Twenty-five years ago, Sports Business Journal created its Forty Under 40 program. Encouraged by successful programs at publications in the American City Business Journals family, SBJ was astounded by the reception from the nascent sports business industry in 1999.
“We were staggered by the response to the call for nominations,” recalled SBJ founding editor John Genzale when asked about his memories of the program’s creation. SBJ received more than 300 nominations in the first year of the program. “It was stunning when I realized that lots of our credibility was at stake.”
As SBJ recognizes its 25th class of honorees, we look back at the previous classes and the events that celebrated their achievements. The following pages list all class members from 1999 to 2023 (there was no Class of 2004 as the program shifted from fall to spring) and share photos from the awards galas over the years. We also caught up with past honorees who have moved on from the industry and asked others for their memories of being chosen and of celebrating with family and friends.
The Classes
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
The Photos
2000-2003 2005-2008 2009-2011 2012-2014 2015-2017 2018-2019 2020-2023
Other Voices
■ Guest Hosts: Ceremony emcees through the years
■ Opinion: Len Perna — Identifying the talent quotient
■ Opinion: Andrea Brimmer — Forty Under 40 prepped for industry evolution
■ Closing Shot: ‘We learned who we were’
