2016 Most Influential in Sports List – Brian France #23

Brian France #23 – Most Influential in Sports – Down 10 Spots from 2015

NASCAR’s CEO and Chairman, Brian France, is ranked 23rd by the Sports Business Journal on its list of 50 most influential in sports business. View the full 2016 Most Influential in Sports List posted below.

Related: Brian France Made the List in 2015 as well

The NASCAR CEO is down 10 spot on the list. In 2015, he was ranked 13th on this same list.

Brian France is the only member of the racing community to make the list by the Sports Business Journal. No members of the most watched form of motorsports, F1, made the list.

Adam Silver commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) took the number 1 spot.

Bob Iger CEO of the The Walt Disney Co. shared the number two spot with John Skipper of ESPN. Roger Goodell commissioner of the National Football League (NFL) took the number 3 spot.

The last 12 months were quieter for France after a two-year run of progressive moves that included a new playoff format, green initiatives, new TV deals, a new retail model and the sport’s charter system.

Critics debate the relevance of NASCAR compared to years ago, but France is hoping to end his year on a high note by landing a new title sponsor that could help the sport skew younger.

The new title sponsor of NASCAR’s premier series is Monster Energy. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series becomes the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series in 2017.

Related: 2017 NASCAR Sponsor Signed

Monster Energy is undoubtedly a great sponsor to help connect the sport of stock car racing to a younger fan base. Probably, the best choice partnership for the NASCAR premier series partnership. The Monster Beverage Corporation was one of the few partners Brian France called personally to help form the new NASCAR deal for 2017.

 

2016 Most Influential in Sports List

1. Adam Silver, NBA
2. Bob Iger, The Walt Disney Co. / John Skipper, ESPN
3. Roger Goodell, NFL
4. Ari Emanuel / Patrick Whitesell, WME-IMG
5. Rob Manfred, Major League Baseball
6. Mark Lazarus, NBC Sports Group
7. David Levy, Turner Broadcasting System
8. Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys
9. Bob Bowman, Major League Baseball
10. Gary Bettman, NHL
11. Sean McManus, CBS Sports
12. Robert Kraft, The Kraft Group
13. Eric Shanks, Fox Sports
14. Trevor Edwards, Nike Brand / Mark Parker, Nike Inc.
15. Casey Wasserman, Wasserman
16. Kevin Plank, Under Armour
17. Phil Anschutz, AEG
18. Joe Lacob / Peter Guber, Golden State Warriors
19. Don Garber, Major League Soccer
20. Ted Leonsis, Monumental Sports & Entertainment
21. Wang Jianlin, Dalian Wanda Group
22. Dan Gilbert, Cleveland Cavaliers
23. Brian France, NASCAR
24. Michael Levine / Howard Nuchow, CAA Sports
25. Thomas Bach, International Olympic Committee
26. Tod Leiweke / Jeff Pash, NFL
27. Jay Monahan, PGA Tour
28. Michele Roberts, National Basketball Players Association
29. Michael Rubin, Fanatics / Kinetic
30. Stan Kroenke, Kroenke Sports Enterprises
31. Jim Delany, Big Ten Conference
32. Joe Leccese / Bob Batterman, Proskauer
33. Jorn Socquet / Marcel Marcondes, Anheuser-Busch InBev
34. DeMaurice Smith, NFL Players Association
35. Sandy Douglas, Coca-Cola North America / Bea Perez, Coca-Cola
36. Tony Clark, Major League Baseball Players Association
37. Larry Probst/ Scott Blackmun, U.S. Olympic Committee
38. Anthony Noto, Twitter
39. Josh Harris / David Blitzer, Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils
40. Mark Emmert, NCAA
41. Arthur Blank, Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC
42. Bobby Kotick, Activision Blizzard
43. Gregg Levy / Doug Gibson, Covington
44. Indra Nooyi / Adam Harter, PepsiCo
45. Mark Davis, Oakland Raiders
46. George Pyne, Bruin Sports Capital
47. Dan Reed, Facebook
48. Val Ackerman, Big East Conference
49. Bryan Trubey, HKS
50. Theo Epstein, Chicago Cubs

List: Sports Business Daily

Photos: David Becker/Tom Pennington/Todd Warshaw/Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

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