OC Sports Summit 2026

Where Business, Leadership & Community Unite Through Sport

Thursday, October 15, 2026

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The OC Sports Summit presented by PNC Bank brings together the leaders, organizations and emerging professionals shaping the future of sports in Orange County and beyond.

This full-day experience will connect sports executives, corporate and civic leaders, event organizers, national governing bodies, venues, universities, students and aspiring professionals through thought-provoking conversations, targeted networking and community impact.

Attendees will hear from leaders across the sports industry, participate in topic-focused discussions, choose from three afternoon forums and build valuable relationships with professionals representing different areas of the sports ecosystem.

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Featured Speakers

Tap any speaker to read their full bio.

Jeff Moorad

Jeff Moorad

Partner & CEO
MSP Sports Capital
Keynote Speaker

Jeff Moorad

Jeff Moorad is one of the most recognizable leaders in professional sports and has been named among Sporting News’ 100 Most Powerful People in Sports eight times.
 
Moorad began his career in athlete representation, negotiating more than $3 billion in contracts as founder of Moorad Sports Management and a longtime partner at Steinberg & Moorad. For 15 years, the firm maintained the nation’s largest NFL and second-largest MLB client practices while expanding into broadcast talent representation, sports technology, publishing, and charitable initiatives.
 
Over his 35-plus-year career, Moorad has served as both an investor and operator throughout the sports industry. His leadership roles have included General Partner and CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Vice Chairman and CEO of the San Diego Padres, Chairman of PrimeSport, and board positions with Oakley, McLaren Racing, and several sports technology ventures.
 
Today, Moorad serves as Chairman of Morgan Lewis’ Global Sports Industry Practice, a principal of Morgan Lewis Consulting, and an adjunct professor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, where he teaches “The Business of Sports.”.
 
A graduate of UCLA and Villanova University School of Law, Moorad serves on the board of UCLA Anderson’s Center for Management of Enterprise in Media, Entertainment & Sports. At Villanova, he founded and chairs the Jeffrey S. Moorad Center for the Study of Sports Law.
Alex Bhathal

Alex Bhathal

Co-Founder and Executive Chair
RAJ Sports
Panelist

Alex Bhathal

Alex Bhathal is an accomplished investor, entrepreneur, and sports executive with extensive experience across professional sports, real estate, and consumer brands. He is the founder of Newport Beach-based RAJ Capital, the Bhathal family’s investment office, and leads the firm’s activities in sports and real estate.
 
Since 2013, Bhathal has served as co-owner and Executive Board Member of Sacramento Basketball Holdings, whose portfolio includes the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, the G League’s Stockton Kings, the Sacramento River Cats, Golden 1 Center, and the Downtown Commons entertainment district.
In 2024, Bhathal led the acquisitions of the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League and Portland’s WNBA expansion franchise, the Portland Fire along with his sister Lisa Bhathal-Merage. He serves as Alternate Governor for both organizations and has helped spearhead major investments designed to advance the growth of women’s professional sports.
 
Bhathal was named the Orange County Business Journal’s 2025 Businessperson of the Year and received its Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award in 2023. He earned his bachelor’s degree from UCLA, an MBA from USC, and completed Harvard Business School’s Presidents’ Leadership Program.
AaronTeats

Aaron Teats

President
Anaheim Ducks Hockey Club
Panelist

Aaron Teats

Aaron Teats serves as President and Alternate Governor of the Anaheim Ducks Hockey Club and Chief Executive Officer of the San Diego Gulls. In these roles, he oversees OC Sports and Entertainment’s professional hockey properties and represents the Ducks on NHL-related matters.
 
Teats has spent more than three decades with the Ducks, holding leadership roles across nearly every aspect of the organization’s business operations. Before being named Club President in 2022, he served as President of Business Operations and Chief Marketing Officer, overseeing areas including ticketing, broadcasting, communications, marketing, community relations, fan development, merchandising, and business intelligence.
 
He began his Ducks career in broadcasting in 1994 and spent 11 years as an Emmy Award-winning producer and director of the team’s radio and television broadcasts. Throughout his tenure, Teats has helped lead major brand, media, and community initiatives while expanding the organization’s impact throughout Orange County.
 
Teats serves on the Board of Directors of the Orange County Sports Commission and the Advisory Council for the Anaheim Boys & Girls Club. A longtime Orange County resident, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Cal State Fullerton.
DanRutstein

Dan Rutstein

President
Orange County Soccer Club
Moderator

Dan Rutstein

Dan Rutstein is President of Business Relations for Orange County Soccer Club, where he leads the club’s business development, partnerships, community engagement, and external relations. Since joining the organization’s executive leadership, he has helped drive growth in ticket sales, sponsorships, merchandise revenue, and charitable programming throughout Orange County.
 
Before entering professional soccer management, Rutstein built a diverse international career as a sports journalist and British diplomat. He is also the host of America the Beautiful Game, a podcast exploring the relationship between soccer in the United States and Europe.
 
Rutstein serves on the Advisory Board of the Orange County Sports Commission and is an active advocate for strengthening Orange County’s sports community.
Ed Foster Simeon

Ed Foster-Simeon

President & CEO
U.S. Soccer Foundation
Speaker

Ed Foster-Simeon

A nationally recognized leader in sports-based youth development and a champion of soccer as a vehicle for social change, he has more than three decades of experience at the local, state, and national levels of the game.
 
Since becoming President and CEO in 2008, Foster-Simeon has led the Foundation’s efforts to improve the health and well-being of young people in underserved communities through accessible soccer programs, trained coach-mentors, and safe places to play. A major component of this work is the Foundation’s mini-pitch initiative, which transforms underutilized spaces into high-quality, small-sided soccer courts within local neighborhoods. The Foundation has helped create more than 900 mini-pitches nationwide, including a mini-pitch at Delhi Park in Santa Ana, and is working with Orange County partners to explore opportunities for additional locations throughout the county.
 
Under Foster-Simeon’s leadership, the Foundation has earned national recognition, including the Steve Patterson Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy. Before joining the organization, he served as Deputy Managing Editor at USA TODAY and held grassroots leadership positions with the Virginia Youth Soccer Association and Prince William Soccer.
 
Foster-Simeon was inducted into the Virginia–D.C. Soccer Hall of Fame in 2017 and received the United Soccer Coaches Honorary All-America Award in 2020. A U.S. Navy veteran and Brooklyn native, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland University College.
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Brian Murphy

CEO & Co-Founder
Athletes First
PANELIST

Brian Murphy

Brian Murphy is CEO & Co-Founder of Athletes First, one of the most prominent sports representation agencies in the country. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Murphy co-founded Athletes First in 2001 and has helped grow the Orange County-based firm from a boutique football agency into a leading sports representation, marketing, media and properties business. 
 
Under Murphy’s leadership, Athletes First has negotiated more than $15 billion in football contracts, including numerous record-setting NFL deals, while building a client roster that has included many of the league’s most recognizable players. The agency has continued to expand beyond traditional athlete representation into partnerships, media, content and owned properties. 
 
Throughout that growth, Murphy has emphasized a culture centered on relationships, loyalty and the agency’s “Better Together” philosophy. His leadership in scaling Athletes First while preserving its people-first culture makes him a particularly relevant voice on building and sustaining winning organizations. 
 
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Who Should Attend?

  • Sports and entertainment executives
  • Corporate and community leaders
  • Rights holders and event organizers
  • National governing bodies and sports organizations
  • Venue and facility operators
  • Tourism and public-sector professionals
  • University and college athletics leaders
  • Sports industry professionals
  • Students, young professionals and career changers
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Who Should Attend?

  • Sports and entertainment executives
  • Corporate and community leaders
  • Rights holders and event organizers
  • National governing bodies and sports organizations
  • Venue and facility operators
  • Tourism and public-sector professionals
  • University and college athletics leaders
  • Sports industry professionals
  • Students, young professionals and career changers
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431A8684-group
OCSC_049
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Who Should Attend?

  • Sports and entertainment executives
  • Corporate and community leaders
  • Rights holders and event organizers
  • National governing bodies and sports organizations
  • Venue and facility operators
  • Tourism and public-sector professionals
  • University and college athletics leaders
  • Sports industry professionals
  • Students, young professionals and career changers
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Morning Program

Afternoon Program

Speakers

Speaker Announcements Coming Soon

The OC Sports Summit presented by PNC Bank will feature accomplished leaders representing sports business, professional and collegiate athletics, major events, venues, community organizations and the international sports industry.

Register or join the OCSC mailing list to receive speaker and program announcements as they are released.

Registration

Registration options will be available for executives, sports industry professionals, students and aspiring professionals.

Space for the summit and individual breakout sessions is limited. Attendees will select their preferred afternoon forum and networking-lunch topic during registration.

Register Now
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