Kenny Mayne

ESPN SportsCenter
@Kenny_Mayne

Kenny Mayne, who joined ESPN in May 1994, is an anchor on SportsCenter from Bristol. In his work as an anchor and reporter, Mayne has become well known for his offbeat style, dry humor, and unique sayings (“thanks for having electricity”) and home run calls (“I am amused by the simplicity of this game!”).  Although he stands out in the studio – his most prominent roles have been on SportsCenter, the former ESPN2 motorsports show, rpm2night, Mayne Street, “The Mayne Event” and hosting both seasons of the sports trivia game show 2-Minute Drill – it truly shines in features. Mayne played college football for two years at UNLV and later signed as a free agent with the Seattle Seahawks (1982).

Jeff Heckman

Global eCommerce Director at Topps
@heck44

Jeff has overseen the transformation of Topps.com into a real-time, print on-demand collectibles marketplace that has launched successful initiatives like Topps NOW, The Living Set, and Project 2020.  Jeff started his career in the sports industry working as a Fan Development for the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2001.

Caty Tedman

Head of Marketing & Partnership at Dapper Labs
@CatyTedman

Caty’s goal is to bring the best brands in the world to life in new and interesting ways using blockchain technology. Her background in sports media, with stints at the NFL, NHL, and ESPN prepared her to marry the world of technology with traditional fandom.

Phil Hughes

Former MLB Pitcher and Baseball Card YouTuber
@PJHughes45

Phil Hughes is a former MLB pitcher who played for the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, and San Diego Padres from 2007-2018.  He was the Yankees first round pick in 2004 and won a World Series with the team in 2009.  He now runs a very popular YouTube channel called “Phil’s Pulls” where he rips open packs of trading cards. 

Gabe Kapler

Manager, San Francisco Giants
@gabekapler

A 12-year Major League Baseball veteran who appeared in 1,104 career games and was a member of the 2004 Boston Red Sox World Series championship team, Gabe Kapler is a strength training and powerful food enthusiast who took a public stance against performance-enhancing drugs as a player.  Kapler has perpetually emphasized the importance of training outdoors and clean eating. To that end, he took to sharing information in 2013 and started a health and well-being blog at Kaplifestyle.com.

In the space, Kapler shares applicable advice on the procurement and cooking of whole foods, compares various workout philosophies and trends and interactively responds to questions from readers.  

He previously served as Manager of the Philadelphia Phillies and as Director of Player Development for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Prior, he was a baseball analyst for Fox Sports, combining an extensive playing background with an affinity for advanced baseball metrics, providing viewers with in-depth commentary and insight delivered in an understandable fashion. Kapler covered the 2014 All-Star Game and World Series before transitioning back to MLB with the Dodgers. From 2011-2013, he tackled special scouting assignments for the Tampa Bay Rays in addition to working with a team to build a startup company.

After initially being selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 57th round of the 1995 MLB amateur draft, Kapler outperformed his longshot status, enjoying a meteoric rise in the club’s minor league system over his first three professional seasons. In 1998, he earned Minor League Player of the Year honors from USA Today, Baseball Weekly and the Sporting News after he set Southern League (AAA) single-season records for RBI (146), total bases (319), extra-base hits (87) and doubles (47). He also led the league in hits, home runs and runs scored that season, leading to his being named the Detroit organization’s No. 1 prospect by Baseball America. After breaking in with the Tigers toward the end of the 1998 season, Kapler went on to collect 799 hits and post a lifetime batting average of .268 over his 12 seasons with six different clubs. 

The crowning achievement of his career however, came when he was one of nine players on the field for the Red Sox recording of the final out in the 2004 World Series, a victory that snapped an 86-year championship drought for the franchise.

Kapler is an angel investor in Coach Up, a service that connects athletes with private coaches. He also owns several real estate properties in Inglewood, CA.

Kapler has two sons, Chase (17) and Dane (15) and resides in Malibu, CA. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, lifestyle training and has a passion for music, naming Miles Davis, John Lee Hooker and Ali Farka Toure among his favorite artists.

Julie Alexandria

La Vida Baseball
@JulieAlexandria

Julie Alexandria is an accomplished sports and entertainment host. She began her sports reporting career with Sports Net New York, (SNY) hosting the beloved and irreverent sports trivia game show "Beer Money". An offer from the network to host the magazine show "Mets Weekly" soon followed, which she helmed for two seasons. Pivoting into the entertainment realm, she became a VJ on MTV's daily countdown show "The Seven" live from Times Square. She has since covered College Football for Fox, Sports Illustrated, and The Big Ten Network. Sideline reporting duties and numerous sports drink baths for the Washington Nationals and most recently, the San Diego Padres. Always a fan of MLB, she also hosted MLB Production's "MLB 162" for MLB Network, FOX and in-stadium programming. Other credits include hosting the Miss USA Pageant, Red Bull Sports, The US Open (Tennis) for ESPN and Anchor of the daily syndicated entertainment show "OkTV". A seasoned voice over artist, she can be heard on numerous TV and radio campaigns as well as video games and various animated series. She currently freelances with ESPN covering esports, as well as hosting "This is San Diego" a lifestyle show airing on CBS.

Bryant McBride

CEO and Founder, Burst
@bryantmcbride

Bryant McBride builds businesses at the intersection of sports, technology and media. Bryant's entrepreneurial track record over 20 years is 5-1-1 netting investors $80 MM on $10MM invested, with one more investment, Burst, still in play. Bryant also produced and finds time to promote the messages in his acclaimed documentary "Willie", about the first black player in the NHL. He has served on the Boards on the New York Roadrunners, The Armory Track and Field Center in New York City, The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy in Boston, amongst others. He enjoys mentoring smart, relentless business builders, has been a leader on social justice initiatives for decades, is an avid youth hockey coach and administrator, and has started 26 Marathons - and completed them all.

Anson Carter

NBC Sports and MSG Networks Hockey Analyst
@AnsonCarterLA

Anson Carter is a former professional hockey player, playing for eight different NHL teams over the course of his career. Since joining NBCSN in 2013, Carter has worked on NBC Sports Group’s coverage of the NHL regular season, Stanley Cup Playoffs and Stanley Cup Final. In 2005, Carter founded Big Up Entertainment, a record label specializing in hip hop music. Carter is also a co-founder of the clothing line SOMB (Shirt Off My Back). Proceeds from sales go towards providing uniforms for underprivileged youth in Africa.

Kim Davis

Executive Vice President, Social Impact, Growth & Legislative Affairs at the National Hockey League
@kbdavis7760

Kim oversees a role to attract, develop and retain fans – with a specific focus on multicultural audiences – through culture, youth participation, and social impact initiatives. Prior to joining the NHL, Kim enjoyed a 20-plus year career at JPMorgan Chase, where she most recently served as Managing Director of Global CSR, President of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation and as a member of the firm's Executive Committee. She has been recognized by Hockey News’ “2020 Top 100 Most Influential Leaders in the sport,” Essence Magazine’s “Woke” - 2019 Change Agents, Adweek’s “30 Most Powerful Women in Sports,” Sports Business Journal’s “GameChangers,” Savoy Magazine’s “Most Influential Women in Corporate America," among other notable recognitions.

JT Brown

Professional Hockey Player
@JTBrown23

JT Brown is an American professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Iowa Wild in the American Hockey League while under contract to the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League. Since his 2012 NHL debut, he has also played for the Tampa Bay Lightning and Anaheim Ducks.

Blake Wheeler

Professional Hockey Player
@BiggieFunke

Blake Wheeler is an American professional ice hockey right winger and captain of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League. He was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round, fifth overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He did not wind up playing for the Coyotes, but instead played three seasons at the University of Minnesota before electing to become a free agent and signed with the Boston Bruins on July 1, 2008. Blake was born and raised in Minnesota.

Kelsey Koelzer

Professional Hockey Player
@khockeyk11

Kelsey Koelzer is an American ice hockey defender with the PWHPA. In 2016, the Metropolitan Riveters made Koelzer the first-overall pick in the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) Draft, making Koelzer the first African American to be the top selection in the highest level of American professional hockey. She is now the head coach of Arcadia University's women's hockey team, making her the first black head coach in NCAA hockey history.

Moderated by: Seth Everett

Sports Broadcaster Seth Everett is a 26-year veteran sports broadcaster. He currently works for iHeartMedia and has been an MLB Insider for over 20 years, having worked for the league, as well as covered the Rockies, Mariners, Phillies, & Mets. He currently hosts 2 successful weekly podcasts, Sports with Friends and Hall of Justice, and has recently begun covering the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated.

@Seth_Everett

Jordan Fliegel has a diverse background that includes being an entrepreneur, angel investor, team owner, and author.  He is currently Managing Director of the Techstars Sports Accelerator, Managing Partner of Founders First, Founder & Chairman of CoachUp.com, Former Co-CEO of Draft.com and minority owner of the New Zealand Breakers (Australian National Basketball League’s 4-time Champion).  His book, published in 2016, is called Coaching Up!
Twitter: @jordanfliegel
 
Melanie Strong spent over 17 years at Nike, leading international teams across running, soccer/football, women’s and skateboarding. In 2019 she left the comforts of corporate life to join the new VC fund NEXT VENTURES, as Managing Partner, investing in the next generation of innovative health, sports and wellness companies. (She’s never once regretted that decision.)
Twitter: @girlstrong
 
Michael Spirito is a founding partner and lead investor for Sapphire Sport, the first-of-its-kind $115 million investment platform focused on technology companies at the intersection of sport, media and entertainment.
Twitter: @SapphireVC

Victoire Cogevina Reynal co-founded the first women-only led Sports Agency, GLORIA, as a visibility platform offering unprecedented exposure for aspiring soccer players globally by connecting them to Federations and Pro-Leagues.  Now Co-Founder and CEO of Silicon Soccer, Victoire is working to solve the sport's biggest problems by leveraging exponential technologies and redefining Soccer Tech.
Twitter: @vhcogevina
 
Deepen Parikh is a Partner at Courtside Ventures, which is the first early-stage VC fund focused on investing in technology companies across the sports, fitness and gaming. He has led several of the firm’s investments, among which include Beam (sold to Microsoft), The Athletic and 100 Thieves. He is also a Co-founder of NYVC Sports and VC Sports.
Twitter: @deepenparikh

Frank Supovitz has managed and organized some of the world’s most prestigious sports and entertainment events, from the Super Bowl and the Stanley Cup to the Indy 500, and is the author of What to Do When Things Go Wrong (McGraw-Hill). Follow Frank on Twitter @SupEvents.

Lou Shipley is a successful technology CEO and entrepreneur, leading high profile software startups like Black Duck Software, Reflectent Software, and VMTurbo to significant growth and acquisition. Lou is also a lecturer at Harvard Business School and MIT Sloan School of Management, where he instructs, mentors, and coaches the next-generation of tech entrepreneurs and executives on technology sales and sales management. Follow Lou on Twitter @loushipley.

Rachel Jacobson is one of the only women presidents at a professional sports league. The former NBA SVP spearheads DRL's global partnerships and media rights deals, and leads the marketing and business development teams for the global, professional drone racing property. Follow Rachel on Twitter @DroneRaceLeague.

Bryant McBride builds businesses at the intersection of sports, technology and media.  Bryant's entrepreneurial track record over 20 years is 5-1-1 netting investors $80 MM on $10MM invested, with one more investment, Burst, still in play. Bryant also recently produced and finds time to promote the messages in his acclaimed documentary "Willie", about the first black player in the NHL, and he enjoys mentoring smart, relentless business builders. Follow Bryant on Twitter @bryantmcbride.