After almost 90 years of frustration, the Boston Red Sox’ current decade of success (two World Series rings, consistently among the best teams in baseball) has coincided with the tenure of New England Sports Ventures as franchise owners. Under the auspices of principal owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner and president and CEO Larry Lucchino, NESV also owns Fenway Park, has an 80% share in the New England Sports Network and 50% of Nascar’s Roush Fenway Racing.

In 2004, NESV formed Fenway Sports Group (now known as Fenway Sports Management) to expand marketing, sponsorship and consultancy relationships. FSM currently has sponsorship deals that include MLB.com, the PGA Tour’s Deutsch Bank Championship, Boston College, Sun Life Financial, Dunkin’ Donuts, supermarket chain Stop & Shop and Gulf.

In October 2010, Red Sox owners acquired the iconic Liverpool Football Club. In April, Fenway Sports Management aligned with LeBron James and his marketing company, LRMR, via a long-term sponsorship and marketing deal. It included James obtaining a minority ownership of Liverpool FC.

Frank Huckabone, who was born in upstate New York (and formerly worked for the Knicks and Madison Square Garden), now resides in Boston and is FSM’s evp-sales. He spoke with Barry Janoff about Red Sox Nation, LeBron James and the challenges (and perks) of global sports marketing.

Barry Janoff: What were the challenges involved with an American-based company purchasing Liverpool FC and then bringing in LeBron James as a minority owner?
Frank Huckabone: We certainly recognized that we were purchasing a very iconic brand. LeBron understands that as well. Everyone has different goals, and we would never walk in and say ‘Here’s what we want and that’s what we’re doing.’ Part of the process is listening and providing some education as to what we are trying to accomplish. Then we move on from there. There was some opposition locally, but there has been a lot of positive press around what we have been doing. We are being very strategic in terms of our partnerships and aligning with other properties. We certainly recognized that we were buying [a team] that was well established and had a huge following of devoted fans. LeBron also knows and understands the pros and cons.

BJ: There are only a few athletes who are or who could potentially become the center of a global brand: Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, David Beckham, for example. Can LeBron be successful at that?
FH: We feel that LeBron is certainly one of them. We feel that he is in the early stages of global expansion. We want to put deals in place that make strategic sense for LeBron and for our organization, and as important, for the brands with whom we are working. The goal is not to dilute the partnerships he has by doing another 15 or 20 deals. We want to bring unique opportunities to LeBron that make sense for everyone. In the case of Liverpool, adding LeBron heightened the awareness in many areas and began to open up other potential partnership conversations.

BJ: From a sales and marketing side, has the economy recovered enough for more companies to talk about and initiate sports marketing deals?
FH: We certainly have had the opportunity to have a lot more conversations. A number of categories have opened up a bit. Consumers are out there buying. Fans are going to events. They may be more selective, but they are still doing it. People are realizing that they can’t walk away from their brands even if the economy is in rough shape. For every brand that walks away, one of their competitors will be more aggressive.

BJ: Why has there been such a tremendous expansion for Fenway Sports Management in the past few years?
FH: I joined the company in 2007, when we had just finalized our deal with Roush Racing. Right around that time the ownership group that represented the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Park was taking on a number of properties. The goal was to go to market with a number of compelling opportunities versus having just baseball. That have proven to be very successful.

BJ: Is there difficulty trying to reach a domestic and international market with a company so closely associated with Boston?
FH: The Red Sox and Fenway Park are two brands that translate well to national and international play. That’s especially true with the growth of the Internet, digital media and everything else that provides a platform for the team to be shown well beyond its regional sports network. But some people see the Red Sox as a regional brand. Still, and I know you are in New York, there even are some people who are not fans of the Red Sox. [Laughs.]

BJ: Do you see more owners taking the route that they can grow their team brand far beyond the boundaries of their city and state?
FH: Certainly. With FSM, we’ve taken our teams and partnership well beyond the Boston and New England areas, not only from a property standpoint but also from an engagement standpoint. FSM has gotten into the MLB space, PGA space with the Deutsche Bank Championship, into the Nascar space, which gives us a number of opportunities to promote our brands that we didn’t have before.

BJ: If the NBA lockout extends long into the season, do you see LeBron pulling a Chad Ochocinco and trying out with Liverpool?
FH: We’re not that far down the road yet. But I don’t see LeBron kicking around a soccer ball.