For lawyer and investment group co-founder Fitzann Reid, owning an Italian basketball team is ‘just the beginning.’
In the 11 years since graduating from Washington University, Fitzann Reid, JD ’12, has worked as an attorney, taught courses at WashU’s School of Law and co-founded Cotogna Sports Group (CSG), an investment group focused on purchasing and developing sports franchises.
And now she’s part owner of a basketball team, writing her own rulebook as a Black woman and sports executive of an international sports franchise.
Earlier this year, the CSG acquired Italian basketball team Pallacanestro Trieste in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, a region known for its rich basketball culture. Basketball legend Michael Jordan played in Trieste in 1985, and the frenzy for the sport has not died down. “We looked at the culture, and we spent a lot of time talking to the people there,” Reid says. “They have such a love for this team.”
Reid, who recently graduated with an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton MBA Program for Executives, established CSG with Wharton classmates, with each member taking on a different role and leveraging a unique skill set. For the Pallacanestro Trieste acquisition, Reid, a lawyer by trade, spent time hiring outside legal counsel, working on due diligence and developing the legal strategy. Now, as the team is closing out its season, she works closely with the managers, coaches and players to determine areas of improvement for next season and beyond.