HBE gets rolling with a thrilling new client

by Mark Meltzer

I’m really excited about a client we’ve just started working with — the World Roller Derby League.

This Los Angeles-based league is a startup, but one with unlimited potential. The founders are the top people in the world of Roller Derby, with deep knowledge of the skaters and the sport. They’re also the folks who produced Fear Factor and American Ninja.

They’re starting up at the highest level, and they intend for it to be the big leagues of Roller Derby, with events across the U.S., Mexico and globally. Think WWE or Ringling Brothers, which operates several traveling circus troupes.

Their timing couldn’t be better. Women’s sports have become hugely popular, and should be even more so with the Olympics coming next month in Paris, showcasing world class athletes like superstar swimmer Katie Ledecky.

The NFL and the NBA are pulling away from network TV, and others like ESPN are looking for good sports programming. A TV executive we spoke with said there is very legitimate demand for Roller Derby on TV.

The new league has asked us to help put it all together. HBE’s job is to help find good partners: TV people, arenas, sponsors and potential team owners.

Why us? We have a lot of experience in sports. HBE started 30 years ago as the owner of the Colorado Silver Bullets, a women’s baseball team, managed by Phil Niekro, that has its own exhibit in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. 

We’ve also managed Olympic activations for Coca-Cola.

HBE Chairman and co-founder Bob Hope testified before Congress on Title IX, the landmark legislation that fueled the growth of women’s collegiate sports, and he served on the Women’s Sports Foundation with tennis legend Billie Jean King.

Bob has also helped ownership groups land several sports expansion franchises, including the Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins. He knows how leagues are set up and how teams and leagues share revenue.

Mostly, the league wants somebody who knows who to call, and that certainly describes Bob.

And if the league is interested in how Mexican wrestling works, well, we have a few contacts there as well.

If you’re interested in getting involved with the World Roller Derby League in any way, please let us know. This is going to be a lot of fun and, I think, very successful.

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