Brandon Steiner

Brandon Steiner is a prominent figure in sports marketing and entrepreneurship, known for transforming a passion for athletics into a significant business presence. With $4,000, a one-room office, and an intern, Steiner established Steiner Associates—later renamed Steiner Sports—to address a gap in the industry: most athletes lacked representation for speaking engagements and corporate appearances. Before entering the sports business, Steiner graduated from Syracuse University with an accounting degree, worked for Hyatt Hotels, and later managed operations at the Hard Rock Café in New York. His experience in hospitality led him to recognize the commercial potential of athlete relationships, prompting him to launch a new business model.

Steiner Sports grew to employ dozens and represented many high-profile athletes in New York. The company expanded into sports memorabilia marketing as demand for autographed collectibles increased. Steiner is credited with innovating the practice of adding inscriptions to autographs, now a standard in the collectibles industry. His acquisition of the Old Yankee Stadium and exclusive partnerships with athletes such as Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Muhammad Ali contributed to building a $50 million sports collectibles business. Steiner also developed team partnerships with organizations including the Dallas Cowboys, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, University of Notre Dame, University of Alabama, and Syracuse University.

After more than three decades leading Steiner Sports, Steiner launched The Steiner Agency and CollectibleXchange. CollectibleXchange is a marketplace for buying, selling, and appraising sports memorabilia, allowing individuals and professionals to trade signed and game-used items. Steiner serves on the boards of Syracuse University Athletics, David Falk Sports Management, Family Services of Westchester, and The Yogi Berra Museum.

Steiner is an author and public speaker whose business insights extend beyond the sports industry. He has written three books: "The Business Playbook," "You Gotta Have Balls: How a Kid From Brooklyn Started From Scratch, Bought Yankees Stadium and Built a Sports Empire," and "Living on Purpose: Stories about Faith, Fortune, and Fitness That Will Lead You to an Extraordinary Life." Steiner has lectured at business schools including Harvard Business School, the Kellogg School of Business, Columbia, and Yale, and has spoken at TEDx events and Fortune 500 companies. He is a frequent commentator on sports business topics, appearing on CNBC, CNN, MSNBC, and ESPN, and in publications such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Steiner received Syracuse University's highest alumni honor, the Arents Award.