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Casey Wasserman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Casey Myers)
Casey Wasserman
Wasserman in 2025
President of the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Incumbent
Assumed office
August 11, 2024
LeaderThomas Bach
Kirsty Coventry
Preceded byTony Estanguet (Paris 2024)
Succeeded byAndrew Liveris (Brisbane 2032)
Chair of the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 31, 2017
Preceded byPosition established
Personal details
BornCasey Myers
(1974-06-28) June 28, 1974 (age 52)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
SpouseLaura Ziffren Wasserman (divorced)
RelativesLew Wasserman (maternal grandfather)
EducationUniversity of California, Los Angeles (BA)
OccupationBusinessman, philanthropist

Casey Wasserman (né Myers; born June 28, 1974[1]) is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder of the Los Angeles-based sports, entertainment, and talent agency Wasserman. He also serves as chairperson and president of LA28, the organizing committee for the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, and as president and chief executive of the Wasserman Foundation, a philanthropic foundation of the Wasserman family.

Early life and education

[edit]

Wasserman was born on June 28, 1974, in Los Angeles to Lynne Wasserman and Jack Myers. His parents divorced when he was seven, and he was raised primarily by his mother. His maternal grandfather, entertainment executive Lew Wasserman, longtime chairman of MCA, served as a mentor throughout his youth.[2] Wasserman adopted his grandfather's surname at age 18.[3][4] His family is of Ukrainian Jewish descent.[5]

At age 10, he served as a torchbearer during the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.[6] He attended Brentwood School and graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1996 with a BA in political science.[1][7]

Career

[edit]

Los Angeles Avengers

[edit]

In 1998, Wasserman purchased the Los Angeles Avengers, an expansion franchise of the Arena Football League (AFL) for about $5 million. He remained the team's owner throughout its existence and was elected chairman of the league. During his tenure, he negotiated a national television partnership between the league and NBC television, as well as the collective bargaining agreement with its players. The Avengers ceased operations in April 2009 as the Arena Football League folded.[8] In 2015, Wasserman was inducted into the National Football Foundation (NFF) Hall of Fame.[9]

Wasserman Media Group

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In 2002, Wasserman founded Wasserman Media Group, a Los Angeles-based sports marketing and talent representation firm.[3] The company grew through a series of acquisitions, including sports marketing firm Envision, action sports agency The Familie, and production company 411 Productions, later relaunched as Studio 411.[10]

In 2016, Wasserman Media Group rebranded as Wasserman and was frequently referred to as "Team Wass".[11]

In 2019, Wasserman earned over $200 million in commissions, making it the second most profitable sports agency that year. That same year, Wasserman became the first agency to have a client selected in the first round of all six of North America’s major team sports drafts.[12] In 2020, Wasserman was again the second most valuable sports agency, earning $331 million in commissions and signing $5.7 billion in contracts.[13]

In January 2026, correspondence between Wasserman and Ghislaine Maxwell dating to 2003 was released as part of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. Following the release, several artists left Wasserman's music agency.[14][15][16] Soccer player Abby Wambach also announced she would be exiting the firm.[17] Several others, including Best Coast, Beach Bunny, Hot Mulligan, Louis the Child, and John Summit, demanded that Wasserman step down from the agency.[15][16] Wasserman said he "deeply regrets" the communication, which predated the public disclosure of Maxwell's crimes.[18][19] On February 13, 2026, Wasserman announced that he had started the process of selling the Wasserman agency, and would also step back from his representation business interests.[20][21] In July 2026, The Team and Providence Equity Partners announced an agreement under which The Team would acquire Wasserman's remaining ownership interest.[22] In 2026, the agency renamed as "The·Team".[23]

LA28

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Wasserman chaired the bid committee that led Los Angeles's successful campaign to host the 2028 Summer Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the Games to Los Angeles in September 2017 under an agreement that also awarded Paris the 2024 Summer Olympics. He was appointed chairman of the LA28 organizing committee on July 31, 2017, and additionally assumed the role of president on August 11, 2024, succeeding Gene Sykes.[24][25]

In 2020, amid the George Floyd Protests, Wasserman, in a letter sent on Juneteenth, urged IOC President Thomas Bach to amend Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter to allow athletes to engage in anti-racist advocacy. Rule 50 prohibits athletes from partaking in any kind of "demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda" during the Olympics, a ban which extends to gestures like kneeling or raising a fist.[26][27][28] Bach defended the rule in an op-ed published in The Guardian, reaffirming his stance that the Games should remain "politically neutral", writing that boycotts don't work, and that without the rule the Olympics would "descend into a marketplace of demonstrations of all kinds".[29][30]

In January 2026, correspondence between Wasserman and Ghislaine Maxwell dating to 2003 was released as part of documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. The disclosure prompted calls from some Los Angeles political figures, including Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles County supervisors Janice Hahn and Lindsey Horvath, Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia, and five members of the Los Angeles City Council for Wasserman to resign.[31][32][33] Wasserman said he "deeply regrets" the communication, which predated the public disclosure of Maxwell's crimes.[18][19] An external legal review commissioned by the LA28 board concluded that his interactions with Epstein and Maxwell did not extend beyond what had already been publicly documented. The board's executive committee subsequently voted to retain him as chairman.[34][35]

Philanthropy and political activities

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Wasserman Foundation

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Wasserman serves as the president and CEO of the Wasserman Foundation, a private family foundation, which was founded by his grandparents, Edie and Lew Wasserman, in 1952.[36] The foundation supports initiatives in education, the arts, health, public service, and international programs.[37]

In education, the foundation has supported scholarships and access programs, including the Wasserman Scholars fund at UCLA. In 2024, it committed up to US$4 million to fund classroom projects in the Los Angeles Unified School District through DonorsChoose, in partnership with Creative Artists Agency.[38]

The foundation is also a longtime donor to UCLA. In 2015, it announced a US$10 million naming gift for the university's football training facility.[39] The 75,000-square-foot Wasserman Football Center, named in recognition of the foundation and its president, opened on the UCLA campus in August 2017.[40]

Civic and cultural roles

[edit]

Wasserman serves on the boards of the Motion Picture & Television Fund and UCLA's Jules Stein Eye Institute and is a trustee of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.[24] He also serves as co-chair of the UCLA Second Century Council and is a member of the university's Centennial Committee.[37] He has also served on the boards of the LBJ Presidential Library, the video game publisher Activision, and the digital media company Vox Media.[36] In 2025, he was named to the search committee that identified a new head football coach at UCLA.[41][42]

Politics

[edit]

Wasserman has also been active in political fundraising. He co-chaired a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign on August 22, 2016.[43] However, ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, he has donated to Republican candidates. In September 2025, he donated $10,000 to Republican Senator Susan Collins, and organized a fundraiser for her campaign, which he co-hosted with Sherry Lansing.[44][45]

Personal life

[edit]

Wasserman had a close relationship with his grandfather. The two would have breakfast together every Saturday and Sunday from the time he was a child until his grandfather's death in 2002.[46] He is divorced from music supervisor Laura Ziffren Wasserman,[47] whose grandfather Paul Ziffren was a Democratic Party leader and chair of the Los Angeles 1984 Summer Olympics Organizing Committee.[48][49] They have two children—a son and a daughter.[1][50] In 2026, it was reported that his daughter, Stella Wasserman, is training to compete with the Israeli show jumping team in the 2028 Olympics.[51][52]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 Turvill, William (November 12, 2023). "Hollywood's super agent: why the business of sport will only get bigger". The Sunday Times.
  2. ↑ Dagan, Carmel (August 19, 2011). "Edie Wasserman dies at 95". Variety. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Barnes, Brooks (July 6, 2013). "A Sports Agent With Hollywood in His Blood". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  4. ↑ Kiefer, Peter (August 21, 2025). "Lord of the Rings: Casey Wasserman's Olympic Odyssey".
  5. ↑ Abrahamson, Alan (October 16, 2023). "Casey Wasserman at the IOC and unequivocally in solidarity with Israel". 3 Wire Sports. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Meet Casey Wasserman, Hollywood sports mogul and LA Olympics organiser". South China Morning Post. July 12, 2024.
  7. ↑ Wharton, David (December 4, 2015). "Great Read: Casey Wasserman carries the torch to bring Olympics to L.A. in 2024". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  8. ↑ Farmer, Sam (April 20, 2009). "Avengers to fold Arena Football League franchise". Los Angeles Times.
  9. ↑ "Bidwill, Ducey To Go Into NFF Hall Of Fame". www.azcardinals.com. November 19, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  10. ↑ Lefton, Terry (September 22, 2026). "All in The Familie: Wasserman adds alt-sports agency to acquisitions". Sports Business Journal.
  11. ↑ Connelly, Tony (February 17, 2016). "Wasserman undergoes rebrand to reflect its evolution from just sports". The Drum.
  12. ↑ Jessop, Alicia (December 26, 2019). "How Wasserman agents found success repping first-rounders in all 6 major North American league drafts in 2019". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  13. ↑ Belzer, Jason (December 22, 2020). "The World's Most Valuable Sports Agencies 2020: CAA On Top, Wasserman Closes The Gap". Forbes. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  14. ↑ Patten, Dominic (February 10, 2026). "Chappell Roan Exits Casey Wasserman's Music Empire Over LA28 Boss' Epstein Files Revelations: "I Refuse To Passively Stand By"". Deadline. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  15. 1 2 Frank, Jason P. (February 11, 2026). "All the Celebrities Calling Out Casey Wasserman Over the Epstein Files". Vulture. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  16. 1 2 Eggertsen, Chris (February 13, 2026). "Wasserman Fallout: Every Artist Who Has Spoken Out Over Founder's Epstein Ties (UPDATING)". Billboard. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  17. ↑ Millman, Ethan (February 11, 2026). "Wasserman Exits Extend Beyond Music as Soccer Star Abby Wambach Departs: "Casey Should Resign"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  18. 1 2 Burgess, Jack (February 1, 2026). "LA Olympics chief Casey Wasserman 'deeply regrets' flirty emails with Ghislaine Maxwell". BBC. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  19. 1 2 "LA Olympics chief says he 'deeply regrets' emails with Ghislaine Maxwell". The Guardian. February 1, 2026. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  20. ↑ "LA28 chief Wasserman is putting his talent agency up for sale after Maxwell revelations, WSJ reports". February 14, 2026 – via www.reuters.com.
  21. ↑ Limehouse, Jonathan (February 14, 2026). "Casey Wasserman selling talent agency amid Epstein files fallout". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  22. ↑ Schisgall, Elias (July 28, 2026). "Casey Wasserman's Talent Agency to Buy Out His Stake Using Private-Equity Financing". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 10, 2026.
  23. ↑ Burrows, Ben (March 10, 2026). "Casey Wasserman's agency rebrands without his name following outcry over Epstein ties". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  24. 1 2 "Casey Wasserman". olympics.com. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  25. ↑ "IOC makes historic decision by simultaneously awarding Olympic Games 2024 to Paris and 2028 to Los Angeles". International Olympic Committee. September 13, 2017. Archived from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  26. ↑ Soshnick, Scott (July 31, 2020). "L.A. Olympic Chair Wasserman Asks IOC President to Repeal Rule That Bars Advocacy". Sportico. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  27. ↑ Wharton, David (July 31, 2020). "L.A. Olympic officials ask IOC to allow athlete protests". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  28. ↑ Iveson, Ali (August 1, 2020). "Los Angeles 2028 chief Wasserman joins calls for Rule 50 to be amended". Inside the Games. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  29. ↑ Bruton, Michelle. "IOC President Thomas Bach: Olympics 'Are Not About Politics,' Athletes Should Be Politically Neutral At Games". Forbes. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  30. ↑ Bach, Thomas (October 23, 2020). "The Olympics are about unity and diversity, not politics and profit. Boycotts don't work". the Guardian. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  31. ↑ Panja, Tariq; Hubler, Shawn (February 5, 2026). "LA Olympics Chief Keeps Low Profile in Milan Games After Appearing in Epstein Files". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  32. ↑ Williams, Michael (February 6, 2026). "LA Olympics chief faces calls to resign after flirty emails with Ghislaine Maxwell are revealed in Epstein files". CNN. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  33. ↑ Muller-Heyndyk, Rachel (February 14, 2026). "Casey Wasserman to sell talent agency after Epstein fallout". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on March 30, 2026. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  34. ↑ Jiménez, Jesus; Hubler, Shawn; Rosenhall, Laurel (February 11, 2026). "Casey Wasserman Will Stay as Head of 2028 Olympics Despite Epstein Ties, Organizers Say". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  35. ↑ "LA28 board backs Casey Wasserman after Epstein files scrutiny". ESPN.com. February 11, 2026. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  36. 1 2 "Casey Wasserman - General". National Football Foundation. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  37. 1 2 "Casey Wasserman '96 – UCLA Alumni". January 1, 2024.
  38. ↑ Gardner, Chris (September 12, 2024). "CAA and Casey Wasserman's Foundation Team on School Day Drive to Support Teachers, Students".
  39. ↑ "UCLA Receives $10,000,000 Donation for Wasserman Football Center". UCLA Bruins.
  40. ↑ "Wasserman Football Center Officially Opens". UCLA Bruins.
  41. ↑ "UCLA Athletics Reveals Search Committee for Head Football Coach". UCLA Bruins.
  42. ↑ Bolch, Ben (September 25, 2025). "UCLA reveals football coach search committee steeped with pro sports experience". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  43. ↑ "Hillary Clinton Fundraisers Coming to Beverly Hills". The Beverly Hills Courier. August 3, 2016. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  44. ↑ Matthews, Troy (July 21, 2026). "More Donations from Epstein Contacts to Susan Collins Uncovered". MeidasTouch. Archived from the original on September 17, 2026.
  45. ↑ Schleifer, Theodore; Barnes, Brooks (August 20, 2025). "Susan Collins to Get Hollywood Treatment at Fund-Raiser Featuring Democrats". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 20, 2025.
  46. ↑ Mullen, Liz (November 10, 2003). "Casey Wasserman". Sports Business Journal. Leaders Group.
  47. ↑ Gardner, Chris. "Casey Wasserman Slams Daily Mail for Reporting Claims About Personal Life: "Consider the Source"". Hollywood Reporter.
  48. ↑ Johnson, Ted (October 13, 2016). "Hillary Clinton's Final L.A. Campaign Fundraiser Will Be at Site Steeped in Hollywood-D.C. History". Variety. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  49. ↑ Reich, Kenneth (June 2, 1991). "Paul Ziffren, Democratic Power in State, Dies at 77 : Politics: He was credited with rebuilding the party in the '50s. He also was board chairman for '84 Olympics". Los Angeles Times.
  50. ↑ "Laura Wasserman: From Hollywood to High Point Leaving a Los Angeles Legacy". Sidelines Magazine. June 21, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  51. ↑ "Stella Wasserman: "Beyond results, I aim to be a committed and reliable representative"". World of Showjumping. May 20, 2026. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  52. ↑ Hurowitz, Noah (June 7, 2026). "Daughter of 2028 Olympics Chair Dreams of Competing in LA — for Israel". The Intercept. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
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