SBJ Unpacks: Recapping the Sports Business Awards

Tonight in Unpacks: The 19th annual Sports Business Awards were celebrated Wednesday night at the Marriott Marquis Times Square. Event highlights ranged from 2026’s Lifetime Achievement Award honoree Fenway Sports Group founder John Henry being recognized, to the Dodgers factoring into multiple awards and the NHL capturing Sports League of the Year.

Also tonight:

• NBA pacing for best playoff viewership in 29 years
• Baseball HOF finding new ways to drive business and fandom
• The latest World Cup ‘brew’-haha
• Op-ed: Benefits for Black athletes should work for Black college students, too

Listen to SBJ’s most popular podcast, Morning Buzzcast, where Austin Karp, Josh Carpenter, Joe Lemire and Alex Silverman recap the 2026 Sports Business Awards and look back on the takeaways from Tech Week.

PUBLISHING NOTICE: SBJ Gaming, SBJ Media and SBJ Unpacks are off for the Memorial Day holiday. Unpacks returns Tuesday, May 26.

NEW YORK — The 19th annual Sports Business Awards were celebrated Wednesday night at the Marriott Marquis Times Square.

The winners were determined by a group of industry executives. Award winners in two categories — Athletic Director of the Year and Executive of the Year — are selected solely by Sports Business Journal.

2026’s Lifetime Achievement Award honoree Fenway Sports Group founder John Henry was also recognized Wednesday night for his contributions to the industry.

Soccer Without Borders received the Celebration of Service award.

More:

• 2025 World Series is Event of the Year
• Mark Walter earns Executive of the Year
• AWS wins Sports Sponsor of the Year
• NHL captures Sports League of the Year
• Dodgers are Sports Team of the Year

See here for the full list of nominees. Below is the full list of winners.

Brand Activation of the Year — Lego at F1 Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix

Lego signed on to sponsor Formula One starting in 2025, and easily the highlight of the year for the brand came at the Miami Grand Prix last year, where its activation was strong enough to win the Sports Business Award for “Brand Activation of the Year.”

A team of 26 engineers and builders constructed 10 near-life-sized F1 cars for the race, all made from Legos. The cars, each made up of 400,000 bricks, were able to travel up to 12mph.

Coverage around the activation made it one of the more memorable efforts of the year from a brand, driving tens of millions of impressions across social and digital.

Others in the mix for Brand Activation of the Year included Aramark Sports + Entertainment’s Banana Dog, the Bud Light Blizzard Brew: Bills’ final season at Highmark, Dude Wipes x Eagles Tush Push, the Pop-Tarts Bowl and Whirlpool x Premier Lacrosse League: Lacrosse on the River.

Lego in prepared remarks said the activation “captured imaginations around the world.”

Best in Property Consulting, Sales & Service — OVG Global Partnerships

By delivering transformative naming-rights deals and marquee brand partnerships across more than 50 venues, Oak View Group redefined excellence in sports and entertainment partnerships.

OVG, which won Best in Property Consulting, Sales and Client Services, negotiated six naming-rights deals, including a 10-year deal for the Minnesota Wild’s Grand Casino Arena; a multiyear pact for the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Benchmark International Arena; and TD Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, its eighth owned and operated venue in North America.

“You don’t do these things for awards, but it’s nice to have the sun shining on you once in a while, and it feels good in the warmth,” OVG President of Global Partnerships Dan Griffis said.

The agency added a dozen clients; closed at least three jersey deals, including the New York Islanders and Vanda; and delivered partnerships with Lyft, Kraft Heintz and GEHA.

This is OVG’s second win in the category.

“I love the fact that we have people like the Wild and Lightning that put their trust in us,” Griffis said. “We’ve done 43 naming rights deals in the last six years, so we kind of know what we’re doing on that level. But we’re just fortunate to be able to work with such great partners.”

Going forward, Griffis said OVG is building five or six mostly international venues, and focusing on naming rights for a couple of MLS front of kits and the Los Angeles Angels’ jersey patch.

Best in Sports Social Media — WWE: John Cena Farewell Tour

The WWE’s farewell tour for legendary wrestler John Cena earned the Best in Social Media honor at the Sports Business Awards.

Accepting the award was Steve Braband, the WWE’s head of digital media, who thanked “the best leadership team in the business” and, of course, “the GOAT, John Cena,” for his commitment and dedication to the sport. It was the WWE’s fourth nomination and first win in the category.

A total of 1,600 posts were published across all platforms, where the promotion has more than 460 million total followers, and the final week of the campaign drew 1.6 billion total views. A four-minute YouTube video with tributes from fellow WWE superstars amassed more than 6.3 million views.

The year-long social campaign started following Cena’s retirement speech, which came as a surprise to WWE’s digital team.

“What’s great is sometimes we know things [in advance],” Braband said, “but sometimes we don’t know things at the WWE — we didn’t know that was happening.”

But WWE quickly clipped and promoted the video, which drew 65 million views in the first 24 hours. After that, the creative team gathered that Tuesday and held the brainstorming session that would define the plan, combining new videos with archival footage.

To further honor Cena and amplify the messaging, the WWE reached out to many of the pro sports teams whose jerseys he often wore to the ring.

“On the day of his last match, the Green Bay Packers, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Orlando Magic, the Charlotte Hornets, the Lakers — they were all posting about John when they didn’t need to,” Braband said. “It was a cool celebratory moment to see the world of sports come together and celebrate.”

Celebration of Service — Soccer Without Borders

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup just weeks away, it’s fitting that this year’s Celebration of Service award recognizes Soccer Without Borders, an organization that has spent the past two decades uplifting underserved youth through the world’s most popular sport. Since launching in 2006, SWB has provided more than 60,000 youth from 122 countries — including many from American immigrant families — with access to free soccer programs, investing nearly $25M in just the past eight years.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Celebration of Service Award, SWB Executive Director Jennifer Tepper and members of her staff were joined onstage by other winners from the past decade. Tepper dedicated the honor to the children who have participated in the organization’s programs.

“We at Soccer Without Borders alongside the many, many organizations who have been previously honored, are dedicated to this work because the values and life lessons that sports facilitate should be accessible to all,” Tepper said. “At SWB, our focus is on ensuring safe and welcoming spaces for youth to play, grow and belong.”

Sports Breakthrough of the Year — U.S. Open Mixed Doubles Championship

The U.S. Open’s reimagined mixed doubles championship was the definition of a breakthrough. It brought a discipline that’s historically seen fewer fans and media coverage into the spotlight and cemented the USTA’s years-long investment into its free-to-enter, pre-U.S. Open Fan Week by embedding within it an accredited Grand Slam championship.

Stacey Allaster, the U.S. Open’s outgoing tournament director, accepted the Breakthrough of the Year Award on the USTA’s behalf, flanked by several colleagues onstage. She thanked Lew Sherr, who catalyzed the project before leaving to join the Mets in mid-2025, and the U.S. Open’s new tournament director, Eric Butorac, who led player recruitment and formatting the competition itself.

“The USTA has always been known to break barriers and break through and be innovative,” Allaster said after stepping off-stage. “One of the most memorable experiences during the 2025 U.S. Open was sitting in the stands during the mixed doubles championship and fans thanking us.”

The core changes made by the USTA were condensing the mixed doubles field and competitive format; moving the event from being spread across the second week of the main draw to two standalone days during Fan Week; and juicing prize money from $200,000 to $1M.

The result was a raucous reception. Marquee stars like Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, Jess Pegula and Ben Shelton participated. The finals aired in prime time on ESPN and sold-out Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Though details are yet to be announced, Allaster said the event will continue and be even bigger and better moving forward.

“This was a phenomenal launch year,” she said. “2026 is going to be better.”

Sports Event of the Year — MLB, 2025 World Series

It may have been the best World Series of all-time, and now the seven-game Fall Classic is the SBA winner of Sports Event of the Year for 2025.

“I think the most important thing was the international overtone to the event,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said. “Canada and the U.S. against each other in the World Series made it special, at a point in time when we’re trying to grow our business internationally.”

Having international superstars like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. certainly helped as well. Overall the television viewership audience skewed younger, with an 11% increase in the 17-and-younger demographic.

“We are enjoying a lot of momentum, and I think it’s due to the fact that we listen to our fans,” Manfred said. “We’ve made some changes in the game that I think were really important, and we’ve been blessed with a great influx of young talent and a lot of it showed up and played in the World Series.”

Best in Talent Representation – CAA Sports

CAA Sports negotiated some of the biggest deals in sports in 2025 and represents some of the biggest names. CAA repped Josh Allen en route to a $330M extension with the Buffalo Bills, as well as driving more than $40M in off-field business for Allen and the Dodgers’ Ohtani. CAA also repped the Suns’ Devin Booker as he signed a 2-year, $145M maximum contract extension.

Those highlights led CAA to winning its seventh Sports Business Award for Best in Talent Representation in 19 years of the event. But those big deals and boldfaced names aren’t what CAA co-head Howie Nuchow highlighted as he accepted the award.

Instead, Nuchow noted CAA’s growth since expanding into sports 20 years ago. At that time, Nuchow estimated CAA had only 11 or 12 female employees, a number that has swelled to more than 500 globally now.

“It’s amazing to think that we have global players in the world of professional women’s hockey and in the WNBA, global soccer players, female broadcasters who are changing the game,” Nuchow said. “We still obviously have the boldfaced names and incredible clients like Shohei and Josh Allen, but how many they’re joined with now, how many female athletes we have and how many success stories we have with women broadcasters who are changing the marketplace.”

CAA beat out a stacked group of nominees that included Excel Sports Management, Klutch Sports Group, Octagon, The Team and WME Basketball.

Athletic Director of the Year — Candice Storey Lee, Vanderbilt

When a school’s 135-year-old football program gets its first 10-win season ever, people tend to stand up and take notice.

But it wasn’t just on-the-field success that led Vanderbilt’s Candice Storey Lee to a win as Athletic Director of the Year on Wednesday night at the Sports Business Awards.

The Commodores sold out six home football games last season, which is no easy feat for a school used to getting beat up in the brutal SEC.

“You can’t do it without people who believe in the vision, who will partner with you,” Lee said. “I’m so thankful for the leadership that I get to partner with, and also the people on our team who buy into what Vanderbilt is.”

Lee has also turned the campus in Nashville into a construction zone recently. She has overseen a new basketball operations center, football stadium upgrades and renovations for the golf and tennis team facilities. There is also more on the way, as the Commodores will be upgrading the baseball complex.

Vanderbilt had some tough times competitively in the SEC before Lee arrived, but she showed the school can succeed not just in academics but also cut through competitively with some of the biggest sports programs in the country.

“We talk at Vanderbilt a lot about dualities and how it doesn’t have to be ‘or’ – it can be ‘and,’” she said. “You can be a prestigious and academically rigorous institution and win in the SEC. You can be the smallest private school and dominate. You can be thoughtful and analytical, but also be bold and take risks and be aspirational. I love that we can check multiple boxes.”

Lee is the second woman to win Athletic Director of the Year, following Penn State’s Sandy Barbour in 2022.

Best in Sports Media — ESPN

One of the biggest years in ESPN’s history led to the network taking the award for Best in Sports Media on Wednesday night.

The list of benchmarks for ESPN was long. The network launched its direct-to-consumer ESPN App. In a landmark move, it acquired the NFL’s media assets in January — a transaction notable enough on its own to win the SBA for “Deal of the Year.”

ESPN EVP and Executive Editor/Sports News and Entertainment David Roberts, who’s retiring later this year, accepted the award for the network.

“We work for winners, and that’s the bottom line in this business,” Roberts said. “You win or you don’t win. And we work for winners at ESPN.”

ESPN acquired rights to WWE’s premium live events. It extended its deal for the NFL Draft. Elsewhere: An extension with — and equity stake in — the PLL and a pact that delivers the MLB.tv out-of-market service for ESPN DTC subs. Audiences stayed with ESPN, as it had its best year in over a decade for viewership, including its best WNBA season yet.

Others in the “Best in Sports Media” category included CBS Sports, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Prime Video and Rogers Sports & Media.

Roberts gave one piece of parting advice for Mike Foss, the ESPN executive who will take over for him later this year.

“Just be who he is,” Roberts said. “The best part about being in that culture is you’re allowed to be your authentic self. You have to be authentic, you have to be real and you have to be genuine.”

Lifetime Achievement Award — John Henry

John Henry spoke for 20 minutes upon accepting SBJ’s Lifetime Achievement Award, weaving self-deprecating humor, decades of anecdotes and gratitude for both fans and his longtime colleagues in an address to more than 1,000 attendees.

Henry was introduced to a standing ovation by David Ortiz, who called the Red Sox owner his “main man” and ribbed Yankees fans in the crowd. A video introducing Henry featured plaudits from his FSG colleagues Tom Werner, Red Sox President and CEO Sam Kennedy and Theo Epstein; Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan; and PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp and Commissioner Jay Monahan.

Henry began by acknowledging the importance of the fans, then reminisced on a career full of “quests” — to own a minor league baseball team, to win a World Series with the Red Sox, to revive Liverpool, to restructure the PGA Tour — on his way to building a global, multisport powerhouse that has become a model for others in Fenway Sports Group.

He also drew laughs upon retelling expletive-laden memories from his time working with the late Larry Lucchino and as a limited partner in the Yankees under George Steinbrenner — and when he joked that, while he was always told once you win a World Series in Boston you never have to buy another drink in town, “it doesn’t always work that way.”

“You can win,” he said. “But the next season you leave all that behind — and thankfully begin another quest. Like Fenway Park, that never gets old.”

At one point, Henry also gestured for FSG members to stand and receive applause. “These are the people you are honoring,” he said. “It’s a remarkable group who strive to excel everywhere with honesty and character.”

He closed by acknowledging his wife, Linda, and her impact on the city of Boston, FSG and the Henry family.

“Baseball opened up a fantastic world of trying to understand how games are won — not to mention: the drama, the stars, role models and the season-long endurance quest,” Henry said. “I could only imagine spectating. ... I could not have imagined becoming an actual part of it.”

Deal of the Year – ESPN acquires NFL Media assets in exchange for equity

The NFL long had much of its media business on the market, and it found a home for NFL Network, NFL RedZone and its fantasy football business with an old friend in ESPN. The unprecedented deal struck by the two sides took home the win in Deal of the Year at the SBAs on Wednesday night.

For ESPN, the deal brought added game inventory, talent and content from NFL Network, as well as another feather in Disney’s cap as it goes out negotiating carriage deals. ESPN also will operate the RedZone Channel, and be able to get creative with other sports and potential RedZone uses.

Perhaps most importantly, the acquisition gives ESPN more content to integrate into the new DTC service as it’s getting off the ground.

“The NFL is among the most important content that exists in sports media,” said Chara-Lynn Aguiar, ESPN’s CFO and EVP/Strategy, Research and Office of the Chairman. “We were really excited to have the opportunity to do this deal and to be able to bring more NFL content to sports fans, especially at a critical time when we were expanding our platform with the launch of ESPN DTC.”

The NFL also acquired a 10% stake in ESPN as part of the deal, connecting it with one the biggest sports brands on the planet — while also bringing ESPN even closer to one its top sports properties.

“It’s great for us to be in a closer partnership with one of our most important partners, and we look forward to working with the league in a way that is even more closely knit than in the past,” Aguiar said.

Agency of the Year: Brand Consulting — Octagon

Octagon earned Agency of the Year: Brand Consulting honors, scoring a rare repeat in one of the most competitive categories. The firm had a banner year, negotiating a series of mega-deals for its clients while positioning itself to be among the most influential players in this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

The agency reported a 53% year-over-year increase in new business from blue-chip brands such as CVS, Airbnb, DoorDash, DraftKings and Nutrafol, while nabbing naming rights to the McLaren F1 team for client Mastercard and sponsorship of the PGA Tour for Delta Air Lines.

Octagon is also working with eight of FIFA’s official sponsors for the World Cup, accounting for a third of the total roster. President of Marketing and Events for North America Lou Kovacs attributed the agency’s success to a combination of pedigree and new blood.

“Part of it is our legacy in World Cup globally and the experience that we have as an agency,” Kovacs said. “So, when you combine that with a lot of people who are newer to the agency in creative roles, in digital roles, our ability to help them get deals done and then also help them to think about how are they really going to bring it to life and drive business results — that’s a really powerful combination for us.”

Facility of the Year — Petco Park

Petco Park, the home of the Padres and plenty of other entertainment programming, experienced a seminal year in 2025.

The venue set a facility record in total attendance for the year, drawing 3.4 million fans. That included 72 Padres sellouts and more than 250 other events, ranging from the Savannah Bananas to multiple music festivals.

Padres EVP of Business Affairs Sergio del Prado called the milestones the “culmination of a lot of hard work,” spearheaded by the team’s CEO Erik Greupner and the Seidler family ownership group.

“You don’t have to be a baseball fan to come to Petco. You could be a country, rap, regional Mexican fan,” del Prado said. “We hope it really – and it has been – a gathering place for the community, and it’s a place where everybody’s welcome.”

Recent improvements to the park have also set it up for future success. Last year, the Padres renovated the Western Metal Building, including a new team store (which drove record merchandise sales) and a rooftop that connects to the Budweiser Loft hospitality area. It’s all part of a nine-figures investment poured into the park and surrounding areas in the past five years, headlined by the Gallagher Square park space.

“Our revenue growth speaks for itself, our attendance – but every day, it’s what have you done for me lately?” del Prado said. “And we continue to strive to get better.”

Viewership of the NBA Playoffs through the conference semifinals was the best for the league in 29 years, with games across NBC, ABC, ESPN and Prime Video averaging 4.5 million viewers. That figure does not include any Peacock-exclusive games, which the league and NBC Sports have chosen to not include (the NFL and NBC similarly do not include Peacock-exclusive games in league averages). Prime Video averaged 4.77 million viewers for its eight games during the second round. That was led by the final game, Cavaliers-Pistons Game 7 on Friday night, which drew 6.53 million viewers. Prime Video also had a median audience age of 45.0 for conference semis, which was around 10 years younger than what NBC/ABC/ESPN averaged in the round (54.5).

Spurs-Thunder WCF starts strong

NBC got off to a hot start for the Western Conference Finals with the Spurs’ double-OT win over the Thunder on Monday night, drawing the best NBA WCF Game 1 on record with a total audience delivery of 9.2 million viewers. Several Eastern Conference Finals have been higher -- most recently the 2011 Heat-Bulls opener on TNT, which drew 11.1 million. NBC is claiming that within that Monday night audience, 2.3 million viewers streamed the game on Peacock, making it the most-streamed NBA game yet for the platform. The TV audience for Spurs-Thunder Game 1 peaked at 12 million viewers in the second overtime (11:30-11:43pm ET). The game also delivered the best Monday for NBC since an episode of “The Voice” on March 13, 2023. Meanwhile, the game drove 1.3 billion views thus far on social media, which is the best yet for a conference finals game and second-most for any NBA game, per the league. The game was also the most-searched topic on Google on Tuesday.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame has long had one weekend when Cooperstown turns into baseball’s capital. Now, it’s trying to build another.

The Hall of Fame Military Classic, scheduled for May 23 at Doubleday Field, is part tribute, part tourism play and part sponsorship test. It’s a Memorial Day weekend event built around America’s 250th anniversary, former MLB stars, military-themed programming and a festival-style setup around the ballpark. For Hall President Josh Rawitch, the goal is to turn years of experimentation at Doubleday Field into a repeatable second tentpole beyond July’s induction weekend.

“Anything that drives 3,000 to 5,000 people to Cooperstown on a weekend when they might not have otherwise been coming, we see as a success,” he said.

Other events at Doubleday Field — such as a 2023 Savannah Bananas game and a tribute to the 2024 Negro Leagues with an East-West All-Star Game — sold out. The Hall expects attendance in the 5,700 range for the Military Classic, and Rawitch said the theme gives the event a broader point of connection than a traditional alumni game.

“The military is something that is a part of everyone in many ways. There’s almost nobody that you can think of who doesn’t have a family member who served, or a friend who served or themselves who served,” he said. “But we also want to make sure it’s got something for everyone.”

With Doubleday Field lacking a modern concourse, the Hall is effectively building one in the parking lot, turning it into a festival zone with food trucks, bounce houses, face painters, balloon artists and military-themed vehicle displays. The goal is to broaden the event’s potential audience beyond baseball enthusiasts and to increase the time a fan spends in the village. Inside the ballpark, the game will mix nostalgia and competition, with former MLB players such as Jeremy Affeldt and Nick Ahmed playing alongside and against Hall of Famers including Wade Boggs and Rollie Fingers.

The celebration will also extend into the museum. Planned exhibits include a display built around the American flag former MLB player Rick Monday rescued from being burned at Dodger Stadium in 1976. The Hall has also created a marked trail through the galleries highlighting 13 artifacts that connect baseball to themes from the Declaration of Independence and American history.

To break even on its “multiple six-figure” event budget, Rawitch said the Hall will need more than strong attendance. New Era has signed on as presenting sponsor and will provide game caps worn by players, while Ebbets Field Flannels has partnered with the Hall to produce retro-style uniforms themed to the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.

MLB is covering flights and hotel rooms for roughly 30 former players, while MLB Network will originate live editions of “Intentional Talk” and “MLB Now” from Cooperstown on May 22. The network cannot carry the game live because Doubleday Field lacks the broadcast infrastructure to accommodate a full game production, but it will provide post-event coverage.

If the event is a success, Rawitch said it could open the door for another iteration and give Cooperstown a second major weekend outside of induction.

Whenever there’s a sporting event of global import, those in the intellectual property business arm themselves against infringement, along with those who seek to infringe without venturing offside. With FIFA’s World Cup impending, Guinness has relaunched a venerable tagline that’s been sitting squarely in IP no-man’s land for decades: “The World’s Cup.”

Need we remind you that Anheuser-Busch has been the World Cup beer sponsor for only 40 years. That Guinness tagline dates to 1990. Trademark law defers to “confusion in the marketplace,” and FIFA would certainly insist that it has indisputable rights to “World Cup.” Hmmm.

FIFA’s IP claim (we await our own cease-and-desist letter) is somewhat weakened by the fact there are numerous sporting events using that same “World Cup” appellation. Included among those: the world cups of rugby, cricket, FIBA Basketball, alpine skiing, wrestling and golf — not to mention those in archery, softball, biathlon, boxing, roller derby, taekwondo and canoeing.

“World Cup can be seen as relatively generic depending on the category involved and how vigorously it has been defended,” said attorney George Daniel, former NLL commissioner and managing partner at Daniel Ebeling Maccia & Cohen. “I’d say there’s potential for litigation at the least.”

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Even so, Daniel recalls launching the Urban Fitness League along with Ben Sturner’s Leverage Agency on Coney Island in 2018 with the “World Cup of Fitness.” Still, he added, “You might not want to do that this June and July.”

Now, it’s not as if FIFA has been haphazardly defending its IP. Among its noteworthy cases over the years:

• 2022: Won litigation versus Puma over “PUMA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022″ and “PUMA WORLD CUP 2022” marks, which were cancelled.
• 2010: Another beer brouhaha: Dutch brewer Bavaria ambushed by placing three dozen women in orange dresses in the stands, representing the Netherlands’ national color. The women were removed, and FIFA pursued civil and criminal charges.
• 2010: South Africa’s Kulula Airline was forced by FIFA to pull an ad campaign claiming to be the “Unofficial National Carrier of the You-Know-What.”

By that last standard, it would seem that World Cup and “world’s cup” might be challenged. However, we note that Guinness’ political clout includes the influence that comes with being the beer sponsor of the EPL.

Now, to be clear, no litigation is pending on this. Guinness would tell you that the “cup” being referred to is a pint containing its own brew.

“Absent specific facts and circumstances, a ‘world cup’ for drinking seems like a very defensible use,” said Irwin Kishner, partner at Herrick Feinstein and co-chair of the firm’s Sports Law Group. “These sorts of cases have often been very good annuities for the legal profession. I can assure you lawyers studied this exhaustively.”

You’ll see dozens of World Cup ambush marketing attempts over the next two months. Just thought we’d give kudos for one of the best co-ops of top-shelf IP in 45-plus years at the intersection of sports and commerce.

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Since 2002, Black student athletes at Division I schools have increased their graduation rate from 56% to 82%. This improvement is supported by higher education reforms, including mandating stronger academic performance to be eligible to participate in college sports and requiring athletes meet benchmarks for degree completion to continue playing.

These efforts are not the result of exceptionalism, but of intention. The NCAA and universities have built systems of academic coaching, mentoring, and accountability around their athletes — who bring significant revenue to schools and are seen as commodities worthy of investment.

So when we see Black student athletes succeed within these structures, the question is no longer whether support works, but why it is not universally expanded to all Black students who need it, particularly Black men, who have the lowest graduation rates of any demographic on campus.

Because universities significantly profit from their athletic programs, they have a vested financial interest in ensuring their athletes stay academically eligible to play. Student athletes receive not only tutoring, but also help with planning and strategies for success, mentoring, leadership development and more.

A typical week for a student athlete might include a meeting with an adviser to guide them through their financial aid package, planning with a mentor to map out time management tactics, studying for an exam with a tutor, and evaluating summer internship options with a career counselor — all provided by the university and/or the NCAA. These student athletes move through systems designed to keep them engaged and accountable, with supports treated as necessities, not bonuses.

Meanwhile, Black, male non-athletes — who enter college with a number of barriers that place inherent roadblocks on their path to and through college — have to navigate these same challenges with limited support. They often enter college with financial constraints; experience culture shock and isolation at predominantly white institutions; and are often subjected to racial stereotypes.

Conversely, the experience of male students at HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities) reinforce how systems of support aid students’ success.

Black students at HBCUs are 33% more likely to graduate than their peers at similar non-HBCUs. HBCUs validate students’ Black identity, boosting their self-confidence; provide active support for students from both professors and alumni; have curricula and programming tailored to their needs and interests; and help students map out pathways to careers and/or advanced degrees.

Now it is time for all universities and policymakers to adopt an intentional investment model for the success of all Black male students, not just the ones who represent athletic revenue for their schools.

While college sports build entire ecosystems around young talent, too many Black boys grow up without access to consistent mentorship, academic guidance, or long-term development. Identity affirmation, cultivating a sense of belonging and high expectations should not only be reserved for athletes.

All students should have access to advising and wraparound support at the same level given to student athletes. There should also be intentionality in identifying and cultivating students’ talents early — similar to what happens to prodigious athletes. The Center for Black Educator Development works in middle and high schools to identify students’ interests in education early and provides mentoring, college readiness, and career exposure. Increasing access to non-athletic funding and scholarship opportunities is also valuable.

By extending proven methods of support to all students, particularly young Black men, more young people will have an equal chance to succeed.

Societies that fail to nurture talent absorb the cost of lost potential, while those that invest early and consistently tend to reap long-term economic and civic returns. The challenge now is whether we are willing to apply the same discipline, imagination, and commitment to all Black male students that we do for college athletes. Doing so requires an intentional shift in how we value youth, talent, and responsibility, and an acknowledgment that allowing Black boys to fall through the cracks is not inevitable. It is a choice.

Malcolm Jenkins is founder of The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation, and a two-time Super Bowl champion with the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles. Sharif El-Mekki is founder and CEO of the Center for Black Educator Development.

• The latest episode of the Sports Media Podcast features co-hosts Austin Karp and Josh Carpenter looking at what’s ahead for the NBA Playoffs, a big race weekend on tap and recapping the Sports Business Awards. Karp also interviews Guggenheim’s Michael Morris.
• The NHL entered into a memorandum of understanding to work with federal regulators on the oversight of sports prediction markets, agreeing to share information in an effort to police what has emerged as a popular form of sports betting in states that have not legalized it, reports SBJ’s Bill King.
• Google will serve as the presenting sponsor of the U.S. Soccer’s roster reveal show for the 2026 FIFA World Cup next week under a new deal struck with just weeks to kickoff, reports SBJ’s Alex Silverman.
• League One Volleyball is bringing an expansion franchise to Miami for the 2027 season, growing the league to 10 teams and introducing an Eastern and Western Conference format, reports SBJ’s Mary Gaughan.
• The Realest, authenticator of sports and entertainment industry collectibles and memorabilia, announced a partnership with PBR to launch an auction of used items collected during last week’s PBR World Finals: Championship, reports SBJ’s David Broughton.