SSAC

Women‘s Sports: The Time is NOW

Alexis Ohanian - Founder, Seven Seven Six

 

Cathy Engelbert - Commissioner, WNBA

 

Kate Johnson - Director and Head of Global Sports & Entertainment Marketing Partnerships, Content, and Media, Google

 

Jessica Gelman (moderator) - CEO, Kraft Analytics Group

 

There is a misconception that people do not want to view women’s sports, driving the notion that women’s sports cannot make money and are a bad investment. This perpetuates a cycle that puts down the industry, but is based on faulty logic. This March women’s games in the NCAA basketball tournament have outpaced men’s games in head to head slots in terms of social media impressions, and last summer social justice protests in the WNBA Wubble cast reverberations with profound impacts on national politics. This panel brings together fierce advocates of equality in sport who will discuss why NOW is the time for investment in women’s sports based on evidence from impressions, viewership, and other overlooked data.

Phillie Phanatics

Lil Dicky - Artist

 

Daryl Morey - President of Basketball Operations, Philadelphia 76ers

 

Kevin Negandhi (moderator) - SportsCenter Anchor and College Football Studio Host, ESPN

 

From Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack to T-Swift’s Girl Gang, many a backroom legend has been told about exclusive celebrity supergroups. But only a select few have been deemed worthy enough to have picked up whispers of an ultra-elite group of superfans – until today. This unlikely squad is not bound by underground poker games, lavish parties, or even a literal friendship, but rather by their undying love for Philadelphia sports. The panel will discuss what exactly connects fans so deeply to their teams and what levers teams and fans can pull when engaging with one another.

Getting a Handle on Social Media: How Data is Engaging GenZ without Losing GenX

Matthew "Nadeshot" Haag - CEO, 100Thieves

 

Omar Raja - Commentator Digital and Social Content, ESPN

 

Blake Stuchin, Vice President Digital Media Business Development, NFL

 

Christine Wixted - Senior Partner Manager Global Content Partnerships, Twitter

 

Jordan Solomon (moderator) - Partner, Arctos Sports Partners

 

Social media platform users and usage have skyrocketed over the past year, and every industry wants to get in on the action. Twitch viewers watched approximately 17 billion hours of content in 2020, up 83% from 2019. Over 1 billion people use Instagram a month, making it the sixth most visited website. Sports fans are consuming content in new ways by moving to social media and other platforms, and sports businesses are faced with a decision: adapt, find trends through analytics or risk losing this new demographic of sports fans. This panel brings together experts who have tapped into the Gen-Z psyche on a myriad of platforms to grow engagement through social media.

The New Sports Fan: Innovation and Data

Valerie Camillo - President of Business Operations, Comcast Spectacor

 

Marie Donoghue - VP of Global Sports Video, Amazon

 

Jessica Gelman - CEO, Kraft Analytics Group

 

Alison Overholt (moderator) - General Manager, Oprah Daily

 

In 2021, precedent is not a predictor of who fans are or what they want. Learn how leading executives from the most forward thinking organizations in sports (Amazon, Comcast and KAGR) are using data to understand how to attract new fans, create new experiences, and take advantage of lessons learned during the pandemic. In the past year, the in-person and viewing experience has been forced to accelerate 5 years. Teams, leagues, and media companies are innovating to cater to the next generation while continuing to attract their longstanding supporters. At Amazon, Marie Donoghue has accelerated product innovation for viewers and creatively built rights deals with the EPL, NFL, teams, and more. A savvy and impactful team president of the Flyers, Valerie Camillo is resetting how teams in the NHL approach fans and use data. And, KAGR is the technology and strategic backbone helping industry leaders like the NFL and HBSE understand their fans, create new data, and define changing fan dynamics.

Show Not Tell: Sports Storytelling

Michael Lewis - Author

 

Adam McKay - Film Director

 

People have been telling stories about the lives of athletes for centuries. More recently, it seems that athletes have taken a more active role in telling their own stories. In this panel, we bring together director/producer Adam McKay (Anchorman, Talladega Nights) and author Michael Lewis (The Big Short, Moneyball) to discuss this changing industry paradigm. Together, McKay and Lewis will discuss a variety of topics from how they bring athlete stories to life, both in parody and through documentary, to how sports media was the precursor to political media. How do they know when to insert artistic license, as opposed to letting the athlete or the story shine?

Adapting on the Fly: The Future of Ticketing

Clay Luter - EVP & Co-Head of Sports, Ticketmaster

 

Mike Markovich - VP of Business Development, NFL

 

Stevie Gray - Vice President Ticket Operations, Golden State Warriors

 

Kristin Bernert (moderator) - Executive Vice President, Madison Square Garden Sports

 

A multi-billion dollar industry reliant on live events, evaporated overnight in March 2020. Fans had tickets to games that might never happen or happen in a year. Teams and leagues held money for games they would need to refund. The secondary ticket market's easy flow of tickets and fees were reliant on games happening. Event cancellation was virtually non-existent. Learn how the foundation of ticketing was rocked to its core and how partners worked together to do right by the customer and by their shared goal and partnership to ensure a safe and expedient return to venue. As the sports world’s recovery continues, industry giants will share how they navigated the pandemic, the impact of new technologies & data, how analytics is driving fans' return, and how their partnerships have been strengthened to overdeliver on the fan experience.

Need Fantastic Trophies

Mark Cuban - Owner, Dallas Mavericks

 

Leore Avidar - Founder and CEO, Alt

 

Roham Gharegozlou - CEO, Dapper Labs

 

Nicolas Julia - CEO, Sorare

 

Daryl Morey (moderator) - President of Basketball Operations, Philadelphia 76ers

 

Over two weeks in February, the value of a pristine condition Michael Jordan rookie card went from $215,000 to $738,000. The value of sports memorabilia - ranging from cards, to sneakers, to even digital highlights - has reached an all time high despite a pandemic and recession. How did we get here, and what is memorabilia’s role as an alternative investment? What are the analytical strategies deployed by players in this industry rife with subjection around nostalgia and art? With six and seven figure price tags, are the days of collecting as a childhood hobby behind us? The panel brings together experts with a wide range of experience to debate the past, present, and future of the memorabilia business.

Select Your Fighter: How to Assess Players and Build an Esports Roster

Greg Kim - Director of Esports, Evil Geniuses

 

Tal Shachar - Former Chief Digital Officer, Immortals

 

Emily Rand - Analyst, League Championship Series

 

Doug Watson - Head of Esports Insights, Riot Games

 

Ryan Friedman (moderator) - Former Chief of Staff, Dignitas

 

The Moneyball mentality has expanded from baseball to most traditional sports, as teams look for any edge that they can get on the field. Esports leagues and teams are no different. Coaches and players fight over seemingly small details such as 8 or 40 ping and teams have built departments dedicated to player assessment and health. Initial esports rosters formed as friends who wanted to play together but esports has evolved to a more calculated approach when evaluating and signing talent. At the same time, player salaries have grown from mousepads to multi-million-dollar contracts. In this panel, industry leaders will discuss the growth of competitive analysis in esports and how teams have advanced their roster building strategies.

The Show Must Go On: Digitization of the Sports World

Stephanie McMahon - Chief Brand Officer, WWE

 

Steve Pagliuca - Co-Chairman, Bain Capital

 

Burke Magnus - Executive Vice President Programming and Original Content, ESPN

 

Scott Soshnick (moderator) - Editor-in-Chief, Sportico

 

From engineering interactive viewing experiences to orchestrating virtual drafts, the production value of live sports skyrocketed when watching from home was the only option for most fans. While fans love the new changes, we rarely get a peek behind the curtain at what leagues and teams do to drastically shift their traditional production methods. This panel highlights the behind-the-scenes work of leagues and their broadcast partners to produce engaging live events when confronted with COVID.

Making a QB1: The Science behind QB Evaluations

Jordan Palmer - Quarterback Coach and Former NFL Quarterback, QB Summit

 

Kevin Meers - Zelus Analytics, Football Strategy Fellow

 

Field Yates (moderator) - Insider & Co-Host, ESPN

 

In 2020, we witnessed the emergence of unexpected NFL quarterback stars alongside a carousel of moves. Listen in for an in-depth, end-to-end analysis on what it means to be a quarterback and what the role entails. Our panel of football experts will look at how analytics can be used to evaluate, scout, and improve quarterbacks, as well as make the ever-important decision of whether to tag or move on from a player.