In a significant development for the sports industry, Playfly Sports has appointed Chris Marinak, a seasoned executive with extensive experience in Major League Baseball (MLB), as its new president. This announcement was made on January 27, 2026. Marinak, who has been recognized as a Hall of Famer in the SBJ Forty Under 40, brings with him an impressive 17-year tenure within the MLB organization, where he most recently held the position of chief operations and strategy officer before departing from the league just last month. Notably, TurnkeyZRG played a crucial role in facilitating this executive search for Playfly.
Starting his new journey on March 2, Marinak will remain based in New York and will oversee six direct reports at Playfly. His responsibilities will span across the company’s three primary divisions: media, sponsorship, and advisory and services, along with global partnership sales, business development, and international business endeavors. Essentially, all commercial operations will fall under his leadership. When asked about what drew him to the opportunity at Playfly, Marinak expressed enthusiasm for the company's extensive reach, which encompasses over 250 partnerships within the sports sector. He stated, "I’m not sure there’s another place where I could have this level of impact. You can reach every single basketball, baseball, hockey team. You can have an impact in college, you can have an impact in other professional sports. And to me, that’s just really compelling."
Craig Sloan, who has served as Playfly's CEO for two years, emphasized the need for strong executive leadership as the company continues to expand following five years of operation. He remarked, "It was pretty clear that we were going to have to be able to add additional executive horsepower." Marinak’s extensive background in data analysis will be invaluable in his new position. During his time at MLB, he managed various fan-oriented technologies, including MLB.com and MLB.tv, as well as ticketing operations and schedule creation. Marinak sees vast potential for implementing data-driven solutions at the collegiate level, highlighting it as one of the most promising opportunities in the sports landscape today. He noted, "When Craig and I were talking about the opportunities for Playfly and Playfly’s clients, particularly when you start looking at the college level, that is probably one of the biggest opportunities in sports right now."
In addition to his strategic roles at MLB, Marinak was involved in international initiatives and special events, such as the MLB World Tour and the World Baseball Classic. At Playfly, enhancing international growth will also be a priority for him. He commented on Playfly's existing European presence, saying, "Playfly already has a great start with their European business. There’s a lot we can do to grow that both in Europe and then in other parts of the world. And so that’ll be another area that I think I can really spend a lot of time on trying to develop and build."
With Marinak at the helm, Playfly Sports is poised for exciting developments and strategic expansions in the sports industry. What do you think about this move? Do you believe Marinak will make a significant impact at Playfly? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
