Last night in New York, industry publications Sports Business Journal and Sports Business Daily handed the annual Sports Business Awards. They go to leaders in various categories such as Sports Executive, Sports Team, Sports League, Best in Sports Media, Best in Sports Television, Best in Digital Sports Media, etc.
Fox Sports, ESPN and Major League Baseball won multiple awards in the categories in which they were nominated. Nice to see the Boston Bruins win as Sports Team of the Year.
Also former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue was bestowed a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to sports and his work in the National Football League, leading it into an extremely profitable period.
We have the list of winners from Sports Business Daily/Sports Business Journal.
MLB, Amway Center And Roger Goodell Among The Winners Of The 2012 Sports Business Awards
Boston Bruins Honored as the Sports Team of the Year
Paul Tagliabue Recognized with a Lifetime Achievement AwardNew York, N.Y. – The best in sports business were honored Wednesday night with the fifth annual Sports Business Awards, which included the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Paul Tagliabue, former commissioner of the National Football League.
The awards, which recognize excellence and outstanding achievement in the sports industry for the period from March 1, 2011 through February 29, 2012, were presented by Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily, the two leading publications on the business of sports. The Sports Business Awards were presented at a live ceremony held Wednesday, May 23 at the New York Marriott Marquis at Times Square.
“We are pleased to honor the leaders and visionaries who are driving the sports industry with our fifth annual Sports Business Awards,” says Richard Weiss, publisher of the SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily. “The winners and nominees being honored tonight represent the individuals, companies, agencies and media at the forefront of the sports industry.”
Awards were presented in 15 categories. Winners were chosen by a committee of outside panelists and members of the editorial staff of the SportsBusiness Journal/Daily. Selected from 77 nominees, the winners included:
Lifetime Achievement – Paul Tagliabue
Sports Executive of the Year – Roger Goodell, National Football League
Athletic Director of the Year – Mark Hollis, Michigan State University
Sports Team of the Year – Boston Bruins
Sports League of the Year – Major League Baseball
Sports Event of the Year – 2012 Humana Challenge
Best in Sports Media – Fox Sports
Best in Sports Television – Fox Sports
Best in Digital Sports Media – ESPN Digital Media
Best in Talent Representation and Management – Wasserman Media Group
Best in Corporate Consulting, Marketing and Client Services – The Marketing Arm
Best in Property Consulting, Sales and Client Services – IMG
Best in Sports Event and Experiential Marketing – Major League Baseball/Fan Cave
Sports Sponsor of the Year – Bridgestone
Sports Facility of the Year – Amway Center
Best in Sports Technology – ESPN’s WatchESPNPlease visit the web site for articles on the winners and nominees – www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2012/05/21/Events-and-Attractions/2012-SBA-Nominees.aspx
Lifetime Achievement Award – Paul Tagliabue
The commissioner of the NFL for 17 years (1989-2006), Paul Tagliabue presided over an extended period of labor peace and revenue growth. Under his leadership, the league grew from 28 to 32 teams and revised its divisional alignment. At that time, it secured the largest television contracts in entertainment history. More than 20 stadiums were constructed under his watch and he expanded the NFL’s global reach.
With a commitment to diversity, inclusion and education, Tagliabue enacted the Rooney Rule, named in honor of former Pittsburgh Steelers chairman Dan Rooney. The rule requires each team to interview at least one minority candidate for head coaching and key front office vacancies.
Following his retirement from the NFL, Tagliabue lead and independent panel to review the governance of the U.S. Olympic Committee. He is currently a partner at the law firm of Covington and Burling.
Tagliabue received his Lifetime Achievement Award from former Pittsburgh Steelers chairman Dan Rooney. In 1975, Rooney was named president of the Steelers, taking over the reins from his father. In 2000, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, joining his father Art to form only the second father-son tandem to be inducted. Over the years, he played key roles in the league’s labor deals and its diversity initiatives.
Previous recipients of the SportsBusiness Journal/Daily Lifetime Achievement Award are tennis great and women’s sports pioneer Billie Jean King in 2011; and longtime sports business executive Peter Ueberroth in 2009.
That’s it.
