2013 In Review: Top Five Individuals in Philadelphia Sports in 2013

No matter how often the ‘team’ concept is said to define professional sports, failing to realize that individuals drive the machine that has made coverage of those teams what it is today would be ignorant to say the least. In a world where accessibility is at an all-time high, the people put in charge of the most important positions within organizations face scrutiny every second of every day. The rise of social media, intensified media coverage, and the concept of the ‘superstar’ has turned what was once pieces of a franchise into celebrities on local, national, and international levels. The reason athletes like LeBron James, coaches like Bill Belichick, and executives like Billy Beane have gained the notoriety they have is because they have dealt with the intensified attention and continue to put out a superior product.

Philadelphia is no exception to the sort of individualized coverage that has become the norm in professional sports, far from it. With the passion of the fanbase to go along with the pressure to win a championship, those men in charge of important positions within the framework of the Philadelphia sports landscape see the opinion of them change at the drop of a hat. 2013 was a unique instance where all four major sports organizations saw substantial changes and a new collection of individuals were thrust into the limelight, for better or for worse. With every franchise going through a coaching change, personnel turnover, and even shifts in ownership the fate of the city as far as their beloved teams were placed in the hands of a whole new collection of personalities. Performances varied and opinions fluctuated, but at the end of the day the makeup of the Philadelphia sports scene is almost a polar opposite of where it was this time last year. With that in mind, here are the top five individuals in Philadelphia sports in 2013.