The Sports Properties management team (from the prospectus):
• Tony Tavares, President and Chief Executive Officer, is the former CEO and President of SMG, a premier management company engaged in the private management of stadiums, arenas, theaters and convention facilities in the U.S., Europe and Pacific Rim. He has served as president of several Major League Baseball franchises, most recently the Montreal Expos and Washington Nationals. Mr. Tavares, who was personally selected by Major League Baseball, successfully relocated the Expos to Washington, DC, implemented management changes, personnel restructuring, and facilities improvements. He subsequently sold the franchise for $450 million, creating incremental value of over $325 million. Mr. Tavares previously served as the President and CEO of Disney Sports Enterprises, successfully launching and operating the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, an NHL expansion franchise, and leading negotiations for the acquisition of the California Angels.
• Jack Kemp, Chairman, was the Republican Vice Presidential candidate in 1996. He played 13 years as a quarterback in the American Football League and National Football League, followed by election to the United States House of Representatives for 18 years before serving as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) from 1989 to 1993. Mr. Kemp currently serves on the boards of Six Flags, Inc., Oracle Corp. and Hawk Corp.
• Andrew Murstein, Vice Chairman and Secretary, has served as the President and a director of Medallion Financial Corp., a publicly traded investment company, since its founding and IPO in 1996. He is also one of its largest stockholders. Under Mr. Murstein’s guidance, Medallion has acquired several companies and invested over $3 billion in various companies and industries.
• Richard Mack, Director, is a senior partner at Apollo Real Estate Advisors, one of the largest private equity and real estate funds in the U.S. with over $8 billion invested globally.
• Henry Aaron, Director, has an unmatched reputation as one of the world’s most respected sports ambassadors. A member of Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame, he held the title of Major League Baseball’s all-time leader in home runs for 33 years and currently is the all-time leader in total bases and RBIs. He is currently an executive with the Atlanta Braves and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Honor, which was bestowed on him by President George W. Bush.
• Mario Cuomo, Director, is a former three-term Governor of the State of New York. He has extensive relationships within and working knowledge of government and public / private partnerships, and as Governor oversaw annual state budgets in excess of $10 billion.
• Randel Vataha, Advisor, is a former Stanford football player and NFL wide receiver. He is also a former USFL team owner, and, together with Robert Caporale, has owned and operated Game Plan LLC, or Game Plan, the first and oldest sports only investment bank in the U.S. since 1995. Game Plan provides consulting, financial advisory and investment banking services with respect to acquisition, sale and financing transactions in the sports industry. He has personally been involved in more than 100 sports-related transactions including transactions involving teams such as the Boston Celtics, L.A. Dodgers, and Montreal Canadiens, arenas such as the Ford Center, representation and marketing firms such as Bob Woolf Associates and Kelly Management in their sale to Octagon and as an advisor to numerous minor league transactions such as Mandalay Baseball Holdings in connection with the sale of an equity interest to Seaport Capital Partners II, L.P.
• Robert Caporale, Advisor, is a former sports and entertainment law attorney who has represented a number of professional sports leagues and franchises. He is also a former USFL team owner, and, together with Mr. Vataha, has owned and operated Game Plan since 1995.
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