In our continuing series, SportsBusiness Daily/SportsBusiness Journal asks top sports personalities for their thoughts, ideas, aspirations and likes. Today, Paragon Marketing Group Exec VP & Partner TONY SCHILLER.
What I Like …
An insight: All other things being equal, people do business with people they like.
An influential person in my career: The second job in my career was with (concert promoter) Jam Productions in Chicago. My boss there was ARNY GRANAT and he taught me to relentlessly pursue your goals.
An out-of-the-box idea: Paperless ticketing, whether it’s mobile access or tickets you print at home.
A timeless idea: Keep your promises; your word is your bond.
A business deal: NFL and NFLPA getting their deal done, which looks even better in light of what’s going on with the NBA.
A sports facility: Fenway Park. Visited it last year for the first time. They have clearly been able to keep what’s special about it, while growing revenue and keeping it fresh.
A sports event: There is nothing like an EPL match. The level of excitement mounts for days before and there’s insanity for the whole match at the game.
A strategy: Too many deals are done in this business without one.
A hire: THEO EPSTEIN by the Cubs.
A brand: Intelligentsia Coffee, sort of Starbucks the way it once was. Really true to the needs of devoted coffee drinkers.
A trend: Social media is a force, but for all the buzz and resources being devoted to social media, I’m still waiting to see benchmarks that demonstrate their marketing power.
An innovation: QR codes.
A pro league or team business initiative: Everything the Dallas Cowboys attempt as far as diversification is well done, whether it’s apparel or concessions or consulting. And, oh by the way, they built a state-of-the-art venue that’s one of the best in sports.
A story that bears watching: How the balance of power in college athletics is shifting.
An idea or invention I wish I had thought of: Netflix.
A fantasy job: Winemaker in Sonoma.
What I Like About …
My job: Being able to launch and develop careers.
Sports: Working in an industry everyone is passionate about and one that is always evolving.
Sports business: Being able to connect brands to the passion that makes sports great.
Sports media: It continues to find new and compelling ways to connect fans with what they love.
Sports technology: The viewing experience continues to be enhanced in ways we couldn’t have imagined.
The future of sports business: Real partnerships between ownership and players. Dollars are becoming more scarce, so more creativity in game presentation and revenue distribution are increasingly essential.
Sports fans: That they consume sports within a community.
What I Would Like To …
Change: I would like college athletes to truly be student/athletes.
See more of in sports: The Cubs playing baseball in October.
See more of in sports business: Humility.
See less of in sports: News stories I’m embarrassed for my children to watch.
See less of in sports business: Sports executives posturing to enhance their status.
Eliminate: ThunderStix or anything like them.
What I Don’t Like …
In general: Rude, disrespectful people
Pet peeve: People who aren’t on time.
In sports: Properties who think they are entitled to a big fee, just based on their name.
In business: Companies that feel compelled to meeting after meeting when the right decision is obvious.
About sports fans: The know-it-all fans who actually know very little, but are always the ones calling sports talk radio.
What I Like …
People: Those who think positive.
That would surprise those who know me: I bake a world-class banana bread.
Above all else: Believe in yourself and your abilities.
About myself: Don’t sell yourself short.
Heroes: My kids. Navigating through all the stuff they have to today must not be easy.
Players: LIONEL MESSI, the U.S. women’s World Cup team and, being a Chicago guy, WALTER PAYTON and JERRY SLOAN.
Teams: Bulls, Hawks, Bears, Cubs, White Sox and my daughter AMY’s soccer team, the Arlington Aces.
City: The Windy One.
Possession: I like my TVs; the biggest is a 62-inch Sharp.
Memento: A baseball from a no-hitter I threw in high school.
Time of year: Spring is full of change and promise.
Music: Alt/indy, and a little bit of hip-hop and reggae.
Books: On my nightstand now are “Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck — Why Some Thrive Despite Them All,” by JIM COLLINS and MORTEN HANSEN, and the Mötley Crüe Book, “The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band.” I think I would recommend the latter over the former.
Magazines: Other than SBJ, I subscribe to The Week and Sports Illustrated.
Websites: Grantland, Deadspin, Huffington Post.
Gadgets: I am kind of an “I” freak, so anything that starts with an “I.”
IPad app: The Starbucks app where you can pay from your phone.
Chores: I enjoy grocery shopping. I like to see how things are marketed there and how people react in that retail environment.
Hobbies: Work, family, golf, wine and exploring the restaurant scene in cities across the country when I travel.
Trips: Jamaica this winter.
Movies: I was disappointed by “Moneyball” after enjoying the book.
TV: “Hawaii Five-O,” “Burn Notice,” “Modern Family.”
Concerts: I worked for a concert promoter for three years and saw almost everyone. Above all, I liked Aerosmith, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters.
Artists: U2, Linkin Park, JAY-Z.
Food: I am a vegetarian, so anything in that vein.
Dessert: Pecan pie.
Drink: Red wine or coffee, depending on the time of day.
Scent: Fresh coffee in the morning.
Vacation spots: Lakeside, Mich., is our family chill zone.
Cars: Necessary evil.
Aftershave: None
Singer: SINEAD O'CONNOR.
Quote: “Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.” (Some attribute this to Goethe, but there are just as many or more who do not.)
