The Next Play: AI's Impact on Emerging Leagues

Moderator: Jeff Ma Panelists: Claire Rogers, Fahad Zahid, Josh Talge, Samantha Barkowski In blackjack, when players optimized the system, casinos didn’t celebrate the math — they changed the rules. Golf may be facing a similar moment. From strokes gained and AI swing tools to launch monitors, simulators, new equipment standards, and real-time broadcast data, technology is reshaping how the game is played and consumed. At the same time, new competitive formats, private capital investment, the rise of LIV Golf, and evolving media and betting ecosystems are challenging long-held assumptions about what professional golf should look like — and how it should make money. This panel brings together leaders across the PGA ecosystem, equipment innovation, sports investment, media, and digital strategy to debate whether this wave of technology and commercialization is strengthening golf — or quietly redefining it. Are simulators expanding the funnel or replacing green grass golf? Are new formats and capital accelerating innovation or fragmenting tradition? As tours explore new monetization models and fans consume the sport through highlights, betting apps, and social media, we’ll examine whether golf is evolving intentionally — or being optimized into something fundamentally different. This panel brings together leaders from the PGA, golf media, and digital analytics to examine how data, platforms, and new viewing experiences are changing golf consumption from start to finish. Panelists will discuss what is working today, how data is improving storytelling and fan understanding, and where future innovation will create real value for fans, media partners, and the sport.

Moderator: Jackie MacMullan Panelists: Daryl Morey, Jay Sugarman, Nate Silver, Sue Bird An athlete, front office executive, owner, and an outsider. Four different perspectives, united by a willingness to think differently. Panelists discuss their approach to thinking unconventionally, what makes for a good unconventional thinker, and what organizations in sports and beyond can do to approach novel problems differently.

Moderator: Peko Hosoi Panelists: Josh Gwyther, Samin Odhwani, Annie Lokesh In 2026, AI is rapidly becoming a foundational technology across industries, and sports is no exception. Emerging leagues have often led the way, driving new innovation and adopting new technologies at a rapid pace. This panel will explore how these leagues are implementing AI in ways that were previously not possible, from officiating and game operations to athlete health and fan engagement. Looking ahead, panelists will highlight the most promising applications poised to define the next decade of sports, as well as the challenges leagues face in integrating AI responsibly.

Moderator: Shane Battier Panelists: Sonia Raman, Steven Adams, Monte McNair, Ariana Andonian Basketball analytics has evolved far beyond shot charts and efficiency metrics. Today's teams operate in an era of player-tracking data, biomechanical modeling, and emerging AI systems capable of influencing decisions in real time. But as data becomes more powerful, new questions emerge: What aspects of basketball can truly be modeled, and what still relies on human instinct? Are teams optimizing for winning or merely for avoiding mistakes? And how do players experience a game increasingly shaped by algorithms behind the scenes? This panel brings together leaders from coaching, front offices, player personnel, and the court itself to explore how analytics is actually used inside modern basketball organizations. As AI enters the next phase of sports decision-making, this conversation asks a bigger question: Is the future of basketball driven by better models, or by better understanding of the people who play the game?

Moderator: Danny Rensch Panelists: Daryl Morey, Meg Risdal, Federico Barbero, Eric Hansen Chess is the first major human industry to be "solved" and surpassed by AI. For decades, it was a laboratory; in 2026, it is a looking glass. This panel explores the "Post-AI" reality of chess to predict how superhuman intelligence will rewrite the rules of other complex fields - from sports analytics and logistics to drug discovery. We discuss Neural Algorithmic Reasoning and the shift from brute-force calculation to AI "intuition." If a game with 10^40 positions has been mastered, what happens when those same models are applied to the "infinite games" of the real world? Our experts will debate whether humans in a post-AI world are destined to be "proxies" for the machine, or if, like in chess, AI actually unlocks a higher, more creative form of human potential.

Moderator: Seth Walder Panelists: Dean Oliver, Brian Burke, Phil Orlins, John Park If every team optimizes, who wins? In this panel, we'll explore the value of quantitative analysis even in a world where it is increasingly accepted in sports. Does universal buy-in mean uniform decision-making? Where can teams still find edges? And how do broadcasts play a role in telling the story analytics-informed choices? Plus, we'll question the premise: just how consistent is analytics buy-in across teams in the major sports? And does a reliance on data necessarily prompt the same style of play or method of team building?

Moderator: Saj Cherian Panelists: Monty McCutchen, Joe Martinez, Evan Wasch, Daryl Morey The NBA and MLB are actively testing and deploying AI-driven systems that are fundamentally changing how games are officiated and played. In this panel, we dive into the mechanics of automating sports adjudication. The discussion will cover real-world case studies including MLB's Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system, the NBA's Court iQ system, and the feedback loop of testing rule changes in the G League and Minor Leagues. Panelists will unpack the technical challenges of replacing human judgment with algorithms, the impact on game flow and strategy, and what specific rules are next in line for automation.

Moderator: Derek Thompson Panelist: Nate Silver Analytics are good for winning. But is the analytics revolution good for the world? Or have various industries and games become too efficient in ways that increase inequality, reduce quality, and encourage businesses, teams, and individuals to optimize for the wrong thing? In a wide-ranging conversation about sports, media, business, and beyond Nate Silver (On the Edge) and Derek Thompson (Abundance) discuss the cultural fallout of the moneyball-ification of everything.

Moderator: Jessica Gelman Panelists: Clara Wu Tsai, John Donahoe Sports are entering a new era, driven by breakthroughs in human performance, rapid advances in technology and science, the global rise of women’s sports, and accelerating changes to collegiate athletics. Join in as we learn from two industry champions and innovators shaping the future of change. Hear how Clara Wu Tsai, a visionary owner, investor, and civic leader, is redefining the industry through athlete empowerment, community impact, and forward‑thinking partnerships.  Then, understand how John Donahoe, former Nike CEO and now Stanford Athletic Director is elevating sports through his new role at Stanford after years of major investments in Nike’s women’s category, building a global women’s team, and expanding research and innovation aimed at keeping girls in sport. Their paths converge at the frontier of performance, with Clara building the research engine shaping the future of performance, and John leading one of the institutions at its core.  Through the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance, Clara has launched a pioneering scientific initiative advancing human performance and translating cutting‑edge research into practice with John now a key driver of data in real-time. Moderated by Jessica Gelman, this conversation brings together transformative voices forging the next era of sports, where science, data, equity, and innovation expand what’s possible.

Moderator: Warren K. Zola Panelists: Bill Daly, Marty Walsh, Meghan Chayka While the Stanley Cup has been contested for over 130 years, professional hockey is currently undergoing its most significant structural and cultural transformation in decades. Guided by an unprecedented era of labor peace, headlined by a CBA extension reached more than a year before expiration, the NHL and NHLPA have established a stable foundation for the league's revenue to surpass $7 billion and the salary cap to climb toward $110 million. This panel explores how hockey is leveraging this stability to modernize the game through data, international competition, and expanded inclusivity. We will examine the strategic return of NHL players to the Olympic stage and the success of the Four Nations tournament as catalysts for global growth. Simultaneously, we analyze how the "team-first" identity of the sport is evolving as the league embraces star-driven media from Amazon's Faceoff to influencers and creators to reach new demographics, including the LGBTQ community and younger, tech-savvy audiences.