Among my resolutions for 2019 was to compile a list of the best #SportsBiz humans on Twitter to share on TMR. Another was to stop procrastinating on projects and posts.
Failed pretty markedly on both.
But, in celebration of a whole new year and a brand new start with 2021 here, I dug in determined to finish and publish. For starters, I dropped sticking to a set, round number like 50 or 100. Next, I polled a handful of folks I respect to make sure I wasn’t missing anyone.
As I most certainly have left off some amazing people, remember that this list is not all-encompassing, rather a gathering of worthy follows with a focus on folks who you may not know.
There are plenty of talented writers and reporters at @Sportico, @FOS, @sbjsbd, @forbessports and elsewhere well worth a follow not listed below.
Here we attempt to stay well-rounded, benefit from diversity and hopefully identify a few good folks to add to your stream. You’ll find reporters and athletes, gambling gurus and NIL experts, league execs and social media managers. The common thread? All of them embrace the importance of being #fancentric.
Along those lines, I’ve called out 15 people as “Chronically underfollowed.” Not that follower count is ever the end-all, be-all, it’s that these are people are so worth anyone’s time to read, they deserve a much larger audience.
Without any further ado, here are 138 people—and one mascot we can’t live without—listed in alphabetical order) worthy of being called TMR’s Top Twitterers…
| First | Last | Where/Why | Handle | Followers |
| TJ | Adeshola | If you’re going to be on @Twitter, you probably ought to follow @TwitterSports’ head honcho | @TJay | 12,100 |
| Julie | Alexandria | Host @LaVidaBaseball | @JulieAlexandria | 18,600 |
| Anya | Alvarez | Director, Content @auprosports | @anya__alvarez | 6,235 |
| Nancy | Armour | Columnist @usatodaysports with no nonsense approach gets to the heart of the story regardless of sport, holds all accountable | @nrarmour | 110,700 |
| Rachel | Bachman | Senior sports reporter @WSJ | @Bachscore | 12,300 |
| Lisa | Baird | New-ish commish (check out her “fit” in timeline grab above) @NWSL has the league going places, adding two teams during the pandemic | @lisainog | 8,354 |
| Jason | Barrett | Barrett Sports Media head is the go to source on sports radio news | @sportsradiopd | 9,949 |
| Steve | Berkowitz | Sports projects reporter/editor @usatodaysports is seemingly all-knowing on @NCAA business such as #NIL and coaches’ salaries | @ByBerkowitz | 12,100 |
| Jessica | Berman | Dep Commissioner @NLL | Attorney by trade was part of @NHL’s 2012 CBA, then became ED NHL Foundation | Chronically underfollowed | @JessicaBerman1 | 1,624 |
| David | Berri | Econ Prof @SUUtbirds | @wagesofwins | 5,284 |
| Jay | Bilas | Former @DukeBB star turned attorney turned @ESPN hoops analyst shares strong opinions, particularly around #NIL and @NCAA | @JayBilas | 1,900,000 |
| Jen | Booton | Sr Writer @Sporttechie skydives, has been bio-hacked and “spent 2019 driving around the country in a camper van!” | @jbooton | 7,600 |
| Andrew | Brandt | ED, Moorad Center @Villanova_Law | EVP @VaynerSports | Very versatile | @AndrewBrandt | 193,800 |
| Rod | Bresleau | Esports consultant | @Slasher | 426,900 |
| Maury | Brown | Senior contributor @Forbes | He’s not all baseball business as evidenced by his AC/DC cover band @ShootToThrillNW | @BizBallMaury | 20,400 |
| Nate | Burleson | Host @gmfb & @NFLonCBS | Was a big hit on last weekend’s @Nickelodeon @NFL broadcast | @nateburleson | 248,000 |
| JW | Cannon | Sports alliances @AmericanCancer | Well-curated, filled with humor | @cannonjw | 12,500 |
| Bailey | Carlin | Hilarious one minute, tackles own mental illness the next | Social/Blogger is force behind @TokenCEO @BarstoolSports | Pod: @memegoofin | @XFL survivor | @BaileyCarlin | 24,600 |
| Emily | Caron | Reporter @sportico breaking down college sports business and #NIL in particular | @_emcaron | 4,284 |
| Kathy | Carter | CRO @LA28 | Quiet right now, this is one to keep an eye on | @kcarter2028 | 3,121 |
| Rex | Chapman | Former @Hornets 1st round pick | Current @Suns broadcaster | Tons of feel-good content | @RexChapman | 1,100,000 |
| Natasha | Cloud | Athlete @WashMystics | Penned strong @PlayersTribune piece in May | @T_Cloud4 | 17,200 |
| Steve | Cohen | Founder Point72 Ventures | Owner @Mets | @StevenACohen2 | 133,600 |
| Dan | Cohen | SVP @Octagon | Combines and breaks down media & tech news and their #sportsbiz impact | Chronically underfollowed | @AnotherDanCohen | 1,721 |
| Rick | Cordella | EVP/CRO NBC Direct-to-Consumer @peacocktv & Olympics Digital @nbcolympics | @rickcordella | 2,001 |
| Bettina | Cornwell | Philip H. Knight Chair @UOregon @UOWarsawCenter | @BettinaCornwell | 6,988 |
| Patrick | Crakes | Crakes Media head expounds on news, engages frequently and entangles with @RichLightShed all to excellent effect | Chronically underfollowed | @Aquinas82nd | 1,231 |
| Anthony | Crupi | “Untouchable Boy Genius/Skeleton Emperor/Sports Media Reporter” @Sportico | Breaks down the numbers like no one else | @crupicrupicrupi | 6,156 |
| Mark | Cuban | Owner @Mavs sets the standard on owner/fan engagement | @mcuban | 8,000,000 |
| Amy | Dash | Legal Analyst CBS Sports Radio/WFAN & Fox Sports Radio | @AmyDashTV | 13,200 |
| Richard | Deitsch | Sports Media @TheAthletic | Sports Media Podcast | No one is better at covering the people behind-the-scenes and process broadcasters use to prep to call games | @richarddeitsch | 196,600 |
| Marie | Donoghue | VP @Amazon @PrimeVideo @SportsOnPrime | @MsMarieDonoghue | 116 |
| Caiti | Donovan | Co-founder @teamsheis | Chronically underfollowed | @Caiti326 | 874 |
| Stephanie | Druley | EVP/Event & Studio Production @ESPN | Chronically underfollowed | @StephDru | 1,654 |
| Marc | Edelman | Sports, Gaming, Antitrust & IP Attorney | @MarcEdelman | 5,552 |
| Jeff | Eisenband | Hall of Trivia @hqsports & host @MSGNetworks | An @NBA2KLeague and #esports expert, he also knows golf, football and much more | @JeffEisenband | 13,600 |
| Cathy | Engelbert | Commissioner @WNBA | @LehighU hoops walk-on turned captain (lax player too!) & first women CEO @DeloitteUS is now the face of women’s pro hoops | @CathyEngelbert | 19,000 |
| Kassie | Epstein | Social @gillettestadium | About uplifting others in #SMSports and highlighting good work | @kassieepstein | 8,214 |
| Joe | Favorito | Comms guru seems to be connected to everyone in #SportsBiz and his diverse feed is always looking forward and spotting trends | Prof @CU_SPS_Sports | @joefav | 20,600 |
| Jenny | Fischer | Digital & social @NBA @WNBA | Storyteller also had stints @NCAA, @BIGEAST, @MUAthletics & @FOXSports | @jennylynnfisch | 8,278 |
| Ben | Fischer | Owns the NFL business beat @SBJSBD | @benfischerSBJ | 9,204 |
| Sarah | Flynn | GM @35ventures | Board of Advocates @theWNBPA |”Professional hype woman” definitely does not stick to sports | @flynnwaslike | 1,658 |
| Ricardo | Fort | Head, Global Sponsorships @CocaColaCo | This Brazilian truly brings a global perspective | @SportByFort | 7,520 |
| Jason | Gay | “Sports donkey” @WSJ is not kidding — he is a “big fan of yours” | @jasongay | 80,200 |
| Jessica | Gelman | CEO @KraftAnalytics (KAGR) | Co-Founder @SloanSportsConf | Chronically underfollowed | @jessicagelman | 3,770 |
| Laura | Gentile | SVP, Marketing & Social Media @ESPN; previously headed @espnW and Women’s Initiatives | @LauraCGentile | 2,824 |
| Josh | Gerben | Founder, Gerben IP | Master of spotting and sharing sports-related trademark applications | @JoshGerben | 5,508 |
| Sara | Germano | US sports business correspondent @FT | @germanotes | 16,000 |
| Michael | Ginnitti | Co-founder/editor–Spotrac | Go to on contracts, salaries, salary cap management, payrolls, etc. | @Spotrac | 70,100 |
| Pete | Giorgio | Leader, Sports & Hybrid Business @DeloitteUS | Chronically underfollowed | @petegiorgio | 416 |
| Jessica | Golden | Sports business producer @CNBC who sticks to #SportsBiz | @JGolden5 | 4,418 |
| Angel | Gonzalez | Manager, Athlete Icons & Sports Originals @Facebook | @AGathletes | 2,781 |
| TK | Gore | Media advisor, consultant, teacher | BD @Comscore | @TKGore | 3,964 |
| Jon | Greenberg | Founding editor-in-chief/columnist @theathleticchi | Former @FanCostIndex helmer now applies those learnings to Chicago’s #SportsBiz scene | @jon_greenberg | 32,600 |
| Rich | Greenfield | Partner, LightShed | This “Media Futurist” can be polarizing but everyone can agree he keeps it interesting | @RichLightShed | 40,300 |
| Gritty | It him | @GrittyNHL | 356,400 | |
| Bo | Han | Founder of micropayment-driven live sports discovery app @Buzzer | @bohan | 8,433 |
| Andrew | Hawkins | Host @NFLMedia & @Discovery’s #DodgeballThunderdome | @Hawk | 113,500 |
| Darren | Heitner | Founder @HeitnerLegal | Sports Law Prof @UFLaw | Owner @SportsAgentBlog | @DarrenHeitner | 39,800 |
| Matt | Holt | CEO & Founder @USIntegrity | Sports Gambling Education @OhioUSportsAd | Shares picks, sports gambling business news | @MatthewHoltUSI | 15,300 |
| Patrick | Hruby | “Contributor and alum at many places. @UT_CSCM fellow. Occasional professor.” | Subscribe to weekly newsletter: “Hreal Sports” | @patrick_hruby | 11,200 |
| Sabrina | Ionescu | No.1 pick of @NYLiberty shot to #4 best-selling uniform and already has a large stable of endorsement deals | @sabrina_i20 | 113,400 |
| Rachel | Jacobson | President @DroneRaceLeague | 20+ years @NBA Biz Dev | If she doesn’t get you excited to check out DRL, you might be dead | Chronically underfollowed | @RachelRJacobson | 241 |
| LeBron | James | Athlete @Lakers | Lebron James Family Foundation | I PROMISE School & Scholarships | Bron speaks, market moves | @kingjames | 48,700,000 |
| Jonathan | Jensen | Asst Prof, UNC in sport marketing/sponsorship analytics/litigation consulting | Chronically underfollowed | @JAJensenPhD | 1,603 |
| Ainka | Jess | Founder @shes4sports focused on giving voice to women, girls & #bipoc in sports | @justbeingaj | 2,754 |
| Alicia | Jessop | Assoc Prof @Pepperdine | Writer @TheAthletic | @RulingSports | 20,800 |
| Kevin | Kaduk | “Your frent” @MidwayMinute | @KevinKaduk | 12,800 |
| Daniel | Kaplan | Sports business reporter @TheAthletic | @KaplanSportsBiz | 25,300 |
| Wayne | Kimmel | Managing Partner @76Capital | Chair @SSCSAdvisory | Nuggets on #SportsTechVC #sportsbetting #esports | @waynekimmel | 5,592 |
| Billie Jean | King | Tennis trailblazer | Founder @WTT & @BJKLInitiative | @BillieJeanKing | 518,700 |
| Rich | Klieman | Co-founder @35Ventures & @boardroom | Business manager of/partner with @KDTrey5 | Focus on investments, media & philanthropy | @richkleiman | 33,900 |
| Phaidra | Knight | World Rugby Hall of Fame | New president @WomensSportsFdn | @phaidraknight | 1,668 |
| John | Kosner | Investor/Advisor/Consultant–Kosner Media | @JKosner | 4,405 |
| Kyle | Koster | ME @thebiglead | @KyleKoster | 1,937 |
| Katie | Ledecky | 5x Olympic Gold medalist will be at it again this summer | @katieledecky | 162,000 |
| Corey | Leff | a.k.a. JohnWallStreet @Sportico | Chronically underfollowed | @HowieLongShort | 4,267 |
| Joe | Lemire | Senior writer @SportTechie | Contributor @nytimes, @MLBNetwork | @LemireJoe | 8,719 |
| Ted | Leonsis | CEO @MSE | Owner @Capitals, @WashMystics, @WashWizards, etc. | @TedLeonsis | 63,300 |
| Zach | Leonsis | @MSE, @CapsGaming, @MonSportsNet | @ZacharyLeonsis | 12,100 |
| Bri | Lewerke | Social media content & sports photographer | @BriLewerke | 6,876 |
| Jon | Lewis | The guy behind Sports Media Watch; anything on TV ratings from predictions to breakdowns of what happened and why | @paulsen_smw | 21,500 |
| Paul | Lukas | Interested in sports uniforms (and hats, helmets, warm-ups, COVID masks, etc.)? Get your “Athletics Aesthetics” here | @UniWatch | 137,600 |
| Michael | McCann | Legal Analyst/Senior Sports Legal Reporter @Sportico | Law Professor & Director, Sports & Entertainment Law @UNHLaw | @McCannSportsLaw | 70,100 |
| Stephanie | McMahon | Chief Brand Officer @WWE | All about being #fancentric | @StephMcMahon | 3,100,000 |
| Jim | Miller | Books (@NBCSNL, CAA & more) are must reads | No one knows @ESPN better | Anguished @Eagles fan | @jimmiller | 48,300 |
| Hayley | Moore | New VP, Hockey Ops @theAHL / outgoing @BostonPride president | @HayleyMoore9 | 1,801 |
| Erika | Nardini | CEO @barstoolsports | Host @tokenCEO | Navigates the misogyny masterfully | @EKANardini | 214,300 |
| Michael | Neuman | EVP, Managing Partner @scoutsande (@HorizonMedia) | Adjunct @CU_SPS_Sports | @michaelaneuman | 1,726 |
| Cristian | Nyari | Digital Social Tech Content @DAZNGroup | @Cnyari | 18,600 |
| Scott | O’Neil | CEO HBSE learned at hip of David Stern and is a well-respected mentor and connected networker driving HBSE success | @ScottONeil | 18,800 |
| Alexis | Ohanian | Founder @Reddit | Co-Owner new @NWSL team @WeAreAngelCity | @alexisohanian | 371,000 |
| Laura | Okmin | Founder of @GALvanizelife | Reporter @NFLonFOX | @PWHPA Media Consultant | Communications coach | @LauraOkmin | 25,700 |
| John | Ourand | Sports media @sbjsbd | Along with Deitsch, does best job of breaking stories and analyzing the news and newsmakers in rights deals | @Ourand_SBJ | 70,200 |
| Evan | Parker | Sports media / business / GM @TheAthletic | @EvanEParker | 2,032 |
| Dan | Porter | CEO @Overtime | @tfadp | 5,442 |
| Dave | Poulin | Columnist @StarSports | Former @NHL player, exec | @djpoulin20 | 7,395 |
| David | Purdum | Sports betting / sports biz @ESPN Chalk | @DavidPurdum | 77,200 |
| Paul | Rabil | Co-founder & player @PremierLacrosse | @PaulRabil | 91,800 |
| Todd | Radom | Sports-related branding/design with exquisite taste | @ToddRadom | 25,900 |
| Megan | Rapinoe | @USWNT @OLReign star has partnered with sister/twin/CEO @rrapinoe on athlete CBD brand @themendico | @mPinoe | 917,800 |
| Daniel | Rascher | Sports economist & professor | Chronically underfollowed | @daniel_rascher | 933 |
| Dan | Roberts | Sportsbiz go-to @YahooFinance | @ReadDanWrite | 20,900 |
| Michelle | Roberts | ED @NBPA all about player advocacy | @MRobertsNBPA | 10,700 |
| Scott | Rochelle | President & CEO @NBAAlumni | @Hoophall Trustee | A lawyer, he readily admits he’s a “recovering sports agent.” | @ScottRochelle_ | 2,356 |
| Michael | Rubin | CEO @Fanatics | Investor @Sixers | Co-Chair @Reform Alliance | Was out front of businesses shifting production to tackle PPE/mask scarcity due to COVID-19 | @michaelrubin | 24,000 |
| Angela | Ruggiero | Co-Founder & CEO @sportsilab | 4x Olympian is in @HockeyHallFame | Former IOC member & athlete rep | @AngelaRuggiero | 230,600 |
| Casey | Schwab | CEO @AltiusPartners | Adjunct @HowardU law school | Formerly @NFLPA, is now out front of the #NIL space | Chronically underfollowed | @caseydschwab | 295 |
| Andy | Schwarz | Antitrust, damages & sport economist | Partner, OSKR | @andyhre | 5,465 |
| Vin | Scully | Retired Voice of the @Dodgers just joined Twittersphere in Aug 2020 but is getting the hang of this interweb thing quite well | @TheVinScully | 183,000 |
| Dev | Sethi | Head, Sports @instagram | Chronically underfollowed | @DevSSethi | 1,676 |
| Dan | Shanoff | Entrepreneur with work including @MSE, @Facebook, @ESPN, @SInow and start-ups | @danshanoff | 6,736 |
| Jay | Sharman | CEO & Co-Founder @TeamWorksMedia | Always looking out for trends in digital and video content | Chronically underfollowed | @_JaySharman | 1,429 |
| Bill | Shea | Sports business reporter @TheAthletic | Fan of Key West and gonzo journalism does terrific job of breaking it down from the fan’s perspective | @Bill_Shea19 | 8,637 |
| Ken | Shropshire | CEO (& Prof) @globalsportasu | This feed flat out makes you smarter | @kenshropshire | 4,739 |
| Alex | Silverman | Fan pollster @MorningConsult | @AlexMSilverman | 1,920 |
| Sara | Slane | Founder–Slane Advisory | Great #SportsGambling resource | @Sara_Slane | 5,148 |
| Lauren | Smith | Prof & sports media researcher @IUMediaSchool | @LaurnSmith | 1,412 |
| Jess | Smith | Digital marketing strategy & content lead @NYRangers | An absolute must for #SMSports content, suggestions and accolades | @WarJessEagle | 24,400 |
| Jon | Solomon | ED @AspenInstSports | Former college football reporter knows how the sausage is made | @JonSolomonAspen | 19,600 |
| Scott | Soshnick | ME @Sportico is the starting point for smart #SportsBiz journalism and analysis absolutely crushing it overseeing the ramp-up of Sportico with @PenskeMedia | @soshnick | 9,747 |
| Maria | Taylor | Co-founder @theweleadership | @ESPN | @MariaTaylor | 248,400 |
| Lyle | Thompson | Standout @NLL & @PremierLacrosse | Haudenosaunee | Co-founder @ThompsonBrosLax equipment, apparel & camps | Haudenosaunee | @lyle4thompson | 21,300 |
| Gianina | Thompson | #MoreThanAnAthlete storyteller with @kingjames & @mavcarter’s @uninterrupted @SpringHillEnt | @giaplusnina | 19,600 |
| Jimmy | Traina | Sports media news with NY-Seinfeld-@Yanlees sensibilities @SInow | @JimmyTraina | 65,400 |
| Kelsey | Trainor | “Lawyer|Producer|Writer” with sports-heavy feed | @ktrain_11 | 8,339 |
| Joe | Tsai | Exec Vice Chair @Alibaba | Owner @BrooklynNets, @NYLiberty @SealsLax | @joetsai1999 | 24,400 |
| Josh | Walker | Co-Founder @sportsilab always makes us think | Chronically underfollowed | @JoshuaWalker_ | 1,144 |
| Bubba | Wallace | Driver of @NASCAR’s No. 23 car for @23XIRacing team (Michael Jordan + @dennyhamlin) | The one Cup driver growing sponsorship base right now | @BubbaWallace | 462,800 |
| Daniel | Wallach | Gaming/sports betting attorney | @UNHLaw Sports Wagering & Integrity | Legal analyst @TheAthletic | Host @ConDetrimental pod | @WALLACHLEGAL | 23,300 |
| Kerri | Walsh-Jennings | 3x Olympic Gold medalist | Founder @platform1440 is truly about building a lifestyle around volleyball and making lives better | @kerrileewalsh | 173,600 |
| Karen | Weaver | Faculty @Penn | College sports finance expert | @DrKarenWeaver | 2,079 |
| Mike | Whan | (Soon to be former) Commissioner @LPGA | Can we get #WWMDN (What Will Mike Do Next?) trending? | @LPGACommish | 13,600 |
| Olivia | Witherite | “Antisocial social manager” @TheAthletic | Former @MASN recognizes good #SMSports work and shares job leads | @OliviaWitherite | 4,493 |
| Mary | Wittenberg | CEO @EFProCycling | Former world class marathoner and @NYRR ringmaster now goes distance for charity with pro cycling group | @marywitt | 23,500 |
| Jason | Wright | President @WashingtonNFL | Get some insights into how the man charged with changing the culture in DC operates | @whoisjwright | 25,300 |
| Jabari | Young | Sports business reporter and #NorthPhilly “dude” @CNBC | @JabariJYoung | 27,600 |
| Tavish | Zausner-Mannes | Principal–Evolution Media Capital (CAA investment banking unit) | Chronically underfollowed | @TZM_TMT | 861 |
| Amir | Zonozi | Co-founder @Zoomph | @Zonozi | 6,432 |
Well, what do you think?
Feel free to @ to your heart’s content—@TeamMktgReport or @CHartweg—and if you make a strong case, I’m all for adding more. Will also credit you for winning the argument.
UPDATE: We created a Twitter list for easy following/subscribing HERE.