Evan Parker ('05)

Evan Parker, a Sports Business Journal Forty Under 40 honoree (class of 2021), is the CEO of the venture-backed content and community platform for collectors, Mantel. Parker started Mantel with partners Alexis Ohanian (founder of Reddit) and Brent Montgomery (CEO of Wheelhouse Entertainment) in 2023, and the site officially launched in February 2024.

Prior to starting Mantel, Parker was the senior vice president of business and content operations for The Athletic (acquired by The New York Times in February 2022), a direct-to-consumer digital sports media company. Parker joined The Athletic in 2019 after eight years at NASCAR, where he worked across a variety of roles, including vice president/head of content, overseeing video production, digital editorial, social media, graphic design and entertainment marketing for the league.

Parker started his career at Edelman, the global communications and marketing firm, where he represented blue-chip clients like Microsoft, Clorox and Wrigley. Parker is also an advisory member of Sports Biz Camps, helping to bring opportunities within the sports industry to life for high school and college students in underrepresented communities. An LA native and graduate of the University of Maryland, Parker lives in Los Angeles with his wife Maggie (and their cute-but-ill-behaved pets Fitz and Fergus).