The 2020 Sports Business Journal awards, among the most prestigious in the sports industry, include several Major League Soccer nominations.
The league itself is one of four in contention for Sports League of the Year, with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), National Football League (NFL) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) the others. MLS is currently at 26 teams, and expansion clubs in Austin, Charlotte, St. Louis and Sacramento are lined up to join in future years. There’s also been a rise in team valuations and player investment, on both homegrown and international fronts.
Commissioner Don Garber is up for Sports Executive of the Year alongside four other nominees, including NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Renowned baseball agent Scott Boras, Roger Penske of Penske Entertainment Corp. and ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro are also in the running. Garber, who’s been in his role since 1999, has ushered in an era of remarkable growth for top-flight soccer in the United States and Canada.
Allianz Field, home of Minnesota United FC, is nominated for Sports Facility of the Year after opening during the 2019 season. The $250 million, 19,400-seat stadium is located in the Midway neighborhood of St. Paul and comes with a wide array of amenities, including a 2,920-person safe-standing supporters section. The other facilities up for the award are the Chase Center (NBA’s Golden State Warriors), Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, AHL’s Cleveland Monsters), TD Garden (NBA’s Boston Celtics, NHL’s Boston Bruins) and Wrigley Field (MLB’s Chicago Cubs).
This year's Sports Business Awards are being recognized for the period of March 1, 2019 through February 28, 2020. The awards have been around since 2008 and this year’s winners will be named during a virtual show September 30 at 7 pm ET.
