NBA, NFL, NHL, MLS Commissioners Help Honor AEG's Tim Leiweke

May 28, 2009: If anyone was looking for a commissioner this morning (May 28), four of the most influential men in sports were together at the Nokia Theatre in New York's Time Square for the City of Hope's 2009 Spirit of Life breakfast honoring Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of AEG. NBA Commissioner David Stern, NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Don Gerber, Commissioner of Major League Soccer, hosted the intimate event of about 100 invited guests, mostly from the sports and music industries. The event served as the kickoff for the City of Hope's 2009 fund-raising and awareness campaign, which will culminate in Los Angeles on Jan. 13, 2010 with an award ceremony to be held at L.A. Live, AEG's four million square foot, $2.5 billion sports, residential and entertainment center, which is home to the Nokia Theater L.A. and ESPN's recently opened West Coast broadcast facilities. In helping to ramp up public awareness, Leiweke called the work being done at the City of Hope's comprehensive cancer center in Los Angeles "a remarkable mission, a remarkable vision." Referring to the $10 million raised during the 2008 campaign, Leiweke said AEG would put all its resources behind bettering that mark, which will include the American Idol Tour and Justin Timberlake both donating a dollar for every ticket sold on their respective upcoming tours. Referring to an AEG highlights film that had been shown earlier, Leiweke humorously said to Goodell, "Roger, there was no football in our video, but we're working on it. Let me know when you want to talk about [a football team] in Los Angeles." Afterward, Leiweke was beaming about the Lakers victory the night before (May 27) over the Denver Nuggets in a game played at the AEG-owned Staples Center. Among other operations, AEG also owns or controls The O2 in London and the Los Angleles Kings (NHL) and Galaxy (MLS). Back to Home Page