Paley Next Big Thing New York

Game Changers: The Evolving Business of Youth Sports

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Lunch: 12:30 pm
Conversation and Q&A: 1:00 – 2:00 pm
The Paley Center for Media, 25 West 52 Street, NYC

Youth sports in America has grown into a $40 billion industry, driven by the rise of early sport specialization and year-round play. The rapid evolution of technology, media, investor interest, and emerging opportunities for amateur athletes has added further complexity to the landscape.

With insights from industry leaders including youth sports tech GameUp Co-Founder Crystal McCrary, Duke Men’s Basketball General Manager Rachel Baker, CAA Baseball Agent Amber Sabathia, and moderated by Boardroom CEO and Co-Founder Rich Kleiman, this panel will explore how factors like social media, NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness), high-profile tournament circuits, and investments in event operators and mega sports complexes are transforming the landscape. The conversation will also examine how digital engagement, innovation, and entrepreneurship are creating new revenue streams and redefining athlete development, as well as the key players impacting and shaping what’s next for youth sports.

In Person:

Crystal McCrary, Co-Founder, GameUp

Rachel Baker, General Manager, Duke Men’s Basketball

Amber Sabathia, Agent, CAA Baseball 

Moderator:

Rich Kleiman, CEO and Co-Founder, Boardroom

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This event is exclusive to Media Council Members. To find out more about Media Council Membership, contact mediacouncil@paleycenter.org.

Crystal McCrary

Co-Founder, GameUp

McCrary Crystal

Crystal McCrary is an award-winning filmmaker, television producer, author, and entrepreneur. She began her career practicing entertainment law with the New York City firm Paul Weiss before leaving to pursue a full-time career in writing, producing, and directing. Since that time, she has published two New York Times best-selling novels Homecourt Advantage and Gotham Diaries and written the critically acclaimed non-fiction book Inspiration: Profiles of Black Women Changing the World. She also produced the independent film Dirty Laundry. For six seasons, Ms. McCrary served as executive producer for the NAACP Image Award nominated BET series Leading Women and Leading Men. Ms. McCrary also created, produced, and directed the Nickelodeon Sports series Little Ballers and Little Ballers Indiana. Additionally, Ms. McCrary directed seven short films on the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. In 2022 she directed a short film about the life and career of Kenneth Frazier, former CEO of Merck. Most recently she co-founded Get To Yes, a full-service production company creating scripted and non-scripted content at the intersection of culture, sports and the socio-political landscape. Current Get To Yes projects include documentaries on the Olympian Allyson Felix, “The Drug in Our Pocket,” and “Fatherless No More.”  To commemorate Ariel Investments 40th Anniversary, she directed a documentary on the journey of John W. Rogers Jr. and Mellody Hobson in building the first Black-owned mutual fund firm in the country.    

In 2023, Ms. McCrary along with her son Cole Anthony launched the youth sports tech platform GameUp which is a resource for families to help navigate the highly fragmented youth sports landscape.   

Ms. McCrary has appeared on numerous networks from CNN to MSNBC as a cultural, legal, and political pundit as well as co-hosted ABC’s The View. She currently sits on the Board of The Paley Center for Media. Ms. McCrary has received honors and distinctions including being honored by The Children’s Defense Fund, Precious Dreams Foundation, Children’s Museum of Manhattan, and Urban Tech for her contributions to youth and the arts. She was also named to Crain’s 40 under 40 Young Professionals list. 

Ms. McCrary lives in New York City with her husband, financier Raymond J. McGuire and their son Leo. Their two older children Ella Anthony is a junior at Harvard College and their son Cole Anthony plays for the Orlando Magic. Ms. McCrary received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her Juris Doctor from American University and New York University. 

Rachel Baker

General Manager, Duke Men’s Basketball

Baker Rachel

Rachel Baker is the General Manager of Duke Men’s Basketball, where she leads the program’s strategic vision off the court—overseeing name, image, and likeness (NIL) initiatives, brand development, player engagement, and team operations. Appointed in 2022, Baker became the first GM in college basketball, bringing a modernized approach to program management in the new era of college athletics. Since, Duke has signed three consecutive top-two recruiting classes (2023–2025), two ACC Tournament titles (2023, 2025), and a final four appearance.

Before joining Duke, Baker held influential roles at Nike and the NBA. At Nike, she worked in sports marketing, helping shape athlete storytelling and branding strategies for some of the world’s most iconic figures. Her tenure included work on elite youth development and grassroots programs as well as Kevin Durant’s signature business, equipping her with a strong foundation in both talent nurturing and sports business.

A former Division I lacrosse player, Baker graduated from La Salle University. She brings a deep understanding of both athlete experience and brand strategy—bridging the gap between performance and opportunity in college basketball’s new landscape.

Amber Sabathia

Agent, CAA Baseball

Sabathia Amber

Amber Sabathia, 43, became the first black woman baseball recruiting agent for CAA Sports in 2021. In 2024, she represented the trifecta of having a draftee in the first round, an MLB future star, and an All-Star client. Additionally, she co-founded the PitCCh In Foundation in 2008 to enrich the lives of at-risk youth in inner cities. As Executive Director, she has dedicated the foundation's mission to three signature programs: an all-star baseball clinic, youth backpack program, and field renovations. She is married to her high school sweetheart and former MLB pitcher, CC Sabathia, a six-time All-Star and Cy Young Award winner for the New York Yankees, retiring in 2019 after 19 years in the MLB. Amber has been involved in every aspect of CC’s 22-year MLB career, from leading brand partnerships, to executive producing media projects, and overseeing new business ventures. In 2023, Amber and CC launched Grapefruit Media, a platform for minority athletes to grow their legacy from seed to fruit, with the first project "New Wave" profiling four of the top black prospects in the lead up to the 2022 MLB Draft. A native of Vallejo, CA and currently residing in Alpine, NJ, Amber's strongest passion and purpose amidst all her professional success is being a loving wife and mother to her four children. 

Rich Kleiman

CEO and Co-Founder, Boardroom

Kleiman Rich v2

Rich Kleiman is co-founder and CEO of Boardroom, a sports and entertainment company that includes the flagship media network, Boardroom.TV. Founded in 2019 by Kleiman and Kevin Durant, Boardroom covers the business of sports and entertainment, with a special focus on the ways that athletes, executives, musicians, and creators are moving the business world forward. Other projects under the Boardroom umbrella include the critically acclaimed scripted series SWAGGER in partnership with Imagine Entertainment and Apple TV+, the Academy-Award-winning short film Two Distant Strangers (Netflix), and Emmy-nominated documentary NYC Point Gods (Showtime). In March 2025, Kleiman and Boardroom announced Boardroom Members Club, an exclusive membership community designed to provide unparalleled networking and experiences for professionals across industries.

Kleiman and Durant are majority owners of Major League Pickleball’s Brooklyn Aces and have made minority investments in Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union, National Women’s Soccer League’s Gotham FC, Premier Lacrosse League, Athletes Unlimited, League One Volleyball, and TMRW Sports.

Kleiman has been Kevin Durant’s manager since 2013, as well as co-founder in 35V, which houses over 100 early stage investments across sports, technology, finance, media, and more.

Kleiman serves as the Executive Director of the Durant Family Foundation (fka Kevin Durant Charity Foundation), helping underserved and low-income families and youth across the globe. He also sits on the Board of Directors at New Heights Youth, Inc., a non-profit dedicated to sports-based youth development and education in New York City.

Previously, Kleiman helped launch Roc Nation Sports, where he served as Vice President of the agency founded by Jay-Z. Kleiman started with Roc Nation in 2008 as a music manager representing Mark Ronson, Solange, Meek Mill, Wale, and many others.

 

Membership levels start with a donation of $3,250. To apply to become a Media Council Member and attend the event please fill out the following information, and a member of the Paley team will be in touch shortly.

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