At the eighth annual CSO Summit & Symposium, pioneers in incorporating sustainability across the sports industry shared how athletes can work to create a personal brand and build a career that is longer-lasting than the one just on the field.
The morning began with an introduction from John Koudounis, the CEO of Calamos Investments.
“This year’s theme, sports business and social impact, will illustrate how the world of sports has recognized the need to have a sustainable cause in order to make a greater impact on the future,” said Koudounis. “It’s clear that most forward-thinking sports organizations, leagues, and individual athletes are partnering with sustainable-focused businesses to accomplish their long-term goals.”
Daniel Hicks, the organizer of this summit and professor at the Miami Herbert Business School, emphasized the importance of relating sustainable business to industries that appeal to a wide audience.
“I felt it was important, especially given some of the skepticism that we’ve heard about corporate sustainability and sustainable business, to look at an industry that’s neutral and that both sides support. That industry is sports,” said Hicks. “Sustainable business now has the pressure on it to perform and show results and produce impact. So what is that impact? I believe that it’s getting out there and showing results. And nobody shows results, and understands results, better than athletes.”
The summit took place on Friday, Apr. 25, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Lakeside Village Auditorium.
Each of its three sessions highlighted a different aspect of sports and sustainability. The first session focused on talent and media, the second on investing and the summit concluded by discussing citizenship.
One topic that kept coming up was the discussion surrounding NIL salaries.
Tina Brown, CEO of the Overtown Youth Center Miami, shared her thoughts on how UM’s business program can help athletes navigate this money.
“I definitely think there are classes that college athletes should be required to take,” said Brown. “Business management, financial management, I think all of those courses are important for learning how to manage your money, investments, things like that.”
Roger McClendon, co-host of this event and the executive director of Green Sports Alliance, shared similar views that properly educating athletes was crucial to their success.
“As long as you educate yourself and you can ask the right questions, you can bring in experts that can help you be more successful in managing those opportunities and managing those risks,” said McClendon. “It’s all about risk analysis, and we talk about the exploitation factor. Getting with the wrong people and being taken advantage of and not knowing your value or your worth. And so that’s where I think education is it.”
Panelists encouraged everyone, particularly athletes, to think about the longevity of their careers and how to use your platform to expand your money-making abilities and impact.
Hicks wrapped up the first session by asking panelists to share their final thoughts on social networks and impacts. Tommy Thompson, professional Major League soccer player for the San Jose Earthquakes, had some particularly insightful ideas about authenticity.
“Whatever it happens to be that you found that you’re passionate about, I’d encourage you to pursue,” said Thompson.
“At the end of the day, I look back on my career and it wasn’t the goals I scored or the assists I had or the wins I had as a team. It was the human connections that I made with teammates and the people I’d met along the way that stuck with me.”
Assistant News Editor Mel Tenkoff contributed to the reporting for this story.