SBJ Game Changers 2026 · 10:25 a.m. · SBJ Connect · Photo essay

Pick a Neighborhood, Find a Table: Inside SBJ Connect

Between panels, SBJ turned a ballroom into 35 tables sorted by topic. Attendees picked a neighborhood, sat down and talked, off the record. Here's how the format worked, in photos.

Reported at Sports Business Journal's 2026 Game Changers Conference · Oct. 1, 2026 · New York Marriott Marquis

An easel sign reading SBJ Connect, Select Your Neighborhood, in front of a ballroom full of round tables — The sign at the door: four neighborhoods, 35 tables. Photos: Paul Variano / The Coach's Board

Game Changers is mostly a day of panels. In the late morning, SBJ handed the room to the audience. SBJ Connect, listed on the agenda as structured networking, is billed as a facilitated session of guided, topic-driven conversations "in a structured yet relaxed setting." It ran in Broadway Ballroom South from 10:25 a.m. until the 11:20 session. SBJ runs the same format at its other conferences, including Dealmakers in Sports last November.

How it worked

The instructions came from the stage as the Bridging the Gap panel wrapped up. Everyone would pick one of four neighborhoods, a choice meant to reflect interests rather than job titles, then find a table there. The ground rules were short: participate, and keep it off the record.

The sign at the door laid out the map:

Grow (tables 1-12): revenue, partnerships and business strategy, from sponsorship innovation, business models and premium experiences to women's sports monetization and new revenue streams.
Lead (tables 13-21): leadership, talent and career growth, including building influence, managing teams, mentorship, career pivots, executive presence, talent retention and work-life integration.
Create (tables 22-28): marketing, brand and fan engagement, including content strategy, storytelling, social media, brand building, community impact and athlete influence.
Imagine (tables 29-35): innovation, technology and the future of sports, including AI, data, emerging leagues, investment trends, venue innovation, global growth and future fan behaviors.

Each table had a small sign with its neighborhood and number. What was said at the tables stays there, so this piece doesn't report it. The photos show the room.

Around the room

A ballroom full of attendees seated at round tables in conversation — Broadway Ballroom South during SBJ Connect.

Attendees at a round table with a pink Create sign in the center — A Create table: marketing, brand and fan engagement.

Attendees talking at a round table with a purple Grow sign — A Grow table: revenue, partnerships and business strategy.

Two attendees in conversation at a Lead table — A Lead table: leadership, talent and career growth.

An attendee gestures while others at her table listen — Each neighborhood's tables worked through its topics.

Attendees listen as one speaks at a crowded table — Attendees chose a neighborhood by interest, not job title.

An attendee speaks with her hands at a table in the busy ballroom — The ground rules: participate, and keep it off the record.

The Coach's Board take

Youth sports gatherings, from coaching clinics to league meetings to tournament weekends, usually leave networking to the hallway, where it works best for people who already know each other. SBJ's format is easy to borrow. Pick four topics your people care about (say, player development, operations, fundraising and coaching education), give each a block of tables, let people choose by interest rather than title, and set two rules up front: everyone takes part, and nothing leaves the table.

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