Key Takeaways
- BSN SPORTS, a division of $4.75 billion Varsity Brands, has appointed Avery Jessup to the newly created role of chief commercial officer
- Jessup most recently served as Global Chief Commercial Officer at Fanatics Collectibles, where he held accountability for multi-billion-dollar revenue performance
- The role consolidates oversight of sales operations, digital and e-commerce, marketing, pricing, licensing, and customer experience under one leader
- Jessup previously spent nearly a decade at Nike in senior leadership roles with Jordan Brand, including Head of Marketplace for North America
- The hire signals BSN SPORTS’ focus on tightening commercial execution across its school, club, and organizational customer base
A New Commercial Role for BSN SPORTS
Farmers Branch, Texas-based BSN SPORTS has created its first-ever chief commercial officer position and filled it with Avery Jessup, a nearly 20-year veteran of global consumer and B2B organizations. The move places sales operations, digital, e-commerce, marketing, pricing, licensing, and customer experience under a single commercial leader for the first time.
BSN SPORTS is the sporting goods, team apparel, and equipment arm of Varsity Brands, which was acquired by KKR in a deal valued at $4.75 billion. The company serves schools, clubs, and organizations nationwide.
What Jessup Brings from Fanatics and Nike
Jessup arrives from Fanatics Collectibles, where he served as Global Chief Commercial Officer. In that role, he directed commercial strategy across digital and physical channels and was accountable for multi-billion-dollar revenue. BSN SPORTS noted that during his tenure, Jessup helped deliver record revenue growth and advanced data-driven pricing and go-to-market capabilities.
Before Fanatics, Jessup spent close to a decade at Nike, where he held senior leadership positions within Jordan Brand. His roles included Head of Marketplace, North America and General Manager of the Men’s business. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles at Domino’s Pizza focused on growth and operations across the Asia-Pacific region.
What BSN SPORTS Is Building Toward
Terry Babilla, president of BSN SPORTS, pointed to Jessup’s cross-channel experience as the fit for the company’s next phase. “He brought strong commercial discipline, a proven record of anticipating needs and delivering for customers as well as a collaborative leadership style to his previous roles that will translate well across our team,” Babilla said.
Jessup framed his focus around sharpening execution for the customers BSN SPORTS already serves. “This next chapter is all about how we take that base and sharpen our commercial execution in a way that better serves schools, coaches, and communities,” he said.
The creation of a dedicated CCO role suggests BSN SPORTS is looking to unify what have historically been separate commercial functions under one strategic umbrella, a common move among companies scaling digital and direct-to-customer operations alongside traditional sales channels.
Source: Dallas Innovates, Sandra Engelland, February 19, 2026
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