Agent Casey Wasserman talks streaming sports and the Olympics – CNBC
Wasserman, a 15-year veteran of Sun Valley, also weighed in on the hot topics among the business leaders here. The vote on Brexit will have an impact on Wasserman’s business, which is global, representing athletes and brands around the world.
“I think the challenge of Brexit is there’s a lot of unknowns still today. In the sports world there’s a lot of things that depend on the movement of talent, the movement of players. The soccer economy — the football economy — is pretty connected, so there’s a lot to be figured out,” said Wasserman. “Europe is going through a transition — and that transition clearly has a fork in the road…. if they keep the union together and they create a synthetic [union of sorts]. If it starts to unravel more, it has real implications for lots of people.”
Though the panels at the conference take a decidedly non-partisan approach — and there’s no politics on this year’s agenda — the presidential election is very much a source of conversation among the CEOs here. Wasserman is a long-time Clinton supporter, and said she’s clearly the better candidate for business.
“Hillary has clearly proven her ability to lead and unite, in lots of jobs from her early career, to being Secretary of State,” Wasserman said. “Ultimately what makes business thrive is having a country that works well. In my view Hillary is an unbelievably qualified candidate to lead this country. She will give us credibility in the global marketplace, and she has the ability to address the problems that face the country, which are serious and real.”
Wasserman said the political climate at the Sun Valley confab is “probably a little mixed.”
“I think it’s maybe one of the more unique elections anybody has every watched,” Wasserman said. “Surely no one predicted this, which I think gives everyone pause.”
Other than the election, the other rivalry Wasserman is deeply invested in, is the competition for the 2024 Olympics: He’s chair of the Los Angeles bid for the games. As for the event in Rio, all the focus on Zika and safety concerns has kept expectations are low, and Wasserman thinks the games will be “spectacular.”
“People on the ground will have an incredible experience; people on TV will see a majestic games,” said Wasserman. “It’s not how the Brazil government, seven years ago, thought it would go, but they will get through it.”
Disclosure: CNBC parent NBCUniversal owns NBC Sports and NBC Olympics. NBC Olympics is the U.S. broadcast rights holder to all Summer and Winter Games through the year 2032.