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Moderator: Jeff Ma Panelists: Claire Rogers, Fahad Zahid, Josh Talge, Samantha Barkowski In blackjack, when players optimized the system, casinos didn’t celebrate the math — they changed the rules. Golf may be facing a similar moment. From strokes gained and AI swing tools to launch monitors, simulators, new equipment standards, and real-time broadcast data, technology is reshaping how the game is played and consumed. At the same time, new competitive formats, private capital investment, the rise of LIV Golf, and evolving media and betting ecosystems are challenging long-held assumptions about what professional golf should look like — and how it should make money. This panel brings together leaders across the PGA ecosystem, equipment innovation, sports investment, media, and digital strategy to debate whether this wave of technology and commercialization is strengthening golf — or quietly redefining it. Are simulators expanding the funnel or replacing green grass golf? Are new formats and capital accelerating innovation or fragmenting tradition? As tours explore new monetization models and fans consume the sport through highlights, betting apps, and social media, we’ll examine whether golf is evolving intentionally — or being optimized into something fundamentally different. This panel brings together leaders from the PGA, golf media, and digital analytics to examine how data, platforms, and new viewing experiences are changing golf consumption from start to finish. Panelists will discuss what is working today, how data is improving storytelling and fan understanding, and where future innovation will create real value for fans, media partners, and the sport.

Moderator: Jackie MacMullan Panelists: Daryl Morey, Jay Sugarman, Nate Silver, Sue Bird An athlete, front office executive, owner, and an outsider. Four different perspectives, united by a willingness to think differently. Panelists discuss their approach to thinking unconventionally, what makes for a good unconventional thinker, and what organizations in sports and beyond can do to approach novel problems differently.

Moderator: Peko Hosoi Panelists: Josh Gwyther, Samin Odhwani, Annie Lokesh In 2026, AI is rapidly becoming a foundational technology across industries, and sports is no exception. Emerging leagues have often led the way, driving new innovation and adopting new technologies at a rapid pace. This panel will explore how these leagues are implementing AI in ways that were previously not possible, from officiating and game operations to athlete health and fan engagement. Looking ahead, panelists will highlight the most promising applications poised to define the next decade of sports, as well as the challenges leagues face in integrating AI responsibly.

Moderator: Shane Battier Panelists: Sonia Raman, Steven Adams, Monte McNair, Ariana Andonian Basketball analytics has evolved far beyond shot charts and efficiency metrics. Today's teams operate in an era of player-tracking data, biomechanical modeling, and emerging AI systems capable of influencing decisions in real time. But as data becomes more powerful, new questions emerge: What aspects of basketball can truly be modeled, and what still relies on human instinct? Are teams optimizing for winning or merely for avoiding mistakes? And how do players experience a game increasingly shaped by algorithms behind the scenes? This panel brings together leaders from coaching, front offices, player personnel, and the court itself to explore how analytics is actually used inside modern basketball organizations. As AI enters the next phase of sports decision-making, this conversation asks a bigger question: Is the future of basketball driven by better models, or by better understanding of the people who play the game?

Moderator: Danny Rensch Panelists: Daryl Morey, Meg Risdal, Federico Barbero, Eric Hansen Chess is the first major human industry to be "solved" and surpassed by AI. For decades, it was a laboratory; in 2026, it is a looking glass. This panel explores the "Post-AI" reality of chess to predict how superhuman intelligence will rewrite the rules of other complex fields - from sports analytics and logistics to drug discovery. We discuss Neural Algorithmic Reasoning and the shift from brute-force calculation to AI "intuition." If a game with 10^40 positions has been mastered, what happens when those same models are applied to the "infinite games" of the real world? Our experts will debate whether humans in a post-AI world are destined to be "proxies" for the machine, or if, like in chess, AI actually unlocks a higher, more creative form of human potential.

Moderator: Seth Walder Panelists: Dean Oliver, Brian Burke, Phil Orlins, John Park If every team optimizes, who wins? In this panel, we'll explore the value of quantitative analysis even in a world where it is increasingly accepted in sports. Does universal buy-in mean uniform decision-making? Where can teams still find edges? And how do broadcasts play a role in telling the story analytics-informed choices? Plus, we'll question the premise: just how consistent is analytics buy-in across teams in the major sports? And does a reliance on data necessarily prompt the same style of play or method of team building?

Moderator: Saj Cherian Panelists: Monty McCutchen, Joe Martinez, Evan Wasch, Daryl Morey The NBA and MLB are actively testing and deploying AI-driven systems that are fundamentally changing how games are officiated and played. In this panel, we dive into the mechanics of automating sports adjudication. The discussion will cover real-world case studies including MLB's Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system, the NBA's Court iQ system, and the feedback loop of testing rule changes in the G League and Minor Leagues. Panelists will unpack the technical challenges of replacing human judgment with algorithms, the impact on game flow and strategy, and what specific rules are next in line for automation.

Moderator: Derek Thompson Panelist: Nate Silver Analytics are good for winning. But is the analytics revolution good for the world? Or have various industries and games become too efficient in ways that increase inequality, reduce quality, and encourage businesses, teams, and individuals to optimize for the wrong thing? In a wide-ranging conversation about sports, media, business, and beyond Nate Silver (On the Edge) and Derek Thompson (Abundance) discuss the cultural fallout of the moneyball-ification of everything.

Moderator: Jessica Gelman Panelists: Clara Wu Tsai, John Donahoe Sports are entering a new era, driven by breakthroughs in human performance, rapid advances in technology and science, the global rise of women’s sports, and accelerating changes to collegiate athletics. Join in as we learn from two industry champions and innovators shaping the future of change. Hear how Clara Wu Tsai, a visionary owner, investor, and civic leader, is redefining the industry through athlete empowerment, community impact, and forward‑thinking partnerships.  Then, understand how John Donahoe, former Nike CEO and now Stanford Athletic Director is elevating sports through his new role at Stanford after years of major investments in Nike’s women’s category, building a global women’s team, and expanding research and innovation aimed at keeping girls in sport. Their paths converge at the frontier of performance, with Clara building the research engine shaping the future of performance, and John leading one of the institutions at its core.  Through the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance, Clara has launched a pioneering scientific initiative advancing human performance and translating cutting‑edge research into practice with John now a key driver of data in real-time. Moderated by Jessica Gelman, this conversation brings together transformative voices forging the next era of sports, where science, data, equity, and innovation expand what’s possible.

Moderator: Warren K. Zola Panelists: Bill Daly, Marty Walsh, Meghan Chayka While the Stanley Cup has been contested for over 130 years, professional hockey is currently undergoing its most significant structural and cultural transformation in decades. Guided by an unprecedented era of labor peace, headlined by a CBA extension reached more than a year before expiration, the NHL and NHLPA have established a stable foundation for the league's revenue to surpass $7 billion and the salary cap to climb toward $110 million. This panel explores how hockey is leveraging this stability to modernize the game through data, international competition, and expanded inclusivity. We will examine the strategic return of NHL players to the Olympic stage and the success of the Four Nations tournament as catalysts for global growth. Simultaneously, we analyze how the "team-first" identity of the sport is evolving as the league embraces star-driven media from Amazon's Faceoff to influencers and creators to reach new demographics, including the LGBTQ community and younger, tech-savvy audiences.

Moderator: Joe Lemire Panelists: Behshad Behzadi, Karol Corcoran, John Jelley, Eric Rimsky This panel explores how the sports ecosystem is redefining fan engagement through immersive, data-led experiences. Industry leaders will move from vision to execution, detailing how in 2026 AI has become an engine for content discovery, real-time betting, and predictive analytics which are powering next gen fan engagement. Learn how raw video and data are being transformed into insightful storytelling across every screen at scale to deliver hyper-personalized, AI-driven journeys that bring fans closer to the action.

Moderator: Steve Argeris Panelists: Michelle Wilson, Marc Lasry, Eric Menell, Steve Pagliuca Over the past 2 decades, sports has evolved from a hobby for owners who are passionate about their teams to transformative business opportunities. Specifically, in the past 2 years we have seen explosive growth across a range of sports. The Celtics sold for $6.1bn before the Lakers sold for $10bn a few months later; the Commanders were sold for a then-record $6bn, but now 3 other NFL teams are valued over $10bn. Even more, women’s sports teams’ values have grown 10x over the same period, solidifying its position as the new hot sports asset class. In addition, new leagues and sports are popping up and developing popularity, from bull riding and sailing to flag football. Come for a riveting conversation on how investors see sports as a winning play and where they see investments going next!

Moderator: Abe Madkour Panelists: Jessica Gelman, Christine Dorfler, Sam Kennedy This past year, sports business hit a new level with valuations skyrocketing, new leagues started, and viewership reaching all-time highs.  With this acceleration, new questions around long-term sustainability connected to underlying revenue-generation, fan-centric focus, sponsorship ROI, international growth, and evolving viewing options are brought to the forefront. What are the most meaningful reasons behind sports’ continued growth and expansion? What will make leagues and teams continue to succeed in an increasingly competitive, fragmented market for attention? How are diverse franchises turning their investments into meaningful impact? Executives who are at the forefront of leading and partnering with the world’s largest, most diversified sporting brands will discuss the current state of the business and what’s driving decisions at the highest levels of sport, including the increasing role of data. Hear what is influencing the sports ecosystem and where the industry is heading.

Moderator: Shelley Pisarra Panelists: Walker Jacobs, Sam Schwartzstein, Alison Levin, Andrew Hyde Sports media is shifting from a one-way broadcast to a participatory, multi-stream ecosystem where every fan curates their own experience. Today, media rights are more than just airtime… they are the fuel for interactive overlays, creator-driven feeds, athlete owned channels, and GenAI enabled content. As fans shift from viewers to prosumers, the tension between shared cultural moments and personalized, real-time experiences is building. This panel brings leaders from NBCUniversal, Prime Video, DAZN, and ESPN to discuss the next decade of sports storytelling.

Moderator: Liz Moulton Panelists: Peter Schoenke, Meridith Cass, Isaiah Kacyvenski, Anna Palmer What does it take to win as a founder? Founders in sports operate in a uniquely ambiguous environment, where clean datasets are rare and decisions must be made long before the evidence is conclusive. Whether predicting athlete behavior, reading early consumer signals, navigating distribution, driving product adoption, or raising capital, the best founders are experts in decision making. This panel brings together leaders who have repeatedly built with conviction under uncertainty, from creating fantasy sports infrastructure before the industry existed to pioneering hydration analytics, investing in sports as a wedge into massive adjacent markets, and committing nine‑figure capital to women’s sports long before demand was proven. Together, they’ll break down how they distinguished signal from noise, which metrics actually predict durability, and how they built cultures capable of making high‑quality decisions at scale.