We talk so much about the value of showing up and taking a chance by going down a road not usually planned, it may seem overused, but it is a gift that keeps giving, especially when you look for curious teachable moments.
The latest occurred on Friday in New York, when my colleague Laura Dixon invited me to the awards ceremony at the Penn Club in New York for The Dan Jenkins Medal for Excellence in Sportswriting. Just the names of the honorees…Roy Blount Jr., Billie Jean King and Wright Thompson…should have been enough to trek to Manhattan on an early fall Friday night, but the draw to learn even more made it even more curious to go down the past. So, what did we learn?
Lots.
First, who knew the University of Texas had a campus and program in Manhattan, let alone just down the street from Grand Central? Walking into the cocktail hour at the Penn Club and expecting to be surrounded by older media types turned into an hour-long conversation with curious 18- and 19-year-olds trying to learn more about these folks who were going to be on the program, and more.
Second, it was a room of living history, for anyone with a sense of media and how storytelling got here in the last half century. In addition to the honorees those in the room included writers like Michael McCambridge and Seth Wickersham, Sally Jenkins and Alex Wolff, Bob Costas and Mary Carillo, Adam Duerson and Jackie McMullan, all of whom had come to celebrate their peers but also to lean in to those in the back of the room who were curious to learn.
Third, great attention to detail, just as any of these legendary storytellers would do with their craft. The tables were each named for a Dan Jenkins book. While it was a nice touch, it was also a teachable moment for most of those of a certain age who needed to know more about the award-winning journalist. All were encouraged to do a little search and maybe, maybe, even go find the book that their table was named after.
Fourth, the living history and lessons of Billie Jean King never get old. Led by Sally Jenkins, Billie Jean didn’t just recount stories that may have been unrelatable sometimes to a younger generation fussing with their chicken at their tables, she pulled all of the lessons to relevance today. There were several key timeless points that King left those in the room to treasure and adopt.
-Relationships are everything.
-Don’t just keep learning, keep leaning in to learn something new.
-Be a problem solver and an innovator
Lastly, King reiterated a point that she has said time and again over the year’s especially as what is too often called “women’s sports” become more of the business and cultural conversation. “We are all humans, and we have to do for all of us. It’s not women’s sports vs men’s sports, the stories that are told don’t have a gender bias, they are the best stories to tell to those wanting to listen, and the more we know about each other, the more it will help us grow and understand and listen, it’s all of us, not u vs. them.“
Great lessons echoed not just to the front of the room, who knew the stories, but most importantly to those in the back who were yearning to learn. Will they? Let’s see. They had a masterclass in storytelling on a Friday in Manhattan.
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