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Olympics

For Love Or Money? Shaun White Returns To Olympic Action As A Polarizing Figure

U.S. snowboarder Shaun White finished fourth this afternoon in the men's halfpipe, and while he was attempting to win his third consecutive Gold Medal in the event, some critics were "slamming White for being more boardroom than snowboard these days, building a multi-million dollar empire with endorsement deals," according to ABC's Matt Gutman. Following his withdrawal from the slopestyle competition last week, the "buzz" around Sochi has been that White "cares more about his image than he does about the team." White recently seems to have "flipped his career and image upside down since he first started on the scene as a scrappy, red-haired rebel in 2003, shedding his 'Flying Tomato' nickname and those signature locks." Some observers have indicated that the "clean-cut White has also lost his fearless edge." But USA Today's Christine Brennan said, "Shaun White of 27 is not the same guy as Shaun White at 19. That's natural. Why would we expect anything less? He's smarter, he's looking out for himself" ("GMA," ABC, 2/11). NBC's Matt Lauer notes White is "no longer the 19-year-old Flying Tomato that took the world by storm eight years ago," as he is a "businessman, philanthropist and now literally a rock star" ("Today," NBC, 2/11). In Denver, Mark Kiszla notes White's net worth is estimated at $40M and writes, "I remember when Shaun White was a rebel. Now he's a brand. Flying Tomato Inc." With "all due respect" to Russian hockey LW Alex Ovechkin, there is "only one rock star at these Games, and he rides a board." White has "gone too big for the half pipe to hold him," as he rivals Broncos QB Peyton Manning at "moving product" (DENVER POST, 2/11).

HEY JEALOUSY
: In San Diego, Mark Zeigler noted White is "the world’s most popular snowboarder, except among other snowboarders." It is "part envy and part intention, part circumstance and part competitiveness, part misunderstanding and part mystique." Away from "the NBC cameras and group press conferences, a yawning cylinder of ice exists" between White and the "rest of the cozy snowboard community." U.S. skier Gus Kenworthy: "There’s a huge sense of community within skiing and snowboarding, and I don’t know if he necessarily fits right into the middle of that" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/9). Fox analyst and former U.S. snowboarder Andy Finch: "He's kind of separated himself from the sport. What he's done is incredible. But for most of those guys, snowboarding is about going out and having fun. Shaun's looking out for No. 1" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/10). However, NBC's Bob Costas said, “As the marquee guy in the sport, Shaun White has told us about feeling the responsibility not just to win, but to push the sport forward” ("XXII Winter Olympics," NBC, 2/10).

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On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

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