About Us

We amplify brand partnerships through the power of sports.

We’re Optimum Sports.

Founded in 2003, Optimum Sports has decades of experience in creating brand platforms grounded in the unique American sports fan experience. As devoted fans and athletes ourselves, we know how to authentically get our partners in the game; and with the backing of Omnicom Media Group, we set the standard for consumer-centric sports marketing.

We take a fully integrated approach to sports marketing by injecting specialists into clients’ media practices, connecting sponsorship to the wider media and marketing platform. As part of the first holding company to build a dedicated yet integrated sports marketing practice, innovation is in our DNA. That innovation extends into how we think, build, negotiate, activate, measure, and interact with our clients.

Leadership

President

Tom McGovern

As Founder and President of Optimum Sports, Tom has been at the forefront of the media, communications, and sponsorship industry for more than 30 years. Tom oversees all core strategies across media, sponsorship, and investment, as well as Optimum Sports’ entire client portfolio which includes some of the biggest brands in sports.

Since Tom launched OS in 2003, the agency has grown from a start-up to a leading sports marketing company. He is a widely recognized industry leader, helping sports media grow to where it is today and setting the stage for inclusion and innovation moving forward. Tom has been named among the Sports Business Journal’s “50 Most Influential People in Sports Business” and was named to SBJ’s “Forty Under 40” twice. Originally from Long Island, Tom lives in Yorktown with his family continues to religiously follow his New York Mets.

Chief Investment Officer

Jeremy Carey

An industry veteran and dynamic leader, Jeremy is the Chief Investment Officer at Optimum Sports. He directs strategic investment and negotiation for OS’s portfolio of blue-chip sports marketing clients. Jeremy and his team of award-winning talent oversee the most value-driven portfolio of investments across the marketplace.

After beginning his career at Omnicom Media Group in 2000, Jeremy joined OS in 2005, where he has developed some of the deepest relationships in the industry. With 20+ years driving brand partnership and investment initiatives across all major sports properties, Jeremy brings a rich blend of purpose- driven creativity, innate curiosity and diversity to his role. A Sports Business Journal “Forty Under 40” honoree, Jeremy regularly provides expert insight to leading publications including Ad Age, Adweek, The Sports Business Journal, the New York Times, WSJ and CNBC. He is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill where he was the captain of the 1999 lacrosse team, and in his spare time he still enjoys playing and watching sports, music & arts, and spending time with his family at the beach.

Chief Partnerships Officer

Dale Song

A highly collaborative leader with 25+ years in sports, Dale is the Chief Partnerships Officer at Optimum Sports, overseeing the Property Marketing Group, leading key client businesses and managing the OS Chicago office. Throughout 15+ years with OS, Dale has represented billions of dollars in client activity. He has led negotiations for multiple professional team naming rights deals, dozens of league-level sponsorships, and hundreds of team/event partnerships across professional and college sports.

Dale has developed deep expertise in working with media partners and managing client accounts across diverse categories including insurance, retail, CPG, technology, QSR, pharma, financial and gambling. Prior to his time at Optimum Sports, Dale helped open up a sports consultancy for a traditional advertising agency. Dale is graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and lives in Glenview, Illinois with his wife, Amy, and two children, Lena and Xander.

Managing Director

Kristen Gray

As Managing Director and Client Business Lead for Optimum Sports, Kristen is responsible for delivering marketing excellence through strategy, sponsorship & media investment, platform development, brand partnerships and creative activation. Since joining OS, in 2008, Kristen has led sports marketing strategy for major clients across categories including pharmaceutical, CPG, apparel, financial, retail, beer & FMB.

Among Kristen’s many accomplishments, she recently activated innovative marketing campaigns that brought home awards including Cannes Lions and Effies, and in 2022 she was named an honoree in both SBJ’s Game Changers: Women in Sports Business and Cynopsis’s Top Women in Sports Media. Years ago, she developed a women’s mentorship program at OS, showcasing and highlighting the remarkable women in the sports field and developing female talent across the organization. Kristen lives on the Upper East Side in NYC with her husband and two-year-old daughter.

Managing Director

Jared Merrell

Jared leads Sports Marketing and Media Strategy for a number of major Optimum Sports clients. He has extensive experience working with CPG, retail, travel, automotive and technology brands with expertise spanning sponsorship negotiation and activation, marketing and media strategy, and cross-platform media integration.

Over 15+ years at OS, Jared has worked extensively with brands, sports properties and media companies to develop best in class partnerships and activation, bringing brands together with media partners and properties to change the way that sports are covered, consumed and played. Jared is a Sports Business Journal “Forty Under 40” recipient (2020) and has been acknowledged for numerous client and industry awards including Cannes Lions, Festival of Media, Adweek, Clio Sports, Hashtag Sports and Cynopsis Sports awards. Jared earned his B.S. from Clemson University and his M.S. in Sports Business at NYU. He lives in Long Island with his wife, Erin, and his two children, Taylor and Camden.

Managing Director

Nick Youngman

Nick has spent his entire 17-year career in media and marketing, driving brand evolution in meeting marketing KPIs and growing business for his clients. Nick’s diverse experience includes both agencies and sales organizations, spanning media investment, strategy, comms planning, content development and measurement. His client experience shows a track record of brad innovation in the world of sports within industries including entertainment, CPG, retail, finance, auto, technology, telco and QSR.

Nick has a knack for creating brand platforms that break legacy models in communications planning, combining consumer passion points, modern consumption trends, and authentic brand storytelling. This has translated into multiple award-winning campaigns and partnerships for his clients. A loyal New York sports fan and former collegiate athlete, Nick played lacrosse at Franklin and Marshall College. His wife, Mary, also works in the industry and the two are lucky to have two young boys, Cole and Ryan.

Managing Director

Matt Greenberg

Matt joined Optimum Sports in 2011, quickly becoming an integral part of the media investment team. Over the years, Matt has led investment initiatives with media rights owners spanning all major professional and collegiate leagues and tentpole events including the Super Bowl, Olympics, World Cup, College Football Playoff and NCAA March Madness. Through media partnerships, Matt’s contributions have been felt across the entire OMG client roster, contributing to award winning work recognized by Cannes Lions, Sports Business Journal, Cynopsis Sports and more.

Matt has been a valuable component in the growth of the Optimum Sports media investment team both in size, reputation, and proliferation of media partners. A lifelong New Yorker, Matt is a passionate supporter of (certain) New York sports teams as well as Liverpool and the University of Michigan. Matt lives in Westchester with his wife, Sarie, and baby daughter, Talia.

Senior Director, Chicago

Amy Adelbush

Since joining Optimum Sports in 2016, Amy has spearheaded a wide range of accounts with efforts across professional and collegiate sports. She now captains two of the biggest brands in sports marketing – a major insurance company and a leading sports performance brand – and is widely recognized as the leading expert for strategic thinking across the agency. Amy specializes in creating sports marketing platforms that connect to and strengthen brand strategy. She has helped some of OS’s longest-standing clients rise out cluttered competitive categories to become ubiquitous within sports.

Amy was recently recognized as a 2022 Cynopsis Top Women in Media honoree – a testament to her longstanding impact within OS and the industry at large. A graduate of Marquette University, Amy loves to travel, attend her nieces' golf matches and is a hardcore fan of all Wisconsin sports.

Senior Director, LA

Dan Young

A seasoned business leader with deep expertise across media and sports, Dan is a Senior Director leading our Los Angeles office and overseeing sports marketing strategy for West Coast accounts that include major players in the world of sports. Dan has been integral to growing fundamental sports partnerships for one of the world’s major hardware technology companies, evolving the way that sports are played and consumed for professional and amateur athletes alike. He has deep category expertise in financial services, technology, retail and sporting goods and apparel.

In his free time, Dan enjoys spending his time at the beach, on the golf course, and supporting his girls with their various sporting endeavors, from softball to soccer to volleyball.

Leadership