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Last Thursday in Manhattan, our annual Beyond Sport United event brought together leaders from sport, business and philanthropy for a day of connection, learning and action on remaining “Rooted in Purpose” while navigating “Sport’s Role in a Shifting World.”
Nearly 200 peers from U.S. professional leagues, teams and impact organizations – representing a diversity of roles, sports and cities – showed up ready to collaborate on solutions covering three core themes: How can we invest more effectively in youth? What does purpose-led leadership look like now? And how do we adapt our community impact strategies to align with current realities and pressures?
Beyond Sport Executive Director Fred Fikouhi-Turner opened the event, encouraging friends and partners old and new to take advantage of the unique opportunity to not only listen and learn, but to exchange ideas, analyze approaches and draw inspiration from each other. Beyond Sport Founder and Board Chair Nick Keller then took the stage to speak on the shift needed to improve how we leverage the business of sport for a better future. After sharing some eye-opening statistics on key social challenges including a declining sense of community, dropping life satisfaction rates among young people, employee absenteeism and rising mental health challenges, he spoke on the booming rates of sports consumption and revenue, and the huge opportunity this presents to drive resilience, social and business value.
“That value piece must now be broader than it was. We have to talk a different language… We have to be human centric. We have to be cognizant of changing the community we’re in in a very precise way. And we also have to know that although we’re looking for social outputs, seeking commercial outcomes is not a bad thing at the moment. It will potentially support us in delivering and creating more social change,” he emphasized.
Next, Dr. Jeff O’Brien, CEO and Dr. Shannon Spriggs Murdoch, Vice President of the Institute for Sport & Social Justice led a session to help attendees get to the “Team Behind the Culture” and set their purpose for the workshops to come. They asked the audience to think deeply on how they we want to show up for community, equity and justice and on the “values guide you, even when the ground is shifting under your feet.” Based on insights they would gather throughout the day to come, they encouraged our attendees to create an Action Plan based on their values and commitments to put into practice through the end of the year.
Beyond Sport’s Founding Supporters – MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL, NHL and the WNBA – then took the stage. During a panel moderated by O’Brien, they gave an inside look into “How Leagues are Shaping Sport’s Next Chapter.”
Here are just some of their insights –
- Jan Greenberg Mirman, SVP, Community Engagement, MLS on balancing business and community needs: “It goes back to the data and using it to showcase why it’s important and why we should be focusing on things. It’s also about having a clear understanding of business priorities and how we can have an impact within those priorities… Whether it’s showing ‘this is what matters to our fans, our players, our constituents and that’s why it’s important,’ I think you can never go against the data… This industry is hard and what we’re trying to do within our social impact field is an uphill battle. I think showing how community can continue to help drive the business is important… It’s also about showing up authentically and why that matters. Your fans and players want it to matter, and we need all the good we can get in this world right now.”
- Barbara Bush, SVP, Social Impact & Inclusion, NBA on keeping a people-centered approach to business: “It’s unusual for a sports league to build a 501(c)(4) that is a lobbying organization that actually has nothing to do with basketball. It [National Basketball Social Justice Coalition] is about criminal justice reform, voter access and community safety… we identify when there are local bills on those issues coming up in the markets where we have teams. And then we work with our teams, players and coaches to help them think about how they want to engage on that legislation and use their voices, because their voices are tremendously powerful… And that’s why we built it, because our players wanted support in making an impact on these issues.”
- April Brown, SVP, Social Responsibility, MLB on aligning business priorities and purpose to grow the game: “One of our social impact initiatives is a program that gives free tickets to youth communities and organizations… Each year that program continues to grow and we have diverse young people becoming baseball fans… We all want our stadiums and arenas filled, so how do we use that business purpose to further engage with communities and communities who might not have access to come to games…? We’re also very fortunate that our partners and sponsors come to us, and to me specifically, to be at the table when they’re pitching the business because they want to ensure that the social impact arm of our league is part of our partner’s priorities as well.”
- Alexia Gallagher, VP, Philanthropy, NFL & Executive Director, NFL Foundation on leadership and shared responsibility: “Purpose, community and social responsibility are woven into the fabric of the NFL at all different levels… For example, we have our Social Responsibility (SR) education that we require – and I mean that in a positive way –for league office, club staff and players to take on an annual basis. It’s produced by our SR team and experts in the space. These are societal issues [domestic violence and sexual assault] that are incredibly important for everyone to know and better understand, but we also want to ensure that our players and staff can really help build more awareness on these issues, be able to identify them and help others within families and the communities where our players and employees live to combat these issues. This is something that we’ve been doing on an annual basis for quite some time, and we’re not backing away from it.”
Following the engaging discussion, attendees went on to customize their day from a choice of 12 intentionally curated, largely team-led workshops (click here for session details) encompassing case studies, roundtable exercises and candid conversations. By the end of the sessions, the energy was clear: new connections, actionable insights and a strengthened commitment to drive positive social change and equity through sport amid the changing landscape.
This was truly brought home through a poignant, closing Fireside Chat on Progress & Possibility featuring members of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun, moderated by Murdoch. Change Can’t Wait Fellowship Participant Deivone Tanksley Jr., intern Delaney Roth and Community Relations Manager, Shamare G. Holmes shared their personal experiences, advice and motivations from a youth programming perspective.
Here’s just some of what they had to say –
- Tanksley Jr.: “I know what it’s like to want guidance and someone to believe in you. When I give back, it’s like I see my younger self in the kids…Never forget the human side of the work. Programs, resources and funding are important, but real impact comes from consistency and genuine care. When young people feel supported and believed in, they start believing in themselves. Every person, resource and moment of presence contributes to transformation — and that’s where lasting change begins.”
- Roth: “I was 19 years old and working as a camp counselor at the YMCA. Jenna Whalen (Youth Development Manager) and Morgan Tuck, our now amazing GM, were running a clinic and I was so scared to go up to them. I was this nervous girl who wanted to work in sports. But seeing this representation in front of me meant so much; that I could go up to them and be met with so much grace and authenticity. That’s what I want to embody as a leader. I’m in such an amazing space where I can now go back and grab the next generation, and I want to treat them with the same respect and understanding that I received.”
- Holmes: “For a while I was building these amazing programs, but I’m like, ‘they [young people] didn’t ask for that. So now you expect them to come in all happy and just ready to be a part,’ and they’re like ‘this is cool and all, but we would’ve much rather done something else.’ You take all this time, spinning your wheels, thinking that you’re connecting, but in actuality you’re just projecting. For me, it’s about providing spaces where kids can feel free to come to me… I firmly believe in youth-adult partnerships. They will take you a long way, not just in sports but in how you approach your programming.”
Thank you to all of our speakers, workshop leaders, attendees and partners for making Beyond Sport United 2025 a thought-provoking and invigorating event!
Photos: Genevieve Courtemanche
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