This Week’s Movers in Sports Media & Marketing

This week in the sports media and marketing ecosystem, NBA CMO Pam El announced her retirement for the end of 2018, the Fan Controlled Football League brings on Marshawn Lynch and Richard Sherman as team owners, and the XFL readies for 2020 with a former TuneIn exec.

For job openings and more on who’s moving where, check out the Hashtag Sports Weekly roundup.

Pam El to Retire as CMO of NBA at End of 2018

NBA EVP and CMO, Pam El, is set to retire at the end of the month, after a distinguished career in marketing and advertising spanning nearly 35 years. During her time at the NBA, El was responsible for the league’s customer data strategy, market research, and media planning and buying. Instrumental in the development of the WNBA’s “Watch Me Work” and NBA’s “This Is Why We Play” campaigns, El will continue to consult for the NBA serving as an advisor on marketing and branding matters following her departure. “Pam’s contributions to the NBA have been extraordinary,” said Mark Tatum, NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO. According to El, her focus will now shift towards “board opportunities, non-profit work, and spending more time with family and friends.”

XFL Hires New SVP of Marketing and Communications

The XFL has named Scott Parker as the newest addition to their marketing team. The former VP of Marketing at TuneIn is set to begin a similar role, as Vice President of Marketing and Communications. Parker heads back to Connecticut, where he spent nearly a decade as VP of Consumer Insights at ESPN. In the new role, he will be tasked with overseeing fan engagement, brand, promotions, PR and consumer insights for the newest iteration of the reformed XFL.

NBC Sports Bay Area Taps Matt Murphy as SVP

Matt Murphy is set to begin the new year as NBC Sports Bay Area’s new vice president and general manager. After Tom Stathakes resigned as GM of the network affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, Golden State Warriors, Oakland Athletics, Sacramento Kings, San Jose Earthquakes, and San Jose Sharks this summer, they began searching for a new executive. Previously, Murphy served as SVP of Platforms and Strategy for NBC Sports Regional Networks. Before joining NBC, he spent nearly 20 years with ESPN and Disney Media Networks. Murphy will report to President of NBC Sports Regional Networks, Bill Bridgen. He begins his new role on January 2nd and will look to bring engaging content and fan-centered programming to the Bay Area.

Marshawn Lynch and Richard Sherman In as Team Owners for FCFL

The Fan Controlled Football League has announced that former teammates and current NFL stars Marshawn Lynch and Richard Sherman are joining the blockchain-based real-world sports league as team owners of two separate teams. In addition to team owners, both Lynch and Sherman will also serve as fan captains, meaning they will take the lead helping their fan bases make decisions. Six more team owners will be announced in the coming weeks, and fan involvement is set to begin in early 2019. The two Super Bowl champions’ involvement comes at the twilight of their playing careers and is the latest example of athletes beginning a transition to the next phase of their professional lives prior to retirement to maintain direct relationships with fans.

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