It started with my baseball card collection in the fifth grade.
Back then, the hobby was more than a common youthful obsession that extended beyond buying a 15 card wax-pack, crunching on some stale gum and flipping through glossy shots of players and coaches before carefully organizing them neatly in a shoe box and plastic sleeves. I was obsessed with information.
From the detailed stats and pithy bios on the back of the ’87 Topps woodpanel front cards (“Jay enjoys hiking as a form of relaxation”…”Terry used to work as a gas station serviceman in the offseason”…”Ken and his family own an apple orchard on the West Coast”…), to consuming newspaper boxscores, listening to games on the radio and watching Vin Scully and Joe Garagiola on TV, the books I read, baseball video games I played and even grabbing my bat, ball and glove to get 9 innings in.
But there was also a curiosity I remember vividly on days walking to school at that age and my internal daydreaming dialogue…
“I wonder if they are having batting practice right now…”
“Do the pitchers run their outfield sprints before or during practice…”
“When do the coaches meet to prepare for the game…”
It went on from there.
If you are someone working in the business of sports at any level, chances are you’ve had these memorable moments throughout your own journey, key moments of life that confirm you’re moving in the right direction. All these years later, I still think about those mind-racing walks to school and the questions along the way. The desire to learn about the detailed inner workings of sports, players, scouts and trainers, coaches, front offices, philosophies, systems and processes has grown now to the point where I’m more intrigued about coaching hires and front office moves during the NBA, MLB and NFL offseason than I am players coming and going around their respective leagues.
Why was this move made at this time? Was it financially driven or simply character that didn’t match the culture? What was the marketing and social media approach and strategy? Was managing and controlling that message successful or not? How did they get here and where do they go from here?
From working around the NBA and sports in general as a writer since graduating from college in 2003, to my time with a professional basketball team for two seasons in Germany and within the business of basketball from the operations, player development scouting and recruiting side, to social media marketing and consulting, much of my education has come through my own personal experiences. But in the sports business, you really never stop learning…or at least shouldn’t.
The question simply becomes, where do you go to learn and who do you learn from?
Creating this space is part of helping answer that question and sharing some experiences too.
Much thanks also to Derek Hanson, Dave Kelsey and Stephen Slesinksi of Bloguin for their work in helping launch this site. Here you will find everything from commentary on newsworthy topics within sports business, to discussions with those around the sports industry, guests contributors, book reviews, video spotlights and more for those looking to get involved and/or grow in the business.
There will also be an introduction to personal projects and updates on partners I work with — including “Knock It Down – an NBA shooting coach’s guide to shooting straight”, with John Townsend, Director of Player Development for the Memphis Grizzlies and NBA shooting coach. I’ll also be continuing the great work we are doing over at Scorers 1st Sportmanagement, where we partner with professional basketball players in helping them reach their goals in the game through career planning and hard work.
And for individuals and/or organizations interested in consulting assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I am always interested in and looking for new opportunities to work together and build relationships within the business.
Until then, I have the back of some baseball cards to read.
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