Cowboys Stadium tops Citi Field & Yankee Stadium for Facility of the Year honors

On Thursday, May 20, SportsBusiness Daily and SportsBusiness Journal hosted their third annual Sports Business Awards in the Broadway Ballroom of the New York Marriott Marquis in New York City.

The 2010 Awards recognized excellence and outstanding achievement in the business of sports from January 1, 2009 through February 28, 2010.

Nominees from 15 different categories were carefully studied over the past several weeks by the selection committee and the winners were announced at the live awards ceremony last week.

Launched in 2008, the Sports Business Awards were established by SportsBusiness Daily and SportsBusiness Journal to celebrate and recognize the leaders, visionaries and day-to-day practitioners who personify excellence in the business of sports.

The inaugural event took place at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City. This year marked the second consecutive year that the Marriott Marquis was home to the Sports Business Awards.

This year’s Sports Business Awards nominees included:

Professional Sports Team of the Year

• Cleveland Cavaliers
• New Orleans Saints
• Philadelphia Phillies
• Seattle Sounders
• Washington Capitals

Professional Sports League of the Year

• Major League Baseball
• National Basketball Association
• National Football League
• Professional Bull Riders

Sports Event of the Year

• Breeders’ Cup World Championships
• Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic
• MLB All-Star Game
• Super Bowl XLIV
• U.S. Open (Tennis)

Sports Executive of the Year

• Roger Goodell, National Football League
• Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys
• Tod Leiweke, Vulcan Sports & Entertainment
• Sean McManus, CBS Sports

Athletic Director of the Year

• Dick Baddour, University of North Carolina
• Gene Bleymaier, Boise State University
• Dan Guerrero, UCLA
• Mal Moore, University of Alabama
• Gene Smith, Ohio State University

Best in Sports Media

• CBS Sports
• DirecTV Sports
• ESPN
• Major League Baseball
• National Football League
• Turner Sports

Best in Sports Television

• CBS Sports
• ESPN Networks
• Fox Sports
• MLB Network
• NBC Sports

Best in Digital Sports Media

• CBS Sports: March Madness on Demand
• ESPN Digital Media
• MLB Advanced Media
• National Hockey League
• Turner Sports

Best in Talent Representation and Management

• BEST
• Boras Corporation
• CAA Sports
• IMG
• Octagon
• Wasserman Media Group

Best in Corporate Consulting, Marketing and Client Services

• Genesco Sports Enterprises
• GMR Marketing
• IMG
• The Marketing Arm
• Momentum Worldwide
• Octagon

Best in Property Consulting, Sales and Client Services

• IMG
• Leverage Agency
• Premier Partnerships
• Van Wagner Sports
• Wasserman Media Group

Sports Event Marketing Firm of the Year

• BeCore Promotions
• SportsMark
• Vivid Marketing

Sports Sponsor of the Year

• Bridgestone
• Procter & Gamble
• T-Mobile
• Visa

Sports Facility of the Year

• Citi Field
• Cowboys Stadium
• Staples Center
• Yankee Stadium

Best in Sports Technology

• 3ality Digital
• Brand Affinity Technologies
• Mitsubishi
• NeuLion

According to SportingNews.com, the National Football League (NFL) ruled the evening as it took home the awards for Professional Sports League of the Year and Sports Event of the Year.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones took home some hardware of his own after winning the award for Sports Executive of the Year, beating out NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell among others, and claiming the award for Sports Facility of the Year; likely due in part to his $1.3 billion Cowboys Stadium shattering attendance records for a regular-season football game (Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants - September 21, 2009) and a basketball game (2010 NBA All-Star Game - February 14, 2010) within a five-month span.

The complete list of the 2010 Sports Business Award winners includes:

Professional Sports Team of the Year: Seattle Sounders

Professional Sports League of the Year: National Football League

Sports Event of the Year: Super Bowl XLIV

Sports Executive of the Year: Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys

Athletic Director of the Year: Gene Smith, Ohio State University

Best in Sports Media: ESPN

Best in Sports Television: CBS Sports

Best in Digital Sports Media: MLB Advanced Media

Best in Talent Representation and Management: CAA Sports

Best in Corporate Consulting, Marketing and Client Services: IMG

Best in Property Consulting, Sales and Client Services: Premier Partnerships

Sports Event Marketing Firm of the Year: Vivid Marketing

Sports Sponsor of the Year: Visa

Sports Facility of the Year: Cowboys Stadium

Best in Sports Technology: Mitsubishi