In celebration of the 100 year anniversary of the Grey Cup, we are delighted to host CFL Commissioner, Mark Cohon in conversation with Stephen Brunt, leading columnist and broadcaster at Rogers Sportsnet and author of 100 Grey Cups-This Is Our Game, during the week long festival of the Grey Cup in Toronto.
Mark Cohon leads the Canadian Football League as it celebrates a storied history and builds a bright future. Since becoming the league’s twelfth commissioner in 2007, he has worked with the league’s Board of Governors and member teams to deliver strong attendance, expanding corporate partnerships, and tremendous television audiences.
His tenure has been marked by a strong relationship with the league’s broadcast partner, TSN, and an emphasis on putting the fans at the centre of the league’s activities. Cohon was the first Commissioner in major sports to host an annual State of the League accountability session with fans, now a regular part of Grey Cup Week.
Cohon, who recently signed a three-year extension of his contract as Commissioner of Canada’s league, is routinely listed among the most influential people in Canadian sport. He is a former executive with Major League Baseball International (MLB), where was Director of Corporate and Game Development, and the National Basketball Association, where he was recruited by Commissioner David Stern to serve as Director and Group Manager of International Marketing, Managing Director of NBA Europe, and Vice-President of Business Development. Former Chief Development Officer for Petopia, a multi-channel retailer in the United States, Cohon was the President and CEO of AudienceView, an event ticketing firm that grew under his leadership to claim such prominent international clients as the Toronto Blue Jays, the new Wembley Stadium, Churchill Downs and MGM Inc.
Cohon is Chair of the Ontario Science Centre, one of the world’s largest centres devoted to science and its impact on our lives. He serves on the Board of World Wildlife Fund Canada and is a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. A member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), and a graduate of Northwestern University in Chicago, Mark lives in Toronto with his wife Suzanne and their daughter.
