SSAC

Netflix and WWE Team Up: Paul "Triple H" Levesque and Bela Bajaria

Moderator: Jessica Gelman

Panelists: Paul "Triple H" Levesque, Bela Bajaria

From Drive to Survive to Quarterback, Netflix has reshaped how fans engage with sports through immersive storytelling. Now, with WWE’s flagship Raw moving to Netflix, the streaming giant is making an even bolder play in live sports entertainment. But what makes for compelling sports storytelling? How do you build anticipation for big events, cultivate new audiences, and sustain engagement beyond the game? This panel brings together two of sport’s most influential content executives, Netflix’s Bela Bajaria and WWE’s Paul “Triple H” Levesque, to explore how sports media is evolving, what it takes to craft narratives that captivate global audiences, and the future of sports entertainment in the streaming era.

The Role of the Storyteller in a Data and AI World

Moderator: Ben Alamar

Panelists: Jackie MacMullan, Jeff Bennett, Rebecca Dyer, Brant Berglund

Storytelling plays a vital role in the fan experience. Across the sports landscape, storytellers are relied upon to convey the drama and excitement of sports, bring new fans in, and satisfy fans' hunger for knowledge. The tools available to storytellers have expanded significantly over the last few years with the expansion of new data sets and metrics that provide new insights and perspectives on sports. The recent advances in AI also provide the opportunity for new tools, but also a potential to replace certain types of storytelling through automation. This panel discusses how the role of the storyteller has changed, skills and perspectives needed to tell good stories, and how AI is and will change how fans engage with sports stories.

The Fan Attention Game: How Sports and Data Build Fandom presented by Wasserman Foundation

Moderator: Valerie Camillo

Panelists: Shelley Pisarra, Tim Clark, Kathryn Kai-ling Frederick

In 2025, sports are fighting harder than ever for fans’ attention – contending with an unprecedented news cycle, shorter attention spans, and changing modes of content consumption. This panel will discuss how teams and leagues are using data to adapt in this rapidly changing world, and how they can play – and win – the attention game.

Checkmate and Innovate: The Future of Engagement in Chess

Moderator: Danny Rensch

Panelists: Alexandra Botez, Levy Rozman, Daryl Morey, Ella Papanek

Chess is experiencing a global renaissance, fueled by emerging innovations in streaming, social media, and format variety, but where does the game go from here? Join Levy Rozman, Alexandra Botez, Ella Papanek, Daryl Morey, and Danny Rensch as they explore how chess is evolving to engage new audiences. This panel will dive into the growth of chess content creation and how the sport is expanding into new mediums and formats.

When the Odds Don't Add Up: Navigating Anomalies and Uncertainties in Sports Betting

Moderator: Chad Millman

Panelists: Jeff Ma, Nate Silver, Sean Zerillo

The rapidly evolving landscape of sports betting presents unique challenges for both bettors and bookmakers, especially as data anomalies and unexpected outcomes increasingly disrupt predictive models. This panel, featuring industry experts, will explore strategies for identifying and addressing situations when actual results deviate from model expectations. The panel will explore the implications of unusual betting patterns and dive into the sports betting challenges of the 2024 NFL Season, where favorites won 72.1% of the time, the highest winning percentage in almost 20 years.

Career Playbooks: The Reality of Working in Sports presented by Ticketmaster

Moderator: Liz Moulton

Panelists: Greg Kim, Sonia Raman, Michael Girsch, Matt Gaudry

Career Playbooks presentations are given by a wide range of professionals from leagues, teams, and other players in the sports industry. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear each speaker’s unique story of entering and succeeding in the sports industry and learn vital careers lessons as they chart their own career paths. The Playbooks presentations will also include Q&A opportunities for attendees to engage with speakers.

Sports in 2045: Ahead of the Curve with Jonathan Kraft and Mark Shapiro

Moderator: Contessa Brewer

Panelists: Jonathan Kraft, Mark Shapiro

What will the sports industry look like in 2045? In this forward-thinking conversation, Jonathan Kraft and Mark Shapiro will explore the forces shaping the next generation of sports—from mega-events like the World Cup and Olympics to the future of live entertainment and hospitality, and the growing role of private and public capital in shaping teams and leagues. Jonathan Kraft has led the redefinition of sports property ownership across multiple leagues, real estate development, analytics, and embracing technology to drive differentiation. Mark Shapiro’s innovation from ESPN to Endeavor to TKO has changed the connectivity of entertainment, leagues, and the fan experience. Learn what trends they saw leading to the strategic decisions which led to changes in how the sports world operates. Understand what they see ahead with athlete-performance, financing/valuation, up ‘n coming sports, and the role of analytics across all aspects of the sports world. More specifically, how will venue infrastructure change and what will the lines between live events, media, and technology be when defining the ultimate fan experience in the decades ahead? Join two of the most influential leaders in sports as they break down the evolution of the industry, sharing insights on where the biggest opportunities lie and what challenges the business of sports will face in the future.

The New Age NFL Front Office

Moderator: Bill Connelly

Panelists: Lorrissa Horton, Scott Pioli, Kevin Demoff

Increasingly, NFL organizations are becoming more data-centric, and as a result, so has the role of the Front Office. See through the eyes of NFL executives whose franchises are on the leading edge as they discuss the role of data analytics on free agency/draft strategy, prospective player evaluation, play calling on the field, organization of weekly preparations for game day, and managing athlete workload. 

Pablo Torre Finds Out at SSAC

Moderator: Pablo Torre

Panelists: Sendhil Mullainathan, Daryl Morey

As AI continues to reshape industries, its impact on sports is only beginning to be understood. Economist and behavioral scientist Sendhil Mullainathan and Daryl Morey join Pablo Torre Finds Out for an in-depth discussion on how AI can expand human capacity in sports, not by replacing human intuition and expertise, but by enhancing decision-making, strategy, and performance.Rather than merely automating scouting reports or game-day decisions, AI can serve as a powerful tool for reflection and learning—helping athletes identify patterns in their play, coaches uncover hidden strategic opportunities, and front offices refine their decision-making processes. Should teams rely on AI-driven scouting, or should these systems be designed to work alongside human evaluators, amplifying their insights? Can AI help players recognize critical mistakes in real time and develop strategies to adapt? And how do we ensure technology strengthens competition rather than diminishing its human essence?This panel will move beyond the hype, exploring AI’s true potential to act as a “bicycle for the mind” in sports—an augmentation of human intelligence that enables athletes, coaches, and teams to push the limits of their capabilities.

From Click to Tip-Off: Modernizing Sports Ticketing

Moderator: Erin Kelly

Panelists: Mike Shane, Jeff Heaton, Emily Johnson, Kari Gritton

The most fundamental fan experience in sports is in a seat watching your favorite team live. This panel brings together top ticketing voices to explore the evolving landscape of how fans buy, sell, and experience live events. Experts from across the ticketing landscape will share insights on innovations in ticketing strategy, from dynamic pricing and distribution to personalized fan engagement. As technology advances and consumer expectations shift, panelists will discuss how teams, venues, and platforms are adapting to maximize both revenue and accessibility. With perspectives spanning major league sports and emerging markets, this session will offer a deep dive into the trends shaping the future of live event ticketing.