This time of year is extremely busy for Gatorade Head of Global Sports Marketing JEFF KEARNEY, and with the Rio Games right around the corner, he expects the workload only to increase. “The summer months for Gatorade are our core season,” he said. “It is the hot and sweaty time of the year. You hear athletes say there is no offseason anymore, there is just a nonseason, and that is the same for us.” However, making time for his children’s sporting events is more important than anything. Kearney: “If there was one competition that I could see, it is watching your children play. My parents were always there to see me play. My wife and I do not like to miss any of those games.” Here, Kearney tells THE DAILY his plans for the upcoming weekend.
ALL IN THE FAMILY: I try to get up and live the brand a little bit by exercising, running and training. I am a morning person, so I get that out of the way early. I have two children -- a 12-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter. Their schedules tend to take over. My son plays for a travel lacrosse team and they have a weekend tournament just outside of where we live in Chicago. My daughter has her summer league conference championship swim meet on Saturday and Sunday. I spend a lot of time poolside and at the field.
KICK BACK & RELAX: I have been traveling a lot this past week with the MLB Home Run Derby and the ESPYs taking place. I imagine we will do something very low key on Saturday night as a family. We will probably just get some take out and enjoy each other’s company.
BACK AT IT: Sunday will probably mirror Saturday. My wife is a former college athlete and we will try to get some exercise in to satisfy our competitive drive. The kids will also be wrapping up their tournaments. Then I am a to-do list guy. I am someone who likes to have a game plan. I will probably start preparing for Monday on Sunday night.
COMPETITIVE NATURE: I enjoy playing golf although I am not the best. I also love competing with my kids. We like to get outside and run around, especially in Chicago where there are only so many months out of the year that we can get outside. There aren't many sports we don’t play. We have an adjustable basketball hoop so that we can lower it down where my son can stuff it and to the level where I can stuff it. We also play tennis and my daughter plays soccer. We will even play 2-on-2 nerf hoops in the basement.
TRUE SPORTSMAN: I am a huge sports fan across the board. With so many great partnerships that we have across sports, once there is a little bit of down time later in the evening, I will catch up on games that I have on my DVR or whatever is on that night. I am really looking forward to seeing some of our athletes compete in the Olympic Games.
MR. MOM: My wife definitely is the better cook, but she runs her own business and travels a lot. I have had a lot of nights of single parenting on my own where I can make my way around the kitchen as needed. I can boil a mean plate of pasta. I will also make a homemade pizza every once in a while. I am a grill master. I can do things on the barbecue like pork, steak, chicken and fish.
