SSAC

Alternative Investing: Teams and SPACs

Josh Harris - Co-Founder, Apollo Global Management, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment

 

Billy Beane - Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations, Oakland A's

 

John Collins - CEO, SEAH

 

Jason Robins - Chief Executive Officer, DraftKings

 

Saj Cherian (moderator) - Partner, Kynetic

 

As sports values continue to accelerate, the interest and opportunities to invest in organizations around sports has intensified. From SPACs to team valuations to minority investments, the money around sports in 2021 already rivals all of 2020. As digital engagement grows, the value and means to capitalize on sports as owners, leagues, and investors identify new ways to raise funds. Sports are looking to take advantage of a high performing Wall Street despite major challenges on Main Street. Learn from the experts who are early adopters of SPACs, buying assets, creating investing arms, or going public to take advantage of this frothy market. Billy Beane, John Collins, Josh Harris, and Jason Robins will discuss their strategies and the future of sports as an alternative investment vehicle.

A Conversation with Mark Cuban and Andy Slavitt

Mark Cuban - Owner, Dallas Mavericks

 

Andy Slavitt - Senior Advisor, White House COVID Response Team

 

Nate Silver - Editor-in-Chief, FiveThirtyEight

 

Of all the aspects of everyday life that data has transformed, perhaps nowhere was the impact more deeply felt than in healthcare. As friends and two leading public voices, Andy Slavitt and Mark Cuban will discuss healthcare and the role data has had, and will continue to have, in improving care and society at large. While data has revolutionized health for everyone, Andy and Mark will narrow in what data has taught us about the health of athletes, who come from diverse backgrounds, experience higher physical and mental health risks, and are exposed to inconsistent healthcare experiences.

The Data Dangle: Hockey Analytics

Meghan Chayka - Co-Founder & CEO, Stathletes

 

Alexandra Mandrycky - Director of Hockey Strategy and Research, Seattle Kraken

 

Hilary Knight - Professional Hockey Player, US Women's National Ice Hockey Team

 

John Buccigross (moderator) - SportsCenter Anchor, ESPN

 

The amount of data available to NHL teams has exploded over the last year as player and puck tracking officially entered the rink. By some estimates, tracked players and pucks produce a total of 2,200 data points per second. Will this be data overload for a sport that has only recently embraced the use of analytics to drive on-ice value? And how do video analytics complement - or compete with - tracking data? How are expansion teams emphasizing data from day one to build a franchise? And what will it take to convince players, many of whom pushed back on the quality of pucks with tracking technology, to embrace analytics? This panel will dive into the world of hockey analytics, examining how teams are using the abundance of new information to help inform player personnel decisions, in-game coaching strategy, and scouting, amongst other things.

Sabermetrics vs. The World: Are Analytics Baseball‘s Answer?

Bill James - Former Senior Baseball Operations Advisor, Boston Red Sox

 

Meg Rowley - Managing Editor, FanGraphs

 

Sarah Gelles - Director of Research and Development, Houston Astros

 

Josh Ruffin - Advanced Scouting Analyst, Minnesota Twins

 

Ben Lindbergh (moderator) - Staff Writer, The Ringer

 

Soon after the 2020 World Series, fundamentalist fans were quick to point to baseball’s overreliance on analytics as one of the reasons the Tampa Bay Rays lost. Baseball has always been on the bleeding edge of sports analytics, but where does the edge end? This panel aims to examine the fine line between when to make managerial decisions on gut feel, versus when to stick to the data. Did the 2020 World Series serve as a catalyst for changes to the game going forward, or will managers shrug off pressure from the media?

Super Glue: Investigating Basketball Culture vs. Analytics

David Fizdale - Former Head Coach, New York Knicks

 

Shane Battier - Vice President Basketball Development & Analytics, Miami Heat

 

Zach Lowe - Senior Writer, ESPN

 

Adrian Wojnarowski (moderator) - Senior NBA Insider, ESPN

 

Analytics have revolutionized sports to identify new strategies and help evaluate players, but what about intangibles? How do we evaluate the ‘glue’ players that play a pivotal role in the locker room, but whose names are not necessarily atop the stat sheet, or the hustle that does not get marked down but leads to a steal breakaway? This panel examines how teams try to put numbers on these vital moments for teams. Hear from coaches, players, and the journalists who report out on the ‘culture codes’ of teams as they discuss the analytics behind culture and the potential to measure these ‘glue’ players.

A Conversation with Andrew Yang and Nate Silver

Nate Silver - Editor-in-Chief, FiveThirtyEight

 

Andrew Yang - New York City Mayoral Candidate

 

New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang likes MATH. So does Nate Silver. In this special one-on-one conversation, hear from Yang as he reflects on life since his 2020 presidential campaign, the role of data in reaching voters, and what it was like to be a Knicks fan in the Jeremy Lin era.

Backdoor Cover: Revolutionizing Sports During COVID

Scott O'Neil - Chief Executive Officer, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment

 

Erika Nardini - CEO, Barstool Sports

 

Jason Robins - Chief Executive Officer, DraftKings

 

Chad Millman (moderator) - Chief Content Officer, The Action Network

 

Sports betting organizations have changed the way fans experience games from opening dedicated lounges in stadiums to including fantasy stats on ticker tapes. Leagues and front offices have capitalized on this wealth of fan behavior to see what piques fans’ interests and to discuss potential rule changes. Looking forward, what's the next big thing for the sports betting industry, and how will businesses adapt in order to meet their customer's needs? Tune in to hear Erika Nardini, Scott O’Neil, and Jason Robins wager on what’s ahead.

Negotiating the Future: How Priorities Changed as a Result of COVID

Kathy Carter - CEO, U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Properties

 

DeMaurice Smith - Executive Director, NFLPA

 

Sue Bird - Athlete, Seattle Storm

 

Michele Steele (moderator) - Correspondent, ESPN

 

The Return to Play faced unprecedented competing priorities and needs. From player safety to business continuation to sponsor obligations to maintaining Fan Interest to ensuring our 2028 Olympians can train to brand launches. New processes like daily testing were created and validated and changed. New approaches to messaging were deployed. Learn how key leaders were impacted personally, fought for business imperatives and ensured their perspectives were understood.

When the Sports World Stopped & How it Came Back to Life: COVID and the Future of Sports

Dana White - President, UFC

 

Jonathan Kraft - President, The Kraft Group

Jackie MacMullan - Senior Writer, ESPN

 

Sports businesses were not spared as COVID brought the entire world to a grinding halt in 2020, forcing businesses to adapt quickly to the new environment. Seasons were cancelled, stadiums were turned into vaccination sites, and fans looked forward to a new ‘Opening Day’: a day when sports would return. As the sports industry works towards a new normal, this panel of sports business titans will discuss the pandemic and what has changed. We will examine lessons learned around player training/safety and what the future of the sports world will look like in the new normal for organizations and fans alike.

Quantify This: Valuing Sports Sponsorships Presented by Bose

Renie Anderson - Chief Revenue Officer & Vice President Partnerships, NFL

 

Catherine Carlson - Senior Vice President Revenue and Strategy, Philadelphia Eagles

 

Brendan Lynch - Global Executive Vice President Enterprise & Revenue, Ticketmaster

 

Kat Frederick (moderator) - Former CMO, Live Nation

 

As COVID forced game play to a screeching halt requiring innovation to deliver sports to fans virtually, the traditional sports sponsorship model had to be re-invented too. Learn how the leading sports properties adjusted, created new value as their assets disappeared, managed long-term partnerships, and identified new assets and data to maximize impact. As we continue our return to fans in venues, learn how sports sponsorship has changed forever and, as importantly, what historical assets are more valuable than before. The leading executives from the NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, and Ticketmaster will discuss the increasing role of analytics, ROI, and sponsors who became partners in surviving the pandemic together.