• Loading stock data...
Thursday, June 12, 2025

Q&A: Elevate Sports Ventures’ Chip Bowers on State of Sports Business

  • Bowers, who has been a senior executive at teams like the Golden State Warriors and Miami Marlins, will become Elevate Sports Ventures’ new president.
  • The two-year-old consulting firm was formed as a joint venture between joint venture between the San Francisco 49ers and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment.
Elevate Sports Ventures

With more than 25 years of experience as a sports executive at organizations like the Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic and San Diego Padres, Chip Bowers has dealt first-hand with many of the business challenges that teams, leagues and properties face.

But now Bowers, who was mostly recently the Miami Marlins president of business operations, is stepping into a new challenge amid the massive upheaval of the sports business industry due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He will now be the president of Elevate Sports Ventures, the two-year-old sports and entertainment consulting firm that was formed as a joint venture between joint venture between the San Francisco 49ers and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment. The agency now has clients ranging across sports, from the Seattle Kraken to Purdue University Athletics to Ligue 1, France’s top-teir men’s soccer league.

Bowers spoke with Front Office Sports about what he’s seeing in the industry, the challenges facing teams, and where he sees potential growth amid the uncertainty.

Responses have been lightly edited for clarity.

Front Office Sports: At a 30,000-foot-view level, what do you see as the fundamental challenges and opportunities facing teams, leagues and other properties?

Chip Bowers: This is a significant moment in time for teams, brands, venues and sports properties — a period when thoughtful, analytics-driven business planning and strategic forecasting will be the difference-maker for sports and live entertainment-based businesses.  How are international brands and teams positioning their IP in the global marketplace? How are they telling their story? What new consumer engagement habits are driving fan decision-making? 

FOS: You’ve secured several large partnerships & naming rights deals in your career — significant sponsorship and naming rights agreements for the Chase Center, for example. how does the market for those types of deals look right now?

CB: To start, partnerships, of any size, should be built through a creative and collaborative process that inspires brands, teams and fans alike.  Entry-level partnerships and naming rights deals share common DNA if crafted in a thoughtful and strategic fashion. Coming out of the pandemic, I see even greater interest in brands telling their story by owning platforms that bring them closer to the core interests of their targeted consumers. I’ve had the opportunity to work with brands with truly inspired, global visions. At Elevate, we have the people, technology and creativity to create and deliver platforms that speak to the global ambition of brands today. Partnerships continue to be about enhancing the brand image, consistent & meaningful engagement, and connecting with fans on an ever-evolving scale. 

Faithful to the Bay

Q&A: San Francisco 49ers CMO Alex Chang on the Team’s New Brand..

“One unique thing is we are home to fans from all over…
September 8, 2020

FOS: What drew you to this opportunity?

CB: My decision to join Elevate was focused primarily on five key traits that I believe define the organization; 1) the people, 2) their culture, 3) their tremendous reputation in the industry, 4) their alignment and a universally shared vision for the future, and 5) the unwavering support of our equity partners. I’ve watched this young agency with admiration over the past two years; the caliber of their clients, the thoughtful client project make-up, Al’s perspective on innovation with purpose and insights that truly drive revenue — it has been clear to me that this was an agency destined for great things.  Whether in conversations with Al or Elevate’s board of directors, our values and vision for the industry and Elevate’s role in supporting it was completely aligned.

FOS: Are there areas or categories within sponsorship where you see significant opportunities?

CB: The innovation we’ve seen in the leagues that have returned to play and are in the process of returning is impressive; and these new assets will only expand as fans return to their favorite venues.  The COVID-19 period has accelerated the reimagination of traditional brand assets as we move towards an increasingly digital world, but one in which the fan expects to be completely engaged with the product. I hope, and suspect, that we will see more brands become better storytellers with regard to the values they stand for as opposed to solely what their product delivers. There is tremendous opportunity for properties and brands to become better aligned around social issues that are affecting our communities. 

FOS: There have already been tremendous shifts happening in the ways that teams, leagues, and properties were connecting with fans  — do you see the pandemic hastening any of those?

CB: [Elevate Chairman and CEO] Al [Guido] and I have spoken at great length about the ways in which leagues and teams are noting and responding to changes in fan engagement habits.  The benefit of working with Elevate is the connected nature of our executives and board, and the access we have to industry and consumer trends.  In many ways, the COVID-19 crisis is expediting a natural progression that was already occurring around the ways fans interact with teams and brands, on a global level.  Those teams and brands that are nimble, embrace the changing landscape of consumer interests, and are thoughtful about how best to monetize these new engagement habits will yield the benefit in the 2021 season and beyond; but this evaluation is part of the ideation process that our team at Elevate undertakes alongside our clients consistently.  

FOS: From a venue perspective, how do you see those spaces adapting and transforming to welcome fans — both amid COVID but also as fan tendencies have changed?

CB: Over the course of my career I’ve been fortunate enough to be in a leadership role with teams that are charged with imagining and developing the ideal fan experience as part of their venue design exercise; and those venue management teams and franchises who are committed and earnest in appreciation for fan behavioral insights and preferences are the ones that will succeed.  The team and processes we’ve developed at Elevate to collect, evaluate and strategize venue operations using fan-driven data points is truly impressive and one that can have incredible impact in any organization and venue — from the college to professional ranks.  Certainly, the emphasis in venue operations today should be on fan safety and solutions that involve people, processes and technology. Those fan-facing initiatives we once instituted in our venues to expedite a smooth customer experience are now doubling as safety procedures. Customer service becomes customer care; and the most effective way to do this is by the use of smart, fan-driven data.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Jan 31, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) reacts to a play against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at Smoothie King Center.
opinion

The Celtics Sale Set an NBA Record. How Long Will It Stand?

Owners and investors weigh in on the $6.1 billion Celtics price tag.
Jan 24, 2017; Davidson, NC, USA; The Davidson Wildcats student section cheers during the first half against the Duquesne Dukes at McKillop Court at John M. Belk Arena. Davidson defeated Duquesne 74-60.

Every College Wants a Flashy Basketball GM Hire Right Now

The role is more important than ever, and the definition is ever-evolving.

Texas Knocks Down NIL-Heavy Texas Tech to Win WCWS

Even without making NIL headlines, the Longhorns invest big in softball.

Featured Today

August 31, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; The Goodyear blimp flies over Ohio Stadium during the first half of Saturday’s NCAA Division I football game between the Akron Zips and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Why the Goodyear Blimp Is at Every Major Sports Event

The airship wasn’t built to cover sports. Now it’s a regular presence.
May 27, 2015; Paris, France; Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) knocks the clay off her shoe during her match against Simona Halep (ROU) on day four of the French Open at Roland Garros
June 4, 2025

Roland-Garros’s Iconic Red-Clay Surface Is a Precise Alchemy

The exact science behind maintaining the French Open’s red clay.
Alex Jensen introductory press conference on Monday, March 17, 2025.
June 3, 2025

Alex Jensen Started Utah Utes HC Job While Still Coaching the Mavs

How Jensen began building an NCAA program while patrolling the Dallas sideline.
May 31, 2025

PSG and the City of Paris Can Join European Soccer’s Elite

What a maiden Champions League title would mean for the French club.

The Former NBA Agent Who Became a Pickleball Deputy Commissioner

Chris Patrick went from representing Jimmy Butler to pickleball deputy commissioner.
March 13, 2025

Junior Bridgeman Was the Prototype for Business Success After Sports

He started with Wendy’s franchises, later expanding into bottling, magazines, and more.
July 9, 2009; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons president Joe Dumars during the press conference to introduce their new head coach John Kuester at their practice facility.
April 14, 2025

Joe Dumars Leaving NBA League Office to Run Pelicans

Joe Dumars was the architect of the 2004 champion Pistons.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Ted Leonsis unpacks basketball’s global rise, media rights, and portfolio ownership.
Feb 12, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, US; A$AP Rocky on the sideline after halftime during Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium.
February 27, 2025

A$AP Rocky Could Be Latest Celebrity Owner in English Soccer

Following his acquittal, the rapper is closer to owning Tranmere Rovers.
Oct 23, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley addresses the crowd during the Pat Riley Court dedication ceremony at halftime at Kaseya Center.
February 14, 2025

Here’s Where Pat Riley’s Three-Peat Trademark Money Goes

Riley has the phrase trademarked despite having no three-peat of his own.
Dec 1, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters (L) talks with Commanders owner Josh Harris (R) on the field prior to the game against the Tennessee Titans at Northwest Stadium.
December 4, 2024

CEO Leaves $13 Billion Soup Company to Run Commanders

The new president will lead the planning and development of the team’s stadium.
LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan after the final round of golf during the CME Group Tour Championship at the Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla., Sunday, November 19, 2023.
December 2, 2024

LPGA Commissioner Leaving After Brief Up-and-Down Tenure

Mollie Marcoux Samaan was hired in 2021.