Event | Washington DC

    SRI and Firm Host North America Sports Integrity Roundtable

    Region: Americas
    17 October 2019
    The George Washington University Law School
    716 20th Street NW
    Washington DC 20052
    Related Professionals:

    On October 17, 2019, along with SRI, we will be hosting the inaugural North America Sports Integrity Roundtable. The event is aimed at providing an insightful and energized discussion of the issues and challenges of the changing Sports Integrity landscape. A number of the sports industry’s most prominent figures will be participating as speakers, moderators and panelists, or simply attending to join the discussion. Below is an overview of the event program.

    Opening Remarks – Race to Revenue Growth Must Maintain Integrity

    Tony Ponturo, Chief Executive Officer, Ponturo Management Group (former Senior Vice President and CEO, Anheuser-Busch Media)

    Summary: Tony Ponturo will share perspectives and provide context about the changing media landscape and why the commercialization of gambling is critical to professional sports. Tony was arguably the largest underwriter of sports during the 1990s and early 2000s, given his role with Anheuser-Busch Media. With the growing trend in the fragmentation of media, rightsholders will be challenged to maintain the same level of traditional media rights fees they have seen in the past. Gambling will offer a safety net to this changing landscape for rightsholders. Tony’s remarks will provide some keen insights and help establish why we are together at The George Washington University.

    Panel 1 – International Tennis Integrity Unit Case Study

    Summary: In 2008, the seven leading stakeholders within global tennis established the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), reflecting the sport’s zero-tolerance policy on betting-related corruption. The seven stakeholders were early movers among sports organizations in establishing their own anticorruption body. The focus of the TIU was to deliver a combined objective of detection and education to make it as difficult as possible for potential corruptors to access players and tournaments. This session will review the evolution and impact of this body on the sport and the implications for other sports.

    Moderator: Stephen J. Sampson, Partner and Co-Chair Sports Practice, Squire Patton Boggs
    Panelists:

    • Jake Marsh, Head of Integrity, Stats Perform
    • Gordon Smith, Chief Executive Officer, US Tennis Association
    • Mark Young, Vice Chairman, Chief Legal and Media Officer, ATP World Tour

    Panel 2 – The Rise of the Player Empowerment Era

    Summary: We have entered into what is commonly being referred to as the “Player Empowerment Era” in sports. But what does “player empowerment” mean exactly and what impact has it had (and will it have) on sports integrity? This session will explore the impact of player empowerment on and off the field, as well as how, in the future, vital player data and health information will be critical on numerous fronts.

    Moderator: Sean L. McGrane, Senior Associate, Squire Patton Boggs
    Panelists:

    • Sashi Brown, Chief Planning and Operations Officer, Monumental Basketball
    • Frederick R. Nance, Global Managing Partner (US) and Co-Chair Sports Practice, Squire Patton Boggs
    • Ahmad Nassar, President, NFL Players Inc.
    • Michael Schwimer, President and CEO, Big League Advance LLC

    Keynote Discussion

    • Keynote Speaker: DeMaurice “De” Smith, Executive Director, National Football League Players Association
      Interactive Q&A Discussion Covering a Variety of Issues Related to Integrity in Sports
    • Moderator: Rodney E. Slater, former US Secretary of Transportation, and Partner, Squire Patton Boggs, and Founding Partner, Washington Nationals Baseball Team

    Perspectives From Rightsholders, Media Companies and Gaming Operators

    Summary: The ecosystem of professional sports integrity has many components, from leagues, teams and venues, players to player associations and agents, as well as data collectors and distributors, media companies, betting services and others. Against this spectrum, in addition to current revenue streams, according to estimates from the American Gaming Association, Americans gamble more than US$150 billion illegally and another US$5 billion legally. With this key dynamic changing, so too are how these various industry players are looking at capitalizing on new revenue sources while looking at how manage integrity-related issues. Factor in how this is becoming more difficult with today’s social media environment challenging the integrity of sports and we see a very different landscape for the future. Hear from some of the key players in this caldron of change on what this may all mean.

    Moderator: Chris Bevilacqua, Co-Founder and Chairman, SimpleBet
    Confirmed Panelists:

    • Bob Brennfleck, Senior Vice President – Commercial, Lagardère Sports & Entertainment
    • Cory Fox, Counsel, FanDuel Group
    • Andy Levinson, Senior Vice President – Tournament Administration, PGA TOUR
    • Damon Phillips, Senior Vice President and General Manager, NBC Sports Washington

    Panel 4 – NCAA and Integrity – The Most Vulnerable of All Sports Areas?

    Summary: One of the most vulnerable areas for sports integrity is college athletics. This session will focus on a number of related topics and questions for the future. How will the NCAA, conferences and member schools manage the tidal wave of gambling products, promotions and general awareness facing student-athletes and students in the coming months? How will schools protect the integrity of college athletics in the face of the pressure to leverage new revenue opportunities? Who will be responsible for monitoring, detecting, investigating and rendering punishment when integrity has been compromised?

    Moderator: Glenn Horine, Partner and Head of North America Sports Practice, SRI
    Panelists:

    • Edgar Burch II, Director of Government Relations, NCAA
    • Scott Sadin, Chief Operating Officer, US Integrity
    • Tanya Vogel, Director of Athletics, The George Washington University

    Reviewing the State of Play and Weighing Next Steps

    Panelist:

    • Alexandra Wrage, Founder and President, TRACE

    Summary: Alexandra Wrage will review the broad range of challenges that currently threaten to undermine confidence in professional sports. She will summarize some of the hurdles that this community must address head-on, and assess some of the solutions. Having had a seat at the table during FIFA’s initial unsuccessful attempt at reform, Alexandra will share some practical insights into the effort and investment required to get things right and the high cost – reputationally and financially – of cutting corners.

    Related Professionals

    Frederick R. Nance Cleveland
    Rodney E. Slater Washington DC
    David Schnittger Washington DC
    Stephen Sampson London
    Sean L. McGrane Cleveland | New York
    Michael A. Curto Washington DC

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