“To you it’s a show; to me, it’s life.”
I read that line from a conversation Michael Silver had in his story today on John Madden. The back and forth was between to icons of the day in media, Howard Cosell and Madden, on the occasion of the former coach being elevated in the broadcast booth.
The quote also reminded me of another conversation I was having with a writer the other day about how members of the media seem to hold more relevance today than the platforms they work for, with their own social followings and POV. Some have taken that independence to another level with the ability to self-story tell and use platforms like Substack to share and create news on their own, although to be honest making a living with on one’s own, behind a paywall, is tough to do for all but the very few.
Still many are trying to do it.
In our conversation about the power of individual brands, I was reminded that this isn’t a new phenomenon. Back in the day millions bought newspapers just to read columnists like Ring Lardner and Jimmy Cannon and Arthur Daly and Red Smith; or gossip columnists like Walter Winchell or Heda Hopper. Their brands drove circulation and with it, lots and lots of brand dollars. On the broadcast side, Walter Cronkite was one I thought of who ruled the news airwaves and brought millions to CBS News for decades.
In sports, there were two that I felt transcended their outlet…those two who Silver talked about, Cosell and Madden.
I was also reminded of the power of what Madden had built during Fox’s Christmas Day Special on Maddens career and what it meant to so many. One line that stood out was reflective of really the difference of how these two crafted their careers…
100 yrs from now would you be surprised if #madden exists? No. Best part of it was it was never planned. John Madden became an icon because he appealed to everyone & he treated people as people.
Now if you ask people of a certain age today who Howard Cosell was, you might get a good amount of blank stares. In a time when social relevance is second to none, even one of the most iconic and influential members of the media in his time is a bit of a footnote to history.
Madden? Transcends time, and his name and general awareness will live on for as long as kids of all ages are still playing, and enjoying the iconic game that bears his name. It is the rarest of legacies to have a foot in so many generations, but John Madden did it probably without much planning. While Cosell carefully crafted, or tried to craft, his lofty image, Madden rolled with the punches, and listened to those who helped him build a career off the field, most notably agent Sandy Montag.
When you look back, everything he did throughout his career was in character with who he was and who he wanted to be. His “reinvention” was with various mediums and media and marketing, but his personality, and with it his appeal, never changed.
It’s rare that you see someone who was so high profile and had such wide appeal stay withing his/her/or their skin for so long, and also have the self-awareness to realize what works for their brand, no matter how subtle or over it can be.
John Madden’s humanity is what was so appealing, and through that humanity his aura, his influence, and his legacy will live on forever, literally in the hands of millions playing that amazing game.
He found a way to fit into the flow of conversations and opportunities, not just drive the conversation himself. For those looking to shout their way to build their legacy that’s also a valuable lesson. Madden was no wallflower, but he was a listener, a teacher and a thinker who understood that it took a village to get stuff done.
Quite a way to be remembered, in a way many others will try and not succeed at. It’s a great reminder that what we do has to have purpose but when we need to pivot we need to be accepting and open to a new path, or it will just pass us by. Raiders coach to video games wasn’t in the plan, but Madden embraced the change.
Embracing and adapting is also key to those looking to carve the path as discussed this week. While his colleague Cosell made it more about him, with Madden it always seemed to be about you and them, and that balance is a wonderful, marketable, and useful part of leading.
Quite a legacy indeed.
