On January 23rd Los Angeles Wildcats President Ms. Heather Brooks Karatz hosted a Q&A on the XFL Reddit stream (r/xfl).
Karatz, who has been in the LA sports world for quite some time is the right person to lead the Wildcats into their inaugural season. Karatz graduated from University magna cum laude in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and a minor in philosophy and then later attended UCLA for her law degree.
She then became the General Counsel and SVP of Independent Sports and Entertainment which used to be known as Relativity Sports. Independent Sports and Entertainment is a sports agency that has roughly 140 clients and negotiated 1.28B in contracts just in the year 2019. Notable clients include Justin Verlander, Larry Fitzgerald, and more. She then was the Executive Vice President & General Counsel of Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC), the successful expansion MLS team. As a result, not only does Karatz have experience in professional sports but she has experience building up a brand new team.
While on the Q&A via r/xfl on reddit.com, Karatz announced that the team will announce a local radio affiliate soon. She was also asked about how the Wildcats will survive in LA as even two NFL teams in LA don’t have huge fan bases and have low attendance from home fans. Karatz believes that with the tickets affordable to a family and the access to fans that the Wildcats will strive in LA.
When asked about having a real wildcat on the field during the games… Karatz said she would go with a cheetah but untimely let the fans vote.
You can follow Karatz on Twitter and Instagram: @HeatherBKaratz
Here are some additional questions from fans asked to Heather Brooks Karatz via r/xfl on reddit.com:
Q: What are your thoughts on teams being under the same ownership? How does that affect your day to day operations and player contracts? I’ve seen a lot of xfl talk about new rules etc but haven’t seen as much about contract talks with players and that side of the business.
A: Our single entity structure enables us to launch this league and all eight markets in a cohesive and efficient manner. I collaborate with the other team presidents on a regular basis while recognizing that each market is unique – in fact, I just got off the phone with Grady in Dallas where we were discussing a component of gameday around the LA home opener on 2/16. That being said, it is so important to also note that the football operations side of all things XFL is run differently so that the integrity of the game is not compromised.
Q: What drew you to the Wildcats i.e. was there anything that stood out to you when you first came across the XFL and the Wildcats?
A: I think this team and league are uniquely situated in this crowded marketplace. I saw this as a once in a lifetime opportunity and I wanted to be a part of something special and different.
Q: What’s your favorite part of the Wildcats organization so far?
A: We landed the best coaching staff, players, and employees for this journey – wouldn’t want to be here with anyone else!
Q: How did you come to be team president? Were you approached by the league, or did you actively inquire about it?
A: I was approached by the League’s recruiting team for this opportunity while I was still at my old job. As I learned more about the plans for this new league, I knew I had to be a part of it!
