Panelists

Adam Silver

Deputy Commissioner and COO, NBA

Through his business and leadership skills, Adam Silver has helped to establish the NBA as the most popular sports league in the world, as a model for global sports marketing organizations, and as one of the largest providers of sports programming in the world.

Mr. Silver became NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer in July 2006 after his appointment was unanimously approved by the NBA Board of Governors. He assumed his role as the league’s second-in-command following more than eight years as President and COO, NBA Entertainment.

Mr. Silver has been instrumental in many league accomplishments, including playing a key role in the negotiations of the league’s last two television agreements, the last three collective bargaining agreements with the NBA Players Association, the development of the WNBA and NBA Development League, the partnership with Turner Broadcasting to jointly manage the NBA’s digital assets, the partnership with the NCAA on a wide-ranging initiative aimed at enhancing youth basketball programs in the U.S., and the creation of NBA China as a separately incorporated operating entity.

During Mr. Silver's tenure, the NBA has seen rapid expansion of its digital activities as NBA Entertainment launched NBA TV – the league’s 24-hour television channel – and developed the NBA.com network, which consists of more than 60 unique Web sites, including NBA.com, WNBA.com, NBADLeague.com, team sites for the three leagues, and nine international sections of NBA.com. Silver also oversees the NBA’s and WNBA’s game telecasts, which are carried in 215 countries in 41 languages.

NBA Entertainment’s Global Merchandising Group -- responsible for the product development, merchandising, licensing, sales development, e-commerce, retail and direct-to-consumer initiatives of the NBA and WNBA – has seen record growth during Mr. Silver’s tenure and sales of NBA and WNBA merchandise exceeded $3 billion at retail last year. Also under Mr. Silver’s supervision are the Global Media Properties and Marketing Partnerships divisions, as well as the advertising sales within the league’s extensive media inventory.

Mr. Silver was also instrumental in the formation of NBA China, an entity that conducts all of the league’s businesses in Greater China, and he serves on the entity’s Board of Directors.

Mr. Silver has consistently been named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Sports by BusinessWeek, the Sporting News and the SportsBusiness Journal. He has also been recognized by Time Magazine and CNN on their list of Global Business Influentials, which features 20 of the world’s leading corporate executives.

Mr. Silver joined the NBA in 1992 and previously served under Commissioner Stern as Special Assistant to the Commissioner; NBA Chief of Staff; Senior Vice President and COO, NBA Entertainment; and President and COO, NBA Entertainment. Prior to joining the NBA, Mr. Silver was a litigation associate at the New York law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore, where he concentrated on media and antitrust cases. He also served as a law clerk to Federal District Court Judge Kimba Wood in New York City.

In addition to serving on the boards of PENCIL (an organization focused on developing civic involvement in the New York City public schools), the “Hands On Network” Corporate Service Council, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and the Duke University Library, Mr. Silver was appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to the New York City Sports Development Corporation. He is also a member of the Special Presidential Council on Campus Life and Culture at Duke University and of the University of Chicago Law School Visiting Committee.

Mr. Silver graduated from Duke University and the University of Chicago Law School. He resides in New York City.

John Walsh

EVP and Executive Editor, ESPN

John A. Walsh serves as executive vice president and executive editor of ESPN, Inc.  Walsh has been the executive editor of ESPN since December 1990.  At times during his 20 year career at ESPN, he has overseen the launch of ESPN The Magazine and ESPN Radio; was instrumental in developing the many news and information elements within ESPN; including networks and new shows; and has led the editorial direction of ESPN.com and its properties.

Walsh served as the managing editor for ESPN from January 1988 to December 1990, and was responsible for the editorial content of all news and informational programming, including SportsCenter, ESPN's flagship sports news program.

The founding editor of the original Inside Sports magazine (1979-82), Walsh also served as managing editor of U.S. News and World Report (1985-86) and Rolling Stone (1973-74). He held a number of editorial positions at Newsday (1970-73), including sports editor; worked as sports editor of the Columbia Missourian (1967-70), and was an editor at the Washington Post style section (1977-78). He has been the editor of three sports books, including "The Heisman: A Symbol of Excellence," published in 1984. In addition, he has served as a consultant for several publications, including Esquire magazine (1982-83), Vanity Fair magazine (1983-84), the New York Times Sunday sports "Part Two" magazine (1985) and Special Report magazines published by Whittle Communications.

Walsh had been a consultant to ESPN from July 1987 to January 1988. His television experience includes consultancies to CBS Sports' NFL Today program (1986-87 season) and with TVTV on a PBS documentary on the 1976 Super Bowl.

A native of Scranton, Pa., Walsh earned a bachelor of arts degree in English from the University of Scranton in 1966 and received a master's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in 1968. In 1991, he received the Frank J. O'Hara Award from the University of Scranton's National Alumni Association, recognizing his "sustained achievement in the communications field."   In 2001, he received the University of Missouri Journalism School Medal of Honor.

David Levy

President, Turner Broadcasting Sales, Inc. & President, Turner Sports

David Levy is president of Turner Broadcasting Sales, Inc. and president of Turner Sports.   In his capacity as president of Turner Broadcasting Sales, Inc., Levy oversees all sales strategy and operations across the Turner domestic portfolio of entertainment, animation and news networks and businesses.  As president of Turner Sports, he oversees all sports acquisitions, programming, production, league relations and ad sales for sports programming airing on TBS and TNT.

Formerly president of Turner Entertainment Ad Sales & Marketing, Levy helped build what is widely considered by industry figures the #1 sales organization in the television marketplace.  As president of Turner Sports, he has been instrumental in deepening Turner Broadcasting’s long-standing programming relationships with the NBA and NASCAR, especially in the area of digital expansion of leading sports brands.

In January of 2008, Levy was integral in the formation and closing of a ground-breaking expansion of the longest-running league/network programming partnership in professional sports, with Turner Broadcasting, Inc. assuming joint management of an array of the NBA’s digital businesses including NBA-TV, NBA.com, WNBA.com, NBADLeague.com and NBA League Pass. The operation, based out of TBS’s Atlanta production facility, takes advantage of Turner’s infrastructure and digital expertise at running highly trafficked sports Web sites, joining a robust portfolio of Turner Sports New Media assets that already includes NASCAR.com, PGA.com and PGATour.com.

In the summer of 2007, Levy led the efforts to extend Turner’s partnership with the NBA through the 2015-2016 season.   Under the terms of the new deal, TNT will continue to have a number of television exclusives including Thursday night doubleheaders; coverage of the NBA All-Star Game and NBA All-Star Weekend events; and TNT will air up to 52 NBA playoff games, including exclusive coverage of a Conference Final on an alternating basis each year.  Additionally, Turner will have enhanced NBA content/digital rights for multiple Turner and Time Warner platforms.

In 2006, Levy led Turner’s efforts to secure a seven-year deal with Major League Baseball, expanding on its relationship with the league and to a portfolio that already includes the NBA, NASCAR, and major championship golf.  In the fall of 2007, TBS became the exclusive home of MLB’s Division Series and the National League Championship Series.  TBS exclusively carries one League Championship Series each year through 2012. This year, TBS will carry a Sunday Game of the Week.

In 2008, Levy was recognized as the #1 figure the annual Mediaweek 50 issue, acknowledging the industry’s most indispensable executives.   Within the past year, he was named to Business Week’s 'The Most Influential People in the World of Sports'; USA Today’s “50 Most Influential People in Baseball”; and MediaWeek’s ‘50 Most Indispensable Executives Shaping the Future of Media’.  In 2006, Levy was named to the ‘Top 20 Most Influential’ decision-makers in professional basketball by Sports Business Journal.   In 2005, The Sporting News named Levy to its annual ‘Most Powerful’ list.  Levy is also a frequent panelist at a variety of television, advertising and sports industry events.

Prior to serving as president of Turner Entertainment Ad Sales and Marketing, Levy served as co-president of Turner Broadcasting System International since September 2000 where he oversaw TBS, Inc.’s wide-ranging cable network business activities in Asia, Europe and Latin America, including sales and marketing and distribution; programming and interactive business development; and joint partnerships and business alliances outside the United States.

Levy began his career at Turner Broadcasting in 1986 as an account executive in the entertainment division.  He later played an integral role in developing and overseeing the Turner Sports ad sales division and was named senior vice president for international ad sales in 1994, and executive vice president in 1997. In 1998, Levy became Turner’s first president of International Advertising Sales.

Levy is a graduate of Syracuse University.  He resides in Westchester, New York, with his wife, Niki, and their two boys, Brett and Jake.

John Collins

COO, NHL

John Collins is the NHL’s chief operating officer, providing strategic direction and oversight for the League’s business and media operations, as well as NHL Communications and Club Consulting functions.  Collins reports directly to Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly and Commissioner Gary Bettman.

Collins joined the NHL in November 2006, and in May 2007, he assumed the title of NHL Senior Executive Vice President, Business and Media, overseeing the League’s marketing and licensing programs, all business sales, the production and creation of League content across all platforms, and the League’s existing and future traditional and new media relationships.  He was promoted to COO in August 2008.

During Collins’ tenure at the NHL, the League has experienced record breaking seasons in terms of revenue, attendance, television ratings and NHL.com traffic.  In his time at the League, Collins integrated the League’s business and media operations; oversaw the development of new, strategic corporate marketing partnerships with companies such as Anheuser-Busch, Bridgestone and ScotiaBank; spearheaded the creation of the NHL Winter Classic (for which he was named Marketer of the Year by Advertising Age Magazine), oversaw the launch of NHL Network in the United States; and he initiated NHL Network Online, the League’s landmark broadband media experience.

Collins has more than 15 years of experience managing business and media properties in a professional sports league context.  Prior to joining the NHL, Collins was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Cleveland Browns after being recruited for this position from the National Football League office by new Browns owner Randy Lerner.  During his two seasons with the Browns, Collins oversaw all aspects of the club and worked with Lerner in the development, strategic planning and implementation of organizational goals and initiatives while also representing the Browns in National Football League matters.

Prior to joining the Browns in April 2004, Collins served in a variety of key business roles with the National Football League since 1989. In his last role as NFL Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Collins led all the marketing, programming, corporate sponsorship and advertising sales of the League.  He was a key member of the team that launched the NFL Network.

Collins is credited with leading a renewed brand and consumer focus to the NFL that resulted in that league becoming one of the most visible and successful brands in the world.  During his tenure at the NFL, he developed and negotiated marketing partnerships with corporate America valued in excess of $1.9 billion in rights fees, activation, and advertising commitments and doubled annual corporate sponsorship revenues to over $200 million. These marketing initiatives drove a significant increase in the media and corporate world’s commitment to the NFL. 

Collins began his NFL career with NFL Films where he was responsible for the development, distribution and sales of more than 3,500 hours of annual programming distributed across broadcast and cable television, syndication, home video and DVD platforms. Collins left the NFL in November 1999 for a brief stint with Broadband Sports before being recruited back to NFL headquarters in September 2000.

Moderator

Shira Springer

Sports Reporter, The Boston Globe

Springer is special projects reporter for the Boston Globe's sports section. Before that she served as the Celtics beat writer. Her coverage of the Celtics, the NBA, as well as the larger sports world has earned awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for investigative and explanatory journalism and the Women’s Sports Foundation for feature writing. She has appeared nationally on numerous ESPN programs, CNN, MSNBC and NPR radio as well as locally on NESN and NECN, providing commentary on a wide-range of NBA and other sports-related topics.

Since joining the Globe in 1997, Springer has covered the Red Sox, the Patriots, the Bruins, the Celtics, the Revolution, the women’s soccer World Cup, NASCAR, the Boston Marathon, the Olympics and local and national college athletics. She was honored for her coverage of former Celtic Vin Baker and his announcement that he suffered from alcoholism, as well as a three-part investigative series on the lives of Cuban athletes who have defected.

Her writing also appears in the Globe magazine and Travel section. In a magazine cover piece entitled, “A Narrow Escape,” Springer detailed the story of her family’s escape from Nazi Germany. Her real estate writing for the magazine has been featured in award-winning issues. For the Travel section, she has written about touring rural China, outdoor adventures in Oregon, ski resorts in Utah, hidden gems in Hartford, Conn. and traveling with special dietary needs among other topics, borrowing from her experiences traveling throughout Europe writing travel guides.

Springer graduated from Harvard in 1997 with a degree in Social Studies (Political and Social Theory and Philosophy). She was a distance runner on the cross-country and track and field teams and continues her interest in the sport by running marathons. She also speaks fluent German.