Sports Media Report
Human Kinetics and Mascot Books today announced the formal launch of one of the most anticipated sports business chronicles ever assembled, The Sport Business Handbook: Insights From 100+ Leaders Who Shaped 50 Years of the Industry. This anthology, compiled by Rick Horrow with Rick Burton and Myles Schrag, will take fans, students and those involved in the sports and entertainment industry into the lives of more than 100 executives during the boom era of sports business and marketing. These leaders tell stories in their own words about lessons learned, achieving success and overcoming failure, and ultimately inspire readers to forge their own paths in the industry. It will be available March 4.
“Imagine getting the most influential individuals in the history of sport business together in one room; commissioners, owners, entrepreneurs, marketing gurus, brilliant investors, savvy negotiators, and great business brains; right there for your edification,” said Executive Editor Horrow, an internationally known sport business and sport law expert. “Ask him or her to tell you a story about the biggest mistake he ever made or the next big trend in the industry. Pick another’s brain on how to manage a crisis or how to get buy-in for a revolutionary arena plan. That’s what The Sport Business Handbook has done.”
The collection features pieces from league commissioners such as Gary Bettman of the NHL, Don Garber of MLS, Paul Tagliabue of the NFL, Oliver Luck of the XFL and Nick Sakiewicz of The National Lacrosse League; team owners such as Jerry Colangelo in Phoenix, Ted Leonsis in Washington, D.C., and Tom Ricketts with the Cubs; executives such as NBC Sports president Mark Lazarus, Liverpool’s Peter Moore, the Vikings’ Kevin Warren, Larry Lucchino of the Red Sox and Pat Williams of the Orlando Magic; administrators such as Ivy League president Robin Harris, the University of Oklahoma’s Joe Castiglione, Arizona State’s Ray Anderson and Kenneth Shropshire, and N.C. State’s Deborah Yow; professional athletes such as the Miami Heat’s Shane Battier, Olympic champions Scott Hamilton and Angela Ruggiero; Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. and NFL legend Bob Griese; and star athletes turned media personalities such as Jay Bilas and Ann Meyers Drysdale. Legendary Duke University men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski leads off this all-star team by writing the foreword.
The Sport Business Handbook features candid insights, hard-earned advice, and no-nonsense tips for success from the individuals most qualified to give it. Chapters are grouped together into five parts, progressing from the personal assessment needed to launch your career to building your capabilities in the fundamental skills of selling and branding, to technology and media awareness and activation, and finally to deal making and leadership skills.
Instructors who adopt the text will have access to an instructor’s guide that includes links to online video and audio clips that tie in directly to book topics, along with a “Breakthrough Moments” list of the 50 most significant events, chosen specifically to supplement The Sport Business Handbook content with societal context and historical depth. These additional tools feature questions and activities to spark classroom discussion and facilitate an enhanced learning experience for students.
