Overview
Zach Leonsis is the Vice President and General Manager of Monumental Sports Network (MSN), a first-of-its-kind regional network for digital, mobile and over-the-top platforms. MSN is co-owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) and NBC Sports Group.
MSE was founded and chaired by Zach’s father, Ted Leonsis. Ted’s a co-founder of AOL and one of the most decorated and sophisticated sports and tech operators and investors on the planet. The Leonsis’s own the Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards, Washington Mystics, Capital One Arena, two Arena Football League teams, and controlling interest in Team Liquid – one of the most successful Esports franchises in the world. Also, they're founding members in one of the more successful private equity and venture capital groups in the US, called Revolution Growth Fund.
I traveled down to DC to sit in Zach’s office and talk shop. We cover everything from team operations, to new media in sports, NBA free agency, defining Esports, and Ted's purchase of the Washington Capitals in 1999. There are some wonderful stories Zach shares with us, including his take on how you can secure a job in the sports industry. That bit is toward the end.
Show Notes
4:00 | Meaningful targets |
10:00 | Creating a trustworthy infrastructure |
16:30 | Supercity & Generation Z |
26:30 | Digital challenges |
31:30 | Winning a championship |
39:30 | Competitiveness |
45:15 | Acquiring a sports franchise |
52:30 | Operations of a pro team |
60:00 | eSports |
70:45 | Priority programming |
78:15 | Personal habits |
88:00 | Homescreen apps |
91:30 | Advice to undergrads |
98:10 | Aggregating content |
Noteworthy Resources
- Team Liquid
- Capital One Arena
- eSports
- Capital One Arena mobile app: iOS | Android
- Monumental Sports App