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Jason Wright Managing Partner and Head of Investments
Ariel Investments | Project Level®
As Managing Partner and Head of Investments, Jason is responsible for deal sourcing and execution while also overseeing due diligence, portfolio management and value creation. Jason previously served as President of the Washington Commanders—the first Black president in the 105-year history of the National Football League (NFL), the youngest during his tenure and only the fourth former NFL player to serve in that role. At the Commanders, he was responsible for all business operations, helped secure development rights to the RFK stadium site and helped facilitate the team's sale at a record high. Prior to the Commanders, Jason was a partner at McKinsey & Company. He spent seven years as a running back in the NFL and served as team captain and NFLPA player representative for the Arizona Cardinals. Jason currently serves on the board of two of our portfolio companies—Denver Summit FC, the 16th expansion team in the National Women's Soccer League—and League One Volleyball, an American volleyball organization reshaping the sport through a unified youth-to-pro model. He is also a board member of The Commit Foundation, a nonprofit that assists veterans with their transition to civilian life. Jason holds a BA in psychology from Northwestern University where he was an Academic All-American student-athlete and a two-time All-Big Ten football selection. He earned an MBA with honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Senior Director of Marketing & Digital Partnerships, Indiana Fever & Indiana Pacers

Robyn Fuhrman is in her seventh year with Pacers Sports & Entertainment and currently works as the Senior Director of Marketing & Digital Partnerships for the Indiana Fever and Indiana Pacers. She leads a team overseeing marketing campaigns connected to corporate sponsors. She makes impact and maximizes revenue by working collaboratively across departments to bring big ideas to life.

Director of Athlete Influence, University of Cincinnati

Edward Taylor was appointed as the University of Cincinnati Department of Athletics Assistant Director of NIL in Summer 2023 following a year as the NIL and compliance coordinator. He was promoted to Director in Summer 2024, in large part for UC earning the Best Institutional NIL Program honor at the third-annual NIL Summit in Atlanta.

He received his master's degree in May 2023 for Sports Administration with a minor in Business. He earned his bachelor's from LSU in Sports Administration and a minor in Business. He spent his time as an undergrad on the event management team and student staff for athletic administration within the LSU athletic department.

Taylor also previously secured a place on Team USA's powerlifting team, and in 2019 he performed overseas and earned a silver medal while still attending LSU.

CMO, Chicago Stars FC

Kay Bradley joined Chicago Stars FC as Chief Marketing Officer in 2024. Since then, she has led the club's brand refresh, helped set the NWSL single-match attendance record with more than 35,000 fans, and spearheaded an award-winning marketing campaign that earned a Silver Clio Sports Award.

Previously, Kay served as Vice President of Marketing at the U.S. Soccer Federation, where she led marketing for the U.S. Women's and Men's National Teams and drove initiatives to grow the sport by engaging multicultural and next-generation fans.

Named a 2023 Sports Business Journal Game Changer, Kay is a graduate of Amherst College, where she captained the women's soccer team, and earned her MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

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🏈We're excited to welcome Riddell as a sponsor of Chicago Sports Tech Week! For nearly a century, Riddell has been at the forefront of football innovation, leading the industry in athlete protection, performance technology, and sports analytics. Their commitment to advancing the game through cutting-edge equipment and data-driven solutions makes them a natural partner in bringing together the leaders shaping the future of sports technology.

📖Learn more about Riddell: https://www.riddell.com

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🎙️Sam Panayotovich returns to Chicago, joins Fox 32 sports Fox 32’s summer makeover has resulted in plenty of changes. This one brings a familiar face back to Chicago. Former WGN Radio 720 producer Sam Panayotovich is back in town after sharpening his media skills in other markets. Raised on the East Side, Panayotovich spent a decade with WGN. He learned the ins and outs of radio, then gained some experience in TV before taking a gamble in Las Vegas (no pun intended). Panayotovich moved to Las Vegas to host a sports betting show after no similar opportunities emerged in Chicago. After spending time there and four years in Boston, Panayotovich joins a revamped Fox 32 on a mission to increase its digital presence. It never hurts to have home-brewed talent in your sports media department. Axios describes Panayaotovich’s first story pitch in his new role.

🆕Watch Any Game You Want At Victory & Vice Sports Bar, Coming To The West Loop Opening its doors right in time for football season is certainly a smart strategic move for a bar. Still, Victory & Vice doesn’t want to be known as just a football bar. About 25-30% of its 30 screens will be reserved for guest-requested games in sports like cricket and rugby. Victory & Vice will also offer a robust cocktail selection, not typically associated with bars. This includes interactive tableside cocktail service, allowing guests to create their own cocktails. Victory & Vice plans to lean into technology to offer each guest an individualized experience. For example, it will feature tech that lets guests clearly hear play-by-play with earbuds. Opening in the high-demand Fulton Market in August, the upscale sports bar hopes to bring new energy and style to the West Loop. Block Club Chicago presents Victory & Vice’s distinguishing features and highlights from its menu.

🎶Chicago Sky DJ Ca$hEra Is Making It Big By Staying True To Herself. If you’ve attended a Bulls or Sky game over the past year or so, chances are you witnessed Casera Hening aka DJ Ca$hEra. How does one go from no experience to showcasing their skills across all types of platforms? By reading the room extremely well. This intangible skill comes from a deep understanding of herself and her capabilities. Heining pivoted from a forensic science path to radio broadcasting while at Columbia College. She was told she could never get a job in the third-biggest media market right after school. Heining bucked the trend by using her infectious energy and unique DJ style to secure local work after her graduation in 2017. Fast forward to now, and DJ Ca$hEra has featured for brands like Nike, Adidas, and Puma while establishing herself with the Bulls and Sky. Not bad for someone who shouldn’t have been able to become a force in the industry right out of college. Block Club Chicago provides DJ Ca$hEra’s backstory and accolades so far.

💰Big 12 strikes landmark Monster deal featuring jersey patches, field logos A deal like this was always around the corner after the NCAA approved jersey patches in January. While other schools have already announced jersey patch deals, this marks the first conference-wide deal. Monster will pay the Big 12 millions annually for field logo rights and jersey patches for football and men's and women’s basketball. Monster will also co-brand the regular season as “Monster Energy Big 12 football” and “Monster Energy Big 12 basketball”. It’s a move that raises the Big 12’s profile while taking additional revenue options into its own hands. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormack has been aggressive in finding ways to increase the conference's revenue and impact. They were the first conference to sign a deal with a PE firm too (RedBird Capital is investing $12.5 million in the conference to drive business growth). Running a D1 college sports conference has become an arms race: every school and conference hunt relentlessly for additional revenue streams. If they don’t, the ever-increasing costs of running college sports will eat them alive. Sports Business Journal discusses the deal and the controversy surrounding it.

🏌️‍♀️Teeing up for the future of AI-powered golf equipment AI’s infiltration of golf isn’t new. For example, Chicago-based Wilson has the Wilson Fit AI App, which helps club fitters select the right golf club for customers. It’s been available since 2023. AI’s use cases within golf continue to expand as its popularity rises and the technology improves. Soon, you could see a robot caddie driving a golf cart at a course near you. Ixi, the robot caddie, offers tips at a fraction of the cost of the highest-paid pro caddies (Ted Scott, Scottie Scheffler’s caddie, earned over $2 million both in 2024 and 2025). Ixi can be controlled by hand gestures and comes with knowledge of 40,000+ courses. Golf has surged since the pandemic, thanks in part to digital creators, driving ranges, and indoor visual simulators. Tech that’s aimed at improving the casual player’s ability is surging and shows no signs of slowing down. The Hustle breaks down Ixi and provides stats of golf’s rising popularity.

✍️Pro Padel League inks Kalshi to multiyear marketing deal Kalshi must’ve studied “Oprah’s Favorite Things” segment from the Oprah Show because it’s handing out as many sports marketing deals as it can. Since last year, it has added the NHL, Baller League USA, and now Pro Padel to its roster of deals. That doesn’t include deals it has with individuals like LIV golfer Bryson DeChambeau. Pro Padel League, like Baller League USA, is a promising upstart that Kalshi can grow with in its infancy. Padel is still very niche in the U.S. but growing rapidly. There are over 700 courts in the U.S.—up from about 180 just four years ago—and about 1.07 million players—up from an estimated 90,000 amateur padel players in 2023. Kalshi continues its trend of partnering with brands that, like itself, have grown or are growing from an outsider to an established presence. Sports Business Journal reports on the deal and how both sides benefit.