Valley Sports Leaders Collaborate to Elevate Sports Business in Arizona

Bartelstein, who was named Suns and Mercury CEO in April, said his time in The Valley after eight years with the Detroit Pistons has already confirmed what he already knew when he accepted the position – the Arizona community offers one of the best sports business industries in the country, if not the world, especially when partnering with colleagues such as Gutierrez, Causey, and Maxey, among others.

“I think that’s just the power, the ecosystem here, and the climate here,” Bartelstein said. “Having been here for eight months now, everyone wants to try to help each other, and there’s so much power in that. You saw that collaboration here today, the power of all of us behind each other and pushing all of sports forward in Arizona.”

The event opened with a college sports panel, which was made up of Executive Director and CEO of the Fiesta Bowl, Erik Moses, President and CEO of the 2024 Men’s Final Four Host Committee, Jay Parry, and Arizona State University Men’s Basketball Head Coach, Bobby Hurley.

That session, hosted by Phoenix Business Journal sports business reporter Brandon Brown, was similar in nature, discussing both annual economic impact events, such as the Fiesta Bowl, as well as destination events, such as the and Men’s Final Four.

Each help foster the sports business ecosystem in different ways, but are collectively part of an engine that can bring hundreds of millions of dollars into Arizona’s economy.

The panel discussed strategies and challenges around attracting events and tourists to The Valley when upstart locations such as Las Vegas continue to evolve and attract new audiences. Moses joked that, “Las Vegas keeps me up at night,” but then highlighted the reasons Arizona continues to thrive as a destination, including its superb hosting history, strong infrastructure, and pre-and-post-event experiences, such as hiking, biking, and its proximity to the Grand Canyon, among other things.

Whether in the collegiate or professional ranks, the business of pro sports continues to make great strides in both The Valley and the state, and it’s the major sports teams that act as a catalyst for that growth.

“It’s such a great sports town,” Bartelstein said. “Arizona is such a great home to all of these teams, and our job is to keep pushing them forward and be stewards, and when you do that, we’re all better for it.”

Gutierrez agreed.

“The collaboration amongst the teams and the entities is special, and we all support each other,” he said. “We know that the tide lifts all boats, and we really take that approach.”

Lead Photo courtesy of Bennett Silvyn / Cronkite News