Nascar, Nets, Big 12 and MSE: Yormark’s appointment and how he can help Milan
By: Ben Dixon
AC Milan were introduced to a new name this week: Brett Yormark. But who is he and what does he bring to the table?
With Milan’s announcement of a new company – Milan Sport and Entertainment – a new CEO was appointed to oversee things and develop the Milanese sporting project for RedBird and that CEO is Yormark.
For those who are unfamiliar with the new hire, he is obviously someone that Gerry Cardinale trusts heavily and this was stated in the American’s announcement of the MSE company.
“Today, we apply this experience on a different scale: not just to a single club, a single sport, or a single facility, but to an entire city and a portfolio that spans sports, lifestyle, and entertainment. I have known Brett Yormark and worked with him for 25 years.
“We’ve been working with Milan for years, and I can’t imagine a better executive in the international sports industry to help execute this strategy. Thanks to Brett, we can bring the best of American sports and live entertainment to Milan, helping write a new chapter in the city’s growth and international success.
“With AC Milan as our cornerstone, which will always be the driving force behind all our initiatives, we intend to build a world-class sports and entertainment platform capable of shaping the future of Milan and European sports, and bringing it back to the forefront of the global stage.”
However, what has his career looked like so far and how can he help the Rossoneri take the next level?
His career so far
In terms of his own reputation, he started his career working in selling TV time before moving to be a senior accountant at Palace Sports and Entertainment, sound familiar? From there, he got his first major move, becoming a director of marketing at NASCAR, where he stayed from 1998 to 2005.
After his early experience in basketball, he then moved away from the track and back onto the court where he joined the Brooklyn Jets as their new CEO. Tasked with transforming the club into a more modern brand, he franchised the club – taking them from Brooklyn to New Jersey – and brought several sports and events to the Barclays Center, which opened in 2012, as Sportico reported.
From there, he then headed to Roc Nation, taking a role as their ‘President & Chief of Branding and Strategy’. From artists to athletes, Yormark worked with some of the biggest names and brands in the world from 2019 to 2022 and was a major part of the brand earning the rights for the Super Bowl halftime shows.
It’s worth noting that he’s also worked with Milan in this period, as they partnered in 2020. On a side note, it’ll be interesting to see if these links help any further with the ongoing speculation about the Diavolo and Endrick, who is also represented by the brand.
Work with Big 12
To join the Milan Sports and Entertainment company, he leaves behind a role with Big 12, where he had held a role since the summer of 2022. Within his first few months as its commissioner, he secured media rights deals with ESPN and Fox to help stabilise the league.
The Kansas City Star continues, stating that he also oversaw expansions into ‘Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah’, as well as keeping men’s and women’s basketball in Kansas City.
Given that he’ll be working heavily with the hope of making a Milan NBA team, this is relevant experience. Importantly, too, he has already fought for sport in Kansas City, so doing the same for football (and basketball) in Milan will not be unfamiliar territory.
Furthermore, alongside Cardinale, he has experience in getting the most out of TV deals, so this should help the entertainment side of the company take off as well.
Although he’s not got a background in football, the quality of his CV is undeniable and he’s thrived alongside the companies where he’s worked for years.
He’s very confident about the future, stating he’s moving on to a ‘great opportunity’ and that the opportunity of working within the MSE ‘is as big as we want it to be’, as Sportico relayed. It’s a bold statement, but he’s no stranger to delivering.
