Sports Across the Board

There is a common thread that spans her entire career — sports. Lavinia Tinelli is a former rowing athlete and current executive at one of the world’s leading broadcasters. She graduated from Bocconi with a degree in Economics and Management in Arts, Media and Entertainment, and is currently Rights Acquisitions Senior Director at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe. This was the goal she pursued and achieved with determination, planning her career step by step. “While I was competing, I was able to join the Ohio State University rowing team,” explains Lavinia Tinelli from her office in Paris, “Then, after a year, I decided to come back to Italy to a university of international scope. In addition, ACME offered me the possibility to analyze themes related to art, culture, media and event organization — sporting events included. It was a study program suited to my aspirations.” Lavinia's sports career has been anything but trivial: she has clinched several Italian titles and two world medals, including a silver and bronze at the youth level. “At some point, though, my routine of six hours of daily training plus competitions and studying was no longer feasible and I decided to quit the team, although I stayed in the industry as a referee. I began at the Italian level and now work internationally, with the Olympics as my goal, of course.” Lavinia was never able to cut the cord that bonds her with sports. In fact, she had promised herself that she would remain in the industry, not as a coach — which is “more common”, she says — but as a sports marketing professional, beginning from her graduation thesis to major sports rights development. “After some experience in event organization, I joined L'Equipe, which was planning to launch a free-to-air sports channel,” resumes Lavinia Tinelli, “It was 2012; I had just graduated and intended on taking some time to reflect carefully on my future. Then the opportunity presented itself. I was involved in sports documentary acquisition, and that is where I learned to negotiate. It was a major career milestone.” 

In 2016 she moved on to Eurosport, which was soon acquired by Discovery. “Discovery had a very broad entertainment offer, and was adamant about moving into sports with the Eurosport decision, “says Lavinia Tinelli, “and the first true acquisition was the Olympics. It was a decisive move to strengthen our positioning in the industry.” In other words, she started to feel the weight because the events whose rights Lavinia and her team oversee are the most important ones, such as the Grand Slams or Olympics themselves, a contract renewed until 2032. “We are talking about astronomical sums of money. However, in the end, this is still an environment in which sports plays a fundamental part, for which many of us have a passion. There is an element of humanity because of this, which is greater than it is in other areas, despite the fact that negotiations are often tense and difficult.” The sports industry at the executive level, though, is still notorious for being very male-dominated. Is this really the case? “There is a prevalence of men, and it is consistent,” continues Lavinia Tinelli, “both in terms of business and within the various federations, especially at the executive level. To contribute, a woman has to be able to stand out and demonstrate some legitimacy. There are strong female figures in this regard, but numerically there is an obvious imbalance.” 

Media conglomerates such as Warner Bros. Discovery can do a lot for the distribution and success of women's sports — starting with its programming, for example. “Of course, we are trying to increase media coverage for women's sports, including mixed events such as the Grand Slams or Ski World Cup — two great examples as we broadcast everything about these events, even inserting women presenters or former athletes during our live transmissions. Then there are localized trends, such as women's soccer in England or France, volleyball in Italy, or even tennis in Poland,” explains Lavinia Tinelli, “where the popularity of some true local stars has contributed to sports media coverage. Athletes, especially champions, contribute to the appeal of certain sports by telling their stories and conveying their emotions.” What can Lavinia Tinelli’s career teach today’s female students who dream of a future in a field like hers? “You cannot suddenly build a career; it is a journey comprised of small steps and of opportunities and experiences — all of which are important, and must be seized. Then you must foster human relationships; it is a fundamental detail.”