About the Presentation:
Since 2021, the landscape of collegiate athletics has been in a state of rapid transformation. One could argue that it has experienced more change in the past three years than in the previous fifty. This transformation has been marked by the introduction of NIL, which allows student-athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness. While this legislation was enough to cause a sea change in the college sports ecosystem, it has been magnified by the approval of an unlimited transfer portal and Conference realignment. Throughout this time of unprecedented change, Learfield has consistently proven to be a trusted solutions provider for Athletic Departments nationwide.
About Our Speaker:
Chris Bloomfield is a Vice President in Learfield's Collegiate Multimedia Rights Division, overseeing relationships with 15 different schools. Chris began his career in 1999 with the Longhorn Sports Network at the University of Texas. Since then, he has served as General Manager for IMG College, now Learfield, at both Western Kentucky University and the University of Washington. With a wealth of experience in collegiate sports management, Chris has consistently demonstrated his expertise in fostering successful partnerships and driving revenue growth.
Over the past 25 years, the industry has evolved with new asset opportunities available for university athletic departments to sell and monetize. The latest significant change came in 2022 with the advent of the name, image, and likeness (NIL) era in NCAA college athletics. Since then, Learfield has been at the forefront of establishing relationships between brands and student-athletes, maximizing the potential earnings for student-athletes and exposure for the brands.
Chris received his undergraduate degree from the University of Alberta and his Masters in Sports Management from the University of Texas at Austin.
Learfield was established in 1972, when co-founders Clyde Lear and Derry Brownfield started a farm radio network heard over six Missouri radio stations. Three years later marked the company’s first foray into sports as the radio rights distributor for the University of Missouri, who is still a partner today. In parallel, Host Communications pioneered the collegiate multimedia business in 1974 with a network radio contract with the University of Kentucky, adding NCAA representation in 1976. In 2007, IMG Worldwide acquired Host Communications and The Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC). Winston-Salem-based ISP was founded by local entrepreneur and Wake Forest alum, Ben Sutton. Starting with his alma mater they continued growing the business with other college and conference relationships.
In 2010, ISP merged into IMG’s fast-growing college division. In 2014, WME acquired IMG (now Endeavor), the same year Learfield acquired SIDEARM Sports, the leading digital platform provide for college athletic programs. In 2015, Learfield acquired a controlling interest in ANC Sports Enterprises bringing digital signage capabilities. In 2016, the branding agency, SME, was added. In 2017, the portfolio expanded further when Learfield acquired Paciolan, the leading provider of ticketing software and solutions in college athletics, and Mogo Interactive, an integrated digital marketing firm. In 2018, Learfield Communications and IMG College merged to form the leader in multimedia rights and related services.
The company has continued to evolve adding esports tournaments, strategic partnerships with venues and sports organizations, and relationships that bring enhanced services to colleges and universities and new opportunities to brands.