Year in and year out, lists like Sporting News' 50 Most Influential People in Sports are fairly homogenous — the most influential people come from the owners’ suites and commissioners' and CEO’s offices, and those are overwhelmingly filled by white males. Women are almost nonexistent, and the non-white people on the list are almost exclusively athletes, or former athletes at best.
This year’s SN50 list is no different. But if the perception of what is “influential” was different, or if the majority of voters came from a different pool, the list could shift dramatically. Sports business expert Kenneth Shropshire gave a perfect example when asked what might give the list a different look.