When Los Angeles hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028, it will welcome the world to a city that already considers itself one of the global capitals of sports, entertainment, and innovation. Guiding that effort is Casey Wasserman, the business executive serving as Chairperson of LA28, whose career has largely been defined by connecting those same industries.
For more than two decades, Wasserman has built a reputation as a sports executive focused on long-term growth, commercial partnerships, and large-scale event strategy. While many sports leaders emerge from coaching, league operations, or athletic competition, Wasserman's path has been rooted in business development and the evolving relationship between sports, media, brands, and entertainment.
Today, that experience is being applied to one of the most ambitious sporting events in the world.
Starting Young in the Sports Business
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Wasserman graduated from UCLA before entering professional sports ownership at an unusually young age. In his twenties, he purchased the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League, later serving as chairman of the league. The experience provided an early education in sports operations, media rights, sponsorship, and league management—areas that would become recurring themes throughout his career.
In 2002, he founded Wasserman, a sports marketing and talent representation firm that expanded steadily into a global business representing athletes, broadcasters, coaches, brands, and entertainment personalities. Along the way, the company broadened into consulting, sponsorship strategy, experiential marketing, and media partnerships, reflecting the increasingly interconnected nature of modern sports business.
That commercial perspective has become one of Wasserman's defining characteristics as a leader. Rather than viewing sports solely through competition, he has often emphasized the broader ecosystem that surrounds major events—from fan engagement and technology to partnerships and community impact.
Those themes are central to LA28.
Why LA28 Is Different
Los Angeles was officially awarded the 2028 Summer Olympics after an agreement with the International Olympic Committee that saw Paris host the 2024 Games while Los Angeles accepted the 2028 edition. Since then, Wasserman has led an organizing committee responsible for planning an event expected to attract thousands of athletes and millions of spectators while coordinating with public agencies, private partners, international federations, and corporate sponsors.
Unlike many previous Olympic Games, LA28 has consistently highlighted its intention to leverage existing venues rather than relying heavily on new construction. The strategy aims to capitalize on Southern California's established sports infrastructure, including professional stadiums, arenas, universities, and entertainment venues.
Wasserman has frequently described that approach as one of the unique advantages Los Angeles possesses.
Recent host cities have increasingly focused on sustainability, legacy planning, and responsible budgeting rather than constructing large numbers of permanent venues that may have limited use after the Games conclude.
For employers and business leaders following workforce trends, those priorities also reflect changing expectations around project management, public-private collaboration, and organizational leadership.
Planning an Olympic Games involves coordinating thousands of employees, contractors, volunteers, governing bodies, sponsors, and government agencies over several years. It requires balancing commercial objectives with public interests while maintaining operational readiness for one of the world's most watched events.
Wasserman has often framed that challenge less as an individual leadership exercise and more as building the right team.
Where Sports and Business Continue to Converge
Another defining aspect of Wasserman's career has been recognizing how rapidly sports continue to evolve beyond competition itself.
Streaming platforms, social media, athlete branding, experiential marketing, and data-driven sponsorship strategies have fundamentally changed how organizations engage audiences. Throughout his business career, Wasserman has worked at the intersection of these developments, helping connect brands, media companies, athletes, and rights holders in an increasingly global marketplace.
Those same trends are expected to influence LA28.
The Games will likely become one of the most digitally connected Olympics ever staged, with new technologies shaping everything from fan engagement to broadcasting and hospitality experiences. For organizers, success will be measured not only by athletic competition but also by how effectively they connect global audiences across multiple platforms.
Commercially, the project has already demonstrated significant momentum. LA28 has secured major sponsorship agreements with global companies while continuing to expand its commercial partnerships, reflecting confidence in both the Olympic brand and Los Angeles as a host city.
For recruitment professionals and HR leaders, projects on the scale of LA28 also highlight another important trend: attracting talent around purpose.
A Career Built for a Global Stage
Major international events require specialists across operations, technology, communications, marketing, security, logistics, finance, and human resources. Building those teams depends on creating an organizational culture capable of motivating individuals from a wide variety of professional backgrounds toward a shared objective.
That focus on culture is something Wasserman has consistently emphasized throughout his leadership philosophy.
As preparations continue toward 2028, the work remains substantial. Delivering an Olympic and Paralympic Games is one of the largest organizational challenges in international sport, requiring years of planning before the Opening Ceremony ever begins.
For Wasserman, however, the assignment represents the culmination of a career spent operating where business strategy, entertainment, and sports converge.
Whether negotiating partnerships, leading global organizations, or overseeing one of the world's largest sporting events, his professional trajectory illustrates how the business of sport has expanded far beyond the playing field. As Los Angeles prepares to welcome athletes and spectators from around the world, Wasserman's role is not simply about staging competition. It is about coordinating one of the most complex international projects of the decade while showcasing how modern leadership, commercial strategy, and collaboration can shape an event with global reach.
