The sports scene is keeping busy in Los Angeles.
No, I’m not referring to the ongoing saga of the proposed Los Angeles Lakers ownership sale. Reporter Zhiyu Luo has that covered in this edition. Nor am I talking about the Long Beach Coast, the new indie league baseball team forming in the South Bay. Though I have written about it many times in my column.
This time, I am referring to Major League Volleyball Los Angeles, which last week announced that veteran sports executive Lindsay Amstutz as its new president. The local team is among five franchises in the league’s current expansion to host 12 total.
“Los Angeles is one of the world’s great sports markets and a community with deep volleyball roots,” Amstutz said in a statement. “Building a franchise from the ground up, in my hometown, with local ownership, is an incredible opportunity, and I look forward to working alongside our ownership group, the league, our partners and our community to create an organization that athletes, fans and the city will be proud to support.”
Although Amstutz comes by way of Pennsylvania-based Playfly Sports, her Los Angeles connections remain ongoing starting from when she formed a girls’ basketball league in the city while she was in high school. She also previously worked as a vice president and chief marketing officer for the Los Angeles Sparks and continues to serve on advisory boards for the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commissions and the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation.
“Lindsay is an exceptional leader whose experience across sports, media, partnerships, and brand-building makes her uniquely suited to launch MLV Los Angeles,” said Jaime Weston, commissioner of the league. “She brings a great understanding of the Los Angeles market, a proven ability to create meaningful connections with fans and partners, and a lifelong commitment to advancing opportunities for women and girls in sport.”
MLV L.A. was founded by biotech magnate Patrick Soon-Shiong, who retains majority ownership of the franchise (and remains, for now, a minority Lakers owner).
MLV L.A.’s inaugural season kicks off – er, serves – next year.
