Sport Management Symposium
Seth Davis headlines 2026 Sport Management Symposium
The 2026 Sport Management Symposium brought together industry professionals to examine the rapidly changing business of live sports, with award-winning sports journalist and CBS Sports analyst Seth Davis serving as keynote speaker.
In a conversation with Assistant Professor Bill Squadron, Davis discussed the evolving sports media landscape and the continued importance of live sports in a fragmented entertainment environment.
“Sports remain one of the last great appointment-viewing experiences,” Davis said, noting that the ability to bring audiences together in real time continues to make live sports uniquely valuable for broadcasters and advertisers.
Elon alumnus Alex Day ’16 (center) returned to campus to share his insights during the “Tech Companies, Streaming and Sports Content” panel. Also pictured are journalist Michele Steele (left) and former Amazon Prime Video sports strategy executive Michael Morris.
Want a closer look at the symposium? Read our full Today at Elon event release, “Seth Davis, industry leaders explore the evolving business of live sports,” or visit our Flickr gallery.
Following the keynote conversation, industry leaders joined two panels exploring the business and media forces shaping the sports industry. A listing
The first panel, titled “League TV Rights Strategy in a Shifting Media Landscape,” examined how leagues approach television rights negotiations in an era defined by streaming, shifting viewing habits and growing competition for media attention. Panelists discussed the strategic decisions leagues must make as they balance traditional broadcast partnerships with emerging digital platforms.
The second panel, “Tech Companies, Streaming and Sports Content,” focused on how streaming services and technology companies are reshaping sports distribution and content creation. Panelists explored how digital platforms have lowered barriers to entry for sports storytelling while also increasing competition for audience attention.
Among the panelists was Elon alumnus Alex Day ’16, who shared insights from his experience working in sports media and digital content. Day discussed how emerging platforms have expanded opportunities for storytelling while also requiring media professionals to adapt to new formats, audience behaviors and distribution strategies.
“There’s not a great barrier to entry right now, so you have to come up with some creative ideas to do it a little bit differently, get people engaged,” Day said, encouraging students to differentiate themselves in a crowded digital landscape.
Hosted by the Department of Sport Management, the annual symposium connects students with leading professionals to examine real-world trends influencing sports, media and fan engagement. Past keynote presenters include Jim Phillips, ACC commissioner; Steve Phelps, NASCAR president; and DeMaurice Smith, former executive director of the NFL Players Association.
Video
Panels
League TV Rights Strategy in a Shifting Media Landscape
Tyler McBride
Vice President of Media Partnerships, Atlantic Coast Conference
Tyler McBride joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in March 2024, overseeing the day-to-day for the ACC’s media partnerships (television, digital and radio). He joined the conference after spending more than 10 years working at ESPN, managing programming and partnerships for College Baseball, SEC Network and Longhorn Network. A native of Charlotte, McBride earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of South Carolina and his master’s degree from Ohio University.
John Kosner
President, Kosner Media
John Kosner is president of Kosner Media, a digital media and sports consultancy. The longtime sports media veteran has served as an adviser to Apple, the USOPC/LA28, MLS, Big East, PRCA, WHOOP and WSC Sports, among others. Previously, Kosner led digital media at ESPN from 2003-2017. In his 21 years at the Worldwide Leader in Sports, Kosner built ESPN into a leading digital sports destination. Prior to ESPN, he worked at Sports Illustrated and spent eight years at the NBA, where he oversaw U.S. broadcasting during the Dream Team era. Kosner and his former NBA colleague, Ed Desser, devise sports media strategies and negotiate media agreements for rightsholders, and they write periodic columns for the Sports Business Journal. In 2026, Kosner and Desser will release their first book about the sports media business. Kosner graduated from Stanford University in 1982.
Austin Karp
Sports Media Reporter, Sports Business Journal
Austin Karp is a sports media reporter for Sports Business Journal, the industry’s leading trade publication, where he has spent two decades covering the business of sports media. His reporting focuses on media rights deals, television and streaming audience measurement, media talent movement, network strategies, and related industry trends. Before his current role, Karp served as a managing editor at Sports Business Journal, where he launched the publication’s newsletter division. Before joining SBJ, he practiced law with Moore & Van Allen, PLLC. Karp lives in Charlotte and is a graduate of Georgia Tech and the University of Toledo College of Law.
Tech Companies, Streaming and Sports Content
Michael Morris
Principal of Strategy and Finance, Prime Video Sports
Michael Morris is a sports media and strategy executive with experience evaluating and structuring live sports rights deals across streaming and traditional media. Most recently, he served as principal of sports strategy and finance at Amazon Prime Video, where he assessed large-scale rights investments, including Amazon’s global NBA agreement, as well as deals with the Masters, NFL, NASCAR, WNBA, and NWSL, among others. Previously, Morris was director of strategy and business development at CBS Sports Digital (Paramount Global), with earlier experience at WarnerMedia and J.P. Morgan. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Michele Steele
Host & Director of Content Strategy, Stocktwits
Michele Steele is a journalist and media executive who has recently returned to financial media after a 14-year tenure at ESPN. She teamed up with Howard Lindzon to launch a podcast series for Stocktwits, targeting retail investors. In addition to co-hosting the podcast, Steele serves as Stocktwits’ director of content strategy, overseeing the company’s expansion into podcasts and helping shape a unified editorial approach across mobile, social and streaming platforms, with a focus on market drivers and retail-investor sentiment. Prior to ESPN, Steele worked as an anchor and reporter at Bloomberg Television, where she became the network’s first full-time sports reporter. Earlier in her career, she reported on technology and business for Forbes.
Alex Day '16
Host/Producer, YES Network/Alex Day Media
Alex Day is a sports broadcaster and content creator based in New York City. After graduating from Elon in 2016 with a degree in broadcast journalism, Day worked in production for Duke University’s Blue Devil Network and then Yankee Productions, where he won two Emmy Awards. He then pivoted to a career on-air, building a following on social media. Day spent three years working as a content creator, host and announcer for the digital network Overtime, before leaving in 2024 to start working as a freelancer. Since then, he has become one of the most prominent voices in New York sports media, serving as a host/reporter for the YES Network, interviewing stars like Jalen Brunson, Puka Nacua, Justin Jefferson, Johnny Manziel, and partnering with dozens of the biggest brands and media companies.