All the companies (and ballplayers) at the inaugural USC Next Level Sports Conference – Annenberg Media

Although Los Angeles is a historic sports hub, the city has seen rapid development in recent years in terms of new stadiums and team diversity. Located in the heart of the city, USC has made strides in connecting students and community members with sports professionals. As part of this effort, the university organized the Next Level Sports Conference to bring professionals into conversation with USC students about sports media and business issues, among other things.

Students, journalists and community members gathered at the Intuit Dome for the day-long conference, the first of its kind hosted by USC. The conference was organized around sports in Los Angeles and abroad, with a focus on media, business, technology, fan engagement and culture.

Students networked with sports executives, took selfies and did “fit checks” with some of the top names in American sports. They were able to tour the newly constructed Intuit Dome and see some of its more notable features, including an arena-wide display featuring jerseys from every high school basketball team in California. Some students volunteered and organized seating and other logistical tasks. No one left empty-handed: there was plenty of food and USC gifts to take home.

Because the event was co-hosted by the Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism and the Marshall School of Business at USC, deans Willow Bay and Geoffrey Garrett shared moderator duties with help from Bloomberg chief correspondent Jason Kelly and Clippers president of business operations Gillian Zucker up. Interdisciplinary collaboration was a main focus of the conference, to which experts from a wide range of sports sectors were invited.

“When you think about something like the future of sports, we’re at a university that has people in all of these disciplines,” said USC President Carol Folt. “The [conference] was a perfect example of what wouldn’t be possible without this type of collaboration.”

The morning featured three rounds of discussions covering topics such as sports as an asset class, the new media ecosystem and Generation Z consumers, and the future of ESPN. During these sessions, moderators asked questions about panelists’ personal journeys through the world of sports and connected participants’ professional experiences to larger themes surrounding America’s evolving sports ecosystem.

The morning panels included guest speakers such as Andre Iguodala, executive director of the NBA Players Association, and Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN.

“I felt like I achieved a level of access that I never thought I would achieve in my entire life,” USC junior and conference volunteer Kamyar Moradi said. “It was wild to learn that I belonged here, just like everyone else. I want to surround myself with cool people doing cool things, and I think this conference definitely helped with that.”

Students also had the opportunity to enjoy a leader lunch, where panelists and participants sat together, eating everything from burgers to California rolls and sharing their insights on the day’s topics.

After lunch, discussions continued with a roundtable on the future of fandom led by Marie Donoghue, Chief Business and Growth Officer of DraftKings, and featuring Kevin Demoff, President of Team and Media Operations at Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, involved.

In another panel, participants spoke about bridging the various equity gaps in the sports industry. ESPN host and two-time WNBA All-Star Chiney Ogwumike spoke at length about finding your own path and staying the course in unfamiliar spaces.

“We are battle tested and that is why we are superwomen,” Ogwumike told Annenberg Media in an exclusive interview. “Being a black woman [in sports media]It wasn’t easy, but changing hearts and minds was so rewarding, and all I had to do was do my job to make it happen.”

Ogwumike was joined by Xavier Gutierrez, Chairman and CEO of ImpactX Sports Group, who also emphasized the importance of identifying critical gaps and unmet needs to reach diverse audiences.

The group rounds were rounded off with a conversation about the revolution in university sports with some well-known university athletes. In addition to Folt, Paralympic gold medalist and freshman Ezra Frech was joined on the women’s basketball team by two of USC’s most outstanding ballplayers: sophomore JuJu Watkins and forward Kiki Iriafen, who transferred from Stanford earlier this year.

As Los Angeles natives, Iriafen and Watkins were particularly vocal about the city as a sports hub and the growth of women’s sports in the region.

“There is no better time than now to become a women’s college athlete. There is so much investment, resources and viewership,” Iriafen said in an interview with Annenberg Media. “The people at USC really care about women’s basketball. So I think the biggest thing for me and the reason I’m so grateful is that I have all the resources around me to be great and do everything I need to do on the court and .” outside the field.”

“I think it’s important [representatives of] “We’re on the West Coast to show what we’re capable of,” Watkins added. “Most of the time we’re out of that conversation and I feel like we’re kind of forcing ourselves into that conversation now.”

The afternoon’s discussions culminated in a highly anticipated conversation with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who complimented the conference organizers.

“[The conference is] an acknowledgment of what we do. I always say that my predecessor, David Stern, would be so proud,” Silver said. “Today we are an industry and there are schools and classes dedicated to the sports industry.”

Many of the panelists emphasized the importance of connecting the professional sports industry with colleges and universities. This was one result of the Next Level Sports Conference: top executives sat with college students and everyone had the opportunity to express the successes and challenges of the sports world.

“What’s special about this conference is that it focuses on college athletics, and that’s what we do [at USC]said Folt. “But increasingly, college athletics is the fuel for all of these other sports…So we want them to understand what our students need and what empowers them.”