November 8, 2024
The Wharton School
Jon M. Huntsman Hall
3730 Walnut Street
Philadelphia PA, 19104
The 2024 Wharton Sports Business Summit took place on November 8 in Philadelphia, at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Founded in 2017, the Wharton Sports Business Summit is organized by the Wharton Undergraduate Sports Business Club (WUSBC) with the support of the Wharton Sports Analytics and Business Initiative (WSABI).
The summit features keynote presentations, enlightening lunch-and-learn discussions, and valuable networking opportunities with experts in the sports business realm. The event draws a diverse audience including students, academics, industry experts, and professionals, all eager to partake in a diverse range of captivating speaker sessions.
2024 Keynote Speakers
This year’s summit will feature a morning keynote presentation by Lewis Sherr, CEO and Executive Director of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), who will share valuable insights from his experience in shaping the business of tennis and driving innovation in the industry.
Moderated by Katrina Adams, Executive Director, Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program, Inc.; Author, Sports Analyst, Past President & Chairman USTA; Honorary Lifetime VP, ITF
The afternoon keynote presentation will feature John Middleton, Managing Partner & Chief Executive Officer of the Philadelphia Phillies.
John S. Middleton has been a limited partner of the Phillies ownership group since 1994. The Middleton family holds a 48 percent stake in the franchise. Middleton has been the team’s control person and its managing partner since November 2016. In those roles, he is responsible for the overall operation of the club and its compliance with the MLB rules. In 2021, Middleton became one of the eight owners to serve as members of Major League Baseball’s Executive Council. He also chairs the MLB Ownership Committee.
The conversation will be moderated by Asuka Nakahara,
Meet Our Speakers
- Mason Ashe, Lecturer, Legal Studies and Business Ethics Department, The Wharton School
- Jared Bartie, Partner and Chair, Sports Transactions Practice, Willkie Farr & Gallagher
- Brendan Benzing, VP, Strategic Partnerships, Aquimo
- Jayne Bussman-Wise, VP, Growth, Strategy & New Ventures, PWHL
- Waleed Chaudhry, Senior Director, Commercial, FanDuel
- Lloyd Danzig, Managing Partner, Sharp Alpha
- Rob DiGisi, Sports Management Lecturer, The Wharton School
- David Foppert, Senior Director, Compliance & Risk Management, DraftKings
- Eddie Hearn, Chairman, Matchroom Sport and Professional Darts Corporation
- Kevin Kaiser, Adjunct Professor of Finance, The Wharton School
- Wayne Kimmel, Managing Partner, SeventySix Capital
- Milton Lee, Founder, MiSL6 Sports Advisors
- Zach Leonsis, President, Media & New Enterprises, Monumental Sports & Entertainment
- Sascha Malas, Director, Overtime Select
- Pravin Manglani, Partner, RedBird Capital Partners
- Cade Massey, Faculty Co-Director, Wharton Sports Analytics and Business Initiative
- Scot McClintic, COO, Fanatics Betting & Gaming
- Jane McManus, Professor, NYU Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport
- Mohammed Omer, MBA Candidate, The Wharton School
- Neil Paine, Sportswriter, formerly FiveThirtyEight
- Adam Rosenberg, Senior Advisor, Gaming & Leisure, Blackstone
- Frank Smith, CEO, Matchroom Boxing Limited & Director, Matchroom Sport Limited
- Mori Taheripour, Faculty, Legal Studies and Business Ethics Department, The Wharton School
- George Tembon, VP, Global Sports Group, Goldman Sachs
- Megan Wallach, Principal, Shamrock Capital Investments
- Jachele Vélez, Deputy General Counsel, WNBA
- Maddie Winslow, Inner Circle Sports
- Maria Xing, Head of Investments, Brera Holdings
Building a Sports Brand for the Modern Age
Zack Weiner
President & Co-Founder, Overtime
The Past, Present, and Future of College Sports
Val Ackerman
Commissioner, Big East Conference
The Wharton Undergraduate Sports Business Club (WUSBC) aims to educate students on the world of sports business, build awareness of career & internship opportunities in the industry, and help students to reach those positions. On one of the most competitive campuses in the nation, we strive to be an inclusive and welcoming club, offering a great sense of community.