Youth movement: new NFL Properties president Sara Levinson hopes to score with the MTV generation

Sporting News, The, August 22, 1994 by Rachel Bachman

So, you haven't heard of Soundgarden and you think Heavy D is a goal-line stand. That's understandable. Following the Chicago Bears leaves little time for watching MTV. But take note: The NFL and the music-video network may soon have more in common than ever. They already have Sara Levinson.

The former president of MTV, Levinson, will on September 6 become president of NFL Properties, the licensing and marketing branch of the NFL. Her appointment highlights the growing -- some say annoying -- emphasis on business away from the game, including the youth-driven merchandise market. Levinson's challenge will be to improve Properties' clout within the youthful community without alienating longtime fans.

As one of pro sports' few female executives, she will also have to prove herself in a male-dominated industry. In THE SPORTING NEWS' list of the 100 most powerful people in sports last year, the highest-ranked woman was IOC Executive Board member Anita DeFrantz at No. 44. Not only should Levinson eclipse that mark in '94, but she also could be the first woman to have a widespread impact on a major professional league. She says she is up to the challenge of being in the minority. "I've found myself in a room full of men plenty of times, whether they're 20 Japanese guys or five Argentinians," says Levinson, 43, who is credited as the architect of MTV's global expansion in recent years.

In many ways, the time Levinson spent at MTV was perfect preparation for the NFL job. MTV, which began 13 years ago as a kind of visual radio station, has done for music what ESPN has done for sports. In two years, MTV become the highest-rated cable channel. It has chronicled and dictated national trends, from the Michael Jackson "Thriller" craze to the revival of '70s-style music and fashion. NFL Properties has made similar strides in the sports marketing field, helping to turn athletic wear into popular street garb.

Why would a sports organization go to MTV to find a new president? Forget the athletes-as-examples yarn; the nation's most omnipotent role model is a cable network. If Levinson can translate to football just a fraction of the energy that has fueled MTV, sales of NFL merchandise will blast off.

Not that Properties is hurting now. The organization's total revenues jumped 24 percent last year to $2.5 billion -- the equivalent of selling a $10 cap to every man, woman and child in America. All parts of Properties -- licensing, publishing, sponsorships, international ventures and special events -- are flourishing. But licensing, the locker-room T-shirt and foam "We're No. 1" hand part of the business, is growing exponentially. It accounted for 60 percent, or $97 million, of Properties' net income in 1993.

Those kinds of eye-popping numbers drew more attention to Properties from the league office and, in turn, might have led to the demise of Properties' last two presidents. John Bello stepped down last September after Commissioner Paul Tagliabue tightened the reins by requiring Bello to report to NFL President Neil Austrian. John Flood was fired in March for not disclosing his stake in an affiliate of the NFL's official trading cards company, Pro Set, Inc. The quick turnover prompted the drafting of a code of investment ethics, which will be presented to NFL Properties' executive committee this month.

Enter Levinson, who has a master's degree in business administration from Columbia and has spent most of her career in the cable industry. She has been at Showtime (where she worked with Austrian in 1986), Viacom and Viacom's MTV division, where she made her biggest mark. Levinson orchestrated deals to broadcast MTV in Asia, Japan, Brazil, Australia and Latin America. Her experience should aid in the expansion of NFL Properties, which already has offices in Tokyo and London.

Aside from cleaning up Properties' image and taking it international, Levinson was brought in to cultivate a market central to the league's future success: the MTV generation. It's during the MTV-watching years -- ages 12 to 34 -- that people form long-term purchasing and viewing habits.

"Fifty-year-olds won't change allegiances," says Rick Welts, Levinson's counterpart at the NBA. "They pretty much follow their interests for a lifetime." NBA Entertainment's "Inside Stuff," a feature-oriented show, airs on Saturday mornings when slack-jawed kids nestle in front of the tube. It may take a similar initiative by the NFL, along with lower ticket prices and a more fast-paced game, to coax younger fans into the stands. As of now, they seem more interested in wearing Cowboys jerseys than seeing a Cowboys game.

Tony Ponturo, vice president of corporate media and sports marketing at Anheuser-Busch, says the hiring of Levinson is a signal that NFL executives "want to make sure they stay relevant. I think (with) someone coming from an MTV mentality, things could translate over to the NFL."

Increasing the NFL's popularity among younger fans is all well and good, but will it mean halftime shows by Pearl Jam? Not anytime soon. Levinson says MTV had the chance to make a tidy profit selling clothing with the MTV logo to teens and pre-teens. She axed the idea, deciding the line would turn off MTV's core 18-to 24-year-old segment. She vows to be as thoughtful about issues touching the NFL's diehard fans, who lament the commercialization of their game. But watching sports is about filling leisure time, which invariably involves consumption.