U/S SPORTS ADVISORS | play.smarter.

Brian Thornton
Managing Director, Marketing

Brian Thornton joined US Sports Advisors in 2010 with a diverse sports background including stints in professional and amateur baseball, the NFL and the NBA. He has over 16 years of experience in all areas of sports management including marketing, ticket sales, community relations, public relations. At U/S Sports Advisors, he is responsible for pro-football client promotional programs.

Thornton spent three years with Ripken Baseball, where he oversaw marketing of the company. He was also responsible for integrating promotional and corporate efforts across each of Ripken Baseball’s business entities including three professional minor league baseball teams, national youth baseball camps, tournaments and programming, an online memorabilia company, the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, and for Cal Ripken Jr. himself.

Prior to Ripken Baseball, Thornton served as Marketing Director for the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers as well as for Quicken Loans Arena. While with the Cavs, he was also involved in developing the initial marketing and brand strategies around LeBron James during his first three years in the NBA.

Thornton has received multiple awards and honors including the 2001 “Ad It Up” Award for the nation’s top minor league sports marketing campaign, three-time finalist for the prestigious AdCheivement Award for the top advertising campaign in professional sports, and was awarded the 2001 Prism Award for implementing the top Sports Marketing and Community Relations programs in the country. In addition, he has been a featured speaker at the National Sports Forum, Baseball Winter Meetings, and at multiple colleges and universities. Thornton is a native Southern Californian and attended the University of San Diego.