As we honor Veterans Day today in the US, I think fondly of my three heroes and influencers in my life — my Father, my Uncle Art and the father of my longest and closest friend, General Guthrie.  I’ve blogged several times about the impact these three men have made on my life and I will continue to do.   My three heroes, who were all military veterans, have passed in the past three years and each one is resting peacefully at Arlington National Cemetery.

My father was a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel, my Uncle Art was a retired Air Force Colonel and General Jack Guthrie was a retired 4-star US Army General.   I learned so much from these men — the important values of honesty, integrity, treating everyone fairly and with respect regardless of rank or race, etc.  They also taught me the joys of watching and avidly following Sports as well as embracing fun in life — having a good sense of humor and enjoying life to its fullest.

Why am I so heavily involved in non-profits, philanthropy, mentoring and community service?  There’s no doubt about the deep impact that two of my mentors, Ted Leonsis and Mario Morino, have made on me over the past 10 – 12 years.  After all, they are two of the leading philanthropists in the greater DC area.  For that, I eternally grateful.

But, in looking back at who impacted me when I was a kid, I absolutely think of Dad, Uncle Art and Gen. Guthrie.  Of course, I must also pay homage to their wives — my wonderful Mom, my beautiful Aunt June and the loving Mrs. “Buppy” Guthrie.   All of these people have shown me so much over the years.

As I promised my father, Uncle Art and General Guthrie on their final days on earth, I will continue to try to do my best to live life the right way – the way they taught me – and will continue to allocate a good portion of my life to giving back, helping others, mentoring others, teaching others, etc.   That is my promise to my heroes — and my small way to carry on the legacies these men taught me.

In closing, if you have the time, when you see a military veteran, please shake their hand and thank them for their service.  Don’t just do it today on Veterans Day, but on any of the other 364 days of the years.   I don’t necessarily care about your politics or beliefs — I ask you to thank them for their commitment and service to this country.  These are indeed brave men and women that are serving our country.  To Dad, Uncle Art, General Guthrie and all of the other military veterans, I love you and Happy Veterans Day.

October is one of the two best times of the year for Sports.  Why?  Because many of the major sports all converge during this month.  The other great period is late March / early April — the NCAA March Madness, the play-off stretch drive for the NBA and NHL seasons, the start of the MLB season, the Masters, NASCAR, etc.

But, I think I love this time period right now the best — the MLB play-offs and World Series, the NFL season is in full gear as it enters its’ second month of action, the NCAA Football season is getting really good with great match-ups every weekend, the NHL season starts this weekend (DC fans are so excited about the Capitals this year), the NBA exhibition season has started and the regular season will tip off at the end of the month, the riveting and highly popular Ryder Cup matches were just staged (per TV ratings, the third most popular sports event in the world – only trailing the World Cup and the Olympics) and NASCAR is in its’ play-off stretch drive.

Today is the start of a fantastic one-month period for baseball fans … the division and league play-offs over the next couple of weeks – then the World Series.  It’s hard to predict who will it all this year.   There are a number of great match-ups this year.  It’s not wise to predict via the blog since you can’t erase what you wrote but here’s one person’s opinion.  Since I’m a strong proponent of the saying that pitching and defense wins championships, my predictions are that the Rays will defeat the Rangers, the Yankees will beat the Twins, the Phils will overpower the Reds and the Giants will defeat the Braves.   In the NL Championship Series, due to their dynamic and deep pitching, I’ll take the Phillies over the Giants (who also have a great pitching line-up but the Phils are much stronger offensively).   In the AL series, my heart says to pick the Rays over the Yanks, but my mind says to pick the Yanks to defeat the Rays (due to their superior offensive firepower — see what a $200 million plus payroll delivers)!   My prediction for the World Series Champion is the Phillies.  Their 1-2-3 pitching line-up of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels plus their hitting balance will overtake the Yankees (they have great offensive balance, too, but their starting pitching has been a bit suspect lately).

So, for Sports fans throughout the country, enjoy the next few weeks.  There’s great Sports action – across all major sports — for the next month.  This will help make our Sports courses we teach at Georgetown that much more lively as we discuss and dissect these wonderful sports events each and every week.  Enjoy.

Last week was a good, busy week in DC.  Here a few of the highlights —

I co-teach a Sports Leadership and Management class on Monday evenings at Georgetown.  This is the third time I’ve taught this class.  The first time was with Kevin Payne, President, DC United and George Perry of the Freedom.  The second time was with Marty Conway from AOL – and a former exec with the Orioles and Rangers.  This semester I’m teaching with Steve Goodman from NFLPA and Zach Bono, formerly with the Redskins, Wizards, Bucs, etc.  We’ve also been fortunate to have a number of excellent guest speakers this semester — executives from the Wizards (Tommy Sheppard), Capitals (GM George McPhee), Redskins (Jeff Ritter), NFLPA (Marc Levin), etc.  I love teaching this course and interacting with our excellent students.

On Tuesday afternoon, our business school at Georgetown hosted a terrific panel session featuring Under Armour Founder and CEO, Kevin Plank and Rosetta Stone CEO, Tom Adams.  I know our students very much enjoyed hearing from these business leaders of these two very popular and growing brands.

On Wednesday afternoon, I moderated a panel session titled “Fan Engagement” at the Radio Advertising Bureau’s Conference in DC.  Fortunately, we had three excellent panelists — Chris Oliviero, SVP Programming, CBS Radio; Jim Rushton, SVP, Corporate Sales, Miami Dolphins; and Mark Turley, Dir, Corporate Media Sales, Pittsburgh Penguins.  Although a majority of my career has been spent in the Internet space, I did get my start in radio so it was terrific to be back among radio execs at the RAB Conference.

Then, on Wednesday night, I attended the 24th Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards Gala at the beautiful Kennedy Center.  What a spectacular night!   The Princess of Spain was there as well as Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor.   The honorees were Juan Luis Guerra, Alejandro Sanz, Mario Kreutzberger, Jaime Esclante and Cuauhtemoc Blanco.  The performers included Luis Enrique, Belinda, Jorge Celedon, Jenni Rivera, etc.  Lots of pride and emotion throughout the evening — congrats to Antonio Tijerino and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation for hosting another terrific event.

Thursday night was a great event hosted by Ridgwell’s and the Greater DC Board of Trade at the redesigned Arena Stage.   The many people in attendance marveled at the new Arena Stage.  They hit a home run — and it will go a long way in improving the waterfront area in that part of town (which will eventually extend to the area around Nationals Park).

It was also a good week of business as well as mentoring a number of students and mentees.   And, topped off by the great Skins win over the Eagles on Sunday and OU’s nice victory over Texas on Saturday!

What a great personal thrill the other night.   Why?  Because I had the extreme honor of having dinner with the only living son of one of my all-time heroes, the legendary Jackie Robinson.

One of my long-time and closest friends, Chris Tavlarides, and I hosted a dinner at Cafe Milano in Georgetown last Thursday night with David Robinson and Brian Hyland, an 8-time Emmy winning producer.   We met with them to discuss an array of topics, but the primary reason was to get to know David and to learn more about his coffee syndicate business in Tanzania.

But, first, some background on why Jackie Robinson is one of my heroes.  For those of you that know me or read my blogs, you know that my passions are Sports, Philanthropy, Diversity and Education.  Well, there are very few people that cover all of these areas.  And, #42, Mr. Robinson, certainly is a trail-blazer and leader.  After all, he broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1947.  Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers knew that it would take a person of high caliber and integrity to be able to lead this charge.  And, Jackie Robinson was the ideal player.  He faced so much hatred – yet, he turned the other cheek and he played the game the right way.  He soon gained the admiration of not only his teammates but from opposing teams, too.

The personal quote from my Facebook page is from  Mr. Robinson … “A life is not important except in the impact has on other lives.”   That is one of the ways I try to lead my life — by helping others, by mentoring others, by advising others.  I’ve been taught by wonderful mentors — Ted Leonsis and Mario Morino.  But, I’ve also read so many books and articles about such trailblazers as Jackie Robinson who showed us the way.

The story of his son, David, who I had the great joy of meeting last week, is a fascinating one.  He’s lived in Tanzania the past 26 years.  David runs Sweet Unity Farms, an international network of farmers focused on the next decade of growth.   In its’ 20th  year, Sweet Unity Farms is a change agent for the lives of farmers, consumers and corporate employees and associates.  Just as his father, Jackie, was a change agent in the US – and positively impacted so many lives, David is a change agent in Tanzania.

To learn more, please visit their website at http://www.sweetunityfarmerscoffee.com.  Also, please view this tremendous piece about David that was written and produced for HBO Sports by the wonderfully talented, Brian Hyland.   The link to the video is — http://www.upcountryinternational.net/DAVID_COSTAS.html

I am going to my best to raise the profile of David’s work with Sweet Unity Farmers as well as do our best to help extend the legacy of the Jackie Robinson Foundation.  More to come in the near future.

The main I topics I blog about on a regular basis are focused on Sports, Education and Philanthropy.  I’ve written frequently about how much I enjoy teaching at Georgetown University … both in our graduate program — Sports Industry Management — as well as the Sports Marketing course in the undergraduate program.   Here’s an edited piece from this week’s Sports Business Journal (the go-to publication in the sports industry).  It’s written by SBJ veteran, Bill King —

Inside the Classroom with…

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Jimmy Lynn

When Jimmy Lynn began spending Monday nights teaching sports marketing at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business five years ago, he was running the sports division at America Online.

He enjoyed teaching, but he rarely felt like he could devote enough time to it. Since departing AOL to start his own consultancy last year, he has been able to give in to the pull of campus he first felt in those early days.

“I took one sick day in 14 years,” Lynn said. “I was the corporate guy, so when I taught before, interaction with students was limited. Now, I schedule coffees, lunches, dinners and take groups of students to games. I’m on campus two afternoons a week and I meet with students all the time. I love teaching and I love helping talented people get where they want to go.”

Lynn still teaches a class in the B-school, but his deeper role is in Georgetown’s master’s program in sports management. Lynn has worked closely with the program’s architect, Matt Winkler, for years on other projects. As he has found time, he has broadened his participation in the program.

He co-teaches a leadership class and participates in the capstone projects that students work on in their final semester. He also recruits other instructors and pitches in as an overall adviser, providing needed help in a program of 75 students.

“I probably meet close to 50 percent of the students, mostly offering career advice,” Lynn said. “They need help learning how to break into the business. They need advice on how to handle things they encounter doing internships or pursuing jobs. I enjoy providing what I can.”

Lynn is a big fan of Georgetown’s co-teaching model, which has helped him bring in adjuncts who otherwise would have been scared off by the time commitment.

“They’re attracted to the opportunity to have that Georgetown brand on their résumé, but they worry about whether they can make the time to do it well,” Lynn said. “If you’re working full time and traveling, it helps to know you have someone who can cover for you. Everyone in this business is going to have conflicts. You cover for each other.”

— Bill King

I thought the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s induction speeches this past weekend were terrific.  The HOF inducted Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Russ Grimm, Dick LeBeau, John Randle, Floyd Little and Rickey Jackson.   I was most impressed with some of the key points that these great players were speaking about … the importance of teamwork, mentoring, working hard and not giving up.

I was fortunate enough to be a guest of the Washington Redskins’ Darrell Green when he was inducted, along with teammate, Art Monk, in the 2008 Pro Football Hall of Fame.  That was a special and memorable weekend.  I loved the importance that both Darrell and Art spoke about in regard to family and doing things the right way in life.

This past weekend’s speeches were quite emotional.  I hope the current players as well as future players (and fans) understand the messages that were being spelled out:

– It’s a privilege to play in the NFL.  Respect the game and respect the veterans who laid the foundation.

– Embrace mentors, teachers and coaches.  These people can have such a strong and positive influence in your life.  Floyd Little provided the perfect example of not giving up … take on life’s challenges and prove to yourself that one can change and become a positive force.

– Practice, practice, practice.  Regardless of what you do in life, it’s important to practice and work hard to hone your skills.

– Teammates.  It’s important to work and support one another … on and off the field.  Emmitt’s strong respect for his fullback, Darryl Johnston, and his offensive line was quite moving.

– Never give up.  Do things the right way and good can indeed come your way.   Floyd Little is a great example — so is Dick LeBeau.  It was fantastic to see this honorable and highly respected player and coach deservedly make it into the HOF.  And, how cool to have his entire Steelers squad, including coaches and owners, there for his induction ceremony.

The NFL is a great sport.  It is indeed the most powerful and popular sport in America.  Let’s hope the league and players can come up with an amicable agreement before the start of the 2011 season.  Looking forward to the kick-off to the new season!

I was honored to be asked to deliver the keynote speech at the NFTE DC Region’s 2010 VIP Luncheon at George Washington University.  NFTE is the “Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship.”   I’m on their advisory board for the DC region and I’ve also served as a judge for their business case competition finals for a few years when AOL was a major sponsor of the competition.

I was given a 12-minute slot to deliver the speech.  My primary focus was to thank the high school teachers (there were veteran NFTE teachers as well as the a new incoming class of teachers who are being trained this week).   Ironically, I also attended two high school reunions this month.  And, fortunately, a couple of our past teachers and coaches were at the reunion.   It was great to see them and thank them for the positive influence they made on our lives.

The focus of my remarks was about the importance of “giving back,” mentoring and community service.   I spoke of how I’ve been deeply influenced by two outstanding mentors, Ted Leonsis and Mario Morino (I’ve written about them many times in my blog postings).  But, in essence, these men were influenced by mentors in high school and college — then they went on build incredible careers — and they are now major philanthropists who have mentored and influenced many people.

I like to call it our “Pay It Forward” system.  Ted wrote eloquently in his book, “The Business of Happiness,” about being mentored by Father Durkin at Georgetown Univ.  Ted then mentored many of us at AOL — and, we, in turn are now mentoring many young men and women.  In effect, we’re passing it on from generation to generation.  It’s our way to pay back to those that taught and mentored us.

Mario is regarded our “Godfather of Philanthropy” for the greater DC region.  His wisdom as well as his Venture Philanthropy Partners (co-founded with Raul Fernandez and Mark Warner) has positively impacted the lives of tens of thousands of deserving youngsters in this region.

So, during yesterday’s speech, I focused on the impact that Ted and Mario had on my life — and how I’ve done my best to pass on their teachings and wisdom to the next generation — whether it’s the 25 plus youngsters I mentor through the many non-profits I work with or the the many wonderful undergrad and grad students I teach / advise at Georgetown University.

I thought I connected with the audience during the speech since I saw many nodding heads and smiles.  But, I know I really connected after I spoke with 15 – 20 of the guests at the end of the luncheon.  I spoke with students, teachers, sponsors, school administrators, board members, etc.   I walked out of there with a huge smile on my face —  primarily because we were able to thank the teachers for their inspiring work.  But, it was also great to make the connection with the many supporters of NFTE that know in our hearts that we’re helping make the difference in the lives of many deserving young men and women.  We are in effect helping create a level playing field.

I love the quote that one of my favorite writers, Thomas Friedman, stated about NFTE, “The President should vow to bring the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, or NFTE, to every low-income neighborhood in America.”   We are making a difference — and thanks to everyone that is associated with NFTE in helping make this happen.

I haven’t blogged for a few weeks — wanted to take some time off — but I’m going to jump right back into it.   I’ve had several people email me to say they enjoy reading the blog on a regular basis.   Here’s a quick review of the past few weeks:

– Week of Jun 21 — flew back from Tokyo on Tue, Jun 22.  Wed, Jun 23 was quite a day, starting with the Asian Pacific Islander American Scholar Fund Summit at the Ronald Reagan Bldg.  I then jumped out in the early afternoon to head to the announcement of the new President’s Council on Physical Fitness, Sport and Nutrition.   The First Lady chaired the press conference and announced the new council members, including co-chairs Olympian Dominique Dawes and Saints QB Drew Brees.  Then, it was back to the Education Summit; then to Georgetown Univ to teach our Sports Leadership and Management class that evening.   I then headed to NY the following day for client meetings and then the 2010 NBA Draft — where we gleefully watched our Wizards select John Wall with the first, overall pick.

Week of Jun 28 — getting back into the routine after being out of the country for a couple of weeks … client meetings for JLynn Associates, teaching and advising at Georgetown Univ, working with non-profits, etc.  The most fun time I had this week was taking my mentees, Sally and Da-Zhi, to Six Flags Amusement Park (one of Sally’s b-day gifts).    The look of joy and happiness on a youngster’s face as they enjoy the day at an amusement park is simply priceless.   The week was capped by a couple of fantastic July 4th parties over the weekend.  Love celebrating the nation’s birthday in the nation’s capital.

Week of Jul 5 — the highlights of this week were the High School Sports Symposium we hosted at Georgetown Univ and our Zama American High School reunion over the weekend of Jul 9 – 11.  For the Sports Symposium, we hosted 75 high school students for a week of learning about the sports industry, which included visits and meetings with executives from the Washington Nationals, Washington Capitals and at Under Armour.  I was so impressed with the caliber of the high school students — a great group of young men and women.  As for the high school reunion, I attended 9th and 10th grade at Zama High School (suburb of Tokyo).   Camp Zama was a special place full of special people.  We hold a reunion every two years for everyone who attended this school – this year, we had a record turnout of over 300 people.  It was a special and memorable weekend.

Jul 12 — another good week of business, education and philanthropy.  Had a great time attending the Washington Kastles tennis match on Monday night.  The World Team Tennis is a blast – a mixture of good tennis, rock and pop music, cheerleaders and an overall fun, entertaining time.  Near the end of the week went back to one of my favorite cities in the world, Montreal.  Love that place.  It’s only a 75-minute flight from DC.  It feels like being in Europe.  Plus, the place is full of fun, cool and nice people.  I’m fortunate to have a number of outstanding friends there.

Jul 19 — the summer class we’re teaching, Sports Leadership and Management, has just a few weeks left.  It’s been a great class — we’re teaching it with the Washington Nationals as our team partner.  It’s been great to have execs from the various departments address our ever inquisitive students.   The other highlights of this week included taking my Mom to the residence of the Japanese Ambassador for a reception honoring three Ministers that will be taking new positions (what a beautiful residence – it’s majestic and serene).  And, lastly, the wedding and reception of my best friend’s niece, Becca Guthrie.  It was a great celebration in Charlottesville.   We are all so very happy for Becca and her husband, Ben.  Wish them the best of luck.

It’s been interesting to watch the World Cup while in Asia.  When one travels overseas, there’s a limited number of English-speaking TV channels available at the hotels.  Normally, it’s CNN, BBC and maybe Fox.   And, because soccer is the number one global sport, that’s what they primarily shown on the international news channels.  So, I ended up watching an inordinate amount of sports news about the coverage of the World Cup, including many of the matches.

Trust me, I love watching NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, etc while in the US.  And, I get my fill of the highlights on a daily basis on ESPN SportsCenter.  But, it’s been refreshing to have been overseas for two weeks and to watch other news and sports channels.  I’ve been getting my updates about my favorites US sports and teams via my Blackberry and laptop but while watching TV overseas, it’s been primarily soccer (I was able to watch the US Open on ESPN Int’l – albeit with the 12-hour time change).

I’m bummed I wasn’t to join my Georgetown University Sports Industry Management staff and students for their sojourn to South Africa for the first part of the World Cup, but my trip to Asia was planned over six months ago.   It would have been neat to watch the game in live action, but I did enjoy watching the matches  on the telly.

What a  soap opera the 2010 World Cup is turning out to be.  Yes, Brazil, Spain and Argentina are playing well but what about France, Italy and England?  Holy cow – one to three of them may not even advance to the next round.  The off-the-field stories are indeed entertaining.

I’ll be back in the US on Tuesday evening … in time to watch the US game on Wednesday morning.  I hope they advance to the second round since I know it’ll be great for the sport of soccer in the US if the team advances (of course, ESPN badly wants / needs them to advance since they’re so heavily promoting the WC).

It is interesting to see how the other countries, particularly the European and South American teams, look down on the US squad.   Part of that reason is that the best athletes in the US don’t play soccer.  Instead they follow the money and play the more popular sports (and the ones that pay much more) – such as football, baseball, basketball and hockey.

I’d imagine the US would have a much stronger soccer squad of the best American athletes played soccer.  Could you see if Kevin Garnett was in goal?  With his length and athleticism, he’d potentially be a superb goalkeeper.  How about over the past two decades if the US had such athletes such as Allen Iverson, Reggie Bush, Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders and LeBron James playing soccer?   Athletically, they’d have the power, speed and finesse to help the US serve as one of the best teams in the world.

Here’s a prediction … due to the growing popularity of soccer in the US (due in part to the heavy promotion on ESPN and ABC) … over the next 20 years, the US will continue to rise in popularity and will produce one of the next all-time greats.  Again, it’s just this person’s  opinion, but my guess is that a great American will come into play in the next two decades – to mentioned in the same breath as Pele, Cruyff, Maradona, Kaka, Messi, etc.  Call me crazy but let’s see how it plays out.

In the meantime, let’s all enjoy the next couple weeks of the World Cup.