MetLife Stadium in August. A source told Sports Business Journal that seven-figure site fees are now common.

Legentil’s travel to WWE live events as head of communications built deeper ties with talent, who respected someone who could keep up with their road warrior travel schedules and was accessible. Khan realized an opportunity for Legentil to have an expanded role.

In May 2024, Legentil moved to his current position. It’s unusual in professional wrestling for someone other than former talent to end up in a talent relations position. But as Paul “Triple H” Levesque describes it, communication is a huge part of the job.

“Chris is an excellent communicator,” said Levesque, WWE’s chief content officer. “He knows how to handle things in a way where he can diplomatically tell people the things that they don’t want to hear, and he can enthusiastically tell them things that they do want to hear. That’s what makes him great at that new role.”

“He’s a guy that gets them answers. He’s not a guy that’s blocking them or running interference so they don’t have to talk to Nick or me. He’s the guy that’s getting answers for them and is a guy they can trust.”

—  WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque

It’s Legentil who matches talent with sponsor opportunities, public appearances, community events and media interviews, and carries out Levesque’s vision for storylines by putting the right talent in place.

No doubt, Legentil was green on negotiating contracts. It’s Legentil, Levesque, Khan and the talent in the room during those talks. WWE has about 200 “Superstars” under contract across its NXT developmental property, “SmackDown” and “Raw” brands. It held more than 150 events on the road in 2024.

Khan said Legentil had a smart approach to talent, similar to how he did with comms, in which early on he would mainly listen and observe, and then as he gained experience, share his point of view and ultimately run the meetings.

Levesque says talent now sees Legentil as a liaison. “He’s a guy that gets them answers. He’s not a guy that’s blocking them or running interference so they don’t have to talk to Nick or me. He’s the guy that’s getting answers for them and is a guy they can trust.”

Said second-generation WWE talent Cody Rhodes, “Having grown up around the business, talent relations has always been a tricky needle to thread. Where Chris stands out is his ability to see the whole board. He has a clear understanding of Nick and Paul’s collective visions for the company and how to create relationships with the talent in a way that we can all work together to take the company to new heights.”

For Legentil, it boils down to being there. “WWE runs 52 weeks a year. We’re always together, and that impacts the approach with talent. Sometimes you have great news to deliver; sometimes the news isn’t as great. With every interaction, we want to be respectful and equitable because there is a lot to get done each week and we want everyone rowing in the same direction. In four years here, I’m constantly impressed by our Superstars. They are talented and tireless.”

On talent relations, Legentil works alongside WWE veteran Matt Altman. Two talent relations reps are assigned to Raw and two to SmackDown. That’s in addition to talent business affairs and talent operations teams at WWE headquarters in Stamford, Conn.

On the communications side, Legentil leans on Greg Domino and Chuck Kingsbury, a pair of “sports industry PR pros” he recruited when he joined WWE. Domino worked at HBO Sports, DAZN, Showtime Sports and MLB, while Kingsbury worked at HBO Sports, NBC Sports and the New York Jets. Legentil credits WWE’s communications team of five for making a smooth transition to his expanded role.

So where does the 41-year-old Legentil go from here? As for now, he’s focused heavily on making the most of WWE’s deal with Netflix for Raw and the company’s continued push globally. For example, March featured three consecutive weeks of Raw and SmackDown tapings in Europe. He’s also focused on continuing to grow WWE’s premium live events, including its biggest, WrestleMania, on April 19 and 20.

“When you work for and with Nick and Paul, they create an environment where the default is yes,” Legentil said. “How can we get this done? How can we do this bigger? And why put limits on yourself or our collective ambitions when no limits are being put on you?”

Khan sees nothing but upside for Legentil’s role with WWE.

“Our philosophy at WWE is if there’s no job that you find beneath you, then there’s no job that’s above you and out of your reach,” Khan said. “The sky is the limit for Chris.”

Legends is set to reorganize the senior staffing atop its college division, EVP and CRO Chad Estis told me.

The company is slated to announce promotions for Tim Statezni, Dan Jankoski and Jay Lenhardt to create a three-person executive team after Legends College President Mike Behan departed to become the new chief business and revenue officer for Hornets Sports & Entertainment.

An official announcement is expected Wednesday.

“We aren’t backing off this space one bit,” Estis said. “... We’re as focused on the college space as we’ve ever been. We see tons of opportunity here in the future, and we’re going to be firmly planted in it with a lot of resources.”

Statezni will see his title shift to EVP/college -- functionally taking on Behan’s responsibilities -- after serving as Legends’ SVP/sales.

Jankoski will take on an expanded role as SVP/college, while Lenhardt will receive a promotion to SVP/college feasibility & strategy.

These shifts also come as Legends continues to see its college business grow.

The company has largely focused on significant facility redevelopment and enhancing revenue for clients such as Notre Dame, Oklahoma, USC, Kansas, Maryland, Wisconsin and Georgia Tech.

That said, Estis noted the ongoing evolution of the college industry enables Legends to continue to invest while offering services across its varying verticals to schools.

“We’re really excited about Tim, Dan and Jay and how we’re going to support them,” he said. “We know there’s a lot changing in the college space. It’s a super-fascinating space at the moment, and we’re all in to help these universities generate more revenue, provide best-in-class hospitality and services.”

March Madness isn’t just about college basketball, it’s a marketing phenomenon. Every spring, brands clamor for a slice of the spotlight, hoping to turn bracket buzz into brand equity. The 2025 tournament was no exception, delivering high-stakes games and high-impact campaigns. Some marketers elevated the fan experience and broke through the noise. Others missed the mark or failed to connect with today’s more discerning and digital-first audience. Together, their wins and losses form a modern playbook for successful brand activations during major live events.

Marketing hits of March Madness 2025

Pizza Hut’s ‘Pete Zahut’ campaign

Pizza Hut was among the MVPs of the season with its nostalgic and humorous “Pete Zahut” campaign. Featuring a mullet-wearing, ’80s-inspired delivery guy with unexpected court skills, the campaign balanced comedy with product promotion. By showcasing its Cheesy Bites Pizza and Ranch Lover’s Flight of dipping sauces, Pizza Hut turned the brand into part of the March Madness ritual, becoming a fun, culturally relevant piece of the viewing experience.

Coca-Cola Zero Sugar’s “Fan Work Is Thirsty Work”

Coca-Cola Zero Sugar also made its mark with its campaign “Fan Work Is Thirsty Work.” This effort tapped into college basketball fans’ school pride, featuring school fight songs from powerhouse programs like North Carolina, Indiana and UConn. It incorporated in-game activations, limited-edition Final Four cans and fan voting, an engaging blend of nostalgia and timely engagement that resonated deeply with college basketball’s passionate fan base.

AT&T’s courtside storytelling

AT&T once again proved why it’s a staple of March Madness marketing. Its 2025 campaign blended humor, heart and a clever use of star power. From a merch salesman peddling dubious school gear to NBA stars caught in wardrobe mishaps, the spots were packed with entertaining moments. The standout? A sentimental ad featuring former Villanova teammates now on rival NBA teams, Donte DiVincenzo, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, that tugged on the emotional threads of fandom and friendship. These stories weren’t just funny, they were rooted in real-life narratives that true basketball fans appreciated.

Capital One’s All-Star road trip

Capital One continued its winning streak with the beloved trio of Samuel L. Jackson, Spike Lee and Charles Barkley. This year’s campaign took them through time and across the skies, from the invention of basketball to airspace blimp battles with Magic Johnson. Add surprise cameos from Jennifer Garner and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, plus interactive elements like Snapchat lenses and branded giveaways, and Capital One delivered a campaign that was fun, fan-focused and full of personality. It struck the perfect balance of tradition, surprise and shareability.

Where brands missed the nark

Tired campaigns

Some brands leaned too hard on tired tactics, like generic bracket contests, without offering anything new or differentiated. Fans today expect innovation and interaction. Recycled ideas don’t cut it, especially when everyone’s competing for attention during a high-stakes event.

Lack of digital integration

Still others fell short by failing to bridge traditional media with digital. TV ads and in-arena signage are valuable, but in 2025, campaigns that don’t live on social platforms lose momentum. Some brands simply weren’t present where fans were actually talking, watching and sharing.

New norms, NIL deals and real-time relevance

One of the biggest changes to the March Madness digital marketing landscape is the rise of NIL partnerships. College athletes are no longer just stars on the court, they’re also influencers, storytellers and mini-media brands.

Smart marketers leaned into this shift with authenticity and creativity. Niagara’s partnership with UCLA scout team player Finn Barkenaes, a waterboy, turned heads by shining a light on a traditionally overlooked role, aligning perfectly with Niagara’s hydration message. It was an unexpected and refreshing move.

Meanwhile, Raid partnered with Baylor players Jeremy Roach and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, crafting a fun and cheeky campaign that capitalized on their last names. These efforts show how brands are broadening the definition of influence, tapping into athletes not just for their stats but for their stories.

What makes March Madness so uniquely ripe for marketing is the emotional volatility and immediacy of the event. Upsets, buzzer-beaters and Cinderella stories unfold in real time, giving brands a golden opportunity to engage when fans are most invested.

But to do so, they must be agile and culturally fluent. The best campaigns this year didn’t just show up, they showed up fast and with purpose, meeting fans in the moment. This kind of execution demands teams that are prepped, empowered and connected to the pulse of the audience.

The gameplan

The big takeaway? To win during events like March Madness, brands must offer more than just presence, they must deliver participation. Value. Fun. Help. Surprise.

Whether it’s Pizza Hut turning nostalgia into shareable humor, or Coke Zero Sugar connecting fans through school spirit, the top campaigns understood the power of being part of the experience, not just hovering around it.

For the next big event, the playbook is clear: Be fast. Be useful. Be in the feed. March Madness 2025 showed that fans reward brands that show up with something that adds to the moment, not distracts from it. Because in the end, great marketing, like great basketball, comes down to timing, teamwork and showing up when it matters most.

Ronn Torossian is the founder and chairman of 5W Public Relations, one of the largest independently owned PR firms in the U.S.

• Total direct spending associated with the U.S. sports travel sector was $47.1 billion, and Americans took a record 204.9 million sports event-related trips within the U.S. in 2024, reports SBJ’s David Broughton.
• Chipotle agreed to a multiyear renewal of its North American sponsorship deal with the NHL and formed a new marketing relationship with the NHLPA, writes SBJ’s Alex Silverman.
• Former Marlins GM Kim Ng is the first commissioner of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, which launches its inaugural season on June 7, reports SBJ’s Juwan Watson.
• Texas QB Arch Manning expanded his rights deal with Panini America, adding autographed memorabilia, notes SBJ’s Terry Lefton.
• Elevate is linking up again with boxing’s Most Valuable Promotions, setting up VIP hospitality packages for the upcoming trilogy fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano at Madison Square Garden, writes SBJ’s Adam Stern.
• NWN’s new five-year deal with the Kraft Group includes the company’s sports interests -- the Patriots, Revolution and Gillette Stadium -- and includes a sponsorship element and upgrading technology at its assets, reports SBJ’s Bret McCormick.
• Cleveland Soccer Group is launching a franchise in the new WPSL pro women’s soccer league just months after missing out on an NWSL expansion franchise, writes Silverman.
• ESPN Bet operator Penn Entertainment rolled out a new Mint Club designation that rewards those who link their ESPN and ESPN Bet accounts with access to weekly members-only promotions and giveaways, notes SBJ’s Bill King.
• PGA Tour Superstore CEO and Executive Chair Dick Sullivan will retire from his day-to-day duties as CEO this summer, reports SBJ’s Josh Carpenter.