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NOTE: CRO.ticker will publish again on the morning of Tuesday, December 2nd. Enjoy your turkey!

The Wall Street Journal’s Katie Deighton observes there’s a surge in non-sports executives landing top marketing roles across leagues and teams as sports properties scale globally and diversify revenue. Cowen Partners President & Co-Founder Ash Wendt explains senior marketers are increasingly drawn to sports because “you’re helping to shape identity, community, and passion—that’s super attractive for somebody who wants their work to resonate outside of rigid sales numbers.” Taligence data shows 67% of sports CMO hires so far in 2025 came from outside the industry, compared to just 5% for retailers. TurnkeyZRG VP Allie Crone cautions the jobs are demanding: “These are attractive jobs, they’re high-profile, and there’s a lot of interest in doing them, but it’s not for everybody.” Hours are long, decisions are fast, and fan backlash can be harsher than shareholder feedback. MLS CMO Radhika Duggal says clubs actively sought non-sports expertise: “They were looking for someone that had marketing expertise. I had done that job, and I love that job.” She adds that the live nature of the product forces pivots: “Here we plan for the arc of the season, and sometimes we have to pivot because our product is live.” More from several sports CMOs. (link)

Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel joins the Invest Like the Best podcast and details his rise from a dyslexic kid in special-ed to running UFC, WWE and a growing global live-events empire, anchored by a belief that live entertainment is the ultimate AI-proof asset. Emanuel explains that he was having dinner with X/Tesla/SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, and “he said this to me. He goes, ‘Live cannot be disrupted.’ I said, ‘Okay, I have two ears.’ Live is the opposite bet. Data centers aren’t the opposite bet. Live is. We’re social animals. You’re coming to a UFC fight. You’re going to watch a lot of content. You’re going to go to concerts, going to standup, going to live events, sports or my live events. That’s my whole bet. I don’t know how to write an algorithm for AI. I don’t know how to build a data center. I’m not in the chip business. I just know how to create really great live events, monetize them, have a great user experience. Live cannot be disrupted.” Emanuel goes on to illustrate what he means: “When [Tiger Woods] first won, people were clapping. Second time, uh-uh, phones were up and people were screaming. Right. And that's because that thing you want to show how great your life is, right? … You're selling status. You're selling the video. This is status.” Lots more. (link)

SBJ’s Ben Fischer reports that surging institutional investment in sports has created a bidding war for top sports-deal lawyers, driving major defections from long-dominant Proskauer to higher-profit firms. Longtime Proskauer Partner Jon Oram left to launch a sports practice at Davis Polk, saying: “We hope to represent owners and investors across leagues and in every sport as valuations continue to surge and institutional investors play an even larger role.” Recruiters say the talent pool is tiny, with CenterPeak Managing Partner Sabina Lippman, estimating there are “perhaps as few as seven” true top-tier sports-transaction partners, adding: “They are getting a massive amount of calls right now.” Proskauer says it is still well positioned. Chairman Emeritus Joe Leccese said: “We continue to have the largest and deepest team across all the verticals one needs to support the industry. Ultimately, what matters is not what lawyers do, but what clients do.” Davis Polk managing Partner Neil Barr framed the Oram hire as essential as sports M&A evolves: “Given the convergence of institutional capital, the demographics of ownership, and valuation uptick, the attractiveness of this space has been more obvious. And we’re bringing Jon on to have a true industry player, to help us provide value-added services to the ecosystem in a way we couldn’t beforehand.” More from Fischer. (link)

The NACMA Timeout Podcast: MAAC Repositioning Project
NACMA President and Fairfield Assistant VP / Deputy AD hosted MAAC Commissioner Travis Tellitocci to discuss the conference's newly announced (link) Brand Repositioning Project, a strategic initiative designed to redefine the league's identity. Inside the episode:

➤ Addressing Name Confusion: The project was initiated to overcome the decades-long challenge of acronym confusion, where the MAAC is constantly mistaken for the Mid-American Conference and relegated to being "the other MAC" in the media.

➤ Repositioning Over Rebranding: Tellitocci emphasized that the goal is "repositioning," not necessarily a "rebrand," aiming to establish a distinct identity that showcases the conference's rich 45-year history and tradition.

➤ Data-Driven Strategy: The process began with a new strategic plan in Fall 2023, which included gathering comprehensive feedback from all stakeholders, notably over 3,200 student-athletes, and focused heavily on changing the narrative around the league for media stakeholders.

This project marks an inflection point for the league, providing a major opportunity to clearly communicate the MAAC's unique value and strategic direction.

CLICK HERE to listen to the full podcast >>

The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala reports the Washington Commanders will raise 2026 season-ticket prices by just under 10% on average, despite a 3-8 season, citing strong demand and continued ownership investment. Upper-bowl prices, which account for nearly 25% of all season tickets, will remain flat. Annual plans will rise about $17.32 per month, with lower-level, 50-yard line and club seats seeing the biggest bumps (max increase ~16%). Tenured members will receive 25% savings vs. new buyers and priority access to seats in the team’s new $3.8B stadium opening in 2030 on the RFK site. Ownership under Josh Harris has invested $120M+ into facilities and stadium upgrades, added 1,500 seats back to the upper bowl, and continues to reverse years of underfunding. Meanwhile, business metrics remain hot, as Jhabvala notes corporate partnerships are up 20% since July 2024, the season-ticket base is up 30%, suite sales are up 40%, club-level tickets are up 60%, and all home games have sold out the past two years. (link)

College.town and NACMA are compiling 2026 football season ticket renewal and pricing information. We would appreciate you taking a few minutes to share your institution's specific renewal launch date, deadlines, unique benefits or incentives, and any new itemized fees (like NIL or facility costs) through the short survey below so we can provide the industry with a valuable, aggregated overview of current market trends. (link)

The Information’s Sara Germano reports that figure skating is turning to AI-generated music as licensing costs and copyright complexity make pop-music routines increasingly difficult. The International Skating Union (ISU) has explicitly approved AI music this season as athletes look for cheaper, faster alternatives amid a broader push to modernize the sport and revive audience interest. ISU President Jae Youl Kim: “We live in a different era with different media, and so we have a new challenge, which we didn’t have to worry about in years back when we were using classical music.” He added the ISU is pursuing “a solution that will benefit everybody involved in sports” through potential blanket licensing with record labels. ClicknClear Founder Chantal Epp, whose platform helps skaters secure rights, estimates the sports-music licensing market at $5B and is working with top teams to streamline access. Germano notes that some athletes see AI as an escape hatch while others embrace the complexity. One record-label executive described the fragmented rights landscape as a “major pain point,” citing the lack of any centralized database for master and publishing rights. Meanwhile, some artists welcome the exposure: The Offspring Manager Sandee Bathgate said of Olympic hopefuls skating to Pretty Fly (for a White Guy): “How cool is it that someone who is potentially going to the Olympics is skating to our music? … It’s really not about the money for us.” (link)

The City of Omaha and Union Omaha are partnering on a proposed $140M, 6,500-seat stadium anchoring a new 20-acre mixed-use “stadium district,” and Alliance Sports’ Larry Botel, whose group owns Union Omaha, calls the plan a major breakthrough. He projects up to $400M in total development across the district and says the area’s venues – Charles Schwab Field, CHI Health Center, and the new soccer campus – would form a unified sports hub: “They’re all within a 10-minute walk of each other. We’re going to be sharing amenities like parking and things like that. It’s all coming together to create a very robust stadium district for the city – it’s exciting.” Funding is expected to involve public-private dollars, including tax-increment financing, an occupation tax, city capital tools and a request to access the state’s Sports Arena Facility Financing Assistance Act (turnback sales tax). Omaha Mayor John Ewing backs the vision, noting: “The stadium and surrounding district would offer another reason to live, work and play downtown, strengthening our urban core.” (link)

Perion/Advertiser Perceptions research shows major strain between CMOs and CFOs as budgets tighten and data gaps widen. Only 22% of marketers strongly feel they have enough data to justify value to finance leaders, and just 21% say they are “completely aligned” with their CFO on budgets and metrics. Perion Global CMO Erin McCallion: “We’re entering a pivotal year for marketing. There’s a lot of talk about the complexity of marketing. The expectations from the C-suite just keep rising. We really wanted to understand where the tension points are and what’s helping the CMOs and CFO stay better aligned. … Having that shared language and the shared understanding of what investments are driving business outcomes are very important. If the CMO cannot bridge that gap, it makes their remit that much more challenging.” The study highlights that 62% of marketers believe their CFO sees marketing as a measurable revenue driver, yet 70% say they still can’t fully track performance across platforms due to fragmented ad-tech and martech systems. (link)

The Drum columnist Gerry Farrell reflects on the legacy of Nike’s “Just Do It,” Adidas’ “Impossible Is Nothing,” and the renewed fight between the two brands as Nike looks to regain its edge. Farrell recounts hearing from Wieden+Kennedy Co-Founder Dan Wieden that the last line he ever wrote was “Just do it,” inspired by convicted killer Gary Gilmore’s final words, which became “the creative platform that turned a brand for professional athletes into a brand for everybody.” Farrell admits he has “always preferred Adidas,” praising the three stripes as “God’s gift to clothes designers.” He notes Adidas closed the gap in the 2000s with work built around “Impossible Is Nothing,” a line tied to Muhammad Ali that fueled “event” ads and powerful global storytelling. Adidas has since scrapped the slogan for “You Got This,” just as Nike, after a decade of fading cultural dominance and a 10% sales decline, is attempting a brand reset under Nike CEO Elliot Hill. Farrell highlights Nike’s new athlete-first innovation push, including “a motor-powered running shoe,” “a self-inflating Winter Olympics jacket,” and “Erling Haaland’s neuroscientific pre-match ‘mind shoes,’” which are all tied to the brand’s new internal mission: “Create Epic Shit, Make Athletes Better.” Farrell concludes that if Nike can translate that mission into breakthrough marketing, “it might just do it again,” even if he still prefers Adidas. (link)

2025 has become “the year of brand crises,” pushing marketers to refine crisis-response playbooks, according to AdAge’s Brandon Doerrer. Agencies now rely heavily on AI-powered sentiment analysis, with IPG Mediabrands’ Dave Byrne saying: “AI has made contextual analysis of what’s actually happening way better.” But firms stress pairing sentiment scores with business performance metrics to gauge “brand durability,” especially after bot networks fueled backlash against Cracker Barrel. Wpromote VP of Brand and Media Strategy Janna Navarro: “If a brand were to pull ads every time something could be perceived as insensitive, we wouldn’t be able to run anything.” American Eagle continued its Sydney Sweeney campaign after internal sales data showed strong performance; CMO Craig Brommers said the company avoided “social media noise” and relied on “accurate, real-time data.” Doerrer explains that pause windows are now shorter — typically 24-48 hours for major news events — with selective stops on social or news when appropriate. Havas Media Managing Partner of Performance Holly Dunn: “If there’s a major loss of life, we don’t want our ads to be appearing in the news cycle.” IPG reviews whether specific creative assets might appear tone-deaf during crises, and Byrne notes: “There isn’t a set process; it becomes more collaborative with the client. That’s where the account teams really come into play.” (link)

AdAge’s Jon Springer reports Molson Coors’ new “Just Bring the Beer” campaign reflects deeper struggles as CEO Rahul Goyal moves to overhaul a business facing declining volume and years of underinvestment in brand-building. Goyal told analysts: “There are no sacred cows,” and elevated CMO Sofia Colucci to report directly to him with expanded control over innovation, field marketing and media. Retail volume is down nearly 7% YTD, with Coors Light and Miller Lite both declining and Blue Moon down 14%. The company is leaning heavily on its MUSCLE creative framework (Magnetic, Unexpected, Simple, Connected, Long-term, Effective), with agency leaders calling it a “game changer,” though performance has yet to rebound. Springer notes Coors Banquet (+12% YTD) is the lone top-10 brand growing in 2025, aided by Americana positioning and partnerships with Wrangler and Seager. Meanwhile, Coors Light volume is –6.3%, Miller Lite –8.3%, and the overall beer category –4.6%. Molson Coors is pulling back to fewer, higher-impact bets, with experts saying the company must “go all in” on a small number of brands. Goyal also signaled selective investment in economy labels Keystone Light and Miller High Life as mainstream drinkers face affordability pressures. Colucci: “The consumer doesn’t separate brand and execution – and neither can we.” More. (link)