THE ASSEMBLY 2026


The Assembly: Pro Sports Leadership Retreat & Workshop is held annually and brings together top leaders from professional sports to prove the value of informed and inclusive leadership. Now in its fifth year in Austin, The Assembly continues to convene and cross-pollinate those with influence and impact on the future of the professional sports industry. The theme of The Assembly 2026 is "Delivering Good in Tensions" with a focus on exploring divergent perspectives to discover common interests and improve outcomes for teams, leagues, unions and venues.

Attendees of The Assembly include select investors, CEOs, C Suite leaders, former players, and rising stars who have increasing influence and impact across the industry.

The 4th annual Medal of Leadership Celebration is being hosted at The Assembly on August 18. To learn more about the Medal of Leadership and past recipients, click here.


 

Explore the session descriptions below or view the full agenda for speaker details and timing. 

 

Leading in the Age of AI, with HI

The question every owner, investor, and operator is wrestling with: what is AI actually worth, and what does it cost?

  • A featured conversation with Gary Brantley, CIO of the NFL,  George Casey, and Christian Lau, Chief Technology Officer, Los Angeles Football Club on where AI is delivering real value in sport, where the hype outruns the math, and how human intelligence stays the differentiator. Followed by a hands-on workshop with cases across officiating, fan intelligence, data infrastructure, and venue ops.

 

Leading Teams Through Tension

Ambiguity, competing interests and constant change now define the operating environment of professional sports. So what does it actually take to lead people through it?

  • Commissioner Sandra Idehen will discuss this with one of the best-trained experts in the business, Aiko Bethea. Her new best-seller helps us explore how to hold steady, surface hard conversations, and turn discomfort into progress. This session, moderated by Shaun Mayo, Chief Human Resources Officer, Arizona Cardinals, works through a framework for transcending and transforming our work to be anchored, aligned, and accountable.

 

Labor Relations: Is It Really Just Math?

Two of the most consequential negotiators in pro sports history share insights on collective bargaining.

  • A featured conversation with Stacy Johns, Michele Roberts and DeMaurice Smith on the labor-related nuances driving valuations, revenues, and long-term strategy. Then, we will pressure-test the live tensions shaping today's bargaining tables -- compensation models, health and safety standards, revenue definitions, and the leverage points on every side.

 

Place Your Bets!

Few topics generate more stretch and more scrutiny than sports betting. The real questions lie beyond the headlines: how do leagues, teams, and partners balance commercial upside against integrity, fan trust, and player well-being?

  • Leading experts Brett Abarbanel and Lori Kalani will guide us on where the real and sometimes hidden tensions sit and what responsible growth looks like from here. We will work through the new line of business and the interests that don't automatically align – learning from each other how integrity, revenue, labor, and partnership considerations converge inside of our organizations.

Host Committee:

Marketing & Communications | Zach Abaie, Brittany Alexander, Christina Jefferson & Taylor Olson
Medal of Leadership | Trennis Jones & McKenzie Watts
Operations | Travis Baker, Amye Bueno, Kenny Bunch, Katherine Milliken, & Rachael Skinner
Partnerships | Chioma Atanmo, Kim Francois, & Aaron Lampkin
Programming | Christina LaBrie, Anthony Pardo & Kisha Smith

 Delivering Good in Tensions: Aligning Interests for Outcomes

Inflection points happen frequently in history and 2026 is no different. This is a year that will beg important questions across all industries, and sport has its fair share of key topics for consideration.

In our industry, there are ongoing conversations about the growth and evolution of various areas including (but not limited to) sports betting, collective bargaining agreements, artificial intelligence, women’s sports, private/sovereign investment - and how to scale your leadership to guide teams and organizations through ambiguity and tremendous change.

We know the distance between intention and action often involves stepping into the unknown and embracing structural challenges in order to make progress. Additionally, we know comfort typically leads to complacency and that there’s no incentive to innovate or grow in that state. And so tension, while uncomfortable, often comes with growth and progress. Tension creates the need for deeper dialogue, curiosity and creative problem solving.

During The Assembly 2026, we’ll spend time in community with each other discussing what it means to move through tension to drive real outcomes and make progress. We’ll discuss industry trends and share perspectives on how to address competing interests, negotiate and find common ground. In it’s fifth iteration, The Assembly 2026 provides a private space for questions on all the above, along with the opportunity to dive deep into other viewpoints and explore what’s next in our industry together.


Click Below To Explore The Assembly 2025 Highlights



Thank You, Sponsors!

Interested in Sponsoring The Assembly 2026? Contact [email protected]

Current Attendees Include:

Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena, Austin FC, Austin Sol FC, Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Bears, Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Detroit Tigers, Gotham FC, Kansas City Chiefs, League One Volleyball, Los Angeles Football Club, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Rams, LPGA, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Dolphins, Milwaukee Brewers, Monumental Sports and Entertainment, Motor City Cruise, National Basketball Players Association, National Football League, National Hockey League, NRG Park, Pacers Sports & Entertainment, Phoenix Mercury, Phoenix Suns, Pistons Sports and Entertainment, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Sounders FC, Spurs Sports & Entertainment, Tepper Sports & Entertainment, U.S. Soccer and more!

Accommodations Statement

If you have a disability that requires reasonable accommodation to fully participate in a PRO event, email [email protected] at least three (3) business days in advance for arrangements to be made. Your response helps us make all PRO events more inclusive.