SSAC

Stats to Stanley Cups: Building Successful NHL Teams

Moderator: Arda Ocal 

Panelists: Meghan Chayka, Tyler Dellow, P.K. Subban, Jacqueline Davidson

There's a changing of the guard underway in the NHL, with legendary superstars entering the twilight of their careers and a new crop of generational talents on the way up. As this new era of the NHL gets underway, how are front office executives thinking about roster construction? What's the balance between analytics and eye test? How do you construct a roster that can handle the grind of the regular season while making sure you have a team that's built to succeed in the playoffs? From the player’s perspective, how is this next generation of NHL athletes thinking about analytics to improve their game, scout opposing teams and maximize their recovery? Come find out all this and more from 13 year NHL veteran PK Subban, NHL front office executives Brett Peterson and Tyler Delllow and Stathletes Co-Founder and CEO Meghan Chayka. #StatsToStanleyCups

Behind the Scenes in Sports Negotiating: What the Fans & Media Don't Get to See

Moderator: Deepak Malhotra

Panelists: Daryl Morey, Monte McNair, Nico Harrison

Presidents and GMs of professional sports teams are responsible for a lot of decisions, but nothing gets more attention, discussion, debate, and criticism from fans and the media than the trades they make (or fail to make) as they try to build a title contender. The fact is, even the most ardent fan or sophisticated analyst has no visibility on what really happens in these deals – or why certain decisions were made. How do these parties actually interact and battle it out behind closed doors? What are the pressures and constraints that dealmakers face that are not visible to those on the outside? Why is there often a discrepancy between what fans want, analysts advise, and teams actually do? This panel will bring together NBA executives Nico Harrison, Dennis Lindsey, Monte McNair, and Daryl Morey to discuss the inner workings of building a championship-level team from the perspective of an executive and give you a lens on what actually happens behind the scenes. #Negotiations

Fanalytics: Fan Engagement in a Virtual and Global World

Moderator: Alison Overholt

Panelists: Kat Frederick, Tim Clark, Carolyn Tisch

There are more ways than ever for fans and organizations to engage and interact, both digitally and in-person. By extending the game day experience and connecting more broadly with fully virtual viewing opportunities, sports organizations have an abundance of options to reach more fans in new and different ways. However, maximizing fan attention and engagement remains a challenge in a world where so many alternatives exist. This panel will delve into the ways that organizations foster authentic and long lasting fan engagement and how they differentiate in their local market while globalizing their brand. Panelists will also discuss the increasing role of technology and who owns the fan data along with the growing need for analytics to connect sports and fans. #fanalytics

Competing on Sports Ownership

Moderator: Contessa Brewer
Panelists: Gerry Cardinale, Rich Kleiman, Steve Pagliuca

In recent years, the sports world has seen massive changes in ownership structures, portfolio approaches across leagues and geographies, control vs. minority, and the role of content in driving value. Hear from change agents Gerry Cardinale, Steve Pagliuca, and Rich Kleiman on their strategies, views, and lessons they've learned in the industry. This panel will highlight the changing nature of sports ownership and how each panelist has managed their investments. The panelists will discuss the ways in which the ownership of assets across different sports can generate competitive advantages. They will also dive into how franchises think about engaging fan bases both domestically and internationally, including the role of media networks and partnerships, as well as future trends in the global sports industry as they relate to ownership and sports content #SportsOwnership

The Impact of Moneyball: 20 Years Later

Bill James - Former Senior Baseball Operations Advisor Boston Red Sox
Michael Lewis - Author & Journalist
Shane Battier - Former Vice President, Analytics and Basketball Development, Miami Heat; 2012 & 2013 NBA Champion, Miami Heat
Daryl Morey - President of Basketball Operations, Philadelphia 76ers
Jackie MacMullan (moderator) - Retired Senior Writer

 

When Moneyball was published in 2003, no one could have predicted its monumental impact across business, sports, culture, and beyond. Now, twenty years later, the book, and later the blockbuster movie, sparked a renaissance that has totally changed how organizations think about and use data. Jackie MacMullen will lead a discussion with Michael Lewis, Bill James, and Shane Battier as the group reflects on the impact and legacy of Moneyball - and analytics driven thinking - over the last two decades.

Player Power - Building Businesses by Empowering Athletes presented by Wasserman Foundation

Michael Rubin - CEO, Fanatics
DeMaurice Smith - Executive Director - National Football League Players Association (NFLPA)
Tamika Tremaglio - Executive Director, National Basketball Players Association (NBPA)
Jessica Gelman (moderator) - CEO, Kraft Analytics Group (KAGR)

 

Over the past 5 years, we’ve seen a massive shift in how players are directly engaging with fans, investing into business, and using their platform to affect societal change.  As players step into their collective power, the NBAPA, NFLPA, and partners like Fanatics are redefining the role and impact of player influence within and across the sports industry. Featuring DeMaurice Smith (NFLPA Executive Director), Tamika Tremaglio (NBPA, Executive Director), and Michael Rubin (CEO of Fanatics), Jessica Gelman will guide a discussion on how these industry innovators are adjusting their business models, creating new business lines, driving the future of fan interactivity and have altered the player power landscape to innovate sports.

Changing the Game: How the Sports Industry is Accelerating Progress in DEI

Stef Strack - Founder & CEO, Voice in Sport, and Voice in Sport Foundation
Billy Bean - SVP | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion & Special Assistant to the Commissioner, Major League Baseball (MLB)
Sola Winley - EVP Office of the Commissioner and Chief DEI Officer, Major League Soccer (MLS)
Jonathan Beane - Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, NFL
Katie Burke (moderator) - Chief People Officer, HubSpot

 

Sports organizations are prioritizing and developing programs to broaden DEI. However, despite increased discussion, media attention, and data supporting diversity, women, people of color, non-binary, and LGBTQ leaders continue to be underrepresented in sports from entry-level to most glaringly in the executive branch. Importantly, leagues are investing heavily in equaling the playing field from employees to vendors to partners with a diversity priority. Over the past few years, major sports leagues have created new policies, hired DEI leaders, and shared their representations from business to team to front office. This panel brings together the league leaders who are driving change at the macro and team-level to increase representation. Moderated by Katie Burke, regarded as a leading voice of culture at Hubspot, learn what is working, what the data says, and how much more we need to do to accelerate representation of diversity, equity, and inclusion in sports.

Sports & Society: Redefining Sports Culture and Organizations presented by Wasserman Foundation

Jessica Berman - Commissioner, National Women’s Soccer League
Johanna Faries - Senior Vice President/General Manager of Call of Duty, Activision Blizzard
Jackie MacMullan (moderator) - Retired Senior Writer

 

Sports has long been a microcosm for society at large and given the public visibility athletes, teams, and leagues expected to lead on all aspects of culture. From players to fans to ownership expectations, it is more critical than ever that organizations listen, respond, and set a path towards evolution. Led by Jackie MacMullan, listen in as Jessica Berman (NWSL Commissioner) and Johanna Faries (Senior Vice President/General Manager of Call of Duty, Activision Blizzard) discuss the process of defining a path forward as organizations invest heavily in cultures to set new precedents, ensure employee, fan, and player satisfaction and improve the organization’s outcomes. With many competing stakeholders, this panel will feature perspectives from all angles of cultural change within and around the sports industry.

Entrepreneurship for Impact: Athletes Making a Mark

Sue Bird - WNBA Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist, Co-Founder of A Touch More and Togethxr
Brian Westbrook - Managing Director of Athlete Entrepreneur Network, underdog venture team
Lindsay Kagawa Colas - Executive Vice President, Talent + The Collective, Wasserman
Michele Steele (moderator) - Reporter, ESPN

 

Star athletes develop strong name recognition for their feats on the field, but their professional athletic careers represent just a fraction of their lives. After retirement (or sometimes even before), athletes embark on numerous different pathways, often using their platform and lessons learned in their playing careers to make an impact on the broader world. This panel convenes star athletes and one of the most prominent agents in sports for a discussion centered on entrepreneurship and investment as a means to drive positive change.

Performance Under Pressure

Sue Bird - WNBA Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist, Co-Founder of A Touch More and Togethxr
Brad Stevens - President of Basketball Operations, Boston Celtics
Steve Magness - Performance Coach, Author
Michael Lewis (moderator) - Author & Journalist

 

Pressure in sports comes in many forms and some people "have it." Listen in as legendary clutch performer Sue Bird shares how she handles the highest-pressure moments on the court and in boardrooms, how former coach and now team architect Brad Stevens defines the value of performance under pressure for his players, and how performance coach Steve Magness studies the science of these skills to drive performance improvement. Can the "clutch ability" be measured? How do we define clutch? End of shot clock, end of game, importance of the game? How do athletes prepare to perform under pressure mentally and physically? Join this myth-busting discussion led by Michael Lewis as leaders in this area attempt to answer what truly makes the best athletes perform under pressure.