Nick Sakiewicz makes mid-season exit as NLL commissioner
The National Lacrosse League today announced that Nick Sakiewicz will be stepping down as the league’s commissioner, a role he has served in since January of 2016.
The unexpected mid-season move comes during an equally unusual NLL regular season that has seen many markets marred by pandemic-related restrictions, provincially-mandated pauses, and other COVID-caused limitations. In recent weeks, however, many of those markets have or will be returning to more normal game-day environments as restrictions are loosened or lifted altogether.
Under Sakiewicz’s leadership, the league added new franchises in Philadelphia, San Diego, Long Island, Rochester, Fort Worth, and starting next season, Las Vegas.
Previously a regular occurrence in the NLL, no franchise completely ceased operation with Sakiewicz in charge, although a handful of teams did relocate or change ownership. The 14 franchises currently competing is the most the NLL has ever had.
Dane Dobbie & Nick Sakiewicz, 2019 NLL Cup Final
During his time leading the league, Sakiewicz rebranded the NLL and pivoted to a digital-only approach to broadcasting games, first through NLLTV.com (powered by Neulion, now known as Endeavor Streaming) then a much-celebrated streaming deal with B/R Live, which was described as, “A partnership that will fundamentally change the landscape of box lacrosse at scale.”
This season the NLL made its highly anticipated return to television on ESPN in the US & TSN in Canada, separate deals that stream every game online as well.
The league also attracted some of its most high-profile ownership groups under Sakiewicz, most notable of them being Joe Tsai, who in addition to owning the San Diego Seals, also purchased the coming-soon Vegas entry alongside Wayne Gretzky, Steve Nash and Dustin Johnson. Tsai, a co-founder of the Alibaba Group, also owns the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets & WNBA’s New York Liberty, in addition to investing in other pro-sport properties like the Premier Lacrosse League.
In recent months, Sakiewicz reemphasized his aggressive expansion plans, telling the Sport Business Journal just prior to the start of this season that the NLL would “probably reach 22 teams by the end of this decade” and 30 teams around 2035. The SBJ article also indicated that the next new franchise would be based in the US, Canada the one after that.
The post published this past November also reports that Tsai and his star-studded co-owners paid in the ballpark of $10 million (assumingly USD) for their Nevada NLL franchise, Priestner Sports Corp. apparently paying “around the same record price” for the Saskatchewan Rush franchise too.
Although the timing of today’s announcement seems a bit bizarre based on the past history of other pro sports in North America, it’s not the first time such a move was made after the start of an NLL regular season.
A week into the 2009 NLL campaign, Jim Jennings resigned from his post as NLL commish, saying, “I feel that I have accomplished all the goals I set out to do at the NLL. I want to spend some time with my family before pursuing other opportunities and taking on the next challenge.”
Sakiewicz was the league’s fifth commissioner (in title) over its 35-year history. Between Jennings & Sakiewicz, George Daniel served for several seasons after having worked as Jennings’ second-in-command and in an executive role with the now defunct New York Titans NLL team. The league’s first-ever commissioner was Darrell Russell, a former Baltimore-based attorney, and a decade later Jim Livsey Jr., whose three-year run was the shortest of any of the five.
Others over the league’s long history have also played pivotal roles in overseeing the NLL (Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League & Major Indoor Lacrosse League), including league founders, Russ Cline & Chris Fritz, and former VP of MILL Operations/Marketing, Mary Havel, who played a very public-facing role throughout the 90s.
Current NLL Deputy Commissioner & Executive Vice President of Business Affairs, Jessica Berman, will take over Sakiewicz’s duties, although the now former commissioner will serve in a consulting capacity until June 30th of this year. Prior to joining the NLL in 2019, Berman spent 13 years in the NHL, leaving that league in a prominent VP role to become the highest-ranking woman in men’s professional sports.
Below is the official announcement provided by the league earlier today.
National Lacrosse League Announces the Departure of Commissioner Nick Sakiewicz After Six Transformational Seasons
NLL Has Enjoyed Unprecedented Growth and Engagement During His Six-Year Term
PHILADELPHIA, February 23, 2022 – The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the largest and most successful professional lacrosse property in the world, today announced that Commissioner Nick Sakiewicz has decided to leave his current position to pursue other interests but will continue to advise the league until June 30, 2022. The league has also announced that Deputy Commissioner Jessica Berman will assume the Commissioner duties. The league will announce the selection process for a new Commissioner in the near future.
The NLL has enjoyed unprecedented growth, financial success, new media partnerships, and expansion during Sakiewicz’s term as Commissioner, which began January 1, 2016.
“The National Lacrosse League has seen transformative change and is poised for both future growth and success, thanks to Nick’s leadership during the past six years,” said Matt Hutchings, COO and EVP at Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, owner of the Colorado Mammoth, speaking as Chairman of the NLL Board of Governors. “On behalf of the NLL Board of Governors, we thank him and the league staff, for all they have done to put the NLL in this position and look forward to seeing what he does next.”
Hutchings continued, “We understood the importance of having a strong team to carry on when the organization’s success provides opportunities for its leaders. Therefore, several years ago, we very intentionally empowered Nick to strengthen our management team with the Deputy Commissioner position. Jessica Berman has done a wonderful job in her short time in this role, and the league is in great hands with her and our experienced management team supporting her efforts.”
“I have enjoyed my time leading the NLL, and want to thank the lacrosse community, NLL’s amazing fans, players, our board, owners, partners, and, league staff for the support that has led us to the point where we are now, poised for greatness in the years ahead,” Sakiewicz said. “Through thoughtful and strategic business planning the league expanded with the right investors, embracing the digitally native fan and expanding our media reach now with both ESPN and TSN for the first time in league history, the NLL and the sport of lacrosse on every level, is in a much better place with a brighter future than ever before.”
“My decision to leave now is a personal one,” he added. “The goals I had set out when I came to the NLL from soccer have been met, and it is time for me to pursue a new, exciting and different global opportunity as my next challenge.”
Under Sakiewicz's watch, the NLL has experienced unprecedented growth, expanding from nine to 15 teams. Under his leadership, the League also secured the two largest media rights deals in the history of the league, first partnering with B/R Live, Turner's live streaming service, for all games to be streamed on the platform starting with the 2018–2019 season. The league then expanded its media platform even wider, partnering with ESPN in the United States and beyond North America and TSN in Canada, in a multi-year deal which began in December 2021. He and his leadership team also led the league through the pandemic and the league stoppage of play, a time when the NLL expanded by two teams, adding the first-ever professional team in Fort Worth, Texas, and bringing the NLL to Las Vegas (for the 2022-23 season), and drastically increased its social media presence and engagement with a smart, creative and innovative content strategy. A host of new non-endemic brand partners have also come on board during Sakiewicz’s tenure.
Additionally, Nick led a major rebrand of both the league’s narrative and NLL shield logo, putting more focus on the sport’s Indigenous roots, NLL history, and commitment to diversity and inclusion. Franchise values have grown at 11 times under Sakiewicz from when San Diego entered the league in the 2018 season to the recent sale of the Saskatchewan Rush at a record price. The league experienced an over 700% increase in revenue growth over the last five seasons (2017-2021), the biggest in its 36-year history for any time period.
Prior to the NLL, Sakiewicz was a founder, operating partner, and CEO of the Philadelphia Union and was a two-time Major League Soccer Executive of the Year. He helped launch the league as its first Vice President of Sponsorship Sales and went on to serve as the president and general manager of two inaugural teams, the Tampa Bay Mutiny and the New York/New Jersey MetroStars. He also led the efforts to build two soccer-specific stadiums, the first in New York/New Jersey, which led to the acquisition of the team by Red Bull and construction of the stadium and the second in Philadelphia paving the way for Major League Soccer’s 16th franchise the Philadelphia Union.