PROFESSIONAL
What I Like …
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■ An insight: Drink some coffee. Put on some gangsta rap. And handle it.
■ An influential person in my career: My college head coach, Steve Spurrier — his pursuit of excellence and obsession with winning.
■ An out-of-the-box idea: Rent-A-Puppy or Rent-A-Baby. Simple. Different. VERY out of the box.
■ A business deal: In 1999 when Mike Ditka traded away the entire Saints draft for Ricky Williams.
■ A sports facility: Autzen Stadium at Oregon. One of the loudest venues in college football.
■ A sports event: Champions League final in soccer. The Super Bowl of European club football featuring many of the best players in the world and some of the most rabid fan bases in sports.
Jesse Palmer
Football analyst
■ What I do: College football analyst, ESPN; special contributor, ABC’s “Good Morning America”; NFL analyst, TSN (Canada).
■ Where I’m from: Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; grew up in Nepean, Ontario; reside in NYC.
■ Where I went to school: Bachelor of liberal arts in marketing with a minor in education and bachelor of science in political science with a certificate of international relations, University of Florida.
■ My first job: Paperboy, footwear sales at Sport Chek.
■ A strategy: Hernán Cortés’ “burn the boats” strategy from 1519. I like his idea that if you want something bad enough you must fight for it without any consideration/possibility of failure. It demands 100 percent conviction, and his strategy translates in business, sports, work and life.
■ A hire: I love the Becky Hammon hire by the San Antonio Spurs. She’s qualified and was therefore deserving of the position, and her hire will help break down barriers for females coaching in male sports.
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Steve Spurrier
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■ A brand: It’s so easy to say Apple because it is true. No one company has had more of an impact on me than they have with their innovation and user-friendly products.
■ A trend: Small business coffee shops that are forging direct relationships with coffee growers throughout the world.
■ A pro league team or business initiative: The NFL’s Play 60 program is great and I love how they are encouraging youth to be healthy and
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Becky Hammon
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active through sports.
■ A story that bears watching: I am really interested to see if collegiate athletes will one day be paid.
■ An idea or invention that I wish I had thought of: Facebook. For so many reasons.
■ A fantasy job: Master wine maker at Chateau Palmer in Margaux, France.
What I Like About …
■ My job: I enjoy serving fans that are as passionate about things as I am.
■ Sports business: It continues to provide new ways to extend your career and evolve professionally and as a person while staying connected to the sports and games I love.
■ Sports media: The different and unique perspectives and access to take the fan “inside the game” closer than ever
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before.
■ Sports technology: I love how far scoreboards have come and how franchises are going the extra mile to enhance the in-stadium experience for fans … and broadcasters.
■ The future of sports business: I am very interested to see how teams/leagues can grow their footprint internationally.
What I Would Like To …
■ Change in what I do: It has been happening. At “GMA” I’ve been able to go behind the scenes to help “tell stories,” while ESPN allows me to cover the sport I’m most passionate about.
■ See more of in sports: More Ronda Rousey fights. Longer Ronda Rousey fights.
■ See more of in sports business: Salary caps that promote parity in leagues all over the world, not just in the United States.
■ See less of in sports: Racism and domestic violence.
■ See less of in sports business: One word: Corruption.
■ Eliminate: Penalties for excessive celebration after big game-changing plays in college football.
PERSONAL
What I Like …
■ That would surprise those that know me: I have an obsession with French bulldogs.
■ Heroes: My parents. They set a great example for me and my brothers.
■ Team: 1985 Chicago Bears.
■ City: Paris.
■ Possession: Three bottles of 1978 Chateau Palmer that I will open on my wedding day.
■ Time of year: I love the fall. Football. The change in the weather and simply because the world is more beautiful in the fall.
■ Music: EDM and old-school rap.
■ Authors: Would you believe it if I said J.K. Rowling and Homer … because it’s true.
■ Magazines: I am a subscriber to GQ, Esquire and Details, but my guilty pleasures are National Geographic and Air Canada enRoute.
■ Websites: I can’t get enough of Uncrate.com and I am on ESPN.com daily.
■ Gadgets: I love Apple products and rely on my iPhone 6. I love Beats headphones, and my Mophie is a lifesaver.
■ Apps: Shazam, Kayak, Uber, Where Chefs Eat.
■ Plan B: If football didn’t work out, I wanted to be a foreign ambassador.
■ Hobbies: I am really into traveling and try to do it whenever I have time off, which is less and less these days. Also love learning about new wine, and I’m a huge foodie, so I’m constantly trying to stay in shape.
■ Trips: Rio de Janeiro for Carnivale this past February was incredible, as was Reykjavik, Iceland, two summers ago. I also took my dad on a big wine tour in France last summer.
■ Movies: “Good Will Hunting,” “Big Trouble in Little China” and the French film “Le Pacte des Loups.”
■ Artist: Leonardo da Vinci.
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■ Food: It’s a tie between Italian and Indian food, and that’s another reason to love New York City. So many options for both.
■ Dessert: Warm strawberry rhubarb pie with vanilla ice cream.
■ Drink: My go-to is a Tito’s and soda.
■ Scent: I love Bond No. 9 Wall Street.
■ Vacation spots: Anywhere in Scandinavia.
■ Cars: My dream car is the Aston Martin Vanquish or whatever James Bond is driving.
■ Quote: “You can’t soar with the eagles if you are out hooting with the owls.” – Dad.
