within the world of sports, whether through overseeing television programming (and the revenues generated thereafter) or signing athletes to lucrative endorsement deals.
Front-Office Executives (leagues and teams): To be considered for this category, candidates must have control over the business operations, finances, and/or personnel decisions within their respective sports leagues or teams. High in the pecking order, they help negotiate player trades and acquisitions and oversee finances.
Industry Associations: Charged with promoting the best interests of athletes, these union-like organizations wield enormous power within their respective sports. Labor agreements, salary issues, and marketing the talent all fall within their jurisdiction. The heads of these associations are forces to be reckoned with.
Owners: They are the ultimate decision makers in professional sports. The ladder doesn’t go any higher. For our purposes, owners must hold a controlling interest (at least 51%) of a major professional sports franchise to be eligible. Sadly, for African Americans, this is a list of one.
Agents/Promoters
Adrian E. Bracy, Vice President of Finance, St. Louis Rams, 45: “Females in the front office are a rare sight, but Bracy is making a name for herself in the male-dominated world of pro football. Bracy, 45, prepares and implements the Rams’ annual budget and monthly financial reporting along with a host of other financial duties that keep the 140-employee NFL franchise in the black. A native of Miami, she spent several years honing her skills as controller for the Miami Dolphins and the Joe Robbie Stadium Corp. before heading to the Midwest. The St. Charles, Missouri, resident holds a degree in accounting from Morgan State University in Baltimore and an M.B.A. from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Prior to working for the Dolphins, Bracy gained several years of accounting experience with Commodore Aviation, a Miami-based airframe and aircraft engine maintenance services company. A colleague of mine from NABA (the National Association of Black Accountants) called me one day and told me that he received a call from the Dolphins and they were looking for a controller and he referred me to them, recalls Bracy, the only black female finance officer among major U.S. professional sports. Sure enough, they called. I interviewed and I was hired there in 1991 and I’ve been in football since then. Though she works in sports, Bryan is concerned with the recent spate of accounting scandals. You have to be able to trust the people who are behind the money, Bracy says. I feel very confident that we’ll rebuild the confidence in the public.”
Don King, Boxing Promoter, Don King Productions Inc., 73: “The world-famous, or infamous, shock-coiffed promoter has been a household name for more than three decades. Like him or hate him, there’s no denying King’s contribution to the sweet science. His career includes more than 500 world-championship fights. From inking the 1974 Ali-Foreman Rumble in the Jungle, which earned both fighters an unheard of $5 million each, to Holyfield-Tyson II, which attracted 1.95 million paid viewers, King has long been a force to reckon with. Highlight