[Mark Lev with Hideki Matsuyama sporting matching Boston Common Golf jackets]
How long have you been working in Boston?
I've been lucky enough to work in Boston my entire professional career. After college, I got a job with the Boston Celtics and spent 14 years in various roles in that organization. For the past 20 years, I have had the honor of working for Fenway Sports Group (FSG) where I currently serve as the President and CEO of Boston Common Golf – the most recent addition to FSG's portfolio of sports properties.
What does your organization (Boston Common Golf) do?
Boston Common Golf, featuring Rory McIlroy, Keegan Bradley, Adam Scott, and Hideki Matsuyama, is one of the six inaugural teams in TGL. TGL is a new golf league offering a fresh approach to the sport with a focus on technology, innovation, and fan engagement. Showcasing the world's top players, TGL's team golf competition merges physical and virtual golf in a state-of-the-art stadium with two-hour prime time matches.
Boston Common Golf’s inaugural season begins Monday, Jan. 27 in prime time on ESPN and ESPN+ in the U.S., U-NEXT in Japan, and other prominent media partners around the globe. The first-ever league match will be taking place in just under a month, on Tuesday, Jan. 7.
[Mark Lev and JSB board member Mikio Yoshimura bring Boston Common Golf to Japan!]
What are the benefits and challenges of working in Japan?
There are so many benefits when it comes to working in Japan and one of the main reasons is the country’s love of sport, and particularly its love of golf. I witnessed this first hand during a visit to Japan for the Nagano Olympics in 1998 and during a recent trip to attend this year’s PGA Tour ZoZo Championship. It was during that visit that I came to appreciate Hideki [Matsuyama]’s stature in Japan and witness his commitment to promoting the game of golf in his homeland. With Hideki as one of our star players, we also see tremendous opportunity to engage with Japanese companies to help us build a truly global sports brand.
While the 13-hour time change and language barrier present a unique challenge, we are fortunate to have Mikio Yoshimura, a Fenway Sports Group employee and JSB board member, on the ground in Japan, based in Kyoto. He has been a tremendous resource as we look to build our business in Japan.
What is your favorite thing about Boston?
Boston’s history and passion for sports make it truly special. I’ve been very fortunate to be involved with Boston sports dating back to my days as a young child, rooting for the home team. I have a deep appreciation for how the city embraces its teams and creates a sense of community through its love of sports.
Plus, having the privilege to launch a new professional team in Boston means we get to be part of this incredible sports culture forever. We’re looking forward to continuing to build our team and bringing more championships to Boston!
Comments