Season 4 - Ep. 2 | The Business of Football with Los Angeles Rams COO Kevin Demoff

Great leaders at the top of their game have the audacity to continue to believe in themselves, to continue to work harder and keep trying, even when faced with failure. It’s a superpower that helps them redefine themselves, their companies, their industries, and ultimately be successful.

What does it take to win the Super Bowl? The obvious factors include drive, grit, determination, and excellence to make it to the championship level. But what else goes into the winning formula to propel teams through the ups and downs of an NFL season where only one team can be called the champion?

Today on Redefiners, we talk with Kevin Demoff, Chief Operating Officer of the Los Angeles Rams football team, who won Super Bowl LVI in 2022. Kevin takes us into the locker room and the front office to share what it takes to be a Super Bowl championship team. He talks about the importance of consistency and authenticity as a leader, how he uses fan feedback to solve problems, the importance of inclusion and diversity to reflect your fan community in your staff, and how fear of failure and vulnerability help him propel his organization to new heights. Kevin also goes beyond football to talk about the vision and sustainability plans behind Hollywood Park, the 300-acre sports and entertainment complex that houses SoFi Stadium where the Rams play.

Pull up a chair and grab your nachos, chicken wings, and a favorite beverage for this insightful conversation.

We’ll also hear from Ben Shrewsbury, a Managing Director in our Dallas office, who will discuss why COOs are often first choice for the CEO role, and the skills they’ll need to dial up to thrive in the top seat.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these Redefiners episodes:  

• Leadership Lessons from the Field with Troy Vincent
  

• From Gillette to Jamba Juice: How to Lead Iconic Brands with Empathy, Purpose & Integrity
  

• Leading with Vulnerability with Bestselling Author Jacob Morgan

Kevin Demoff
Chief Operating Officer, Los Angeles Rams

Kevin Demoff is the Chief Operating Officer for the Los Angeles Rams and the team’s top front office executive and liaison to owner and chairman, Stan Kroenke, on all organizational matters.

After serving on the working group that helped Kroenke return the Rams – Los Angeles’ original professional sports team – home to L.A., Demoff is playing a significant role in delivering on Kroenke’s vision to design and construct Hollywood Park, the 298-acre sports and entertainment district in Inglewood that features SoFi Stadium, the home of the Rams. Beyond the stadium, the campus includes the 6,000-seat YouTube Theater, an office complex that is the home of the NFL’s West Coast headquarters, a retail district that is under development, and is currently the largest entitled real-estate project in Southern California.

Demoff has also joined forces with the LA24 Olympic Bid Committee to help deliver the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games to Los Angeles along with other marque events like the College Football National Championship Game and Wrestlemania in 2023. Beyond the impact of Super Bowl and other major events hosted in LA and Inglewood, the Hollywood Park development is expected to generate hundreds of millions in new annual economic activity across the region.

In Demoff’s tenure with the Rams, he has shaped the club’s business efforts with a focus on delivering a best-in-class experience for fans and partners, building a team that reflects Los Angeles, and increasing the club’s presence in the community. He has spearheaded the organization’s efforts to become one of the strongest philanthropic partners in professional sports and has intentionally built one of the most diverse front offices in sports. The Rams rank in the top quartile of all NFL teams in terms of racial and gender diversity across the organization.

Demoff has also expanded that commitment beyond LA and helped launch the Black Sports Business Symposium, which aims to create new opportunities for diverse professionals in sports, and to increase Black representation in the industry. He also regularly supports programs aimed at increasing diversity across the NFL, including the Ozzie Newsome General Manager Forum and Quarterback Coaching Summit.

Reinforcing the Rams’ commitment to the Los Angeles community, Demoff was selected to sit on the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce’s CEO Council and serves on multiple boards including the Los Angeles Sports Council, and the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission, as well as its philanthropic initiative, ChampionLA.  This year, Demoff also became the Co-Chair of the Los Angeles Coalition for the Economy & Jobs, an independent bipartisan membership organization established to bring together leaders from the region’s business, labor, academic and nonprofit communities to advance sound policy initiatives that will help grow the economy and create quality jobs throughout the L.A. region.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Calif., Demoff received a bachelors’ degree in history and a Masters in Business Administration from Dartmouth, where he serves on the MBA Leadership Council.