The Yeshiva University Wall Street Group presented a panel discussion about “The Business of Sports” on Monday, May 9, featuring Mark Wilf, owner/president of the Minnesota Vikings; David Samson, president of the Miami Marlins and Ahmed Zayat, owner of American Pharoah, the first Triple Crown winner since 1978. The moderator was Lawrence Burian, executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of both The Madison Square Garden Company and MSG Networks Inc.

The networking event, organized by the Office of Alumni Affairs, was hosted by Proskauer Rose LLP and sponsored by BMO Capital Markets. Approximately 200 people attended.

All four participants have strong connections to YU. The Wilf family are major supporters of the University: YU’s uptown campus is named for them, and the Wilf scholarship program has been supporting students for 31 years. Samson is a 1993 graduate of Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where he also serves as the chairman of the board of overseers. Ahmed Zayat is a 1983 graduate of Yeshiva College, and Burian graduated from Yeshiva College in 1991.

Questions from both Burian and the audience focused on the economic models of each business, labor/management relations, gambling (including fantasy sports), advertising, the effect of digital technologies and the role YU has played in how each participant has run his business.

Regarding the last topic, Wilf spoke about giving back to the community (community service is required from everyone in the Vikings organization) and the pride he feels in how his family has supported YU’s mission for almost four decades. Samson and Zayat mentioned how the “moral compass” they got from YU inspires and guides them to make a difference in people’s lives through the businesses they run.

The YU Office of Alumni Affairs sponsors several networking events each year. More information can be found at www.yu.edu/alumni.