Fifteen Winners Honored with the 2010 Sports Business Awards
New York, N.Y. - The Seattle Sounders were honored as the 2010 Professional Sports Team of the Year by the SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily. The award was presented live at a special ceremony held Thursday, May 20th at the New York Marriott Marquis at Times Square.
The Sounders were recognized as part of the Sports Business Awards program, presented by Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily, the two leading publications on the business of sports. The Sports Business Awards recognize excellence and outstanding achievement in the sports industry for 2009.
The Sounders were chosen from five nominees for Professional Sports Team of the Year, including, in alphabetical order, the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Capitals.
From its "March to the Match," to its marching band, the Sounders offered season-long innovation and ingenuity, becoming the model franchise for other sports teams to follow. With 15 regular season sell-outs and 22,000 season ticket holders, the Sounders played in front of an average crowd of close to 31,000, setting a Major League Soccer record for the highest average attendance per match.
Awards were presented in 15 categories. "We are pleased to recognize the achievement of the leaders in the sports industry with our third annual Sports Business Awards," says Richard Weiss, publisher of the SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily. "The winners and nominees being honored tonight represent the individuals, companies, agencies and media at the forefront of the sports industry."
The winners, which were chosen from 71 nominees, included:
Sports Executive of the Year - Jerry Jones, Owner, Dallas Cowboys
Athletic Director of the Year - Gene Smith, Ohio State University
Professional Sports Team of the Year - Seattle Sounders
Professional Sports League of the Year - National Football League
Sports Event of the Year - Super Bowl XLIV
Best in Sports Media - ESPN
Best in Sports Television - CBS Sports
Best in Digital Sports Media - MLB Advanced Media
Best in Talent Representation and Management - CAA Sports
Best in Corporate Consulting, Marketing and Client Services - IMG
Best in Property Consulting, Sales and Client Services - Premier Partnerships
Sports Event Marketing Firm of the Year - Vivid Marketing
Sports Sponsor of the Year - Visa
Sports Facility of the Year - Cowboys Stadium
Best in Sports Technology - Mitsubishi Electric - Diamond Vision
Please visit the web site for articles on the winners and nominees - www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/ or www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/
About SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily
Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal is the industry's leading weekly trade publication, providing breaking news and comprehensive reporting and analysis on sports business. With 80 reporters, editors and guest columnists, SBJ keeps its readers up to date on the latest developments in sports marketing, sponsorships, media, facilities, agents and labor, finance and more. For more information, visit www.sportsbusinessjournal.com.
Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily is the leading daily provider of real-time news and information for sports business executives, tracking more than 500 news sources worldwide, including newspapers, television and radio. SBD keeps its readers on top of the day's events and ahead of the news cycle. For more information, visit www.sportsbusinessdaily.com.
Both publications are part of the Street & Smith's Sports Group, which consists of the Street & Smith's Conference Group, the Sports Business Resource Guide & Fact Book, NASCAR Illustrated and SceneDaily.com. Street & Smith's is a division of American City Business Journals (ACBJ), which comprises weekly business journals across the country, BizJournals.com, Hemmings Motor News, Sporting News Magazine, Sporting News Today, Sporting News Yearbooks, Sporting News Radio Network and SportingNews.com. ACBJ is part of the Advance Publications family.
