IRVING, Texas – American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco has been named to the Sports Business Journal Champions Class of 2024, recognizing pioneers and innovators who have spent a lifetime devoted to the sports industry.
Aresco is one of seven individuals recognized by Sports Business Journal in 2024 and the only executive from intercollegiate athletics in this year’s class. The 2024 Champions Class will be recognized during a ceremony at the CAA World Congress of Sports April 16 in Los Angeles.
According to Sports Business Journal, the Champions Class includes “an array of sports industry veterans who have made their mark with championship performance on the field and throughout the media industry, and have driven change and innovation in their respective fields.”
“I am honored by this recognition from Sports Business Journal, which is well-respected as the industry leader in its coverage of the business of sports” said Aresco. “I have loved and followed college sports for as long as I can remember, so it has been a privilege to serve as commissioner of The American and also to advocate for student-athletes and the college sports enterprise. I have also been fortunate to have worked with two great networks, CBS Sports and ESPN, on the sports broadcasting side. I am proud and humbled to join many friends and colleagues who have received this tremendous honor and I congratulate all members of this year’s Champions Class.”
Aresco, who has served as The American’s commissioner since the conference’s formation in 2013, has seen the conference produce four NCAA championship teams, a College Football Playoff semifinalist, four New Year’s Six bowl champions, eight New Year’s Six bowl participants, two NCAA Men’s Final Four teams, four Elite Eight teams, six Sweet 16 teams, and six Women’s Final Four teams in its first decade.
Aresco secured two monumental media rights agreements for The American with ESPN. The first, which took effect in 2014, ensured that newly rebranded conference would have prominent and consistent exposure on the industry leader in sports television. The second, executed in 2019, was a landmark agreement for the conference that provides financial stability for the membership for the next decade, continues The American’s regular presence on ESPN’s linear platforms, and is groundbreaking in its approach to high-level production on the network’s streaming service. He also has secured contracts with CBS Sports for annual network television broadcasts of select basketball games.
Aresco came to the conference from CBS Sports, where he was Executive Vice President, Programming, and was responsible for all college sports programming for CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network. He played an integral role in the landmark deal that created the CBS Sports-Turner Broadcasting partnership, which resulted in the acquisition of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship rights through 2024. He also negotiated the historic 15-year agreement with the Southeastern Conference in 2008 and 10-year extensions of the Army-Navy game and the Notre Dame-Navy football rivalry game.
Aresco joined CBS Sports from ESPN, where he oversaw the acquisition, scheduling and development of long-term strategies for ESPN’s college sports properties. He joined ESPN in 1984 as Counsel and was named Assistant General Counsel in 1988 before moving to the programming side. He programmed 19 different sports at ESPN before becoming the head of the network’s college sports programming.
Aresco announced his retirement in December and will remain as The American’s commissioner through early June.
Sports Business Journal Champions Class of 2024
Mike Aresco – Commissioner, American Athletic Conference
Steve Bornstein – Former CEO, ESPN, NFL Network, Activision Blizzard; former President, ABC Sports
Peter Johnson – Former CEO – Sports and Entertainment, IMG
Sheila Johnson – Partner, Monumental Sports & Entertainment; Co-founder, BET
Stan Kasten – President and CEO – Los Angeles Dodgers
Stephanie Tolleson – Former Sports Executive, IMG
Fred Whitfield – Former President and Vice Chairman, Minority Owner, Charlotte Hornets
Previous Sports Business Journal Champions Classes
2010
Jerry Colangelo, Jim Host, Ron Labinski, Donna Lopiano, Neal Pilson, Tony Ponturo
2011
Val Ackerman, Deane Beman, Barry Frank, Marvin Miller, Bill Rasmussen, Alan Rothenberg
2012
Bill Battle, Don Ohlmeyer, Steve Sabol, Ed Snider, Judy Sweet, Humpy Wheeler
2013
Donald Dell, Rosa Gatti, Roy Kramer, Harvey Schiller, Ron Shapiro, Pat Williams
2014
Joan Cronan, Wayne Embry, Rick Hendrick, Mike Ilitch, Verne Lundquist, Bill Schmidt
2015
Donna de Varona, Len Elmore, David Falk, Russ Granik, Tom Jernstedt, Mike Trager
2016
Joseph Cohen, Jeremy Jacobs, Bob Lanier, Roger Penske, Jerry Richardson, Lesley Visser
2017
DeLoss Dodds, Bill Giles, Ed Goren, Larry Levy, George Raveling, Janet Marie Smith
2018
Paul Beeston, Howard Ganz, Sal Galatioto, Kay Koplovitz, Ben Sutton, John Wooten
2019
Buffy Filippell, Bob Kain, Earl Santee, Ron Semiao, Kevin Warren, Debbie Yow
2020
Jim Delany, Marvin Demoff, Marla Messing, Tommie Smith, Jon Spoelstra, Jim Steeg
2021
Jean Afterman, Tony Dungy, Bill Hancock, Larry Lucchino, Harlan Stone, Tom Wilson
2022
Anita DeFrantz, Joe Gibbs, Larry Jones, Susan O’Malley, Leigh Steinberg, John Swofford
2023
Bob Bowlsby, Micky Lawler, Al Michaels, Dick Pound, C. Vivian Stringer, Jerry West
