May 18, 2022
The 25: People, Innovations, and Technology that Define the Modern American Sports Experience
Sam McCleery
Retired Media and Sports Products Executive
Rob Fraser, Introducer, and Sam McCleery
Minutes of the 33rd Meeting of the 80th Year
The meeting was held via Zoom on May 18, 2022. President Stephen Schreiber presided. Bernie Shull read the minutes of the prior week’s meeting. There was a moment of silence for Robert Altman, Old Guard member since 2012. Two guests joined the meeting. Greg Dobbs invited Sandy Alderson. Lynn Johnston invited Nancy Cosentino. President Schreiber noted that over the past two years, the Old Guard took in 51 new members. There were 113 Viewers of this session.
Rob Fraser introduced the speaker – retired media and sports products executive Sam McCleery. The title of Mr. McCleery’s talk was “The 25: People, Innovations, and Technology that Define the Modern American Sports Experience.” McCleery was one of over twenty individuals from the sports industry who formed a panel to identify the 25 most important people, innovations, and technology that define the modern American sports experience. McCleery’s talk focused on their selections.
The panel’s top ranked 25 people, innovations, and technology included:
Highlights from their list include:
25—The inflatable bubble or dome, which served as a catalyst for the youth sports movement that is now a $20 billion business.
24—Howard Head, a Harvard educated aerospace engineer. He applied science and physics to the sports equipment business, making tennis racquet heads larger to make it easier to hit the ball over the net. He understood material science and made the first composite honeycomb ski for greater flexibility. Head took a scientific approach to make tennis and skiing easier and more enjoyable.
23—GORE-TEX—Waterproof, windproof, and breathable clothing. This technology drove the increase in running and other sports, keeping participants and spectators warm, dry, and comfortable in bad weather.
22—Mark McCormick and Roone Arledge—McCormick was the founder of IMG, the International Management Group that represents the business interests of athletes. He understood the amplification of TV and the benefits of packaging or creating multiple revenue streams from a single source. He created the golden triangle of the athlete as the centerpiece, sponsorship, and then TV wrapped around them. McCormick started out with Palmer and Nicklaus in golf and then branched out to other sports. Roone Arledge created the first modern sports production playbook. His strategy was to bring show business to sports at ABC. He ushered in slow motion instant replay, split screen, and freeze frame. He really advanced technology to make it a centerpiece on how we tell and show stories. He introduced Monday Night Football to prime time viewers, and Roone made sports “must see TV”.
21—Athletes as investors (16 athletes have a net worth of $1 billion or more). Serena Williams was selected to represent this group, not because of her 23 grand slam titles, but because the panel believes she will become the most important sports investor. Serena Ventures started in 2014 and already has 60 active investments today. She just closed on a $111 million new venture fund.
18—Patagonia—This company is the conscience of the industry. They made sustainability, environmentalism, and corporate responsibility cool. Although relatively small, Patagonia has a great story and mythology for the brand.
16—The SportsBra---was invented by two women so that they could run more comfortably. It became a key driver of the 70s running boom. They also benefited from a TV moment, when Brandy Chastain took off her shirt after her World Cup goal that won the title for the USA. She is saying to male athletes, “we can do anything you can do.” Women who play World Cup soccer are now finally getting equal pay with the men who play for the USA.
12—Tiger Woods—Tiger brought muscular play to golf and had an enormous economic impact on the golf industry. Participation, attendance, prize money, endorsements, TV ratings and rights all rose dramatically because of Tiger.
10-- Michael Jordan—MJ was the first athlete with a net worth over $1 billion. Jordan had a huge financial impact on the sports business. Franchise values rose in the NBA. ESPN and NBC also were tied to MJ and realized huge growth and success. Nike basketball dominates the shoe business due to MJ (they have 90% share of the basketball market). Although he has been retired for almost 20 years, MJ is still driving billions of dollars of revenue in the sports market.
4—ESPN—this sports network has an unconventional business model. They don’t create product or own front end. They don’t control the back end (screens). They don’t worry about making product or supply chain issues. The ESPN pay model includes $10/month to ESPN for everyone with basic cable, whether you use ESPN or not.
1—Nike—They started in 1971 with a terrific name and symbol (the swoosh). Nike got it right from the start, creating their own unique products, starting with the first comfortable, cushioned running shoe. Nike has established dominant products with revenues more than 2 times their closest competitor (Adidas). Nike has maintained a consistent focus on shoes and shirts. Nike understands what moves the sports industry and consumers. Nike has market leadership and superior resources, and they know how to deploy their advantages.
A short Q and A session followed.
Respectfully submitted,
Lee Gladden
Rob Fraser introduced the speaker – retired media and sports products executive Sam McCleery. The title of Mr. McCleery’s talk was “The 25: People, Innovations, and Technology that Define the Modern American Sports Experience.” McCleery was one of over twenty individuals from the sports industry who formed a panel to identify the 25 most important people, innovations, and technology that define the modern American sports experience. McCleery’s talk focused on their selections.
The panel’s top ranked 25 people, innovations, and technology included:
- People (Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, Howard Head, Mark McCormick and Roone Arledge)
- Companies (Nike, Patagonia, Dupont, and ESPN)
- Technological Innovations (Gore-Tex, the SportsBra, instant replay, Gatorade, and the inflatable bubble)
Highlights from their list include:
25—The inflatable bubble or dome, which served as a catalyst for the youth sports movement that is now a $20 billion business.
24—Howard Head, a Harvard educated aerospace engineer. He applied science and physics to the sports equipment business, making tennis racquet heads larger to make it easier to hit the ball over the net. He understood material science and made the first composite honeycomb ski for greater flexibility. Head took a scientific approach to make tennis and skiing easier and more enjoyable.
23—GORE-TEX—Waterproof, windproof, and breathable clothing. This technology drove the increase in running and other sports, keeping participants and spectators warm, dry, and comfortable in bad weather.
22—Mark McCormick and Roone Arledge—McCormick was the founder of IMG, the International Management Group that represents the business interests of athletes. He understood the amplification of TV and the benefits of packaging or creating multiple revenue streams from a single source. He created the golden triangle of the athlete as the centerpiece, sponsorship, and then TV wrapped around them. McCormick started out with Palmer and Nicklaus in golf and then branched out to other sports. Roone Arledge created the first modern sports production playbook. His strategy was to bring show business to sports at ABC. He ushered in slow motion instant replay, split screen, and freeze frame. He really advanced technology to make it a centerpiece on how we tell and show stories. He introduced Monday Night Football to prime time viewers, and Roone made sports “must see TV”.
21—Athletes as investors (16 athletes have a net worth of $1 billion or more). Serena Williams was selected to represent this group, not because of her 23 grand slam titles, but because the panel believes she will become the most important sports investor. Serena Ventures started in 2014 and already has 60 active investments today. She just closed on a $111 million new venture fund.
18—Patagonia—This company is the conscience of the industry. They made sustainability, environmentalism, and corporate responsibility cool. Although relatively small, Patagonia has a great story and mythology for the brand.
16—The SportsBra---was invented by two women so that they could run more comfortably. It became a key driver of the 70s running boom. They also benefited from a TV moment, when Brandy Chastain took off her shirt after her World Cup goal that won the title for the USA. She is saying to male athletes, “we can do anything you can do.” Women who play World Cup soccer are now finally getting equal pay with the men who play for the USA.
12—Tiger Woods—Tiger brought muscular play to golf and had an enormous economic impact on the golf industry. Participation, attendance, prize money, endorsements, TV ratings and rights all rose dramatically because of Tiger.
10-- Michael Jordan—MJ was the first athlete with a net worth over $1 billion. Jordan had a huge financial impact on the sports business. Franchise values rose in the NBA. ESPN and NBC also were tied to MJ and realized huge growth and success. Nike basketball dominates the shoe business due to MJ (they have 90% share of the basketball market). Although he has been retired for almost 20 years, MJ is still driving billions of dollars of revenue in the sports market.
4—ESPN—this sports network has an unconventional business model. They don’t create product or own front end. They don’t control the back end (screens). They don’t worry about making product or supply chain issues. The ESPN pay model includes $10/month to ESPN for everyone with basic cable, whether you use ESPN or not.
1—Nike—They started in 1971 with a terrific name and symbol (the swoosh). Nike got it right from the start, creating their own unique products, starting with the first comfortable, cushioned running shoe. Nike has established dominant products with revenues more than 2 times their closest competitor (Adidas). Nike has maintained a consistent focus on shoes and shirts. Nike understands what moves the sports industry and consumers. Nike has market leadership and superior resources, and they know how to deploy their advantages.
A short Q and A session followed.
Respectfully submitted,
Lee Gladden