The Los Angeles Business Journal’s annual Book of Lists franchise recently added a new element – coverage of a theme that reflects the current pulse of business in Los Angeles.

This year’s theme is L.A.’s position on what seems to be the cusp of a golden age in sports entertainment, distinguished by a close-knit group of owners who have played key roles in resurrecting the local scene.

Consider: Peter Guber and Magic Johnson, both part owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers, also have a stake in Team Liquid, an e-sports franchise. The pair are joined by Riot Games co-founders Marc Merrill and Brandon Beck in the ownership group behind the newly minted Los Angeles Football Club. Dan Beckerman — who as chief executive of AEG Inc. oversees the Los Angeles Kings, the Los Angeles Galaxy, Staples Center and Stub Hub Center — has long ties to various tenant teams, including the Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers. Jeanie Buss, chief executive and controlling owner of the Lakers, threw a dinner for Chargers’ owner Dean Spanos the day after he announced his team would relocate the team from San Diego.

The Business Journal featured Q&As with each of those executives and others in our Book of Lists this year – and then we went a step further. The Q&As proved rich enough for a series of profiles of these sporting personalities, which we will present in the pages of our weekly editions this month.

We start with Guber on page 14, and Merrill and Beck on page 16.

Please read them and consider that the lists we research and present in our weekly edition have become a franchise unto themselves with the annual book and the new thematic coverage represented by this year’s Q&As.

These extra profile pieces mark a full circle on behalf of our readers, who we aim to serve with our weekly edition, digital presence and signature products such as the annual Book of Lists.

Read Peter Guber’s profile here

Read Marc Merrill’s and Brandon Beck’s profile here