Thanks to our summer intern Drew Antin, we are able to pull together some summaries from our podcast recently that touch on diversity of thought, action, business and disruption. Here are three short and effective listens for the weekend and the early summer. You can listen to all of our episodes here.
Christian Ponder on Creating Community for Athletes Beyond the Game
During this episode, for NFL quarterback and businessman Christian Ponder discussed his personal transformation from a professional athlete to a thriving entrepreneur. He shares the path of establishing The Post, a networking hub and database for former college or pro athletes turned businesspeople. The Post’s objective is to offer a sense of belonging to athletes after their playing careers and to create a robust leadership network for individuals who have honed their soft skills through sports. Ponder stressed the importance of aiding athletes in their transition by developing a strong sense of community, which many often yearn for after retiring from sports.
Some fun facts from the episode…
Ponder, his wife Sam and their children live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a neighborhood he shares with only one other pro athlete he is aware of, former NBA star Emeka Okafor
The Post is a social club and leadership network for former athletes at the college level from all walks of life and ability.
Christian worked in wealth management but always knew he was an athlete and missed being in that community.
Will Ventures is the lead investor (started by two Harvard football players), and all investors are former athletes.
Talking about the value of learning from loss, and the value of having a physical location to share ideas and thoughts amongst like minded individuals from varied backgrounds, all of whom are highly competitive.
Hear the full 15 minute episode here.
Vince Pierson on Cultural Competency and Diversity in Sports Business
LJ Holmgren and I caught up with Vince Pierson – CEO of VSP Impact Strategies and a close connection of the Sports Management Program who lectures in the Cultural Competency series workshop. During this episode, Pierson shares his career journey, from working in college sports to becoming the first-ever Head Of Diversity & Inclusion in Minor League Baseball. Pierson’s business has seen growth after the murder of George Floyd, and he now considers his work a calling. The discussion centers around Pierson’s efforts to promote diversity and fan engagement in Minor League Baseball, including launching multicultural marketing platforms and diversity education series at all premier events. They also touch on the Black Sport Business Academy, which seeks to enhance learning experiences and career outcomes for HBCU(Historically black colleges and universities) students.
Things to listen for:
Vince started n the CAA in compliance and athlete services. After the CAA, went back to school and became passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion.
Joined Minor League Baseball as the first head of diversity and inclusion, helping launch multicultural marketing platforms.
That work, and his work in the investment world at Bloomberg, became invaluable after George Floyd’s passing, and the world wanted to learn and engage even more in the Diversity and Inclusion space.
Listen to the full 15 minute episode here.
Jeff Smulyan Explains the Importance of Organizational Culture
Scott Rosner and I sit down with Jeff Smulyan, one of the founding fathers of sports talk radio, to discuss his new book “Never Ride a Roller Coaster Upside Down. Jeff shares how we went “from idiot to genius” with his idea of creating sports talk radio and “from genius to idiot” with purchasing and selling the Seattle Mariners. We also explore importance of organizational culture as well as what’s next regional sports networks.
Some tidbits to listen for:
The CEO of Emmis Communications, started WFAN in 1987
Originally when WFAN was presented, people thought the idea was dumb
For the first 18 months they called it the “Vietnam War of Emmis” losing record amounts of money before they got Mike and the Mad Dog (pioneers of sports radio)
Jeff’s journey as a radio entrepreneur, took him on various paths, including law school, got a degree in broadcast law, small market radio and then to larger markets as the idea of sports talk exploded.
He also talks about his two year run as owner of the Seattle Mariners before it was sold to Nintendo ownership, and how some chance attempts at hiring Buck Showalter changed the course of…The Yankees.
Jeff also gives his thoughts on streaming, the market for spoken word today, and the changing face of sports ownership.
