The 50 Most Influential People Behind The Scenes In Sports

So much of the way we watch and enjoy sports is determined by people who have never participated in a professional athletic event in their lives.

Casting a wide net, we searched the sports world for the 50 most influential people who operate behind the scenes. This includes presidents, owners, managers, coaches, agents, doctors, and reporters. 

These are the coaches who change the way the games are played, the commentators who shape the national conversation about sports, the agents who decide which stars play where, the owners who build juggernauts from scratch, and executives who alter the trajectories of their leagues over a huge period of time.

In short, these are the behind-the-scenes people who are responsible for what we watch when we watch sports.

Go to our Most Influential People Behind the Scenes In Sports homepage to learn more about the people on the list.

This list was compiled by Emmett Knowlton, Tony Manfred, Cork Gaines, and Leah Goldman.

#50 Erin Andrews

FOX College Football host; FOX lead NFL sideline reporter  

Age: 36

Andrews is one of America's best-known female sportscasters and a true veteran of the business. She started working for ESPN in 2004 as a reporter for ESPN National Hockey Night, before moving to FOX Sports in 2012. On July 14, it was announced that Andrews would be replacing Pam Oliver as the sideline reporter on FOX's lead NFL broadcasting crew. 

#49 Phil Jackson

New York Knicks president

Age: 68

The Zen Master's back in basketball! Jackson in March inked a five-year, $60 million deal with the Knicks as the new president of basketball operations, returning from a three-year hiatus from basketball. Jackson's life in professional basketball began with the Knicks, where he won two championships as a player in the 1970s. As a coach, he won 11 titles (six with the Bulls and five with the Lakers), giving him 13 rings overall. 

#48 Mike Murphy

NHL senior vice president, hockey operations

Age: 63

The NHL's review system is one of the coolest processes in sports. Whenever officials need a review, they call the Situation Room in Toronto, where it's Murphy's job to watch every game. When a play is in question, Murphy issues the final verdict upon review.