SBJ's Abe Madkour Stresses Compassion, Integrity, Curiosity to SMBA 2022 Class

By Jim Wilkie

Abe Madkour

One of the best-connected individuals in the sports business industry shared his insights and advice with the SDSU Sports MBA Class of 2022 via Zoom on Thursday. So it was fitting that Sports Business Journal Publisher and Executive Editor Abe Madkour stressed the importance of building strong and meaningful connections with others in the sports industry. 

“You have to utilize your network and connect with people throughout, and don’t be shy to use that network,” Madkour said.

He used a personal example of when he pivoted from working in politics for Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) in Washington, D.C. Madkour “still had the sports itch” and asked Leahy if he could provide a reference call to the senator’s friend Abe Pollin who was then the owner of the Washington Bullets and Washington Capitals. That led to an internship with the Bullets where Madkour learned about the fundamentals of a sports organization and set him on a path that led to being the SBJ’s third hire before the publication launched in 1994.

Madkour’s hourlong talk covered a wide array of many hot topics in sports, including LIV Golf’s disruption of the sport, schools jumping between conferences in college sports, the impact of sports gambling and gambling sponsorships, CBD-related sponsorships and the growth of MLS and soccer in North America.

Understandably, Madkour’s career advice resonated strongly with the SMBA 2022 cohort, who are about to jump into the sports business industry.

“Do what you do with compassion and integrity and honesty, and I can’t tell you enough about that and hard work,” he said.

Be curious, ask good questions, do your homework and research before meeting people in the industry, Madkour said, “be interesting and interested.” 

He stressed the need to be passionate about the business of sport, show your drive, ask for help and use your network.

“You have to have some sort of comportment to yourself, you have to have some sort of presence. You have to be able to understand the sports business,” Madkour said.

“I’m not trying to be pushy, but you have to read SBJ. If you want to be in the business, you have to know the business. You have to be able to have intelligent conversations about the business of sports. And there’s no better way to do that than just being well-read and informed.”