MLB's Uzma Rawn Dowler on the Emotional Impact of Sports

It's a beautiful thing

Uzma is Major League Baseball’s CMO and SVP of global corporate partnerships. She leads marketing efforts, partnering with league executives across 30 franchises to grow the sport and reach new audiences. Her remit also includes securing, renewing and managing sponsorship agreements around the world.

Previous tenures include Premier Partnerships, where she led its New York office and East Coast operations. She also worked at the NBA on sponsorship sales strategy and activations.

We spent two minutes with Uzma to learn more about her background, her creative inspirations and recent work she’s admired. 

Uzma, tell us …

Where did you grow up, and where do you live?

I was born in the U.K., moved to the States when I was 4 or 5 years old, moved away again when I was 9, and came back when I was 13. I call North Carolina home because it feels like I spent most of my formative years there. Now I live in Westchester, N.Y.

What is your earliest sports memory?

My earliest sports memory is watching NBA games with my brother. As the younger sister, I really wanted to do whatever he was doing. So I got competitive collecting baseball and basketball cards with him.

Who are your favorite sports teams? 

This always surprises people, but I don’t have favorite sports teams. Maybe it’s because I moved around a lot when I was younger. But I’m more drawn to particular athletes based on their personalities and what I see them do in their communities.

Who are your favorite athletes?

Francisco Lindor and Jazz Chisholm are two of my favorites these days. They’ve got a flair for style and fashion on top of being super skilled on the diamond.

What is your favorite sports show or podcast?

I’m excited about The Clubhouse: A Year with the Red Sox on Netflix. My colleagues who worked on the series did an excellent job of storytelling.

What is your favorite sports movie or video game?

Sports movie: The Sandlot.

What is a recent project you’re proud of?

It was exciting for us to partner with Strauss, the first helmet decal partner of MLB. Strauss is this great German workwear brand looking to make inroads in the U.S. And they decided that baseball was the best way to do that.

What can sports do that nothing else can?

You can experience every type of emotion while watching a sporting event, and that’s a beautiful thing. It’s almost like the seven stages of grief. It’s cool to be able to step back and look at somebody watching a game and see them excited, nervous, extremely angry and incredibly emotional. You can experience all those emotions in the span of a few hours. 

What would you be doing if you weren’t in the sports world?

I would love to be a badass singer. To make people cry with my voice—that would be something else.

The 2025 Clio Sports Awards are open! Enter your most creative work HERE by Sept. 5.