Jeffrey Pollack

Pollack received his undergraduate degree in journalism from Northwestern University, in addition to two master's degrees. The first master's was from The Graduate School of Political Management and his second was in sports management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Pollack subsequently attended the six-week Advanced Management Program at Harvard University. Initially, Pollack's career led into politics. A summer internship with the American Jewish Congress prompted a one-year role with the AJC. He worked as a lobbyist on legislation that would permit religious headwear for active military personnel in noncombat settings. Pollack then relocated to Los Angeles to work for Winner & Associates, a leading political public relations firm. He was assigned to consult the Major Baseball League during the labor strife in the early-1990s. The inception of Pollack's career in sports business occurred in 1992 when he realized—while flying from LA to New York—that there was a niche to fill in the industry. In February 1994, at the age of 29, Pollack founded The Sports Business Daily. It was the first daily trade publication for the sports industry. Pollack modelled the concept for the Sports Business Daily on the political daily The Hotline. Its primary goal was to "cover the coverage," or aggregate and organize daily news that was related to business of sports Doug Bailey, ''The Hotline's'' founder, was Jeffrey Pollack's partner in this venture. Pollack later noted that Bailey's influence was "absolutely critical" to the initial success of The Daily. Fellow editor Chuck Todd followed Bilafer in the move from The Hotline to The Daily. Bilafer would go on to note that it would have been a "deal breaker" had Todd not been permitted to join him at the SBD. After assembling a small editorial, marketing and sales team, The Sports Business Daily launched on September 12, 1994 amidst the "perfect storm of business and sports stories." When the time The Sports Business Daily was sold in 1996, it was a "recognized leader in sports industry news and is relied upon by top sports, entertainment, financial, and media executives worldwide." At the time of the sale, The Sports Business Daily provided the content for ESPN's SportsZone "Industry Insider." As a result of these activities, Pollack was hired as the Vice President of Marketing & Corporate Communications for the NBA. He remained with the league until 2000. Pollack helped develop NASCAR's television partnerships with Fox, FX, NBC and TNT and it was under his guidance that NASCAR grew into a major sporting event. At the time, it rose to the "second-most-watched sports franchise on cable TV, behind football." Pollack also encouraged NASCAR to use advanced media and technologies. One of his central innovations was to create an immersive experience for viewers at home. He helped developed the cable TV program, NASCAR iN Car, which involved mounting cameras that could capture the race from inside the cars. Pollack won two Emmy Awards, as a result: the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Television Programming and a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Innovative Technical Achievement. He was also the first to receive the Billboard Digital Entertainment Award for the best interactive television programming. ==World Series of Poker==

In 2005, Harrah's Casino hired Pollack as its Vice President of Marketing. While he was officially responsible for Harrah's sports ventures, which included boxing and motor sports, Pollack stated that, "My top priority is to grow the popularity of the World Series of Poker … It is already the No. 1 brand in poker, but we're going to make it even stronger through world-class media partnerships, strategic marketing alliances and superior customer service." Pollack introduced a range of changes into the WSOP's media relations, player relations, tournament structure and schedule, and expanded into international markets. His first responsibility with Harrah's was the 2005 World Series of Poker. Poker players' first impression of him centered on the 2005 Tournament of Champions (ToC). The ToC was hyped as a $2.5 million freeroll for which players had to qualify. In 2005, the ToC was sponsored by Pepsi, who was about to start an advertising campaign involving Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and Phil Hellmuth. Pepsi insisted that its three spokesmen take part in the ToC and the WSOP consented. The other players objected that three corporate exemptions were granted at the last moment. While the council did not have formal decision-making authority, Pollack stated in 2009 that "we haven't made a meaningful decision about event schedules, structures, rules, et cetera, since 2006 without the input of the Players Advisory Council." Pollack believed that the success of the WSOP was not determined based upon the number of participants every year, but rather upon the players' experiences. In 2006, Copag provided playing cards that became creased as the events endured, resulting in cards that were essentially marked. The training of WSOP dealers had also been criticized in past tournaments. In an effort to forestall this criticism, the WSOP began intensive training for dealers as early as March 2007 for over 300 dealers. Pollack also led the tournament's international expansion with WSOP Europe. The first tournament was held in London and hosted by London Clubs International at three casinos: the Fifty, Leicester Square and the Sportsman. Pollack insisted, "The World Series of Poker Europe will have a unique identity, style and flair, but will remain true to the 38-year tradition and heritage of the WSOP." The WSOPE remained in England from 2007 to 2010, was hosted in France from 2010 to 2013 and is expected to be hosted in Berlin in 2015. Marketing Pollack is known for his aggressive marketing. He's noted on several occasions that he's taken the strategies of the major sports brands, i.e. NASCAR, the NBA, and the NFL, and extracted the best practices to grow the WSOP. Reception by players Pollack was generally received well by players. Daniel Negreanu was impressed with his first meeting with Pollack, noting that professional poker is "a unique situation, as with the NBA players are being paid, while the poker players actually put up their own money." On the other hand, Pollack's emphasis on the player's experience along with his effectiveness in growing the WSOP cast him in a good light. This can be seen most clearly through the extent of support he received when he announced his resignation as commissioner. One commentator declared, "the news hit the poker world … like a ton of bricks," and that his tenure in the role "may be unmatched." In a separate statement, he commented, "Everything I set out to accomplish in 2005, I think I have accomplished. The World Series of Poker is bigger than ever before. The brand is in a strong position and the player experience is better than it's ever been." ==Epic Poker League==

In January 2011, Pollack and Annie Duke announced the launch of Federated Sports+Gaming (FS+G), the parent company for the Epic Poker League. Duke served as the league's commissioner. The EPL was designed to showcase the best players in the world and elevate them to the status of leading figures akin to icons in other sports. There was to be 200 players admitted and ranked by a system "driven by mathematics and proven historic achievement." Pollack stated, "I've long believed that the top professional poker players create enormous value for the industry and are skilled in a way that is worthy of star treatment," and moreover that, "[o]ur new league will celebrate poker professionals like never before and provide a tournament experience at the Palms that is first-class at every turn." The poker league took place in 2011. ==Adviser to the Chargers==

In early 2015, the then-San Diego Chargers hired Pollack as a special adviser to the team's Chair and President Dean Spanos. Pollack consulted the team on both future revenue growth and the development of a new stadium. Pollack aided Chargers Special Council Mark D. Fabiani in the hiring and identifying of MANICA Architecture, the architects tasked with designing a stadium in Carson, California. The Chargers were ultimately denied the Carson stadium by the NFL and moved into SoFi Stadium with the Los Angeles Rams in 2020. ==XFL==

On January 22, 2019, Pollack was named as the President & Chief Operating Officer of the XFL. On March 12, 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the XFL was forced to cancel its season after only five games had been played. Pollack announced, "We were on track to be the most successful launch of a new sports league in decades, if not ever, and we are hopeful the XFL can resume that trajectory with a new owner, for the fans and players and for the love of football." On April 10, 2020, Pollack announced in a conference call with the employees that the league was suspending operations and all employees would be laid off. Three days later, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the XFL filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and Pollack stated that "The league will aim to use its bankruptcy to sell off assets, the most significant of which are the XFL brand, trademarks, and intellectual property like its slogan, 'For the Love of Football.'" On August 2, 2020, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and RedBird Capital Partners purchased the league for $15 million followed by the court approval five days later. On March 10, 2021, Pollack, XFL owner Dany Garcia and CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie announced that XFL and CFL have agreed to work together following conversations by both sides seeking a potential collaboration, saying, "We are honored and excited to be in discussions with the CFL. It's clear through our early conversations that we share a passion for football, an expansive sense of possibility, and a deep desire to create more opportunity for players and fans across North America and around the world," and continued, "Blending the CFL's rich heritage with our fresh thinking, and the unique reach and experience of our ownership, could be transformative for the game." On October 14, 2021, it was reported that Pollack had left the XFL. Details of his departure were unknown at the time of the report. ==References==