Yahoo Finanzas Former Nike Exec Andrew Campion Joins Newly Formed Youth Sports Company as Board Chairman
Former Nike executive Andrew Campion is joining Unrivaled Sports, a new youth sports venture, as board chairman.
This week, Josh Harris and David Blitzer announced the formation of Unrivaled Sports, the new parent company for their growing portfolio of youth sports properties. As part of the announcement, The Chernin Group (TCG), a multi-stage investment firm, completed a significant strategic investment in Unrivaled Sports. Campion was named chairman at the time of the announcement.
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“Today’s announcement of our partnership with TCG, and the arrival of Andy Campion as chairman, allows us to expand our infrastructure and maximize the opportunities we have to create unforgettable sports memories for kids across the country,” Blitzer said in a statement.
The newly formed Unrivaled Sports is split into several segments. Its baseball division, led by its chief executive officer Wade Martin, consists of Ripken Baseball, Cooperstown All Star Village, Sports Force Parks, Baseball Factory, and Softball Factory. Unrivaled Sports’ action sports division, led by its CEO Kevin English, includes We Are Camp, an action sports brand that Harris and Blitzer acquired in partnership with three-time Olympic Gold medalist Shaun White.
Earlier this year, Unrivaled Sports made a strategic investment in the ForeverLawn Sports Complex at the Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio, representing the first investment as part of a broader strategy for developing youth football programming.
“With the support of Josh Harris, David Blitzer, TCG, and existing partners like Cal Ripken, Jr., Bill Ripken, and Shaun White, among others, I am thrilled to help lead Unrivaled Sports’ elevation of the youth sports experience,” Campion added. “We are on a mission to provide innovative, inspiring, and inclusive programs to young athletes on a broad scale across multiple sports, beginning with baseball, softball, flag football, and action sports. Unrivaled Sports’ growth will give more young athletes the learning, engagement in sport, and connection to community that they need and deserve to live their best possible lives. Through our experiences, family and friends will also make awesome memories together.”
Campion’s latest move comes after Nike announced via a 10-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in January that he would leave the company after 17 years. Campion joined the Swoosh in 2007 as VP of global planning and development and served in senior finance and strategy roles before becoming CFO in 2015. He held the CFO position until 2020 when he was promoted to COO.
Last May, Campion took on a new leadership role as managing director of strategic business ventures, where he worked to identify and pursue new business opportunities in order to drive growth for the company. As part of this role, Campion oversaw Nike Virtual Studios (NVS) and led teams across Nike’s world headquarters and Los Angeles-based office.
Shortly after Nike’s January announcement, the UCLA Anderson School of Management revealed that Campion would join the school as program director of its newly created Sports Leadership and Management Program. According to UCLA, the program is designed to provide inspiration, education and access to graduate and undergraduate students, including student-athletes interested in pursuing careers in the global business of sports.
Campion is also a minority owner of the Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals professional soccer enterprises and serves on the boards of Starbucks, the LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games and The Springhill Company.
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