Playfly Sports has created a new strategic leadership role and appointed Chris Marinak as president, effective March 2, 2026, as the company looks to extend its momentum and capitalize on shifting dynamics in sports media and marketing. Marinak will oversee the company’s commercial engine across three business divisions: Media, Sponsorship, and Advisory and Services, reporting to Craig Sloan.
Marinak joins after a long career in professional sports, most recently serving as chief operations and strategy officer at Major League Baseball. During his 17-year tenure, he helped drive innovation initiatives, including oversight of digital products such as ticketing and data platforms, and supported operations tied to professional baseball’s large annual attendance. Playfly said his experience across professional and collegiate sports, coupled with a broad industry network, will help accelerate the company’s commercial growth while scaling services and integrating technology and data more deeply across its platform.
The appointment comes as Playfly continues to position itself as a revenue partner for sports organizations navigating a rapidly evolving marketplace for rights, sponsorship, and fan engagement. The company said it has delivered sustained double-digit year-over-year revenue growth and continues to expand the depth and scale of its offerings through repeatable partnership services designed to create new revenue streams and help partners manage increasing complexity.
Playfly added that the appointment supports its broader effort to build a leadership structure suited to a modern sports organization, strengthening execution and long-term value creation across the sports marketing ecosystem. The company is backed by Access Holdings.
KEY QUOTES
“The sports world is undergoing substantial changes, and Playfly operates at the center of it all. Playfly’s vision, platform, and leadership made this a natural next step for me.”
“The company’s trajectory in only five years speaks for itself, and my goal is to keep pushing the envelope in terms of innovation using technology and data to enhance the experience of every fan across Playfly’s vast network of partners.”
Chris Marinak, President, Playfly Sports
“We are thrilled to appoint someone of Chris’ caliber at this point of Playfly’s growth trajectory. Chris has an impressive track record across the pro and college ecosystems which I’m confident will further propel the work we do with and for our partners.”
“Chris is a high-integrity individual with full commitment to results, which aligns with the culture and values that we uphold at Playfly. With Chris’ addition, we are well positioned for our next phase of accelerated growth in such a dynamic industry, with the structure and leadership team fit for a modern sports organization.”
Craig Sloan, CEO, Playfly Sports
