Mike Buckley: Pro Sailing Prepared Me For Boardroom Life
U.S. SailGP Team Principal Mike Buckley explains his transition from athlete to owner
Published 02/5/2026
U.S. SailGP Team Principal, CEO and Co-Owner Mike Buckley believes there are similarities between sailing and the boardroom which have helped his transition.
Having served as U.S. SailGP Team’s strategist after acquiring the team with Avenue Sports Fun, Ryan and Margaret McKillen in 2023, Buckley has assumed a new role as Team Principal this year.
Speaking on the Sports Business Conversations Podcast with Dave Almy, Mike discussed how his background in professional sailing prepared him for life off the water.
“I personally think it’s one and the same,” Mike explained. “I’m not sure that’s true in every sport, but in sailing it is.
“For most of my career, I was a tactician, which means you’re making decisions on the boat - based on a lot of unknowns. The wind, the waves - you go with what you see, you try to make good decisions, and you try not to make too many bad decisions in a row.
“I’m finding the boardroom side very similar. As I transition out of racing myself, it’s different - you miss the competition. But what’s so fun about this is that I still get that competition in the boardroom, in sponsorship discussions, and in the office every day.
“Sports is one giant competition. I get to scratch that competitive itch every day because no two days are alike. The second I wake up - often hours before I walk into the office - something’s happened on my phone that I have to react to. I try to make a good decision, or at least not make too bad a one.”
So how does Mike handle the dual challenges of on-water performance and the business side of co-owning a SailGP team?
“I think it’s pretty straightforward, honestly,” he said. “I don’t think about it all that much. The one thing I do think about is that I need to be willing to do anything I ask anyone else to do.
“If I’m anchored in that, nobody can look at me and say I treat myself differently than I treat them, or that I expect something from them that I don’t expect from myself. I try to be the first one at the gym, the last one to go to sleep.
“When things aren’t going your way - and most of this season didn’t go our way - you have to be out in front of it. You don’t get to puff your chest out only when you’re on the podium. I’ve got to be out there when we’re not doing well, and let my teammates take the spotlight when we are.”
U.S. SailGP Team Principal, CEO and Co-Owner Mike Buckley at the Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix
Owner-athletes are not common. Mario Lemieux played for the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins for six years after acquiring the franchise in 1999 – but it’s not a comparison Mike is prepared to draw.
He said: “Mario Lemieux is an absolute legend, so I don’t feel comfortable even having my name in the same sentence as his. But part of what I see is an opportunity for athletes to get into ownership - to have more skin in the game. That’s something I’m passionate about and talk to my teammates about.
“There are other ways to make money off the court, off the field, off the boat - speaking engagements, brand deals, scalable opportunities - because competing every weekend is hard. You never know when your time is up.
I’m passionate about creating more opportunities like this. You see (U.S. SailGP Team investors) Jozy Altidore, Issa Rae buying a piece of a soccer team - it’s exciting to be near the front of this movement. I hope it opens the floodgates for other athletes to do similar and even bigger things.”
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL PODCAST WITH MIKE
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