📰 In The Arena Weekly
The go-to newsletter for sports, media & entertainment professionals. Each week, we curate the top events, insights & people to know to help you stay connected to new opportunities.
⚡️Headlines & Hot Takes
Lululemon appoints former Nike exec Heidi O'Neill as CEO
IHeartMedia explores potential merger with Sirius XM
The 2026 NFL Draft aired on ABC and ESPN across April 23-25 and here are the season’s winners and losers.
🗓️ Upcoming Arena Events
🗓️ April 29 | Office Hours w/ Kelsey Smith (Partner at East Village Sports Group) | Register Here
A live conversation on investing, opportunity, and execution across sports, media, and venture.
🗓️ April 30 | Arena Spring Cohort - Live Info Session | Register Here
We're now accepting applications for our Spring cohort, and this Info Session is your chance to see what Arena looks like from the inside before you apply.
🗓️ Events to Know
PR Week Sports Conference | Hosted by PRWeek
🗓️ April 28 | 📍New York, NY | Register here
The intersection of communications, PR strategy, and the sports industry, bringing together comms leaders shaping how brands and leagues show up in culture.
Black Girls in Media Summit 2026 | Hosted by Black Girls in Media
🗓️ May 3 | 📍Dallas, TX | Register here
A celebration and career accelerator for Black women across media, entertainment, and tech, featuring programming designed to open doors and build community.
SBJ Tech Week + Sports Business Awards | Hosted by Sports Business Journal
🗓️ May 18-20 | 📍New York, NY | Register here
Sports Business Journal's flagship tech event spotlighting the innovation, platforms, and people transforming how sports operates, watched, and monetized.
Gondola Sports Summit | Hosted by Gondola
🗓️ May 18-20 | 📍Denver, CO | Register here
A gathering for the creators, editors, and storytellers driving digital sports content and the next generation of fan engagement.
SBJ Brand Innovation Summit | Hosted by Sports Business Journal
🗓️ June 9-10 | 📍Chicago, IL | Register here
A two-day deep dive into sponsorship strategy, brand activation, and the future of how companies show up in and around sports.
💌 You’re Invited - Spring Cohort Live Info Session!
You've probably heard the same advice for years: "It's all about who you know."
But at a certain point in your career in sports, media, and entertainment, the warm introductions slow down — and the networking events that used to work start feeling like they were built for someone five years behind you.
Arena was built for what comes after that.
Arena is a members-only network for leaders across sports, media, and entertainment. Every week, members receive three curated introductions to peers who are genuinely aligned — by goals, role, industry, and what they're working on right now. Both sides see a full profile before deciding to connect. No cold outreach or guessing.
We're now accepting applications for our Spring cohort, and this Info Session is your chance to see what Arena looks like from the inside before you apply.
In this session, Arena's founding team will walk you through:
How introductions work — from profile setup to your first curated match
Who's in the network — the roles, industries, and seniority levels represented
What the Spring cohort experience looks like — from Orientation through Graduation
How to make the most of your application — what we look for and how to stand out
A look at who's already inside:
20% are VPs to C-Suite executives
35% are Directors, Leads, and Heads of department
70% have direct influence over revenue, partnerships, or growth
Members span leagues, teams, studios, networks, agencies, record labels, publishers, venues, and platforms
The Spring cohort has a limited number of spots and applications close May 8. If you're considering applying, this is the fastest way to find out if Arena is the right fit.
💼 New Jobs This Week
⚾ Washington Nationals | Director, Partnership Solutions | Washington, DC | $120-125K/yr
🏆 THE TEAM (formerly Wasserman) | Director, Brand Consulting | Brooklyn, NY | $120-125K/yr
🎵 Suno | Director, Business Development, Music Industry Partnerships | New York, NY | $240-265K/yr
🎮 EA Sports | Lead Product Manager | Vancouver, BC | $114-156K/yr
📺 The Walt Disney Company | VP, Direct-To-Consumer Strategy | Los Angeles, CA | $236-315K/yr
👀 Applications Close May 8!
The Spring Cohort is now open. Applications close May 8.
Arena is a members-only network for manager-to-C-suite leaders across sports, media, and entertainment. Every member is vetted. Every introduction is intentional. No cold outreach, no noise.
When the cohort kicks off on May 11, you'll spend your first month in structured programming designed to help you get the most out of your membership, starting with setting your profile and goals, learning how to turn introductions into real relationships, and graduating into the full member network and IRL events.
Applying is free. Membership is $199/year, backed by a 30-day guarantee.
If this is your industry, this is your room.
That’s it for this week In The Arena of sports, media & entertainment.
-Arena’s founders | Parul Khosla, Adriene Bueno & Olivia Schwartz.
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