Sports Marketing Brunch Presented by 97.1 FAN LA: The Voice of LA Sports

07-30-2026 9:04 AM

More than 200 sports marketers, brand leaders, media professionals, and rising stars gathered at the Skirball Cultural Center for the ThinkLA Sports Marketing Brunch, a morning of bold conversations about what it means for LA to be the epicenter of global sports right now.

Between the 2026 FIFA World Cup landing on American soil, LA28 creeping closer on the calendar, and women's sports pulling in some of the fastest sponsorship growth in the industry, the theme of "From LA to the World" showed up in every session.

A huge thank you to our presenting sponsor, 97.1 FAN LA: The Voice of LA Sports from our Music Partner, Audacy, for bringing the morning's energy to life, and to our full Sports Marketing Brunch committee and Co-Chairs Gregg Rubin and Jarrett Nobles for building a program this strong from the ground up.

Welcome Remarks: Derek Fisher, five-time NBA Champion and co-host of "D-Fish & Decker”, on 97.1 The Fan, opened the program with a reminder that LA's sports marketing community doesn't just show up for the games; it shows up for each other. It was the highest-rated moment of the day.

NIL and the New Rules of College Sports: Russ Wilde Jr. (COO, The College Sports Company), Sean Singletary (CMO, Seros Partners), and Charlie Tetrick (CEO, WTA Agency) joined moderator Jeff Federman (Regional President, West Coast, Audacy) to unpack what happens when athletes become brands overnight, and what that means for marketers trying to partner with them responsibly.

The Esports Opportunity: Julie Van (COO, 100 Thieves) and Brian Farmer (Founder, one-tap) joined moderator Jarrett Nobles (VP, Global Partnerships, Monumental Sports and Entertainment) for a conversation on where esports fits in the modern marketing mix. The takeaway: esports audiences aren't a niche anymore; they're a blueprint for how brands build loyalty with younger, always-on fans.

What Brands Actually Want From Sports Right Now: Neil Bar-or (Managing Partner, Chief of Strategy, From the Future), Kristen Banks (SVP, Marketing, Las Vegas Raiders), and Jessica Jacobi (CMO, LA Galaxy) gave a candid look at how major franchises are thinking about partnerships, fan engagement, and cultural relevance heading into a stacked few years of global sports moments.

A Fireside on LA28: Aaron Lampkin (VP of Ticketing, LA28) and Ryan Eddy (Senior VP of Partnerships, LA28) sat down with Grace Teng (Scale by Zambezi) to talk about what's being built behind the scenes of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games along with how the marketing community can plug in early rather than waiting for the torch to arrive.

✨ What We Learned

🔑 LA is the center of gravity: Between the World Cup, LA28, and the growth of women's sports, every conversation in the room pointed back to this city as the place global sports marketing gets decided.

🔑 Athletes are brands now: NIL didn't just change college sports; it changed how quickly marketers need to move to partner authentically.

🔑 The best partnerships show up early: From esports to the Olympics, the panelists agreed that waiting for the moment to arrive is already too late. The work starts now.

In their words:

"Loved Derek Fisher, Sean Singletary, Jarrett Nobles, and the two from LA28!"

"The atmosphere is great, and I'm learning a ton."

“I feel like I learned a lot and I was impressed with the quality of speakers and the diversity across the sports advertising industry. Overall, very well done.”

This is ThinkLA's 20th year doing exactly this: getting the right people in a room and letting the conversation do the work. From LA to the World was a strong reminder of why that formula still works, and we're already thinking about what 2027 has in store.

See you at the next one.