ABSTRACT
The Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission (LASEC) is a nonprofit organization—officially designated by Los Angeles Tourism—to attract, secure, and support high-profile events for the Los Angeles region. Since 1995, the LASEC has focused exclusively on hosting events in these venues that produce lasting and positive economic, cultural, and social impacts for Los Angeles County. Toward this goal, the LASEC has built a specialized supportive ecosystem of public, for-profit, and nonprofit organizations to ensure their events have the proper infrastructure, fulfill the event's financial obligations to the city, and enhance the lives of residents—particularly minoritized populations and those from underserved communities. In this chapter, the authors illustrate how LASEC supports SDG 9 through its ChampionLA initiative. Specifically, they discuss how ChampionLA partnered with Super Bowl LVI and established the Business Connect and Champions Live Here programs to provide economic opportunities for minority-owned businesses and enhance technological capabilities of underserved communities. These programs have spurred innovation and promise to create sustainable change in Los Angeles County.
