A new face in the world of sports business

For many women in the corporate suites of sports, it was the dollars-and-cents dimension of the business rather than a fascination with hat tricks and homeruns that drew them to their jobs. But it doesn't hurt that it's a different kind of enterprise. "I've always liked businesses where there's a magic around them - whether it's sports, entertainment, whatever," says Ms. Gardner. "I took the job because I liked the magical environment involved, not because I liked baseball."

Batinovich, too, didn't get involved with the LumberJax because of any obsession with lacrosse sticks. She, in fact, barely watched lacrosse before becoming a team owner. She has no management experience in sports and wasn't very athletic growing up.

She bought the team in part because of the challenge - the league is far from successful in the US today. She was also emboldened in her decision by the sports culture in Portland: The city has a history of being supportive of local teams.

Batinovich does have some business in her background even if not a lot of athletics. She owned a clothing line prior to buying the LumberJax. She comes from a prominent West Coast business family. She asked her father, brother, and a family friend to join her as Lumberjax shareholders, which they did. She remains the majority owner.

Certainly Batinovich will be challenged in her new venture. The National Lacrosse League, which debuted in 1986, boasts a small but growing number of teams that dot mid-size cities across the northern US. One of the more popular, the Colorado Mammoths, has only existed since 2003.

Several others - including the Syracuse Smash, Baltimore Thunder, and Columbus Landsharks - barely hit their second season before folding. Portland's Lumberjax join only two lacrosse teams on the West Coast: the Anaheim Storm and the San Jose Stealth.

Batinovich is well aware of all the risks. But after seeing the Colorado Mammoths play to a sold-out stadium last year, she is certain she has hit on a sport that, despite early growing pains, is working its way into the hearts of Americans.

For now, she, like any new business owner, is focused on the Lumberjax's debut this January. Drawing too much attention to her status as a young woman in the industry, she says, would be a waste of time. "I'm working with the arena a lot right now," she says, "making sure we get the space we need at the Rose Garden, making sure we promote on time, holding open tryouts, getting the mascot and costume made - the things that ... seem really little but are big, important things we need to start now."

1. Lesa France Kennedy, president, International Speedway Corp.
2. Dawn Hudson, president and CEO, Pepsico North America
3. Nancy Monsarrat, director of US advertising, Nike
4. Stephanie Tolleson, senior corporate vice president, IMG
5. Heidi Ueberroth, EVP, global media properties and marketing partnerships, NBA
6. Lee Ann Daly, executive vice president, marketing, ESPN
7. Jeanie Buss, executive vice president, Los Angeles Lakers
8. Jamie McCourt, vice chairman, Los Angeles Dodgers
9. Cathy Bessant, CMO, Bank of America
10. Amy Trask, chief executive, Oakland Raiders

Source: Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal

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