Crowley Sullivan is chief executive officer of Athlete Advantage (AA), a Chicago-based company that builds innovative revenue solutions across collegiate athletics and higher education through events, experiences, and original content. He joined the company in 2024 and leads its long-term vision, key partnerships, and growth initiatives.
For more than 30 years, Sullivan has built and led revenue generation and growth initiatives for some of the most recognized names in sports and media. His work spans ESPN, the UFC, USA Today Sports Digital Media Group, and the Chicago White Sox. A well-respected leader and collaborator, Sullivan has worked with C-suite leaders and private equity capital firms to help shape businesses at the intersection of competition, content, and commerce.
From 2019 to May 2024, Sullivan served as vice president and general manager of UFC Fight Pass for Dana White and WME-IMG (Endeavor). He led the vision, growth strategy, and daily operations of the UFC’s direct-to-consumer streaming platform. He oversaw P&L performance, subscription and revenue campaigns, partnership development, and long-range business planning. Under his leadership, UFC Fight Pass surpassed financial expectations for subscriber growth and revenue, solidifying its position as one of the sport’s most important digital assets.
From 2016 to 2019, Sullivan served as executive vice president, planning and general manager, sports at Mandt Media, an Emmy Award-winning immersive entertainment and media studio. He drove P&L performance and business strategy for a college football-focused digital platform built in partnership with IMG College. His work brought together content innovation, new revenue development, and emerging technology at a time when digital consumption was reshaping the industry.
In 2012, Sullivan founded Sullivan Productions, an original sports programming company that provided sports content to broadcast, cable, digital, and league platforms. During that period, he launched “Spartans Wire” as part of USA Today’s national team site network, demonstrating his early ability to spot opportunity, build products, and scale ideas into national platforms.
After his tenure at ESPN, Sullivan joined his former ESPN boss, Mark Shapiro, at Six Flags, where he served as regional vice president of strategy and management, overseeing P&L performance and long-term planning for five theme parks across the system. He led financial management for each property, including EBITDA performance, monthly forecasting, and capital and operating budgets. His work helped Six Flags achieve free cash flow for the first time in the company’s history. He guided annual attendance growth, managed full-time and seasonal staff across the region, and coordinated cross-departmental corporate initiatives that strengthened operations and improved performance.
Prior to Six Flags, he served in several roles for ESPN in Bristol, Conn., including vice president, programming and acquisitions for ESPN Classic and ESPNews from 2004 to 2005, director of programming and acquisitions for ESPN Classic from 2002 to 2003, and director of business development from 2001 to 2002, with responsibility for programming strategy, P&L, and new revenue initiatives. His team earned a Peabody® Award and an Emmy® Award for the series SportsCentury.
Sullivan is a Michigan State University graduate who lives in Chicago and is deeply committed and connected to the mission and business of collegiate athletics as a business enterprise partner, board member, and C-suite advisor.
