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Launching a professional women’s hockey league didn’t begin as a passion project for Royce Cohen, a top executive at the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2014. When the team’s owners first explored the idea in 2022, it was simply a matter of determining whether and how such a league could be a viable business. “One thing […]
Launching a professional women’s hockey league didn’t begin as a passion project for Royce Cohen, a top executive at the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2014. When the team’s owners first explored the idea in 2022, it was simply a matter of determining whether and how such a league could be a viable business.
“One thing I heard a lot of when we first launched the PWHL was, ‘If you build it, they will come,’” Cohen recalled. “While I understand why people said that, and I don’t fault them for that, I think the more appropriate conclusion is, ‘If you build it right, you’ll find out if they will come.’”
Launching the PWHL consumed roughly 90% of Cohen’s time over the next two years. Cohen led the negotiation of a collective-bargaining agreement with the world’s top women’s hockey players and buyout of the Premier Hockey Federation. Once those deals were in place, he had fewer than six months to help create a league from scratch.
Cohen, a summa cum laude graduate of The Wharton School, feels the PWHL still has a lot to prove, but the early results have exceeded expectations. The six-team league welcomed its 1 millionth fan midway through its second season, an achievement driven by unprecedented crowds for professional women’s hockey in both teams’ home markets and in neutral markets throughout the U.S. and Canada. The PWHL also has received consistent corporate investment, with 40 sponsors on board in each of its first two seasons.
Next season, the league will welcome its first two expansion teams in Seattle and Vancouver, giving it a coast-to-coast presence for the first time. When 9-year-old hockey player Sydney Mildon made the Vancouver announcement official, it was clear Cohen’s investment in the league had evolved beyond just business.
“It’s hard not to choke up when you see that sort of stuff,” Cohen said. “We’re certainly in a different spot now than at the outset.”
Age: 35
Born: Philadelphia
Education: University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School, B.S., economics
Family: Spouse, Cole; children, Leighton (3) and Madison (1)
Charity supported: Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation.
Mobile app used most: Tableau.
Best career advice received: When taking a job, prioritize choosing your boss above title, salary, etc.
What led me to sports business as a career: Everyone else at Wharton went into investment banking, so it left sports business as a path less traveled.
How I deal with stress in the workplace: Shuffle poker chips.
The most pressing issue facing my generation: Complacency.
The sports industry needs to do a better job of … : Deploying customer-centric strategies.
Players of Greece pose for photo during awarding ceremony for the women’s water polo match at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun) Players of Greece walk into the court before the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in […]
Players of Greece pose for photo during awarding ceremony for the women’s water polo match at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Players of Greece walk into the court before the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Players of Hungary comfort each other after the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Haris Pavlidis (Top, 3rd R), coach of Greece, instructs during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Sandor Cseh, coach of Hungary, reacts during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Athina Dimitra Giannopoulou of Greece shoots during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Eleni Xenaki of Greece celebrates after the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Players of Hungary prepares before the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Eszter Varro (L) of Hungary competes during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Dorottya Szilagyi (R) of Hungary competes during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Sandor Cseh, coach of Hungary, reacts during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Team members of Greece celebrate after the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Eleni Xenaki of Greece celebrates after the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Krisztina Garda of Hungary competes during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Eszter Varro (L) of Hungary competes during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Panna Tiba of Hungary celebrates scoring during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Christina Siouti (R) of Greece passes the ball during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Medalists celebrate during the awarding ceremony for the women’s water polo match at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Dora Leimeter of Hungary competes during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Haris Pavlidis (C), coach of Greece, celebrates after the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Players of Greece pose for photo during awarding ceremony for the women’s water polo match at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Story Links SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara men’s cross country announced its 2025 competition schedule. The season begins August 29 at the USF Invitational in San Francisco. The Broncos then head to the Kym Duyst Invitational September 13 followed by Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational and the Pacific Invitational October […]
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara men’s cross country announced its 2025 competition schedule.
The season begins August 29 at the USF Invitational in San Francisco. The Broncos then head to the Kym Duyst Invitational September 13 followed by Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational and the Pacific Invitational October 3.
Santa Clara hosts the annual Bronco invitational at Baylands Park in Sunnyvale on October 18. More info can be found here.
Pre Nationals on October 18 close out the regular season before the WCC Championships November 1. NCAA West Regionals are November 14 in Sacramento, and the NCAA Championships are November 22 in Columbia, Mo.
HOUSTON – The American Conference has released home and away opponent pairings for the upcoming 2025-26 season, which will feature an 18-game conference slate with six opponents being played twice and six opponents only once. The Owls will host Charlotte, North Texas, Temple, Tulsa, USF, UTSA, Tulane, UAB and Wichita State. Rice will travel to Charlotte, North […]
HOUSTON – The American Conference has released home and away opponent pairings for the upcoming 2025-26 season, which will feature an 18-game conference slate with six opponents being played twice and six opponents only once.
The Owls will host Charlotte, North Texas, Temple, Tulsa, USF, UTSA, Tulane, UAB and Wichita State.
Rice will travel to Charlotte, North Texas, Temple, Tulsa, USF, UTSA, East Carolina, Memphis and Florida Atlantic.
The Owls were 17-17 a season ago, making back-to-back appearances in the AAC Championship game. All-AAC Second Team selection Dominique Ennis returns to the team, along with All-Newcomer Team selection Victoria Flores and All-Freshman Team honoree Aniah Alexis.
Rice has already announced a trip to the Discover Puerto Rico Shootout over the Thanksgiving holiday, with the Owls facing UCF, Illinois State and Morgan State. The full nonconference schedule and American schedule will be released at a later time.
Shutterstock image Erik Gruenwedel July 23, 2025 Cable TV might not be dead yet. NBCUniversal is reportedly considering launching a cable-themed channel that would include Peacock sports content, in addition to the NBA. The channel would launch in the fall to coincide with NBC Sports and Peacock assuming distribution rights to the NBA as part […]
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July 23, 2025
Cable TV might not be dead yet. NBCUniversal is reportedly considering launching a cable-themed channel that would include Peacock sports content, in addition to the NBA.
The channel would launch in the fall to coincide with NBC Sports and Peacock assuming distribution rights to the NBA as part of the league’s 11-year, $75 billion license rights agreement with Disney (ABC Sports and ESPN), NBC, Peacock and Prime Video, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the move, citing sources familiar with the situation.
NBCUniversal has made no official comment on the situation.
The sports channel would be bundled with select third-party premium TV offerings rather than conventional pay-TV bundles.
The move comes as NBCUniversal is spinning off its cable assets into a separate standalone company called Versant, which includes CNBC, MSNBC, USA Network, Oxygen, E!, SYFY, Golf Channel and digital assets Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and SportsEngine.
At the same time, live sports remains a pay-TV staple, while Fox and Disney in the fall plan to launch standalone streaming services — Fox One and ESPN — targeting TV sports viewers.
Peacock, which ended March with 41 million paid subscribers, currently streams NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” and an exclusive NFL game, in addition to PGA Tour golf, college football, the WNBA, Olympics and Premier League Soccer.
Comcast ended the quarter with more than 12 million Xfinity premium TV subscribers.
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Story Links Center Valley, PA (July 23, 2025) – The DeSales University volleyball team was honored with the AVCA Team Academic Award as announced by the organization this week. Teams were awarded the academic award by maintaining a year-long GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale as 1,450 collegiate and […]
Center Valley, PA (July 23, 2025) – The DeSales University volleyball team was honored with the AVCA Team Academic Award as announced by the organization this week.
Teams were awarded the academic award by maintaining a year-long GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale as 1,450 collegiate and high school volleyball programs earned the award.
“It is very exciting to see that the record-setting, on-court successes during the 2024-25 season have extended to the classroom,” says AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. “The fact that more programs earned the Team Academic Award than ever before is evidence of how committed our coaches are when it comes to helping their players reach their goals as both students and athletes.”
Head coach Michele Zabinski just finished her 20th season in charge of the volleyball program leading the Bulldogs to a 14-17 overall record and a spot in the MAC Freedom postseason tournament last season. Thirteen Bulldogs earned MAC Fall Academic Honor Roll honors and first-year Allison Reimer was named to the MAC Volleyball Academic All-MAC Team.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Women’s Golf Head Coach Alyssa Waite has announced the addition of two Division I transfers and a freshman who will join three returning players and three high school signees to make up the team’s roster for 2025-26. Alyson Sor | Long Beach, Calif. | Wilson HS | UC Irvine […]
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