Sports Business Club of The Palm Beaches Created; Rooney and Horrow To Co-Chair; First Event on November 10 Presented by Palm Beach Kennel Club

October 20, 2021: It’s been over 50 years since the Miami Dolphins became the first South Florida professional sports franchise in 1965. After all of those decades of dreams and hope, the original South Florida Sports Authority was created to use sports as an economic development tool to bring the region together. From its northern outpost, Palm Beach County became an epicenter of sports in a very short period of time, as the entire region grew with four major league professional sports franchises, 11 Super Bowls, two baseball world championships, NBA superstardom, and other major sports, golf, and tennis events.

Pat Rooney and Rick Horrow have come together to co-chair and create the Sports Business Club of the Palm Beaches, the first of its kind in the region, to celebrate and explore all components of the 50 years of the sports business in the Palm Beaches. The Business Club will feature regular themed panel discussions and media events themed around key components of the sports business. The first event will take place at the Palm Beach Kennel Club Paddock Room on Wednesday, November 10, at 7 p.m., featuring local sports and economic development leaders. This includes Honda Classic Executive Director Ken Kennerly; U.S. Polo ASSN President Michael Prince; Florida Marlins veteran announcer Tommy Hutton; Palm Beach Sports Commission President George Linley; as well as Rooney and Horrow. Future events will be themed around football, golf, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, and a special spotlight on the sports gaming industry. The club will also award and discuss the greatest moments in 50 years of Palm Beach County sports. Details to follow.

“My Grandfather came to South Florida from Pittsburgh in the 30s & 40s to bet at Hialeah. He decided to stop and stay in Palm Beach on one of his drives back north in the 1960s because he loved this area. In 1970 he bought the Palm Beach Kennel Club and it’s been in our family’s hands ever since,” said Club Co-Chair Pat Rooney. “At one time in the 70s & 80s, PBKC was the leading tourism attraction in the county. The close relationship between sports, business and the proliferation of sports betting has generated new interest in this county and state. Talking to the various leaders in these industries should help chart our path to success in Palm Beach County. I’m glad to be a small part of it.” “Ever since we created the initial South Florida Sports Authority over 40 years ago and put together the structure for the Miami Heat, Palm Beach County was an important (though distant) component in South Florida sports. This project celebrates the growth of the market, the significant sports opportunities, the substantial international destination, and the benefits of sports and entertainment to promote awareness and business development, said Horrow, Founding Executive Director of the original sports authorities and author of The Sport Business Handbook: Insights from 100+ Leaders Who Shaped 50 Years of the Industry. As the sports business has increased to over $1.3 trillion annually, the Treasure Coast should continue to receive its share of significant economic and social benefits. This process will attempt to identify and capture even more in the future. We believe this is the first-of-its-kind attempt to create a regular series of thought leadership events focused directly on sports and entertainment. We are excited to be pioneers in this area.”

The tickets will be available at the door and Eventbrite for $20 which includes a buffet from 6- 7 p.m. and the event from 7-8 p.m. Cash bar. Valet parking $5. The event will be preceded by a live, on-site broadcast of “The Boardroom” show on ESPN 106.3. Rick Horrow and Ken Lavicka host the only sports business show in Florida, Wednesdays from 6-7 p.m. The event will begin following the end of the show.

For further information please contact: Rick Horrow 561.714.8367