Michelle Smith was an outlier in the sports industry from the beginning. Working in athletics at Utah State and the University of Utah in the late 1990s, she was the only person on staff who wasn’t either a man or a former athlete. She felt a difference between herself and her colleagues and decided to embrace it.
“I remember having this inner moment of thinking to myself, I have a choice right now to take on the attributes and behaviors that I’m seeing modeled to me by the men and, similarly, the women that are working college sports, or I can stay true to who I am by nature, which is incredibly friendly and loving and nurturing and collaborative — really more softer skill sets,” Smith recalled.
That approach has guided Smith through a nearly three-decade sports career, which reached a pivotal moment in 2020, when the Miller family decided to sell the Utah Jazz. Smith, who had been with the organization for more than six years, was drawn to rejoin the Miller family months later as chief people officer for its other businesses.
In 2023, the Millers tapped Smith to oversee the organization’s minor league baseball team, the Salt Lake Bees, and movie theater business, making her president of Miller Sports + Entertainment. In that role, she was integral to the organization’s acquisition this year of Real Salt Lake and the Utah Royals. In fact, it was Smith who pushed the Millers to invest in both the men’s and women’s team.
“I raised my hand saying, ‘We need to keep the Royals,’” Smith said. “We had a really exceptional opportunity at the time with another buyer, but I raised my hand and said, ‘There’s so much value to women’s sports in the state of Utah, and I think there’s so much that we can bring to that team.’ I’m really grateful for that opportunity to express my perspective and for it to be heard.”
Michelle Smith
President, Miller Sports + Entertainment; Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer, The Larry H. Miller Company
Miller Sports + Entertainment
Why she’s a Game Changer:
With decades of experience in college sports, multimedia rights and with pro teams, Smith oversees Miller Sports + Entertainment’s holdings in minor league baseball, MLS and the NWSL, and has been a leading voice in the company’s entry into women’s sports.
Born: Denver
Education: Utah State University, B.S., marketing
Family: Children, Daphne (23) — son-in-law, Parker (24) and grandson, Brooks (8 months) — Cole (20), Brooklyn (16) and Lola (12)
New place I want to travel to next: I’d love to go skiing in Whistler. Vancouver is my favorite city; it reminds me of New York City and Salt Lake City. It’s a perfect blend of city and mountains.
Attributes I look for when hiring: Nimbleness and compassion.
I have a dream that one day … : All women’s sports will be equally supported by the fan and corporate base as men’s professional sports. I love following LOVB, NWSL, AUSL, WNBA and others.
Best tool to keep me organized in work and in life: Accept that you need help. I finally had to accept that I can’t do it all as I worked to integrate my personal life and my career. I need a house cleaner, someone to pick up my dry cleaning, and a nanny … and it’s OK!
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‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.sportsbusinessjournal.com ’
