As President of Sports Business Associates and the first-ever Professor of Practice in Sport Management at the University of Massachusetts Isenberg School of Management, Jeffrey currently brings his unique experience and expertise to a select roster of advisory clients and graduate students – offering insights and lessons learned from a distinguished career.

Most recently, he served as President and CEO of the XFL. Jeffrey joined the league in 2019 as President and COO to lead all strategic planning and business operations, reporting directly to Chairman and Founder Vince McMahon. With Jeffrey’s guidance, the XFL launched in 2020 to critical acclaim and proved that spring football in the United States can work. Following the XFL’s shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, he successfully led the organization through a complex bankruptcy process – culminating in its sale to a new ownership group featuring Redbird Capital, Dwayne Johnson, and Dany Garcia. After an orderly transition, Pollack joined McKinsey & Company as a Senior Advisor.

Lauded for helping businesses and brands rethink, recalibrate, and evolve, Jeffrey – immediately prior to his role at the XFL – was Special Advisor and Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer for the Los Angeles Chargers, where he spearheaded the team’s relocation journey from San Diego. From 2014 to 2019, he guided the strategy, business planning, project management, and market entry efforts that led to the team’s successful move to SoFi Stadium. His leadership helped reshape the franchise’s identity in a new city and position the Chargers to capture a $3 billion increase in team valuation.

Jeffrey has advised buyers on the successful acquisition of teams in the NBA and NHL, and also served as Executive Chairman of the Professional Bull Riders – where he helped refresh the organization’s culture and strategic direction. During his highly regarded tenure as President and Commissioner of the World Series of Poker, the tournament shattered all previous attendance records, crossed the $1 billion mark in total prize money awarded and was transformed into a worldwide sports and entertainment phenomenon that recently sold for $500 million.

Earlier in his career, Jeffrey served as the first-ever Managing Director of Broadcasting and New Media for NASCAR, overseeing the sport’s entire digital media portfolio – worth nearly $300 million in annual revenue at the time. He also served as Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications for the National Basketball Association, and as a Strategic Advisor to Commissioner David Stern during collective bargaining negotiations with the National Basketball Players Association in 1998 and 1999.

In 1994, Jeffrey launched The Sports Business Daily, the first daily trade publication for the sports industry. Through his vision and direction as Founder, President, and Publisher, The Daily became an immediate must-read for sports executives, achieved an annual subscription renewal rate of more than 90 percent, and set the standard for sports business news and information services worldwide.

Jeffrey began his career as a legislative assistant and then as a political campaign manager and crisis communications strategist for Winner + Associates and the affiliated firm of Winner + Mandabach Campaigns, where his clients spanned the investment banking, real estate, and utility industries.

In addition to receiving one of the first Primetime Emmy Awards presented for Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Television Programming, and a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Innovative Technical Achievement, Jeffrey received the first-ever Billboard Digital Entertainment Award for Best Interactive Television Programming.

He has appeared on The Sporting News’ List of The 100 Most Powerful People in Sports and was named by Sports Business Journal to its inaugural list of 40 Under 40. While at the World Series of Poker, Jeffrey received the Chairman’s Excellence in Leadership Award – presented to a select group of Harrah’s Entertainment executives who achieved outstanding business results through innovation. He also received The Graduate School of Political Management’s Alumni Achievement Award and, most recently in 2022, the Harold J. VanderZwaag Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Massachusetts – which recognizes alumni who display professional excellence, outstanding achievement in the sports industry, and dedication to the McCormack Department of Sport Management.

Jeffrey is Chairman of the Community Advisory Board of 90.7 WFUV Radio in New York, and a Non-Executive Director of Centtrip Limited – an award-winning, London-based financial technology company that provides multi-currency treasury and expense management solutions for the music, film, television, and superyacht industries.  He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Art at a Time Like This – a nonprofit, digital-first organization that presents contemporary art as a direct response to current political and social events. He is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and an Accredited Member of the Public Relations Society of America.

Jeffrey also serves as a professional development coach, providing inspiration to executives and students in the sports and entertainment industries. He trained as a leadership and organizational performance coach at Rutgers University and is certified by the International Coaching Federation.

Jeffrey has a bachelor’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, a master’s degree from The Graduate School of Political Management, and a master’s degree in sports management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He also completed Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. Read Less ^