Bears president to highlight Carthage sports management conference
Carthage will host the second annual Spotlight on Sports conference Friday, Sept. 20, cementing its place as a leader in sports management. Covering some of the biggest trends in the industry, the afternoon event features a keynote presentation from Chicago Bears president Kevin Warren.
Admission is free, but advance registration is required by Sept. 13.
This year’s event builds on the success of the first Spotlight on Sports conference in 2023. That program brought longtime NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to campus for a heavily attended Q&A.
Check-in begins at noon Sept. 20, with breakout sessions repeating at 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m. Led by accomplished Carthage alumni and other expert guests, these informative sessions will explore timely topics in the field:
- Analytics and AI in Sports – Ben Levicki ’21 and Canaan Campo of the Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA)
- Business Development in Sports – Will Jurgensen, MSc ’21, of the Minnesota Wild (NHL) and Jessie Pung of the University of Wisconsin (NCAA)
- Scouting and Player Development – Dan Hartfield of the Sacramento Kings (NBA) and Todd Walther ’04 of the Texas Rangers (MLB)
The afternoon schedule builds up to Warren’s appearance, which will run from 4 to 5 p.m. He will discuss “Leading Change in Sports.”
Hired by the Bears in January 2023, Warren leads all football and business operations for the organization while overseeing plans for a new stadium. In all, he has more than two decades of experience as an NFL executive with the then-St. Louis Rams, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Bears.
Warren previously spent almost four years at the Big Ten Conference, where he was the first Black commissioner of a Power Five conference. In that position, he recruited perennial college athletic powers Southern California (USC) and UCLA to the Big Ten, negotiated a $7 billion media rights deal, and made strides toward racial and gender equity.
Carthage offers a graduate business track in sports management and an undergraduate minor in sport business, as well as a five-day summer camp for high school students who are interested in the field. These programs draw heavily on the expertise of the college’s Sports Management Advisory Council, whose members include Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold and Milwaukee Bucks president Peter Feigin.