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Bill Sutton

President
Bill Sutton & Associates



Dr. William A. Sutton is a distinguished academician and a proven sports marketing practitioner. Sutton’s body of work includes notable academic appointments and extensive industry experience. An expert who educates and engages, Sutton possess a distinct combination of professional experiences that blend his savvy business acumen with his significant university credentials. His academic and industry career experiences are diverse and form a unique prism to observe the sports marketing and sports business landscape. Sutton’s consultation work has spanned the industry, working with professional leagues, teams, organizations, brands, universities, agencies, and facilities. Dr. Sutton currently holds an appointment as Founding Director and Professor at the Sport and Entertainment Business Management Graduate Program in the Management Department at the University of South Florida and is the founder and principal of Bill Sutton & Associates, a consulting firm specializing in strategic marketing and revenue enhancement.
 
Dr. Sutton employs a hybrid approach, influenced heavily by his wide-ranging work experiences; including tenures at sports marketing agencies, professional leagues and nationally acclaimed Sport Management programs. He is the co-creator and architect of the innovative and groundbreaking Sports Sales Combine.  CNBC.com hailed the Sports Sales Combine, a careers concept inspired by the NFL Draft Combine, as potentially “the next great idea in sports marketing”. Sutton also has an extensive track record of placing students in careers in the sports industry.
 
Dr. Sutton teaches courses at USF in sport marketing and sales and promotional management in sport and serves as the Internship Coordinator for the program. His consulting clients include the AEG, NBA NFL, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, MSG Sports, Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Mets. Prior to assuming his current positions, Sutton served as Vice President, Team Marketing and Business Operations for the National Basketball Association. In this capacity, Dr. Sutton assisted NBA teams with marketing related functions such as sales, promotional activities, market research, advertising, customer service, strategic planning and staffing. Dr. Sutton has held previous academic appointments at Robert Morris University, the Ohio State University, the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and the University of Central Florida.
 
Dr. Sutton is a co-author of 2 texts: Sport Marketing ( 3rd Ed 2007 4th edition is currently in progress) and Sport Promotion and Sales Management ( 2nd Ed 2008) published by Human Kinetics, and is a Co-editor of the Handbook of Sport Marketing Research (2012) published by F.I.T. Dr. Sutton has also authored more than 200 articles (refereed and non-refereed), and has made more than 300 national and international presentations. Dr. Sutton a past president of North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) is a founding member and past President of the Sport Marketing Association (SMA) and the Sport Marketing Quarterly – a publication where he has also served as the co-editor. Dr. Sutton is a featured author for Street and Smith’s Sports Business Journal (SBJ) where his Sutton Impact column is a monthly feature. Sutton also is a contributor for the basketball strategy and business magazines Basketball Gigante and FIBA Assist published in Italy. Sutton is frequently called upon by members of the media for his insight and commentary on the sports business industry including; USA Today, The New York Times, CNBC.com, The Washington Times, Fox Business, The Orlando Sentinel, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Advertising Age and Brandweek.  
 
In addition to working at the NBA, Dr. Sutton’s professional experience also includes service as a special events coordinator for the City of Pittsburgh, a YMCA Director, Vice President of Information Services for an international sport-marketing firm, and Commissioner of the Mid-Ohio Conference.
 
A native of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Dr. Sutton holds three degrees (BA 1972, MS, 1980, and ED.D 1983) from Oklahoma State University, where he was inducted into the College of Education Hall of Fame in 2003. Dr. Sutton is also an inaugural member of the Robert Morris University Sport Management Hall of Fame (2006) and recipient of lifetime achievement award from the Southern Sport Management Association (2012). Dr. Sutton serves on the Board of Directors for the Folds of Honor Foundation and the Tampa Bay Sports Commission. Dr. Sutton and his wife Sharon reside in Tampa and Clearwater Beach, Florida.