Pro Sports Assembly Seeks To ‘Achieve Parity in Opportunity, Pay, Leadership’

By Barry Janoff

September 10, 2020: During a time when athletes, teams and sports organizations are being more outspoken about social justice, voting, equality among genders and races and other issues, executives and leaders from across the sports landscape have united to challenge their own industry to raise the bar and put their words into action.

Jessica Berman, deputy commissioner for the National Lacrosse League; Michele Roberts, executive director for the National Basketball Players Assn.; Shareef Abdur-Rahim, NBA G-League president; and Alex Chang, CMO for the San Francisco 49ers are among a prominent group of sports executives and leaders who have formed the Pro Sports Assembly, described as an organization for “people who work in pro sports, which aims by 2030 to achieve parity in opportunity, pay and leadership amongst its workforce.”

The Assembly  — a 501(c)(3) organization — said it plans to challenge its industry to “advance diverse and inclusive leadership,” and is encouraging others to join.

“By developing cultural and gender intelligence, as well as setting best practices of stewardship, mentorship and allyship, professional sports properties can drive innovation, bolster financial performance, capture new markets and increase brand loyalty.”

"We are united in game plan, and diverse in council," Abdur-Rahim, a founding advisory board member of The Assembly, said via the organization.

“We organized our founding boards to represent the diversity that our industry-at-large needs to see. In order to truly advance collectively — we must use an equity lens in leadership."

The initial advisory board and governing board also includes executives from the Los Angeles Rams, Arizona State University, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, Dallas Mavericks,  St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers/Detroit Red Wings,  Austin FC, Houston Dynamo/Houston Dash and House of Athlete.

"For every five athletes you see on the field of play, there are 95 people behind the scenes bringing that game to life."

In its first year, The Assembly said it would “formalize its member network and provide professional development, as well as hold virtual forums, workshops and discussions.”

In addition, it will commission research, share tools and develop analytics around key indicators in professional sports —  to be distributed among the membership as a” benchmark and playbook towards ensuring a more fairly functioning workplace.”

"For every five athletes you see on the field of play, there are 95 people behind the scenes bringing that game to life," Laura Dixon, head of external relations for Spurs Sports & Entertainment, and a founding governing board member of The Assembly, said via the group.

“The people who work for professional sports teams, leagues and unions now have a place to connect and collaborate on the critical issues facing our industry. The larger our membership, the more impactful we can be in our purpose of advancing diverse, productive and inclusive leadership. The power of pro sports is truly in its people."

The Assembly said it would be “aggressive in its vision and stance to create the future of its industry through the ‘Power of Pro Sports’ (#PowerofProSports).”

"It is important for us to identify and develop the next generation of our industry's top talent," Chang, a founding governing board member of The Assembly, said via the Austin, TX-based organization.

“This requires breaking down traditions, norms and biases that currently exist - and replacing them with new and refined processes that will help guide decisions impacting the future of professional sports and the career paths of its employees."
 
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

• Andy Loughnane: President, Austin FC

• Cynt Marshall: CEO, Dallas Mavericks

• Ese Ighedosa: President, House of Athlete

• Hugh Weber: President, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment

• Jessica Berman: Deputy Commissioner, National Lacrosse League

• Kenneth Shropshire: CEO, Global Sport Institute, Arizona State University

• Kyle Bunch: Vice President/Managing Director, Global Sports Venture Studios

• Len Perna: CEO, Turnkey Search

• Michele Roberts: Executive Director, National Basketball Players Assn.

• Shareef Abdur-Rahim: President, NBA G-League

• Shelley Zalis: CEO, The Female Quotient

• Theresa Tran: Founder, The Offense

• Tom Glick: President, Tepper Sports & Entertainment

• Xavier Gutierrez: CEO, Arizona Coyotes 

GOVERNING BOARD MEMBERS

• Alex Chang: Chief Marketing Officer, San Francisco 49ers

• Alison Roscoe: Vice President, Partnerships, Austin FC

• Ann Seeney: Vice President, Human Resources, St. Louis Cardinals

Antony Bonavita: Executive Vice President, Venue Operations, Cleveland Cavaliers

• Brandon James: Vice President of Basketball Administration/Deputy General Counsel, Spurs Sports & Entertainment

• Brittanie Boyd: Vice President, Corporate Partnerships, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment

• Cassandra Carr: Investor, Spurs Sports & Entertainment

• Dan Gladstone: Senior Vice President, THINK450/National Basketball Players Association

• Dionna Widder: Chief Revenue Officer, Houston Dynamo/Houston Dash

• 
Keisha Wyatt: Director of Marketing, Dallas Mavericks

• Laura Dixon: Head of External Relations, Spurs Sports & Entertainment

• Molly Wurdack-Folt: Vice President, Partnerships, Detroit Tigers/Detroit Red Wings

• 
Oracio Galindo: Head of Employee Experience, Los Angeles Rams

• Raquel "Rocky" Egusquiza: Executive Director, Miami Marlins Foundation

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