Gazelle

What Gazelle does

Gazelle Group, Inc. is a Princeton, New Jersey-based sports marketing and event production company founded in 1994 by Rick Giles. The firm creates, represents, and consults across sports and entertainment, operating a portfolio of college basketball tournament properties — Empire Classic, Legends Classic, Gotham Classic, College Basketball Invitational, Bluegrass Showcase, and numerous multi-team events (MTEs) — plus college hockey through the Holiday Face-Off. Events are staged at premium venues including Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center, and Mohegan Sun, with national distribution via broadcast partnerships with ESPN and CBS Sports, reaching 4M+ viewers and 250K+ in-person fans annually across 10+ nationally televised games.

The company monetizes through five distinct revenue streams: corporate event sponsorship sales (advertising inventory across TV, radio, digital signage, social, and on-site), ticket sales distributed via Ticketmaster, TV rights packaging and licensing, coach representation (contract negotiation, endorsements, media relations), and NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) representation for student-athletes launched in 2021 with the addition of Kevin Nickelberry as VP of Development. Gazelle's distribution and GTM is direct B2B field sales targeting corporate sponsors, college athletic departments, conferences (e.g., Northeast Conference), and basketball/athlete clients.

Gazelle's go-to-market leverages a dense relationship network spanning 350+ Division I teams, 60+ teams participating annually, 100+ brand sponsors, and broadcast partners that have supported the business for decades. The firm has negotiated $150M+ in lifetime contracts across media, teams, coaches, and NBA arenas, and its events have showcased hundreds of NBA draft picks. Ownership remains concentrated with founder Rick Giles; the firm is privately held with no disclosed institutional capital, has 11-50 employees, and continues to expand its event portfolio and NIL representation as its primary growth vectors.

Name

Gazelle

Legal name

Gazelle Group, Inc.

Website

https://gazellegroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gazelle Group is a Princeton, NJ sports marketing and event production firm that creates college basketball and hockey tournaments, sells corporate sponsorships, and provides NIL and coach representation services to over 350 Division I teams, 100+ brand sponsors, and student-athletes nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Marketing and Event Production

NAICS

Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114), Spectator Sports (7112), Media Representatives (54184), Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Event & Tournament Sponsorship (Title/Presenting Sponsors, Official Suppliers) (MPAKALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sponsorship Sales, Valuation & Analytics Services (Rights Sales, Measurement, Consulting) (MPAKALAK), NIL Representation & Compliance Services (Student-Athletes) (MPAKAMAE), Sports Rights Agencies & Brokers (Acquisition/Packaging) (MPABAJAH), Athlete & Team Sponsorship Deals (Official Partners, Jersey/Kit Sponsors) (MPAKALAA), Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK), Sponsorship & Sports Media Rights Buying (MPAAABAO)

Keywords

• College basketball events
• Sports event production
• NIL representation services
• Coach representation services
• Event sponsorship sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Princeton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Sponsorship: Corporate sponsorship sales for college basketball and hockey events. Sponsors receive TV & radio spots, billboards, court decals, digital signage, social media promotions, on-court presentations, website banners, hospitality, and premium tickets.
2. Ticket Sales: Direct ticket sales for college basketball and hockey events held at major venues including Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center, and other arenas.
3. Coach Representation: Representation services for coaches including contract negotiation, media relations, sales, marketing, endorsements, and career management.
4. NIL Representation: Name, Image, and Likeness representation for college athletes, including contract negotiation, brand partnerships, financial planning, and professional development.
5. TV Rights and Broadcasting: Television rights packaging and sales for sporting events, working with ESPN and CBS Sports networks to broadcast events nationally.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gazelle Group produces and operates a portfolio of U.S. college basketball and hockey tournament events and sells corporate sponsorship and broadcast rights for those events. The company also provides talent representation services—NIL representation for student-athletes and contract/endorsement representation for college coaches. Revenue is generated primarily through customized sponsorship packages, TV rights deals with ESPN and CBS Sports, ticket sales, and representation fees.

Product overview

Gazelle Group is a sports marketing and event production company that creates, represents, and consults across sports and entertainment events. The company operates a portfolio of college basketball tournament properties (Empire Classic, Legends Classic, Gotham Classic, College Basketball Invitational, and others) as well as college hockey events (Holiday Face-Off). Additionally, Gazelle provides NIL representation services for student-athletes, coach representation services, and corporate sponsorship sales and activation for their event properties. The company was founded in 1994 by Rick Giles and is headquartered in Princeton, NJ.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• College Basketball Invitational (CBI): Postseason college basketball tournament produced by Gazelle Group
• Legends Classic
• Empire Classic
• Gotham Classic
• Bluegrass Showcase
• Bubbleville
• NIL Representation

Products and services

• Empire Classic Annual college basketball tournament featuring top NCAA programs competing in championship rounds at major venues. Presented by Skyscanner in 2025 with Mizzen+Main as presenting sponsor.
• Legends Classic Annual college basketball tournament with championship rounds at Barclays Center, featuring programs such as NC State, Marquette, LSU, and Arizona State. Sponsored by Old Trapper (Roman Legends Classic) and others; affiliated with the Northeast Conference.
• Gotham Classic Annual college basketball showcase held in New York venues, typically at Madison Square Garden or Barclays Center. The 2024 edition was titled the Nutrafol Gotham Classic and featured Maryland vs Syracuse.
• College Basketball Invitational (CBI) Postseason college basketball tournament produced by Gazelle Group, with tickets sold through Ticketmaster. The 2025 edition was won by Illinois State.
• Coach Representation Representation services for basketball coaches covering contract negotiation, media relations, sales and marketing, endorsement opportunities, and career management.
• NIL Representation Name, Image, and Likeness representation services for college student-athletes, including contract negotiation, brand partnerships, financial planning and professional development, supported by relationships with 350+ Division I teams and a financial planning partnership with Northwestern Mutual.
• Sponsorship Services Corporate sponsorship sales and activation for college basketball and hockey events, with packages built for both large and small businesses. Sponsorship benefits include TV and radio spots, billboards, court decals, digital signage, social media promotions, on-court presentations, website banners, hospitality and premium tickets; over 100 brands have sponsored Gazelle events and reach 4 million+ viewers annually.
• Bubbleville COVID-era collegiate basketball event series held at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, featuring multiple team pods and 26 games produced over 10 days in partnership with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
• Holiday Face-Off (Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off) College hockey tournament produced by Gazelle Group, presented by Kwik Trip.
• Sunshine Slam College basketball tournament event produced by Gazelle Group.
• Bluegrass Showcase Early-season college basketball event featuring the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena.
• Multi-Team Event Hosting (MTE Events) Portfolio of hosted multi-team college basketball events including Axe Em Classic, Boardwalk Battle, Edward Jones Capital Showcase, Holiday Hoopfest, Jersey Jam, Marquette Challenge, Portland Invitational, Ro Greensboro Invitational, Villanova Challenge, Waterkeeper Alliance Invitational, Wolverine-Deacon Challenge, and various past showcases such as Abe Lemons Classic, Wildcat Challenge, Cal Classic, and Duke Veterans Day Weekend Showcase.
• 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project Annual early-season college basketball tournament benefiting Wounded Warrior Project, with championship rounds at Madison Square Garden. The tournament raised over $4.5 million for the charity since 2012.
• Roman Legends Classic College basketball tournament presented by Old Trapper featuring regional and championship rounds, operated as a related property under the Legends Classic brand.

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered title, core, strategic, major and supporting.

• SkyscannertitleGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Skyscanner is the title sponsor for the 2025 Skyscanner Legends Classic. As a travel search platform, they provide event sponsorship supporting college basketball events.
• Mizzen+MaintitleGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Mizzen+Main is the presenting sponsor for the 2025 Empire Classic, with California defeating #18 UCLA 80-72 in the championship at Chase Center.
• NutrafoltitleGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Nutrafol is the title sponsor for the 2024 Nutrafol Gotham Classic, hosting Maryland vs Syracuse at Barclays Center.
• Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of FamecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020The Basketball Hall of Fame collaborated with Gazelle Group to produce Bubbleville at Mohegan Sun during COVID-19, housing multiple college basketball games with health and safety protocols. The partnership produced 26 games in 10 days.
• Wounded Warrior ProjectstrategicOthers · 1 January 2012Since 2012, the 2K Classic tournament beneficiary has been Wounded Warrior Project. The partnership has helped raise over $4.5 million for the organization through college basketball events.
• ESPNcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerESPN is the primary television broadcast partner for Gazelle's college basketball events. At least 10 nationally televised games on ESPN's networks reach over 4 million viewers annually. Events include the Empire Classic, Legends Classic, and College Basketball Invitational.
• CBS SportscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCBS Sports is a broadcast partner for Gazelle's college basketball events, providing national television coverage alongside ESPN to maximize sponsor reach.
• Madison Square GardenmajorOthersMadison Square Garden in New York City serves as a championship venue for the 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project. The iconic venue elevates event prestige and audience reach.
• Barclays CentermajorOthersBarclays Center in Brooklyn hosts Legends Classic Championship Rounds. With 17,732 seats for basketball, the arena provides significant audience exposure for sponsors and teams.
• Mohegan SunmajorOthersMohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut served as the venue for Bubbleville during COVID-19, hosting 26 games with health and safety protocols in place.
• Northeast Conference (NEC)strategicGTM or Marketing PartnerThe NEC is the sponsoring conference for Legends Classic and 2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project, providing conference affiliation and access to member institutions.
• Northwestern MutualsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerNorthwestern Mutual serves as the financial representative for Gazelle NIL clientele, providing financial planning services to student-athletes represented by Gazelle.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Endeavor (IMG): Endeavor owns IMG, the global sports marketing leader where Gazelle founder Rick Giles previously worked. IMG operates across athlete representation, event production, and media rights, overlapping with all five of Gazelle's revenue streams at global scale.
• CAA Sports: CAA Sports (now part of TKO Group Holdings) is a major athlete representation and sports marketing agency. Comparable to Gazelle's coach and NIL representation services, but operating at global scale across multiple sports.
• Octagon: Octagon is a global sports marketing agency that handles athlete representation, event production, and sponsorship consulting. It competes with Gazelle's coach representation, NIL services, and event properties, especially in basketball and hockey.
• Learfield: Learfield is the leading U.S. college athletics multimedia rights holder, managing sponsorship and media rights for hundreds of university athletic departments. Comparable to Gazelle as a college sports sponsorship rights intermediary, but at vastly larger scale.

Emerging players

• Range Media Partners: Range Media Partners is an athlete and talent representation firm that has expanded into NIL representation for college athletes. Comparable to Gazelle's NIL service line, with overlap in basketball and multi-sport athlete management.
• Excel Sports Management: Excel Sports Management is an athlete representation agency that has expanded into NIL representation for college athletes. Comparable to Gazelle's NIL practice, though Excel is broader in scope (golf, baseball, basketball, football).

Direct peers

• Team IP: Team IP is a collegiate sports marketing agency that sells sponsorships and manages events for university athletic programs. Direct overlap with Gazelle's sponsorship sales and event production for college basketball and football properties.
• HomeTeam Marketing: HomeTeam Marketing is a college sports sponsorship and event marketing firm that partners with university athletic departments to monetize sports properties. Direct overlap with Gazelle's corporate sponsorship sales for college sports events.
• ESPN Events: ESPN Events operates college basketball early-season tournaments (e.g., Maui Invitational, Battle 4 Atlantis) directly comparable to Gazelle's Empire Classic, Legends Classic, and Gotham Classic. Both produce nationally televised MTEs selling title sponsorships to brands.
• Intersport: Intersport is a sports marketing and event production agency that creates and sells college basketball events and tournaments with sponsorship sales. Direct overlap with Gazelle's event production and sponsorship activation model.

Market position

Strengths6 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Gazelle_Events
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/GazelleGroupEvents
• Facebookfacebook.com/CollegeBasketballInvitational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-gazelle-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gazelle