This past Thursday my co-host of the CUSP Show (The Columbia University Sports Podcast) Tom Richardson got to spend a good 45 minutes talking about everything but actually baseball with Los Angeles Angels Manager Joe Maddon. The podcast will be out next week and touched on well…podcasting (he has launched and then was stopped after one episode with his own called Uncorked, you can hear it with Bruce Arians of the Tampa Bay Bucs here), leadership, listening, technology and teaching among other topics.
One pearl Joe offered up, in addition to explaining how his Respect 90 Foundation came about, is a concept arising out of the the Pandemic and the use of technology which he hopes to bring to light, a global cause and social responsibility idea called “Outerskype.” The idea makes great sense…once a month at 10 AM he is going to rally either every or most of his coaches and players and direct them to connect, via Zoom or another platform with a group of students. It will take 45 minutes, but the global reach is really amazing if it can be pulled off…the power of a wide swath of diverse players and coaches of backgrounds, ages and ethnicities…connecting with young people in real time well beyond the normal community relations engagement events. Subjects can be anything from reading and history to STEM and training…an open forum that when you do the math…could impact 30,000 kids directly per month, at a time when players are always challenged for time.
Maddon added that “Outerskype” has been formulating as he seeks clarity and introspection and connection with people that he normally would not connect with while the hectic MLB season is going on, and it is a beauty of an idea that any spot, let alone baseball, could learn from as we are all used to zooming in and out.
You will hear the whole conversation this week, but it is a perfect example of the positives to pull from the chaotic we have been engaged with.
