It was really a simple ask. Pick people who are big thinkers and doers and ask them a simple question. Who are you following in this coming year who may be a little below the radar, but are innovative, have shown grit and have the ability to think a little differently.
We asked 40 people from around the world, all of whom we know, and all of whom have a place in sports, business media, storytelling, sales, marketing. When I looked at the list it included a POV from China, South Africa, the UK, Israel, Germany, Switzerland, Kenya, The UAE, India, Japan, the Philippines, Argentina, and Brazil as well as from the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.
Some of those I asked actually ended up another people’s lists, which is cool.
We also got some pretty worthy, albeit standard answers…Alexis Ohanian, Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Chris Paul, Ken Shropshire, Enes Freedom, Ted Leonsis, Tod Leiweke, Mike Levine, Steve Rosner, Michael Rubin, Gary Vee, Steph Curry, Michelle Roberts, Erica Nardini, Thomas Tull, Jason Robins, Maverick Carter, Val Ackerman, Gerry Cardinale, Paul Rabil, Dan Porter, Candace Parker, John Kosner, Pat McAfee, Dana White, Joe Tsai, Meghan Rapinoe, Peter O’Reilly, Kathy Carter, Jeff Ma, Stephanie McMahon and Jessica Berman, but what we also got where A LOT of different names from varied backgrounds, and what was even better, very rarely did any one person appear on ANYONE else’s list.
They are NOT all in sports…some are authors who influence them, some are first movers in spaces like crypto, some may seem like big names at big places but they were new to others who I asked, so why not include them. We also trimmed the list a bit as there were a few that didn’t really fit. Media members were on the digital side and we included everyone we thought made sense. We also eliminated a few conflicts of interest but there were very few.
The ones who did pop up more than once, which I guess makes them even more of a worthwhile follow were:
Kevin Jones, Founder of BlueWire (on four lists)…Spoken word remains the rage, and Kevin’s fast rise on all sides of content made him the only person to end up on four different lists (none of whom are his clients).
TJ Adeshola at Twitter (on three lists)… He’s one of the most connected people in sports and because he doesn’t work for an agency/team he has no agenda but to help you. The more time I spend with TJ the more I believe he’ll one day be the biggest things in sports.
Bo Han (on three lists)…founder/creator of Buzzer after a great run at Twitter. Still a lot of pieces/growth need to happen for Buzzer to really buzz but many are watching in 2022.
Jessica Gelman (on three lists)…running KAGR has the Harvard grad still atop many watch lists…we hope we all get to see her in person at MIT Sloan this year after a virtual event last year.
Bob Kendrick (on three lists) – Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president has a big year ahead of him with some big plans that are not yet announced, some tied to Buck O’Neil’s induction and others just trying to take the next steps in growing what they do there. He’s got big ambition, the right support and great ideas.
Zach Leonsis (three lists)- Zach’s work, his listening and his vision for all things Monumental Sports and Entertainment rightfully land him on multiple people’s lists from around the world
Angela Ruggiero (on three lists)- Similarly, this multiple Olympian now co-founder of Sports Innovation Lab always has her hand in many things new and interesting, which makes people want to watch and follow.
Michael Spirito (on three lists) former exec at YES Network now playing a major role investing in what could be the next wave of media companies (Buzzer, Overtime, etc.)
Kevin Warren (on three lists) The Big Ten Commissioner continues to weather the NCAA clouds while growing a wide and innovative footprint for the league. Those who picked Kevin were not from people in the college space, they were from the leadership area, which is even more impressive.
Zack Weiner (three lists) The early adopters early adopter, he and partner Dan Porter continue to expand engagement at Overtime for not just young people but in sports in general, and he maintains the eyes and ears of people in the investment space more than anywhere else.
The rest, not one duplicate amongst the 4o who responded. Pretty crazy but also shows the depth of thought when you ask people who sometimes never get asked, despite their positions of leadership and authority.
Below they are listed in alphabetical order (by last name) with a line of who and a link. Some are active on social (I included Twitter or LinkedIn or a website) some are not. But all are worth a look. Italics are the comments people sent in…
And this is not any kind of best of…it is a who comes to mind…so…keep em coming…
Shareef Abdur-Rahim President, G League. “Gentle giant of Disruption. College coaches have been frustrated with the ncaa for(ever?) and before Overtime, Shareef created a new professional path for hoops.”
Amy Azzi – Head of sponsorships at T-Mobile…for bringing T-Mobile’s sports partnerships together through innovative campaigns like the launch of T-Mobile and DRL’s 5G drone at the T-Mobile sponsored MLB Field of Dreams Game. Beyond box thinker, unusual for such a big brand.
Nakisa Bidarian– Much has been made about the Paul brothers this past year and they will keep growing. Bidarian, former UFC exec, is molding much of the path quietly and effectively.
Adam Bain– Former Twitter leader, went on to help reinvent the sneaker marketplace now doing indy investing on companies big and small. Below radar big thinker.
Matthew Ball–I learn so much from him about media and the metaverse. I can’t wait to read his Metaverse book that’s due out in July 2022. I could go on and on about him. He’s a must-follow/read in our media/entertainment space.
Keith Bank– KB Partners, Keith has a strong track record and reputation in leading his investment firm, KB Partners in their focus on early stage venture capital investments at the intersection of sports and technology.
Sam Bankman-Fried The CEO of FTX is an MIT grad with a passion for analytics and finance, and was tabbed for his innovation in the crypto space as well as for his passion for philanthropy.
Jon Batiste– One of the most prolific and versatile musicians of any generation, Jon Batiste has spent his career bringing music back to where it started — with the people. Jon was born in New Orleans into the legendary Batiste family, and later studied at the world-renowned Juilliard School in New York City. There, he established the Stay Human band which became famous for their musical virtuosity and their signature street performances called “love riots.” Batiste’s skills as a pianist, composer and bandleader quickly made him one of the country’s most sought-out collaborators and performers, with appearances that include the Grammys, Kennedy Center Honors, the US Open and the NBA All-Star Game.
Petrit Berisha – As Crypto becomes more and more mainstream, this young content creator is ahead of the curve with Cryptomedia, a well followed and still emerging newsletter and podcast on Sport and Crypto.
Sara Blakely –self made billionaire who built Spanx fully her own way and now looking to invest in women owned/led businesses. Mom of four kids under age of 12.
John Brennan – formerly at Snap and an investor in Angel City FC, he is now at the reins of Invisible Universe, making cartoons for the social space.
Sashi Brown– Not always out front, Sashi has used all his learnings in the legal world, the NFL and other stops to lead all the basketball reshaping on and off the court at Monumental Sports and Entertainment. He has the rare hand in all aspects of basketball, and the work he and his team are doing are paying off not just on all the courts but in the community as well.
Keli Callaghan – head of marketing at Algorand, the leading high-performance blockchain platform. You will see Keli and her amazing team disrupting sports and gaming through blockchain through incredibly innovative and technology-centric partnerships and activations.
Valerie Camillo– President, Philadelphia Flyers & Wells Fargo Center. I really love everything she is doing in Philly. She is creative and taking the unique team situation with ownership by Comcast to approach things differently. She wants to do things differently and has the impact to show success
Kevin Carroll– One of the most enthusiastic and exciting and learned storytellers on the planet. Watch what the University of Washington is doing with Kevin and his talents as a path forward, along with the work he is doing mentoring and inspiring young people.
David Chadwick- a 31 year old formerD1 basketball player at Rice and Valparaiso, Chadwick saw an opportunity to create a better solution for safe, secure reporting of issues for athletes of every age with RealResponse. The business exploded in 2021 and will keep tracking up in 2022.
Ari Chambers- Founder of HighlightHER. Amazing content creator and rising voice proactively storytelling and expanding the profile of women’s athletes and sports overall.
Rex Chapman– a storied NCAA and NBA career and issues on and off the court behind him, Chapman has become a must follow voice and personality on Twitter on all topics big and small.
Ian Charles– Arctos Partners – a rock star fundraiser at Landmark is now making a major impact in sports through private equity.
Meghan Chayka– Data analytics and entrepreneur for Statletes, a Canadian company doing for hockey stats what others have done for baseball and football.
Nate Checketts– Built RHONE into a heck of a men’s activewear brand with some of the biggest names coming along for the ride. Quiet and understated but always involved in looking for what we should be watching, and doing, next.
Cameron Chell – CEO/Founder of Draganfly, an award-winning, industry leading drone systems and solutions provider, for coming on as a founding partner of DRL Labs, an innovation hub to develop groundbreaking technology that advances the sport of drone racing and supports communities around the world
Kevin Clark – Kevin has already made a name for himself as one of Bill Simmons’ The Ringer’s main NFL writers, but he is about to take a new, more dynamic step. His social media activity has led to his beloved Orlando Magic changing their in-arena music playlist and he’s now contributing to The Ringer’s golf content.
Amber Cox– From the BIG EAST to the WNBA to Lacrosse now to the NWSL’s KC Current, she has always been known as a smart and effective marketer who drives interest and ROI at places on the rise.
Dennis Crowley– A lifelong disruptor, Dennis co-founded Foursquare and Dodgeball and turned his passion for soccer into owning, running and reinventing professional soccer in this country with the Kingston Stockade. What they have been able to build on a small level in a Hudson Valley community is a blueprint for what fun and cost-efficient sports can be.
Sophia Harrison Curcio – The suburban Philadelphia resident is Director of Partnership Development, CustomED, providing customizable and scalable programs, experiential events and tools that scale impact and support corporate social responsibilities initiatives for companies and organizations around the country.
Jacquelyn Dahl – 1Up Marketing – She is the manager & brains behind Patrick Mahomes and all of his key activations.
Kim Davis- Senior Executive Vice President, NHL. All things around D & I at the NHL begin and run through Kim Davis. She is so key in what the NHL is addressing and adapting in inclusivity throughout the league.
Alison Desir– A recreational athlete pushing outdoor industry to better diversity and inclusion and awareness of importance of mental health. She is the founder of Harlem Run, an NYC-based running movement, and is co-chair of the newly formed Running Industry Diversity Coalition. They seek to make the running industry more equitable and inclusive.
Marc de Grandpre– General Manager of the New York Red Bulls. The single best leader I have worked with. Fearless, compassionate, empathetic and trustworthy.
Elise DeLuca – Youth Football Coordinator, Carolina Panthers. Elise is really a force of nature. She understands community and how to motive people through sports and education. Her career path is just starting, but lets see where she is in three years.
Skip Desjardin – Head of sports and local content for YouTubeTV. He is going way ahead of his competition to build and engage fans who he understands.
Greydy Diaz – A fun, talented basketball on-air talent, Greydy has contributed to FIBA, The Undefeated and Sports Illustrated. Seems like she has a ton of talent and likability, but hasn’t found an official home yet.
Chris Dickerson- Former MLB player, entrepreneur, big thinker he founded Players For The Planet, using his community, especially players in baseball to raise awareness of environmental issues.
Laura Dixon- After leading almost a decade of initiatives at the San Antonio Spurs she co-created and is running Pro Sports Assembly, which is helping to bring executives together to listen, learn, share great work and expand the industry as one.
Marie Donoghue – VP, Global Sports Video at Amazon. Not under-the-radar, but very intrigued about how AMZ leverages all their properties to produce NFL next year. From Alexa-enabled devices and Smart TVs to Amazon Prime content cross-over to Next Gen stats. Amazon appears to be the only player that could truly change the fan experience across multiple engagement points
Caiti Donovan- SVP Insights, Sports Innovation Lab. Caiti is all about inclusion and growing awareness and brand value tied to woman’s sports in particular. She has an amazing head for analytics and is someone you want in the room when having big conversations.
Tim Donnelly – Co-founder of Sea Hear Now Music Festival in NJ. His unique and out of the box vision of bringing the power of surfing with live music and art, at its highest form.
Randy Eccker– Randy always has his hands on what’s next, from data and analytics to AR and VR. He isn’t always out front with his thoughts and businesses, but he knows what will work and how to build.
Paul Edgerley– When we think of the big names in private equity we always hear about, Paul’s name, by choice, isn’t always on the list. However he is minority partner in both the KC Royals and the Celtics, and is an incredible philanthropist to Harvard, K-State, and others. A doer, not just a sayer.
Jeff Eisenband– Jeff is humble and respectful but at a young age has grasped and expanded his reach as a content creator and influencer in areas like golf, gaming (especially NBA 2k), the NBA and other areas. He always looks for the blue ocean, and has built respect from peers and partners.
Megan Eugenio…aka “Overtime Megan” She is more than just a “creator,” Megan understands fandom and knows how to engage and capture and share unique stories like few others. A must follow for anything tied to women’s athletics.
Sam Farber– Goldin Auctions- former NBA exec who is now leading the business at one of the most successful sports collectibles marketplaces- after driving efficiency the next step for the company will be to add technology.
Alyson Felix– Can one of the most decorated and respected track and field athletes of all time be on this list? Yes. Why? Look at the work she is doing for mothers who are athletes, how she takes on big causes and gives selflessly. Few at her level do that, and that’s why in her post Olympics career she may be even more important than all the medals she has won prior.
Leylah Fernandez- Just 19 and the Canadian athlete of the year, her maturity, her poise, her multicultural background makes her one of the brightest young athletes on the planet. Her US Open run last fall wasn’t a fluke, andin a sport of young stars she has the potential to be the brightest
Sarah Flynn– CMO, ThirtyFive Ventures. Sarah is the guiding force behind so much at ThirtyFive Ventures. Smart, down to earth, very practical she really makes the business thrive. Amazing more don’t know about her, maybe they will now.
Jim Gagliano –President and COO of The Jockey Club. Can GPS everywhere impact the survival and prosperity of horse racing in the US? Can new data metrics, instant results, training data, exact splits and the overlays derived from GPS everywhere impact the bettors and fans as horse racing attempts to grab a piece of the sports betting boom. I’m watching how TJC and Equibase roll this out over the next few years and ties it into the casual bettor market.
Allison Galer – Founder, Disrupt the Game Rarely have I been more impressed with a representative since seeing Allison speak on a panel in 2019. She’s absolutely no-bullshit, built the seeds of her powerhouse agency from the ground up, and is a tireless and strategic partner for her clients from a wholistic approach.
Jason Gallagher – Head of Production, ThreeFourTwo Productions. Jason is a top-notch creative and his instinct for comedy and how it applies to current events in sports and culture is unmatched. The fact that he went in-house at ThreeFourTwo with JJ Redick and Tommy Alter speaks volumes to their long-term potential.
Oracio Galindo Head of People at LA Rams. Collaborative, transformational, systems thinker…I’d argue he is the reason the Rams keep getting recognized for their various successes off the field. Not a bad record on the field either. He’s also the architect of the Pro Sports Equity Assessor.
Tom Garfinkel, CEO Miami Dolphins – While he and his teams are always in the news, he has to be on the very short list for MLB/NFL commissioner and if he’s not, I don’t expect any real change because what he’s done to rejuvenate the Dolphins/Hard Rock without any success on the field is truly amazing. He’s one of the few people I admire greatly.
Ishwara Glassman Chrein – Chicago Fire President. She’s the Ted Lasso of the Front Office, coming from Yahoo and not being in soccer before – her impact is clear
Roham Gharegozlou – Dapper Labs, Founder CEO. The year started with the world all engaged with NFT’s, and Top Shot led the way. All are looking to see what is coming beyond Top Shot.
Richard Gillis Richard gets audio and fan engagement, and he is why Unofficial Partner does by far the most interesting range of sports business podcasts in the UK
Jeremy Goldberg – Worldwide Director of Critical Infrastructure at Microsoft. Jeremy is one step ahead of everyone else when it comes to data. Microsoft is so important for the business of sports on so many levels, from what goes on on the field to sports gambling and fan engagement, he is a key, rarely noticed player.
Sheera Goren Zygo– If she were a male founder, likely she’d already be on to a Series B round, but, women founders, receive something like 4% of all VC investment, which is, frankly, pretty offensive, but she is building the business, through Covid (with pool closures, etc), and the product is great and really deserves to be “the next” Hydrow or Mirror, or whatever…
Ben Greenfield, Fitness Trainer. While many talk in the fitness space, Ben does. He is behind the scenes many times sculpting what’s real and will be so key as our world looks more and more at the value and importance of healthy lifestyle, eating and engagement as we emerge from the Pandemic.
Hayes Grooms – Head of Talent Engagement at Dapper Laps, Hayes is signing the business deals that keep the company vibrant and growing in a crowded NFT space.
Ty Haney– She has built and learned from her amazing platform Outdoor Voices, and now is moving into a new venture we should be watching that combines that space with the Crypto world, all the while being a smart and progressive mom of two.
Tommy Hatton – Co-Founder Learn to Win . From a UNC lineman to entrepreneur, Hatton saw a small opportunity and blew it wide open. They started by attacking the microlearning space for college football playbooks with a small app. They now have clients from aerospace to medicine to athletics with the same concept. Not every tech idea has to be AI/ML. Simple concept with huge adoption trail. Watch where they go.
Robert Hess – You can’t spell “Chess” without Hess, and Robert, a Grandmaster, is one of the bright and engaging faces and voices on Chess.com, with lots of experience in the social space in other sports as well.
Wim Hof, “The Ice Man”- NBA fans knew George Gervin as “The Ice Man,” but this Scandinavian has been featured on “Real Sports” and countless other places for his mind over cold, ways of deepening thought and healthy bodies, by using the coldest of water for he and his clients.
Ross Hoffman CEO at Goldin Auctions, because they’re building a big business that already has real free cash flow, not just a burn rate and a dream
Ryan Holiday The author of Trust Me, I’m Lying; The Obstacle Is the Way; Ego Is the Enemy; Conspiracy and other books about marketing, culture, and the human condition. His company, Brass Check, has advised companies such as Google, TASER, and Complex, as well as multiplatinum musicians and some of the biggest authors in the world. A guy we all need to follow more.
Karen Hunter– award winning author, publisher, radio host and head of programming for Sirius XM Urban View. She owns the site thehub.news (I have a content partnership with them), co-hosts a YouTube channel “In Class with Carr” on Black history and social issues, created Knarrative (“the official home of the largest Africana studies class in the world”. The K is silent) and just launched a social media platform “Knubia”. She started as a sports writer for the Daily News back in the 90s. She’s a good friend and a true leader and an inspiration.
Marc Horine If you want to blend soccer and business and build culture and community then have Marc on your list. He has helped lead and shape For Soccer Ventures into a blossoming, inclusive platform despite the Pandemic. Everyone around soccer knows Marc gets it, and he will be really important heading into a World Cup year for the business side of the sport.
Felisa Israel – Founder of IMPACT for elevating the next generation of sports and marketing leaders. She understands what motivates and how to engage young people, and helps put those young people in a position of success.
Jesse Iwuji– From football at Navy to military service now to NASCAR, Jesse is constantly inspiring and blazing new trails. How he doesn’t hit more radar screens is amazing, but he is a Navy guy, so he will be on the radar soon!
Brandon “Jinx” Jenkins – Multi-hyphenate Host & Creator. Jinx is one of the most unique talents in media right now. He’s a thoughtful translator, with a singular ability to approach any topic in culture from a 360º perspective and make it digestible and compelling to any audience.
Andy Johnson– The founder of The Fried Egg, one of golf’s fastest growing media companies. Original content, YouTube offerings and many key media pieces that golf needs more of to keep growing.
Autumn Johnson – NBA 2K League sideline reporter who worked as NCAA Women’s Basketball’s official reporter last year and is contributing to the Big Ten Network as talent this year. Also did some sidelines for Atlanta Dream last year. Moving up fast in women’s basketball space.
Gary Johnson – Head of Community Partnerships + Social Impact, CashApp. Gary cares about Next Gen and community like few others. CashApp is the way he is helping guide financial literacy, spending and investing for millions of those in underserved communities. A real leader in a space that might not be the sexiest but is critically important.
Josiah Johnson– The King of NBA Twitter. The guy spent a career learning, building and understanding the value of content in short bursts. He was around the best in basketball throughout his life and now has built a smart, effective and engaging media company that is attracting great attention form so many sectors. He has to be on everyone’s must follow list, twitter or not.
Sulaika Jaoud : New York Times bestselling author, Emmy Award-winning journalist, Creator of the Isolation Journals, & TED Speaker. Suleika Jaouad (pronounced Su-lake-uh Ja-wad) is the author of the instant New York Times bestselling memoir, Between Two Kingdoms. She wrote the Emmy Award-winning New York Times column “Life, Interrupted” and her reported features and essays have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Vogue, and NPR, among other publications. A highly sought-after speaker, her mainstage TED Talk was one of the ten most popular of 2019 and has nearly five million views.
Nicolas Julia Sorare Co-Founder/CEO. Nicholas understands fandom and how it will continue to grow in a digital community. Anyone in futbol not looking at Sorare is missing the boat.
Youssef Kalad – MBA student at Wharton, and a key part of Aspen Digital, leading the strategic planning and program design for a national program to bridge the digital divide, which affects 15-20M children in the US. The program equips young people with the tools, protections, and skills they need to safely and effectively connect to the internet.
Melissa Kandrach – Chief of Staff and Head of Operations at Buzzer. While Bo Han is out raising money and telling the story, Melissa manages the vision and makes sure this intriguing startup has gas in the tank with its partners.
Gillian Kemmerer- An American in Russia, Gillian is perhaps the best English language contact for the KHL, living and working in St. Petersburg now.
Nick Kelly, President Charlotte FC– Nick advanced the initiatives at AB InBev well beyond the traditional, and as one the first to step up and out real dollars behind women’s soccer exclusively. He is now carving the path for Charlotte FC as they get ready to launch with great excitement and fanfare. Plus he is always looking to mentor the Next Generation of leaders, which is sometimes rare for someone in his position.
Yusuf Khan– Founder, First and Pen. Yusuf has led the charge for storytelling amongst athletes and executives of color, and recently launched his latest platform First and Pen. Curious educator and smart salesperson, he is creating content that should not slip through the cracks.
Soo Kim, Bally’s – Chairman of the Board. He’s on a mission in acquiring and integrating various businesses/assets within sports/entertainment and betting to drive engagement.
Jarrod Kimber–If you want fun and engaging content about cricket, then latch of to Jarrod. The Australian cricket writer and film-maker came to prominence as the founder of the cricketwithballs blog, before working as editor of SPIN Magazine and then as a writer for ESPNCricinfo. He has written five books on cricket and was jointly responsible for the award winning film Death of a Gentleman.
Jared Kleinstein – Another multifaceted storyteller, he is CEO of Fresh Tape Media, working with everyone from the PBR to the Colorado Rockies to Twitter and the NHL on expanding the content horizon no matter what the device or the audience.
Tim Klitch Founder/CEO, Austin Pickle Ranch. Former banker turned competitive Pickle Baller, turned Pickleball facility developer, and rumor has it…Brene Brown’s favorite place to play is in his back yard.
Amanda Kloots A fitness entrepreneur and former Rockette whose husband, Broadway star Nick Cordero, died of COVID at the start of the pandemic. Relentlessly positive and ambitious despite crippling grief. Now a co-host on CBS’s The Talk and was just a finalist on Dancing with the Stars.
Eric Kussin- As mental health becomes more and more of a focus, Eric and his foundation, “Same Here,” are working with such a wide swath of athletes to raise awareness and generate positivity around such a critical area.
Sarah Langs– MLB.com and MLB Network’s stat guru, Sarah is a baseball encyclopedia and a general ball of energy for MLB verticals. MLB had her host a weekly Twitch show answering baseball questions and she is a must-follow for every MLB fan. Feels like she’ll continue to get big opportunities.
Hally Leadbetter – Golf Digest’s main talent and a GolfTV contributor, Hally is one of the more fun, forward-thinking people in golf. Her father David is a legendary golf instructor, which helps her bridge the gap between the old and new era.
Alex Lebow – Head of Growth, HR&A Advisors. Alex led the charge at NIKE as an educator, public servant, non-profit founder, board member, corporate sustainability professional, executive director — and all of them have inspired him to mobilize people towards collective action. He has remained focused on driving sustainable impact across public, private and non-profit sectors.
Eric LeGrand– Entrepreneur, philanthropist, broadcaster there is very little this former Rutgers football star hasn’t done to lift those around him despite his paralysis from an injury when playing for The Scarlet Knights. His NIL program, which involves current Rutgers athletes, as well as his apparel business and his coffee project are just the latest examples of someone who meets obstacles head on and keeps going with a smile.
Arthur Leopold– Chief Business Officer at Cameo, because he managed to turn this “happy birthday video” business into one that’s uniquely well-positioned to capitalize on trends around the creator economy, NIL, and the evolution of corporate events.
Andy Loughnane– President, Austin FC. Harnessing the energy of a pro sports deprived wealthy, fast growing community and doing it boldly and humbly.
Rajiv Maheswaran– President, Second Spectrum In a world of sports etch talkers Rajiv is a doer, many times letting others take the credit for his vision and success. Their business is set to explode this year through work with some of the biggest leagues on the planet, all of which is now coming to a head as 5G takes hold.
Scott Mahoney – CEO, Peter Millar. Raleigh-based golf clothier has skyrocketed over the past few years from a niche golf brand to a lifestyle. The caliber of golf club can inextricably be tied to whether Millar allows them to carry their brand. The acquisition of Mossimo’s trendy G/FORE brand several years ago allowed them to cover the spectrum and target a new generation of young golfers. Gone are the days of standard khakis and plain golf shoes. Watch the loud G/FORE influence on the Tour 2022.
Anmol Malhotra– Head of sports partnerships at Snap. He is a big thinker who has led the path in keeping Snap and engaged and relevant in a business that changes focus in seconds. He has a deep belief in community engagement as well, and is always willing to find ways to help those coming up the ladder.
Jeffrey Martin – Sr. Director, Communications + Diversity and Inclusion at Oregon Health & Science University. Skilled communicator and content producer with nearly 20 years experience shaping and sharing stories on multiple platforms, including digital and social media. Fascinated by how readers/consumers connect with story and identifying what drives audience to act/react.
Kyle Martino – In addition to his most visible gigs talking about soccer, Kyle is the Founder, Over Under Initiative & Street FC, which is brining pickup soccer programs to kids of all ages in inner cities.
Andrea Masenda Lo – Head of Video Creative & Production, Boardroom. Andrea is a rocket ship. She’s incredibly creative, intuitive, and commanding in her approach to content and I’m very excited to follow her impact on Boardroom as they grow.
Deuce Mason and Morgan Ragan – The co-podcast hosts started as Stockton Kings talent and have now moved up to do Sacramento Kings content. They create strong content and get good NBA guests, as their following grows slowly, but strongly.
Jared McCain– This high school basketball player from California has mastered social spaces like TikTok. He will be a force influencing young people away from basketball in the next year, just watch.
Kaiya McCullough– former UCLA soccer player, advocate, activist and cofounder and chairwoman of the anti-racist soccer club. She’s very outspoken as it relates to social issues, particularly in soccer and she’s part of the young generation using social media to bring change in sports
Greg McKeown, Author. One of the most creative thinkers we have. If you are a coach, an athlete, an executive you will see how his thoughts will help you to lead.
Keith McPherson – Formerly at Jomboy Media, Keith just took over the 7-12 p.m. slot at WFAN. A diehard Yankees and Nets fan, he’s also contributed to the YES Network and fits in with WFAN pumping both teams. He’s a star at fan journalism, fighting hard for the teams he roots for.
Renee Montgomery – Co-Owner Atlanta Dream & Co-Host Takeline Podcast. Renee is a force and I am deeply envious of and impressed by her range of competencies. Her extremely compelling insights are a unique and engaging complement to the dynamic Jason Concepcion on Takeline, and I’m always eager to hear what she has to say on the topics of the week.
Olivia Moody, a.k.a. Livmoods A Fast riserst with Colin Cowherd’s Volume Sports. Also a FanDuel/FD Sportsbook contributor, Liv is smart, not gimmicky with her sports betting content.
Greg Moore – Commissioner, SIAC Greg is a big thinker who quietly and effectively gets things done at the largest HBCU Conference in the country. Just because they are DII doesn’t mean their schools don’t do D1 level work.
Evan Moore and Jashvina Shah– their book “Game Misconduct: Hockey’s Toxic Culture and how to fix it”, is really opening eyes in the sport. You already know Evan and he and Jashvina have been covering and writing about hockey for a while, but I think this book really elevated them in the industry and added a new voice to the sport.
Johnny L “Johnny” Morris —Totally self-made…founded Bass Pro Shops in 1972 by selling fishing equipment from the back of one of his father’s Brown Derby liquor stores in Springfield, MO. In 2017, Bass Pro acquired Cabela’s, nearly doubling the company’s size (also owns the world’s largest-volume boat manufacturer, White River Maine Group). Morris is now constructing Thunder Ridge Area – a giant amphitheater arena that will host everything from concerts to dirt-motor events to bull riding.
Ashley Nicole Moss – A grinder with an NYC background, she spent her first 5 years out of college in the Miami media scene. After recently becoming an SNY regular and then full-time talent at Sports Illustrated, she has now become a fixture in the sports media sphere. Becoming SI’s main on-air host and also co-hosts podcast with Uninterrupted.
Ami Moyal is the founder of the largest cereal specific Instagram influencer page on the planet. @CerealLife..
Amanda Mull, staff writer at The Atlantic – not only a great writer, but a curious journalist, who is not only adept at knowing which questions we want answers, but also at finding the answers herself
Cal Newport – Author, Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University. I’m listing him b/c of his book Deep Work, it’s about how to cultivated a deep work ethic without distraction in our connected world. It’s a fantastic read in helping transform your mind and habits to support one’s ability master complicated information and produce better results.
Kim Ng – The General Manager of the Miami Marlins and an understated trailblazer in leadership.
Kara Nortman– Partner, Upfront Ventures. A basketball and mountain biking junkie, Kara gets the blend of sports and business. She leverages her own founder experience to help entrepreneurs build high-performing teams across software and consumer businesses. She is also a founding member of All Raise, dedicated to diversity in founders and funders, and co-founder of Angel City FC.
Chris Nyari– Head of Advertising Strategy & Partnerships, Global at DAZN Group. Chris understands the old guard and how business is done but always has the ability to see, and build towards where we are going. He did amazing work at FC Bayern Munich in the US and is helping DAZN navigate a path that can work for them as well.
Troy Osinoff– Whether its funds like Juice, The Magic Fund or Stealth, Troy is ahead of the game. He understands the social space, is astute in how to make Crypto work in business, and his hands quietly on many companies that will be life changing in health and wellness.
Monica Paul Executive Director Dallas Sports Commission She has so much business in the pipeline and an evolving business model that will make Dallas even harder to compete with. During January (Human Trafficking Awareness Month) she has all pro, college and a number of grassroots organizations taking human trafficking awareness training.
Fred Perpall – CEO The Beck Group. Great immigrant success story. Just joined the FedEx Board of Directors and was recently named as president-elect of the USGA (term as president begins 2023). He’s the first African-American to hold that position within USGA.
Jim Phillips– Commissioner ACC. Jim has had a heck of a first year. He may not be a shouter but he is a thinker, a listener and a builder. Let others take credit for things, he will lead the ACC with a vision and a style that is a little different from others, just watch.
Anthony Pompliano– While his brother Joe works on becoming an influencer in sports business, Anthony has built and sold numerous companies, run product and growth teams at Facebook and Snapchat, and invested over $100 million in early-stage technology companies. He also produces the crypto newsletter, “Off the Chain.” Probably the guy you want to watch and follow.
Quinn– A Canadian professional soccer player and Olympic gold medalist who plays as a midfielder for OL Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and the Canada national team. Quinn became the first out, transgender, non-binary athlete to compete at the Olympics, the first to medal, and the first to earn a gold medal. They are leading by example and have a bright future ahead.
Omar Raja– One of the best content minds in the industry has found success for ESPN on IG and now Tiktok
Josh Rawitch– President, Baseball Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame didn’t need another PR person to be their head, they needed the right person…someone who is multilingual, empathetic, can build bridges and help the Hall expand and realize its potential. He is the right person for the job and its exciting to see what he will be leading for a sport that is still very staid and risk averse in many ways.
Meghan Reyes – While she has worked in sports for over a decade, she really became the talk when, in February, she designed and marketed a T-shirt making a simple declaration for more diverse voices in sports. The shirt lists identity markers she feels are underrepresented in the sports world, including women, Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, and LGBTQ+. She also partnered with a trio of advocacy organizations—Athlete Ally, the Black Women’s Player Collective, and Move United—that could benefit from proceeds raised via shirt sales. She has expanded her voice with a podcast and is making many traditionalists think and engage even more in 2022.
Maisha Riddlespringer– Head of Academics at Overtime Elite. While everyone talks about the basketball skills of these young people, someone has to make sure life skills are part of the mix, and that’s where Maisha is critical. She has worked as an educator enlightening young people in DC and LA, and she really understands the academic and athletic mix.
Tommy Rivs and his wife Stephanie Puzey ; Tommy is a husband, father, accomplished marathoner, trail and ultra runner, iFit Trainer, anthropologist, linguist, doctor of physical therapy and licensed massage therapist who works on some of the best endurance athletes in the world when they are training in his hometown of Flagstaff, Arizona. He is currently battling a rare form of blood cancer and his wife has been an incredible caregiver and sharing the amazing story writing online.
Daron K. Roberts – Founding Director, Center for Sports Leadership & Innovation at UT-Austin. In a city of innovative leadership Daron is a first mover helping some of the next generation move things ahead.
Matt Roberts– Matt founded D1 Ticker and has expanded the newsletter across all college divisions, making it the must read newsletter for the space twice daily.
Jen Rottenberg– Head of Partnerships at Athleta. Jen is a doer, she understands both the practical business and the cutting edge side, and is a tireless advocate of the impact diverse voices can have. In the health and apparel space her past work is going to be critical to help Athleta not just spend but succeed.
Haley Rosen CEO,Just Women’s Sports – Former Stanford soccer star saw and created the opportunity to give women athletes a stronger, diverse and integrated voice and went and got the funding to make it happen. This next year will be critical as they expand and grow. Their approach is smart, inclusive and different and they have the backing to succeed.
Davyeon Ross– A founders founder, saw an opportunity as a basketball player with a head for business and analytics and transformed it into ShotTracker, which continues to reinvent analytics and engagement on the college sports side.
Dylan Sadiq A 21 year old soon to be Rutgers grad, the first generation engineering student took a passion and a skill for using Rubik’s cubes and launched The College Cuber, where he refashions the cubes into sports art. Who knows how far his creative spirit can take him.
Bilal Saeed– Founder of the anti-racist soccer club and chairman and co-owner of AFC Ann Arbor soccer club. He’s a big community activist and is a major figure in Michigan soccer, especially at the youth level.
Farokh Sarmad– Canadian founder of Goodlife Media & Communication. Owns and operates one of the largest luxury and real estate distribution networks on Instagram (13m+ followers), generating over 250 million impressions a month. Amazing job looking for innovative and unique ways to market and reach Gen Z and Millenials.
Scott Savran. Director of Scout 360 Oversees all client analytical and measurement strategies. If anyone is going to create an industry accepted method of sports sponsorship analytics it’s going to be him.
Zoe Scaman– UK based, founder of Bodicious, a strategy studio with a focus on the future of fandoms, new forms of entertainment, boundary-pushing brands, blockchain and crypto-native projects, the creator economy and more.
RJ Scaringe, CEO and Founder of Rivian. Maybe not below the radar in the entrepreneur world, watch what Rivian will be doing in and around sports in the coming years in marketing and partnerships.
Buster Scher– Founder of Hoops Nation. While Buster is known for his disruptive and first mover status around basketball, what he is doing with content across many platforms in the collectible space is also very impressive. He has the ear, and he eyes, of many on the senior management side, not to mention the entertainment space.
Derek Schiller, President, Atlanta Braves. Derek shuns a lot of the limelight but he will have to get used to being in it, as what he has done expanding the Braves brand, as well as developing such a vast business opportunity with the team and the area around its stadium, is really a model for what others will be doing into the future.
Richard Schwartz, President Rush Street Interactive. Richard flies under radar so far, but he is building a great platform in the casino and online gaming space. he won’t be very quiet as the space continues to expand.
Ann Seeney, VP of Human Resources at St. Louis Cardinals. Newly minted MJ from Tulane, she’s whip smart and beloved by MLB insiders…and that fan club is growing.
Caster Semenya Olympic medalist in track and field who has been a shining light of clarity and support in her battle for athletes not fitting in a “gender box.” She battles and explains with dignity and grace and will continue to compete and speak out for herself and others.
Nik Sharma Nik is a born disruptor who has invested in brands and platforms that are not just good business, they are fun. We need more people who speak and act and also mentor the next generation.
Jay Shetty English author, content creator, podcast host and former Hindu monk, Jay’s words and actions inspire millions, and need to inspire more, especially many of us involved in the competitive business of sport!
Justine Siegal Founder, Baseball for All. Justine is a doer who has never let “no” in the traditional world of baseball stop her. Coach, mentor, marketer, public speaker, she works unceasingly to explain and create opportunities not just on the field, but in the front office for women with an interest in the great sport of baseball.
Russell Silvers/Nick Baker AEG– They were hands down the best partners I ever worked with because of their openness to try new things, no matter how crazy or challenging. Knowing that, I’m not shocked they set the naming rights deal with Crypto.com.
Harnarayan Singh– Canadian sports announcer and journalist and host of the Punjabi-language broadcast of Hockey Night in Canada.
Celia Soller – Celia is senior at Ohio State University, and a Nike Project MOVE campus leader. She gets content and philanthropy and knows how to motivate young people to succeed. We need more Celia’s in the space.
Ryan Spoon– Sorare- the former ESPN and more recently BetMGM exec will now help lead Sorare in the US- can we finally see some real stickiness with NFTs in sports?
Derek Stevens – In a town like Las Vegas that is always changing, Derek is taking the time to invoke smart change, not just change for change sake. He sees and knows how powerful sports is to the town, and is finding ways to work as an insider to bring that power even more so to the city and its surrounding communities.
Blake Stuchin– Vice President and Head of Digital Media Business Development at National Football League. While the NFL deals with its tremendous success of today, Blake is tasked with looking ahead and finding the opportunities of tomorrow, and he does it really well. He has his ears always listening for how the league can take advantage of all it has to offer to reach new audiences and has that great gift to make everyone around him feel great.
Aaron Taylor– CBS Sports Analyst and founder of the Joe Moore Award. Aaron is a type a doer who has seen the highs and lows of professional sports as a player, and now spends most of his time looking and acting big picture. The Moore Award, mental health initiatives and other philanthropic causes are where he is doing the most for others. He is a team first guy through and through and doesn’t get a lot of credit where it is due.
Caty Tedman, Head of Partnerships at Dapper Labs, because she’s the first lady of NFTs and still has way too low of a profile for all she’s accomplished in this industry already
Henrik Teisbæk – The Danish entrepreneur is the co-founder of VEO, which is trying to find smart and creative ways to bring AI to youth sports like soccer. He knows how to raise awareness and enthusiasm in many sectors.
Lyle Thompson- Professional Lacrosse player, PLL and Georgia Swarm of NLL. Indigenous peoples are becoming much louder voices, and there is no better, more connected athlete in a fast-growing sport than Lyle Thompson. He and his family are growing their platform as their relevance as leaders on and off the field with companies like NIKE keep expanding. He is an athlete many may be missing ut wont for much longer.
Justin Toman – Head of Sports Marketing, Pepsi. I’ve spent time with so many of my brand peers and I don’t know that anyone understands the scope, influence or impact Justin has on everything from Halftime Show, team and league deals, and more importantly, in his role on the board for US Gymnastics. He won’t be there much longer as I imagine there are countless teams, agencies and leagues who want to see him take a massive next step.
Julie Uhrman – ACFC President. Their moves on making a community impact with sponsors were ahead of the game and many are following. They are way ahead of their peers in NWSL.
Tanya Van Court- Founder of CEO of GoalSetter. Tanya is a force of nature driving awareness and activity for young people of diverse backgrounds in and around financial management and understanding the opportunities that healthy savings and investing brings. While she has gotten some big-name investors recently, she remains a mom, a founder and a preacher of all things positive in FinTech for the next generation.
Zachary Vono – Creative Strategy Director at On Board Experiential Marketing. Zachary leads a team of unconventional thinkers and doers who build what others just dream about for their clients. Amazing is in his DNA.
Mollie Walker – Mollie is a young, highly talented NHL writer for the New York Post, mostly covering the Rangers, but sometimes Devils and Islanders. She contributes to NHL Network and a national move seems imminent.
Scott Warfield – VP of Gaming at PGA Tour. Shot by shot – golf and gambling are a perfect match. How the Tour embraces it will be up to Warfield. Anxious to see how he juggles technology, regulations, enablement, PR and marketing.
Ryan Shadrick Wilson– Ryan has been referred to as “the good food whisperer” because of the quiet yet significant role she has played in launching many of the innovative ideas and companies shaping the food revolution. Ryan has launched the Milken Institute’s new “Feeding Change” program which engages policy makers, corporate leaders, investors, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and academics to catalyze efforts to improve the access and affordability of healthy, sustainable food worldwide.
TJ Winfrey– former NIKE and MLS exec now making a difference on and off the pitch with the innovative community-first business that Detroit City FC has built.
Gene Woods – CEO of Atrium Health – now Atrium Wake Forest Health as a result of a merger. They are funding and opening a 2nd Wake Forest U Med school campus in Charlotte and creating a huge innovation district there. He could be the president of the US one day.
Bjoern Woltermann – Founder and CEO of Katalyst. They have developed the first FDA-approved at-home EMS training suit. They have clients across almost all sports from MMA to PGA to NBA, NHL, NFL and more. It eliminates load and allows athletes to push themselves at levels above traditional strength, power or cardio outputs in only 20 minutes. (Full disclosure – I was introduced to the product by a friend of mine that works for Katalyst, but I’ve had one for almost a year and swear by the product.) I suspect there’s a marketing, sponsorship, testimonial blitz coming in 2022.
T.J. Won– Director, Reality Labs Development at Oculus (Meta), because if anyone is going to figure out how the heck Meta becomes a metaverse company and makes sports a part of that story, it’s T.J., and Facebook has way too much money to not be taken very seriously
Kofie Yeboah – SB Nation’s dynamic personality is always ready with memes and takes on Twitter, has developed his own niche Twitch audience with vintage games and is the main face of SB Nation’s “Secret Base” sports deep-dive YouTube channel. His “Fumble Dimension” gaming satire series with Jon Bois is also popular among sports video game fans.
Tiffany Zhong – CEO , Islands CEO and investor, she’s creating tools for community building around NFTs for a young, engaged and tech savvy audience.
Ethan Zohn– Survivor winner, entrepreneur, cancer survivor, philanthropist. Ethan is another big picture thinker who co-leads Grassroot Soccer among many other projects big and small. He is all about engagement and giving back, and constantly finds ways to use all his tools and opportunities to give others a chance at success.
Thanks to all who participated…we hope you find a few people worth a follow and an interest!!
