Is this the beginning of the end for Bryan Colangelo? As you can see from some of these quotes, Leiweke’s first priority is winning, which is at odds with Bryan Colangelo’s style of management.
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“Tim Leiweke is one of the top sports executives in the world, renowned for his ability to build championship teams, premier entertainment events, and innovative brand and marketing opportunities,” MLSE chairman Larry Tanenbaum said in a news release. “Tim is a leader who understands what fans want and what it takes to build winners. With his deep leadership experience and unparalleled success at the highest levels of professional sports, Tim’s the right CEO at the right time to lead the transformation of MLSE.”
Tim Leiweke, who helped improve Los Angeles’ sporting fortunes and revive the city’s once-woebegone downtown during his 17-year leadership of sports and entertainment giant AEG, on Friday was named president and chief executive of Toronto-based Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.
Leiweke, who left AEG on March 14 by what he said was “mutual agreement,” will move to Canada and will assume his new role in late June.
Leiweke said his duties will be similar to those he had at AEG, where he was a passionate and sometimes hands-on overseer of the MLS Galaxy and the Kings. He was the face of the company in negotiating deals with city officials and politicians.
“We’re not going to focus on growth outside of our core assets,” he said of MLSE. “They want to win, and so that’s priority No. 1: build a long-term contender in hockey, basketball and soccer. And they have ambitions, and so we will grow, and that is a priority.”
