2009 Sports Business Awards Recap

By The FDH New York Bureau (posted by Rick Morris)

On Thursday night, May 28th, I had the honor of attending the second annual Sports Business Journal Sports Business Awards, held at the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square. Sports executives, agencies and teams were recognized for their outstanding performances in 2008. There were 15 categories that were voted on by various luminaries in the sports business sector.

Special thanks to Toby Clark from Sports Busness Journal for allowing STN to cover the event, as well as staff writer Eric Fisher - a friend of The FDH Lounge who has appeared on our show twice in the past year,and will be doing so again sometime in the near future. If you are any kind of a sports fan, please check out his great work at SportsBusinessJournal.com and Sportsbizdaily.com

And let the debates begin. The envelopes please.....

THE PROFESSIONAL SPORTS LEAGUE OF 2008: NBA
Other nominees: Indy Racing League, NFL, NHL

BEST IN CONSULTING/SERVICES FOR PROPERTIES & CLIENTS: IMG
Other nominees: ISP Sports, Premier Partnerships

BEST SPORTS TELEVISION NETWORK OF 2008: NBC SPORTS
Other nominees: Big Ten Network, CBS Sports, ESPN, Fox Sports

BEST IN SPORTS TECHNOLOGY: MLB ADVANCED MEDIA (MLB.com)
Other nominees: Cisco Systems, EA Sports/ESPN, NeuLion

BEST SPORTS FACILITY OF 2008: LUCAS OIL STADIUM (INDIANAPOLIS)
Other nominees: Fenway Park, Nationals Park, TD Banknorth Garden (Boston), Wachovia Center (Philadelphia)

BEST SPORTS EVENT MARKING FIRM OF 2008: GMR MARKETING
Other nominees: Momentum Worldwide, SportsMark, Vivid Marketing

BEST DIGITAL SPORTS MEDIA COMPANY: ESPN DIGITAL MEDIA
Other nominees: Turner Sports, Yahoo! Sports, Sporting News, Fantasy Sports Ventures

SPECIAL 2008 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: PETER UEBERROTH (Former MLB Commissioner, Chairman of U.S. Olympic Committee)

BEST IN TALENT MANAGEMENT/REPRESENTATION: Creative Artists Agency
Other nominees: BEST, IMG, Octagon, Wasserman Media Group

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR: Joe Castiglione (Univ. of Oklahoma)
Other nominees: Sandy Barbour (U.California), Jeremy Foley (U.Florida), JoelMaturi (U.Minnesota)

THE TOP SPORTS EVENT OF 2008: NHL WINTER CLASSIC (BUFFALO)
Other nominees: Daytona 500, MLB All-Star Game (Yankee Stadium, NBA All-Star Game (New Orleans), U.S. Open (Golf)

BEST IN CORPORATE CONSULTING/MARKETING/SERVICES: IMG
Other nominees: Genesco Sports Enterprises, Octagon, Velocity Sports & Entertainment, Wasserman Media Group

THE TOP PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAM OF 2008: BOSTON CELTICS
Other nominees: Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Blackhawks, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays

BEST SPORTS MEDIA SITE OF 2008: ESPN
Other nominees: CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Turner Sports

TOP SPORTS SPONSOR OF 2008: COCA-COLA
Other nominees: AT&T, Bridgestone, Sharp Electronics, State Farm Insurance

THE TOP SPORTS EXECUTIVE OF 2008: DICK EBERSOL, NBC SPORTS
Other nominees: George Bodenheimer (ESPN), David Stern (NBA), Rocky Wirtz (Chicago Blackhawks)