Jimmy’s Blog

Okay, so now I’m changing my mind about London. I’ve been to London a couple of times but it always was a short 2 – 3 day that was normally tied up with business or business-related meetings. And, it was nearly always overcast and / or rainy.

But, after spending a full week here in London with our 18 graduate students from Georgetown University’s Sports Industry Management, I’m starting to get a much more positive feel for this wonderful city.

I’ll blog separately about our sports trip this week, but basically we went to 2 – 3 meetings / visits per day — and it was easy to navigate around the city via the legendary tube system.

BTW, these are the coolest taxi’s in the world, but they’re also quite expensive. So, taking the tube — both underground and overground, was much preferred. The map routes are well laid out and it’s fairly easy to figure out.

As for the food, I did try one of the local staples — fish (cod) and chips, which was excellent. I haven’t yet tried one of the other local fav’s — the bangers and mash. At the restaurant last night, it was listed as wild boar. So, I declined. But, I did hit a number of terrific Chinese and Japanese restaurants, which are plentiful in this international city.

From a Sports perspective, London is important (of course, the futbol is legendary) due to the upcoming 2012 Olympics Games. Thus, we’ll be program another group of students here in 2011 and 2012. This week was a great start to what we hope we will be a terrific partnership between Georgetown’s SIM program and the leading sports firms / executives that we met with this week.

Cheers.

He did it again!  Who’s he?  My mentor, Ted Leonsis, spoke to our Sports Marketing Strategy class last night at Georgetown Univ.  For the fifth straight year, he absolutely wow’ed the students with stories about his amazing and wonderful life.  It was a riveting 75 minutes as Ted shared his life lessons as well as engaged in a lively Q&A session.

This Georgetown University connection between Ted and I is quite strong.  Georgetown Hoyas hoops is literally the first thing we discussed when I was introduced to him in the Spring ’95 — back when AOL was starting to gain momentum as a force to be reckoned with.

Georgetown also provided Ted with his foundation for his incredible career.  The stories about his connection with his mentor, Father Durkin, and how the university helped him get started on the path to success are described in detail in his new book, “The Business of Happiness.”   I devoured the book and its’ lessons in a couple of days.  I highly recommend this book — which can be easily purchased at http://www.amazon.com and http://www.barnesandnoble.com.

Ted shared stories about building his initial company; creating his famous “List of 101 Things”; helping build AOL into a major media powerhouse; owning and operating the Capitals; starting SnagFilms; Revolution Money; his mentorships / friendships with his E-buddy, “Big Ken” Holden, Hoop Dreams mentee, Michael Hendrickson; producing documentaries; his love of his wife and children and family; and the 6 lessons spelled out in the book.

As I mentioned at the start of class last night, there’s a great connection … Father Durkin was Ted’s mentor, Ted is my mentor, and I mentor a number of students.  So, we are literally passing on life lessons from Father Durkin.  We are now in the fourth generation of these wonderful teachings.  The “Pay It Forward” program is indeed ongoing.

We have so many outstanding students in the class.  I know Ted’s life lessons opened some eyes last night.  And, I know in my heart that these lessons will be passed on to future generations from our current class of students.   Peace.

Today marked the second anniversary of my father’s passing.  I went to Arlington National Cemetery, where he is interred, this weekend to pay respects to my father.  As I’ve blogged about in the past, my three heroes — my father, a retired Army officer; my favorite uncle, Uncle Art, a retired Air Force officer; and the father one of my closest friends, General Jack Guthrie, have all been laid to rest at ANC over the past 3 years.

I do miss my father very much.  But, my family and I are fortunate that he lived a long, wonderful life.  And, I do firmly believe that he’s reunited with his parents, brothers and friends up above.

I remember in the past that when friends had lost a parent, they would say don’t take life for granted.  If you have time to spend with your loved ones … grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, cousins, kids, etc — to do so.  One never knows when life can be taken away.

So, when my friends sometime debate whether to go visit a relative, I strongly encourage them to do so.  My family and I are fortunate that my father lived a nearly additional 12 years after a major quadruple bypass surgery in ’96 (his heart stopped twice in the post-op room).  He made a full recovery.  And, I made it a priority to speak to my father nearly every day and to visit my parents on a regular basis.  We also created a few lifetime experiences – such a spring visit to Paris as well as more simple things like attending a Three Tenors concert (my father loved Luciano Pavarotti) and a Nationals game (which was a delight after not having baseball in DC for three decades).

I promised my father that I would focus on taking care of the family, to be good to my friends, to continue to heavily volunteer and help children from lower-income families and to have fun in life.  I lead far from a perfect life, but I live a happy life since I try to best to do as promised.   Last year, we attended a family reunion in Tokyo with my Japanese relatives and a family reunion in Arizona with my American relatives.   And, I feel fortunate to be involved with so many terrific non-profit organizations (I blog regularlylabout my mentees) as well as heavily involved in advising and teaching a number of undergrad and grad students at Georgetown.

I miss you, Dad.  But, I know you’re with me in spirit.  Please give me the strength to continue doing as promised.   I love you.

It was good to be back on campus last night.   Most of Georgetown Univ was shut down the week of Feb 8th due to the three feet of snow that hit DC.  And, the university was closed for President’s Day last Monday.  So, I was eager to get back on campus for our Sports Marketing class last night.

I keep saying it nearly every week, but once again we had a fantastic class last night, highlighted by our guest speaker — Mark Waller, the Chief Marketing Officer of the NFL.   Thus far, we’ve had Phil de Picciotto — President, Octagon and Christine Brennan — USA Today and leading sportswriter, address our class.  Then, next week, Ted Leonsis will speak to our class.   So, it’s been an amazing run so far this semester.

It was great for our class to hear Mr. Waller talk about the NFL Brand, the Super Bowl (it was terrific to have him speak to the class just two weeks after a record-setting Super Bowl), the Pro Bowl, NFL Draft and so many other terrific NFL marketing and programming ideas.  The NFL is clearly the biggest sport in the US and one of the most powerful brands in the world.

I also loved being able to share some real-life stories and examples from Super Bowl Weekend in Miami and NBA All-Star Weekend in Dallas with the class.  We also addressed the ongoing Winter Olympics and Tiger Woods situation.  What a great month for Sports!

But, it’ll continue in March with the NCAA March Madness, the down-stretch of the NBA and NHL seasons and the ramp-up to the start of the MLB season.

Go Hoyas!

Well, for the second straight weekend … I attended a major sporting event as an entrepreneur, not as an AOL exec / league sponsor … and got lucky with weather-related travel.  I was scheduled to fly out of Dulles on Thursday afternoon to go to Dallas for NBA All-Star Weekend.   There were 5 flights scheduled in the 5:00 pm hour and all of them were canceled except for our United Airlines flight.  So, we did get to Dallas nearly on time … but just in time for another snowstorm in Dallas!  LOL, I can’t escape the snow.

Friday of All-Star Weekend was terrific.  I attended the NBA Tech Summit on Friday morning.  I believe this is the best Sports conference of the year … many wonderful panelists … executives and leaders from the Sports, Entertainment, Technology, Finance, Marketing, etc.  Also, the networking that takes place during the breaks is also fantastic.  After the summit concluded, a number of volunteered for the “NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service.”  A large group of us went to a local elementary school to work on a few projects.  It was great to see the faces of the Dallas youngsters light up when a number of NBA and WNBA players showed up at their school.  Of course, the highlight may have been when Magic Johnson came through the doors.  Talk about a million-dollar smile!  The day concluded with a number of networking events / night-time parties.  What a long, but terrific and highly productive day.

Saturday was highlight by the NBA All-Star Saturday Night at American Airlines Arena.  It was a bit odd to attend as a fan, not a sponsor.  AOL used to sponsor All-Star Saturday Night … my team and I managed the NBA partnership.  A number of us as well as clients used to attend this event together.  But, nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the festivities.

Sunday’s obvious highlight was the All-Star Game, which was played at the magnificent Dallas Cowboys Stadium.  I’m clearly a fervent Washington Redskins fans — and I’m not a fan of the Cowboys.  But, I must say … the Cowboys Stadium is simply stunning.  It is clearly the greatest sports venue in the world.  The video screen — which runs 60 yards in length — simply must be seen in person.  Heck, I watched more of the game on the screen vs. watching the game on the court.  And, the way they have integrated advertisers and sponsors throughout the stadium is world-class.  Every Sports Marketing class should take a tour of this place while a game is being played.  They set a record with over 108,000 fans in attendance.  They will break that record with the Super Bowl there in 2011.

I wonder if the ‘Skins will be playing in that game next February?  🙂

I safely returned from a great Super Bowl Weekend in Miami.  First, I was fortunate enough to be able to fly out of Dulles Airport on Friday morning — literally right before the huge snowstorm pummeled the greater Washington, DC area.  I left at 9:30 am and arrived in Florida at noon.  I started to receive emails / calls from friends and clients who weren’t able to fly out on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.

Interestingly enough, the NFL put its’ Super Bowl headquarters and base of operations in Ft Lauderdale, not Miami.  I think this was a wise move.   They labeled the Super Bowl as being played in South Florida.  That was a good marketing move — and it helped generate business for the entire S Florida area — from Palm Beach to Ft Lauderdale to Miami.

This was also the first time in 15 years that I’m attending a large-scale sports event as an entrepreneur, not as an AOL executive / league sponsor.   Fortunately, the weekend was a major success … from a business and networking perspective.  Not only did I see and meet with a number of long-time friends and clients, I made a number of new contacts.  It was wonderful to have so many sports industry people offer to help or want to meet to discuss how JLynn Associates and might be able to work with them in one capacity or another.  I know a lot of follow-up meetings, emails and conference will take place in the coming weeks.

In regard to the big event, the Super Bowl, it was a spectacular weekend for the NFL.  What a great storyline … the long-time league doormat, the New Orleans Saints vs the Indianapolis Colts and its’ legendary QB, Peyton Manning.   Walking around Miami, you could definitely feel the vibe for the Saints.

Since this was the first-ever Super Bowl for the Saints, there appeared to be so many, many Saints fans.  Lots of people were decked out in Saints gear … and, of course, you heard people saying and yelling, “who dat?” hundreds and hundreds of times.  It never got old.  I love the infectious enthusiasm of the fans.   Also, since the Colts won their first-ever Super Bowl here in Miami in ’07 — and the fans experienced that thrill — my guess is that some Colts fans stayed back home.

The game, as so many people witnessed, was a thrilling and exciting one.  The interception of Peyton was a game-changer … and hard to believe.   I couldn’t have been happier with the result.  Drew Brees is a class act … and that terrific US city and state deserved to have a Super Bowl champion team.  I hope this extra attention helps people continue to realize that New Orleans is still in dire need of much help and assistance.  Ward 9 is still devastated.  Hopefully, by the time the Super Bowl is played in the Superdome in 2013, much of the city will finally be repaired.

Who dat?  Love it!

Last night was one of the best nights I’ve had in a long, long time.  Why?  Because I was with two of my main mentees — and it was great for me to introduce them to one another.

I’ve blogged recently about my mentorship with Sally, a wonderful 10-year old Chinese-American student, that I know through Asian-American LEAD (I’m on the board of directors and c0-chair of the Development Committee).  I’m also mentoring her 14-year old brother, who is a freshman in high school.  I met up with Sally and her mother at one of our favorite restaurants in Chinatown — then we proceeded to the Georgetown – S Florida game (I don’t want to talk about the game – tough loss).

Then, my other mentee, William, met us and we all sat together at the Hoyas game.  I’ve been mentoring William for nearly 10 years — since his freshman year in high school.   It was particularly ironic since the last time he had been to a Hoyas game was when he was a sophomore in high school (2001).  Right before the game, I introduced him to the legendary long-time Georgetown coach, John Thompson, Jr.  During the game I told Will about the huge, positive impact that Coach Thompson has had on the greater DC community as well as the African-American community throughout the US.

Coach Thompson is a huge advocate of education – and has done a remarkable job over the years with his many, many terrific players — Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, Michael Jackson, etc.  It was during that discussion that I asked Will about his interest in college.  He replied to me he wanted to go to college but that he would need financial assistance.  After the discussion, taking a cue from my mentors (Ted Leonsis and Mario Morino), I made a decision to contact William’s parents so I could offer to pay for Will’s college tuition.

William ended up graduating from high school a few years later and then enrolled at Bowie State University.  I’ve paid for a good chunk of his tuition – and he has also paid for the tuition via scholarships, grants and loans.  Well, as with many of us, including me, he didn’t graduate within the normal 4 to 5 year track.  But, we had a great chat at the game last night — he’s only a few classes away from receiving his college degree.  I promised to pay for his final classes, if needed — and he promised me he’d do his best to finish this year.

Circling back to Sally – I’ve blogged earlier about how I made a promise to Sally’s mother that I’d make sure her son and daughter both go to college.  Sally wants to go go med or dental school and her brother wants to be an engineer.  Her mother was concerned about how to pay for their education.  I told her to erase those concerns — via my own contributions, loans, grants and scholarships, I will make sure both Sally and her brother go to college to pursue their degrees and their dreams.

That’s why it was particularly poignant last night for me to introduce two of my main mentees to one another.  William is a great example of how these mentoring relationships can work out well over the long run.  I had promised William’s parents back in 2001 that I’d do my best to help make sure their son gets his college degree — and, now he’s only a few classes away from his dream.   And, Sally has a long way to go before college, but I’ll do my best to see that she’s able to pursue her dreams, too.   And, by meeting William, she can see first-hand the importance of mentoring relationships over the long run.

I’m living my dream, too — helping to create a more level playing field for others — and, giving back as much as I can to the community.   Peace.

I probably sound like a broken record because I keep blogging after each class about well the class went the previous night.  But, we really did have a stellar class last night — not ’cause of our lecturing but because of our special guest speaker.

The first half of the class was focused on current sports events — including the upcoming Super Bowl, NFLPA talks, Tim Tebow commercial, Gilbert Arenas situation, etc.  We also reviewed the 10 greatest Super Bowl commercials — explaining why they were regarded as the best in history.  This list included the famous 1984 Apple Mac ad, the Coke / Mean Joe Greene spot, the Michael Jordan / Larry Bird / McDonald’s spot, Terry Tate / Reebok, etc.  We’ll see this Sunday if any of the commercials break into this all-time greatest list.

For a number of years, the rating of the commercials came out the following day in the newspapers — the USA Today meter was a particularly popular one — so was the one in Wall Street Journal.   But, at AOL in the early 00’s, we changed the game.  We started showing the commercials (after the quarter was finished) on AOL and AOL.com — and we had consumers vote immediately how they liked / disliked the spots.   We rang up spectacular traffic numbers.  We got the nation’s pulse immediately on what they thought of the commercial spots.  Of course, once you have success, others will emulate.  So, now, many of the other portals and sports sites also stage Super Bowl Commercial polls.

In regard to the guest speaker, this week’s class featured Christine Brennan.  Chris is a rock star — she’s a columnist for USA Today; a commentator on ABC, ESPN, Fox, etc; a best-selling author; and an expert on Title IX, Olympics, etc.  The sports industry is dominated by males, so it’s good to expose the class to someone who can speak from a different perspective.  Chris is arguably the leading expert in the world on Women’s Sports issues — http://www.christinebrennan.com.

She’s covered the Univ of Miami Hurricanes, the Washington Redskins (first female sportswriter in an NFL locker room) and a myriad of sports topics for the Washington Post and USA Today.  She’s about to head to her 14th Olympics Games — where she’ll be reporting daily for USA Today, its website and various TV networks.

Her time with the class flew by — discussing Title IX, Olympics, Tiger Woods situation, Erin Andrews, working with Mike Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser and more.   The students asked so many questions – I love when the students are so engaged.   Once the class was over, she was surrounded by another 7 – 8 students who kept peppering her with questions.

As Chris and I headed to the Tombs after class for a quick catch-up, 4 students walked with us to continue to ask a wide array of interesting questions.   It’s great to when we “connect” with the students.  Thus, it really was another wonderful class (I can also judge it by the number of emails I receive from students that night and the next day).

I attended a terrific forum yesterday at the headquarters of Gannett / USA Today in Tysons Corner, VA.   It was a “Sports Philanthropy Forum” — which featured leading philanthropists, professional athletes, media executives and community service executives from professional leagues and teams.

Kudos to the Gannett / USA Today management for hosting this type of event.   As I blog about often, my main areas of passion are Sports, Philanthropy and Education.   So, this forum really hit home yesterday.  I couldn’t agree more with many of the points raised and articulated by the panelists and guest speakers.

In particular, I was moved and inspired by a panel hosted by Christine Brennan, one of the top sportswriters in the industry.  She hosted a session featuring all-time NBA greats Dikembe Mutombo and Bob Lanier and NHL legend, Pat LaFontaine.   Each one of these athletes spoke about the importance of “getting involved and giving back to the community.”   Their personal stories were heart-warming and moving.

They all spoke about how everyone can give back … it’s not just pro athletes or wealthy people who write checks that “give back.”   Everyone can give back in one way or another … helping teach a young child to read, helping teach a person who is new to this country to read English, serving food to the elderly, being there as a big brother or big sister to youth who may not have adult role models in their lives, going to the hospital or senior homes to read or listen to those that may not have family members nearby, etc.  There are so many countless ways to get involved and to help.

I have seen a revolution starting to take place …the younger generation — the 20’s crowd … is getting much more involved in volunteering and community service.  I’m proud of my Georgetown students that are getting involved or that are asking how they can volunteer and give back.  I’ve had a number of my students sign up as teachers in the wonderful “Teach for America” program.  A number of our grad students have inquired about volunteering with a few of the non-profit organizations I work with in DC.  Nothing gives me more pride than seeing our youth want to activate and get involved to help others that may come from tougher or less-fortunate backgrounds.

Thanks to Gannett / USA Today and to the many executives who shared their wisdom and insight yesterday.  We need to keep spreading the message about the importance of mentoring, volunteering, community service and helping others.