In this week’s column, California Sports Lawyer® CEO and Managing Attorney Jeremy M. Evans discusses how executive leadership in sports and entertainment continues to evolve as organizations increasingly operate as media companies, technology companies, and global brands.
The most successful organizations may not simply have the best executives, but the right mix of executive roles.
You can read the full column below. (Past columns can be found, here).
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Professional sports organizations, including those at the collegiate level through athletic departments, are no longer homegrown sporting endeavors led by one owner and limited staff. Sports organizations are no longer just community institutions either. Sports organizations are clearly financial assets that require investment of not only on-the-field talent to win, but highly-skilled and varied front office talent. The talent in front offices for both sports organizations and entertainment organizations (sometimes one in the same) require a series of c-suite executives that includes a: Chief Technology Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Data Officer, Chief Content Officer, Chief Revenue Officer, Chief Legal Officer, and Chief Strategy Officer.
The titles may change from organization to organization, league to league, and country to country, but the principle of good and modern sports and entertainment management is still the same. The sports and entertainment business is always changing and so must the skills of leadership. Specifically, what talents are needed and why.
Historically, sports organizations were focused on competition, operations, and revenue. The movie and television business has followed much of the same process, except in entertainment it is competition for content as opposed to sport and the fight is among studios not franchises. Although, a good studio and team require the same things for success: great talent and great content (e.g., product on the field or screen) and sometimes good content is a franchise, pun intended.
The titles and talents needed in sports and entertainment has changed because of media fragmentation (more streamers), technology integration (artificial intelligence (“AI”) and the platforms that make up streamers), data-driven decision-making through the use of AI and analytics, and new forms of capital and investment where franchises are clearly a vehicle for financial gain and growth.
Today, skills like strategic thinking, cross-functional leadership, technology fluency, media and content understanding, and partnership development are required for competency and success. A sports and entertainment connoisseur or causal fan or even professional expert must recognize that there was far less competition in the past, fewer reasons to be distracted, and less access to public knowledge. The internet and social media have changed the way people socialize and engage with each other and content. There are more streamers and sports and content now than ever before. You might argue with the value or level of such content or talent, but nonetheless there is more. Sports and entertainment organizations are now media companies as much as they are content and talent cultivators.
Looking ahead, the most successful organizations may not simply have the best executives, but the right mix of executive roles. The definition of a sports executive will likely continue to evolve alongside sports, entertainment, and media businesses. The modern sports organization and or entertainment studio (even agents, lawyers, and law firms) resemble diversified business structures of people and entities rather than pure sports operations. As an example, the author negotiated an investment deal five years go with a well-known sports organization for an investment into a new league in a completely different sport, which is not something that the industry would consider normal twenty or even ten years ago.
Traditional leadership roles such as owner, president, commissioner, athletic director, and general manager are now being added to with other roles or the people in those roles have cross-functionality, knowledge, and skill. In college athletics, many of the professional sports roles are being adopted by the colleges because of NIL and the House settlement. AI has only increased the competition in entertainment and thus more skills and acumen are needed. As sports and entertainment organizations increasingly resemble media companies, technology companies, and global brands, the question is no longer whether executive roles are changing, but which roles will matter most in the years ahead and who will manage the future landscape best.
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About Jeremy M. Evans:
Jeremy M. Evans is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Founder & Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing entertainment, media, and sports clients in contractual, intellectual property, and dealmaking matters. An award-winning attorney and industry leader, Evans is based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.
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