2024 Wrapped: CG Sports Edition
Good morning from Cejih!
2024 is nearly at an end, wow! What a year this was for CG Sports. We accomplished so much!
The Paris Olympics and Paralympics were the big highlight for me personally. Getting to be there in person and cheer on our clients was an unforgettable experience.
I’m also incredibly proud of the authors we worked with in 2024 at CG Sports Publishing. We saw several company records get broken for publishing! It was a real honor to meet Betsy Mitchell and David Kiley in person this fall.
A big goal of mine in 2024 was to expand our presence in the NIL and college market, specifically with advising universities and college teams on what they can be doing to get more sponsorship deals. Given that it was an Olympic year I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to fit this in. But we did! It took teamwork and persistence but I’m proud to say that we are now booking on site sponsorship workshops with college and club teams around the country.
Finally, I’m proud of the CG Sports team and our clients. We put our heads down and grinded in 2024, setting us up for an exciting 2025-2026 ahead, which will include the 2026 Winter Olympics!
Thank you for supporting us each week. See you in 2025!
Cejih Yung and Bret Lundgaard, University of Kentucky Head Swimming Coach
P.S. Nervous about missing upcoming news from CG Sports? Follow us on Instagram (@cgsportsco), Facebook (CG Sports Management), and, of course, our weekly newsletter.
From our team
Beth Bailey | Operations
Working in sports is fun, and 2024 has been a stellar trifecta year: Summer 2024 saw the excitement of the Olympics back better than ever - Merci, Paris! Women’s sports have soared from 5% of TV coverage in 2019 to 15% in 2023 and in 2024 18.9 million people tuned in for the NCAA women’s basketball final…it’s been a breakthrough year! The NIL revolution is also reshaping collegiate (and high school) athletics, giving athletes and programs new opportunities and challenges in this unexpected situationship developing on the daily.
Thanks, CG Sports, for welcoming me to the team! It’s always a great day working alongside you helping our clients - athletes, coaches, and teams - build their brands, land sponsorships and speaking deals, publish their book, and celebrate their successes. Thank you to our vendors and brand partners for working alongside our clients to create value through the power of collaboration. Congratulations to all on your year! We have some exciting developments in the works as we continue to build value for our community - see you in 2025!
Dane Vanderkaay | Athlete Partnerships
When I think back on 2024 I am reminded of why we do the work that we do. At the end of the day as a sports agency that represents these incredible athletes what we are really doing is just helping them tell their story so they can grow their brand and in turn allow them to chase their dreams. There is no better venue at an international stage for story telling than the Olympic and Paralympic games. After watching so many inspiring athletic performances this past summer it's hard not to be grateful that we get to work with such dedicated and impressive athletes.
Taylor Brien | Editor
Every year I am reminded why working in the sports industry is an exciting opportunity, and 2024 was no exception. This summer, our team was filled with pride as we cheered on our athletes pursuing the Paris Olympics and Paralympics. On the sales/marketing side, we leveraged creativity and strategy to refine, strengthen, and grow several internal projects, while our publishing team celebrated the publishing of 6 books this year! Meanwhile, our clients continued to push themselves, with many launching brands, books, and/or sponsorships this year!
Thank you to all of you for reading our newsletter each week — the success of this newsletter would not be possible without you! I look forward to many more Wednesdays together in 2025!
Nicole Wurtele | Creative
2024 has been a big year for the sports industry and here at CG Sports Co. Over the summer, we were cheering on ten of our athletes who went to the Olympics/Paralympics – some for the first time in their careers! Six new clients went through the Brand Camp process and launched their brands through us. I always appreciate the opportunity to help define the look that our athletes show to the world, helping them to express themselves through their brand. Behind the scenes, we have been developing some new products for current and new clients as well as streamlining our internal processes to make it easier to support our network.
I'm excited for the ways that CG Sports will expand in 2025!
Mike Nicloy | Publishing
It has been another great year at CG Sports, and it just keeps getting better! I absolutely love working with everyone here and I’m so proud to be part of bringing our clients’ stories to life.
CG Sports Publishing had a very busy 2024. We released more books this year than average due to the Paris Olympic Games over the summer. We introduced new books by our client athletes, retired athletes, coaches, and business leaders, and we have some great books coming in 2025. I’m looking forward to another year of working with our outstanding staff and clients!
Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous 2025!
