Eric Krasnoo '84 wrestled for Wesleyan in the early 1980s, where he learned that success came from discipline, attention to detail, and doing the little things right. Today, he serves as the inaugural executive director of the Coast Guard Academy Athletic Corporation, a new nonprofit created to expand resources and opportunities for cadet-athletes. In that role, he's coordinating coaches, cadets, sponsors, and broadcasters to grow the program's reach and impact. The connection between those roles is tighter than it sounds—and it begins on the wrestling mat.
Under Coach John Biddiscombe in the early 1980s, practices ran to the minute, yet always left room for individuality. "What I recall most was the attention to detail and to the little things," Krasnoo says. "Biddi laid out practice to the minute, but he also gave us latitude to work on what we did best—the nuances of our style versus a singular approach." That blend of structure and freedom became his management DNA: design the framework, then empower people to perfect their craft. "I try to bring that every day—encouraging the team to think and do the little things that make us better, while providing the tools to succeed. Honestly, it took a good part of my career to recognize it. It's part of learning every day."
The learning curve accelerated early. After graduating from Wesleyan with a psychology degree and later earning an MBA from Cornell, Krasnoo stepped into college sports media at scale. By 2004 he was vice president of sponsorship sales at CBS Interactive/CSTV, managing a 20-plus person team across digital and cable advertising and overseeing commercial operations for more than 75 college websites. Forecasting, packaging, and stitching together integrated deals with the broadcast division demanded the same sequential thinking he'd honed as a wrestler: one position, one adjustment, one finish.
In 2010 he moved to Major League Soccer, the first stop in an eight-year run that reshaped how the league packaged media and sponsorship. As vice president of the MLS/SUM Digital Network, he built the league's digital media sales division from the ground up—procuring partner sites and hiring the initial sales and operations teams. Three years later he became vice president of Integrated Media Solutions, managing commercial relationships with ESPN and FOX, overseeing efforts for Univision and MLS Digital, and serving as liaison to business development and partnership marketing for league-wide sponsorships. "What I'm most proud of at the league was bringing corporate partners and media partners together to develop cohesive messaging platforms," he says. "We put storytelling and authentic narratives at the center—encouraging soccer-themed creative and reinforcing the league affiliation across broadcast and digital. It was new to MLS then and remains vibrant today." In 2017, as vice president of business development, he articulated and executed the commercial strategy in Canada, aligning league, clubs, and broadcasters around a single plan.
The through-line carried to Screenvision Media, where in 2019 Krasnoo launched and led Screenvision Sports as SVP and GM. The mandate: diversify the company's portfolio and connect brands to avid sports fans. In the first 18 months, his team secured eight multi-year league and team partnerships, building a national footprint that touched 65 million fans. He oversaw sales, partnership marketing, negotiation, strategy, operations, and external relations—a full-field exercise in aligning constituencies with different clocks and incentives. "Consensus comes from a willingness to roll up your sleeves," he says. "When you show no one is bigger than the task, you foster alignment. Take a collaborative, solutions-first approach—and then be tenacious."
In 2018 he founded The Next Season, LLC, a consultancy that helps sports properties and brands with integrated partnerships, business development, and commercial strategy. By 2022 he joined US Sailing as senior vice president for business development, partnerships, memberships, and marketing, widening revenue lines while sharpening brand and member value. Each stop reinforced the same principle he learned from Biddiscombe: structure matters, but progress accelerates when specialists are trusted to refine their own styles within it.
That principle is now on full display at the Coast Guard Academy. In February 2025, Krasnoo became the CGAAC's first executive director, and he talks about "Progress Every Day." The wins are already visible: a platform that allows coaches to run camps, a process to rent Academy facilities—both impossible before the nonprofit existed—and a push to strengthen licensing while engaging military, defense, and Fortune 500 partners. The biggest near-term stage arrives this November, when the Secretaries' Cup between the Coast Guard Academy and the Merchant Marine Academy is played at Fenway Park—the rivalry's first game off campus. Krasnoo is helping drive ticket sales, partnerships, communications, licensing, and overall marketing; he's also leading work with broadcast partner ESPN and exploring future sites to grow the game's exposure.
Division III roots shape the revenue and visibility strategy he's crafting for the Bears. He's quick to praise Wesleyan's rigor, but notes the Academy's added demand: "I've come to appreciate the Cadet-Athlete experience—days scheduled completely, and the nine-year commitment," he says. What's consistent across both campuses is the mantra of "Leaders of Character through Athletics." A career in sports marketing lets him bring a professional lens to a D-III program—"challenging norms and injecting new ideas," as he puts it.
Krasnoo's service to Wesleyan runs deep. For nearly fifteen years on the Athletics Advisory Council, he's watched student-athletes grow more worldly and more open. Under steady leadership—first John Biddiscombe, then Mike Whalen—the council strengthened ties to admissions, launched the A+ program, and, under Karen Whalen, built a vibrant development effort that led to multiple team endowments. Regular touch points with student-athletes keep the feedback loop alive. "I'd like to think all of this—along with hiring the best coaches—has played a role in the rapid success of athletics at Wes," he says.
Beyond campus, he's a longtime trustee of Link Community Charter School in Newark, where he sees education's equalizing power daily. "It's about opportunity," he says simply. The parallel to Division III is natural: access, standards, and a chance to compete at a high level. The common thread is giving back—to Link scholars, to Wesleyan teams, to cadet-athletes now under his care.
Ask what people-skills business school couldn't replicate and he points back to Middletown. Cornell sharpened his analytics, he says, but "Wesleyan opened my eyes to the world around me. I learned more from my peers than I could have imagined—friends and wrestling teammates who've built remarkable careers." His advice to Cardinals curious about sports business is blunt and generous. First, intern: the industry is small, and "getting in" is the hardest step. Second, network with a narrative: don't say you love sports; explain what you're good at, which problem you'll solve, and how your skills apply. Lastly, be a thinker, not just a doer: "Being creative, thoughtful, and strategic—even on simple tasks—makes an impression."
The habit that started on a Wesleyan mat still anchors everything: set the framework, obsess the details, and then give people freedom to perfect their style. From CBS Sports to MLS to Fenway Park this fall, Eric Krasnoo keeps pushing the same agenda—Progress Every Day—one thoughtful sequence at a time.
