Business of Sports July 16, 2009, 2:08PM EST

Will Revenues Be Below Par at the British Open?

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(The first session under new NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith was held June 3 in New York.) The league's collective bargaining agreement expires in 2011—if a deal is not in place by next March, the 2010-2011 season will operate without a salary cap.

This week's meeting wasn't expected to produce any headlines, since both sides have agreed to keep the talks confidential. But based on recent comments it's clear that Goodell and Smith have at least one goal in common—better positioning players for off-field success. The NFL's Rookie Symposium a few weeks ago is much more structured around financial planning, business management, and conduct in the TMZ era than in years past, with Goodell getting much of the credit for the change. In turn, Smith has been making the rounds of all 32 NFL teams to help players better understand the league's finances and their own piece of the pie.

One item likely to come up during the CBA talks—new NFL stadiums and the revenue streams they generate. While new buildings such as Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and the Cowboys' new $1.2 billion home in Arlington, Tex., receive public subsidies and are a proven means to increase luxury suite and season ticket sales, owners are convinced that the millions in debt service they're currently saddled with is a legitimate reason why they deserve a bigger slice of team revenues.

While it seems like not a week goes by without an NFL player being shot, drunk in public, or hauled into court, Goodell's stewardship of the league and strident attempts to change the gangsta dynamic are often lauded by the media. In Portland, Oregonian writer John Canzano says that Goodell "has character and a sense of social responsibility…I'm convinced he's exactly what sports needs." He is "busy demonstrating what we should come to expect from the people in prominent positions in business and society—leadership."

10. James in Good Company at Allen & Co.
The star power at the Allen & Co. gathering in Sun Valley, Idaho, is usually relegated to such media moguls as Sumner Redstone, Rupert Murdoch, and Michael Bloomberg (who moonlights as the mayor of New York). This year, however, the wattage increased a bit in the form of attendee LeBron James.

James, who reportedly landed his coveted invite last week with help from Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, a seven-year attendee, is building his own sports and entertainment empire, and it makes sense he'd go straight to the industry's biggest wigs for sound advice.

Despite the economy, attendance at the annual event, sometimes called "summer camp for billionaires," was healthy. More than 260 media chieftains, venture capitalists, politicians, agents, academics, and investment bankers gathered at the Manhattan-based investment bank's annual five-day conference to exchange ideas about the media industry's future. Big deals have been known to come out of the conference during its 26-year history, including Walt Disney's (DIS) deal to buy Capital Cities/ABC Inc. in 1995.

Among the sports luminaries in attendance besides James were the four major pro sports commissioners, including the NFL's Roger Goodell straight from his charity climb; others included Chicago Bulls/White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, Denver Nuggets/Aresenal owner Stan Kroenke, Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, the Mets' Fred and Jeffrey Wilpon, and former MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent. Peter Ueberroth, another former MLB commissioner who is better known for his Olympic work, was at the center of the biggest news to come out of the conference this year—the USOC's announcement about its dedicated Olympic TV channel was reportedly timed to Ueberroth's appearance in Sun Valley.

Outside of sports, Redstone, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Sergey Brin, Google (GOOG) CEO Eric Schmidt, and much of the entire Murdoch clan were front and center for the few interviews granted to the media during the secretive event.

While it's unclear if James was able to pull together a decent pickup game, we know one thing—if any of the media moguls managed to dunk on him, we'll never see the footage.

Rick Horrow is a leading expert in the business of sports. As CEO of Horrow Sports Ventures, he has been the architect of 103 deals worth more than $13 billion in sports and other urban infrastructure projects. He is also the sports business analyst for CNN, Fox Sports, and the Fox Business Channel.