Abraham Madkour

United States

Executive Editor at Sports Business Journal

Featured in: Favicon

sportsbusinessjournal.com Favicon

bizjournals.com Favicon

modernghana.com

Articles

Focus on fun keeps Savannah Bananas’ business booming

6 days ago | sportsbusinessjournal.com | Abraham Madkour

Experience and entertainment — it’s the elixir every sport and event seeks. I thought of that taking in the Savannah Bananas on a Friday night earlier this month at a packed Bank of America Stadium, because founders Jesse and Emily Cole have mastered the recipe at just the right time. The Bananas are not new, and many fans have been watching their story for a few years.
NFL media landscape offers intrigue; and big leadership powers smaller NBA markets

1 week ago | sportsbusinessjournal.com | Abraham Madkour

I have to believe Disney/ESPN is frustrated by its 2025 “Monday Night Football” schedule getting only three divisional games. The rest are a mix of intraconference and out-of-conference matchups that feature strong brands at times — Chiefs and Eagles twice — but don’t scream must-watch viewing. Meanwhile, Prime Video’s Thursday night schedule is filled with 10 strong divisional matchups, and Netflix has two historic rivals playing on Christmas Day.
Impressive takes from Constance Schwartz-Morini, Michael Strahan, and Devin and Jason McCourty

2 weeks ago | sportsbusinessjournal.com | Abraham Madkour

Constance Schwartz-Morini was humorously referred to as “Dr.” when she took the stage with her business partner, Michael Strahan, at SBJ’s 4se conference in New York last month. A few days earlier, the SMAC Entertainment co-founder gave a commencement address and received an honorary doctorate at her alma mater, SUNY Oswego.
Inside the judging and voting process for the Sports Business Awards

3 weeks ago | sportsbusinessjournal.com | Abraham Madkour

Insight on the deliberations and voting around the Sports Business Awards. THE PROCESS: Sports Business Journal asked more than 45 individuals (see the full list) to serve as judges for 14 of the 16 categories. Athletic Director of the Year and Sports Executive of the Year are decided by SBJ. Judges are given extensive files and supporting information on the nominees to study two weeks out.
Sports Business Journal will present the 18th annual Sports Business Awards on May 21 in New York

1 month ago | sportsbusinessjournal.com | Abraham Madkour

Sports Business Journal will present the 18th annual Sports Business Awards this week in New York. The May 21 event will be hosted by Fox’s Curt Menefee, and we will be honoring David Hill with our Lifetime Achievement Award. Hill will be introduced by his former colleagues at Fox, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson, and that should be a lot of fun. It’s a big week for Hill, who will be honored the night before at the Sports Emmys.
Sports’ most important decade and other final thoughts from Nashville

1 month ago | sportsbusinessjournal.com | Abraham Madkour

This is the final notebook from the CAA World Congress of Sports in Nashville. I hope to see many of you at SBJ’s 4se event and the Sports Business Awards next week in New York City. OVERCOMING FEAR: So many conversations over dinner with friends and colleagues came back to impostor syndrome, where self-doubt leads to fear of being exposed professionally.
More valuable insights from CAA World Congress of Sports

1 month ago | sportsbusinessjournal.com | Abraham Madkour

Getting more run on the insightful comments from the CAA World Congress of Sports, and how I interpreted them. FSG’s Sam Kennedy, on working for John Henry, Tom Werner and Mike Gordon: “It’s truly a ‘no bad idea’ culture. The difference with them is they are able to execute.
Madkour: Highlights from CAA World Congress of Sports

1 month ago | sportsbusinessjournal.com | Abraham Madkour

Personal takeaways from the CAA World Congress of Sports in Nashville:THE BROTHERS HASLAM: Jimmy and Bill Haslam offered a rare, refreshingly self-aware look into their lives during a session led so comfortably by Proskauer’s Joe Leccese. They were funny and candid, and the audience admired their strikingly different styles. Here are a few of their hits.
How time has treated what’s been said at the World Congress of Sports

2 months ago | sportsbusinessjournal.com | Abraham Madkour

As Sports Business Journal prepares to host more than 1,300 at the CAA World Congress of Sports in Nashville this week, we dove into the archives to revisit thoughts and comments at the World Congress from 10, 15 and 20 years ago. TEN YEARS AGO: In April 2015, Walt Disney Chair Bob Iger, who will speak this week, talked about the fragmenting media landscape. At that time, ESPN was in an estimated 94 million homes, down from more than 100 million in 2011. Now, ESPN is in fewer than 70 million homes.
The leading attributes of a successful team owner

2 months ago | sportsbusinessjournal.com | Abraham Madkour

A successful franchise always starts with ownership. As my good friend Rick Welts would say frequently, it’s all about “ownership, ownership, ownership.” A fun discussion I had recently focused on the attributes that make a good team owner. Here is what I’ve learned from my years in the business, and the consistent themes from those I admire.