Hoop Dreams Scholarship Foundation

We held our annual Hoop Dreams Scholarship Foundation fund-raising event at Harry’s Tap Room in Arlington last night.   Led by the terrific Susie Kay and Doug Knight, it was another inspirational evening.

These young students, many of whom are from lower-income households in DC, continue to amaze me and blow me away with their eagerness to learn, attend college and grow.    I easily met over 30 of the students last night — I tried to chat with each one about where they attend high school, where they’d like to attend college and what their dreams are.

I gave out me email address to a couple of the students — and I promised that they can always reach out to me during their collegiate years for help with college, summer internships, etc.

These students are so different from the ones with whom I went to high school — in the well-to-do suburb of Fairfax.  I graduated from WT Woodson — full of kids from upper middle class families — who’s parents attended college and led a comfortable lifestyle.  Contrast that upbringing with the majority of the Hoop Dreams kids who attend HD Woodson in Anacostia — a majority of these students come from single-parent families and will be the first ones in their family to attend college.

Hoop Dreams has now awarded over 1,000 academic scholarships over the past 13 years.  This is a remarkable achievement.  I’m proud to be a member of the board of directors and part of the HDSF family.  Thank you to Susie, Doug and the hard-working staff.  And, thank you to many, many students who continue to inspire me with their desire to learn, grow and become successful and contributing members to society.

Lastly, I’d like to brag about a few of the students I’ve helped mentor / advise over the years.  Michael is a graduate of Hampton Univ and is in the executive program at Verizon; Fanchon will graduate on time from Temple; Ayana is a junior majoring in education at my alma mater, AU; and Emily is a rock-star sophomore at Princeton.   Again, thanks to them and to their fellow HDSF students and alumni for inspiring me.

Georgetown Univ

We decided to make attending last night’s Sports Marketing Strategy class optional since the Hoyas were playing #-6 Louisville.  After all, our class is 95% seniors and this was the second-t0-last home game of the season.

But, for the 12 – 13 students that attended the optional class, we held a good, lively discussion about networking, relationship-building, internships and entry level jobs.   In addition to teaching, we’re doing our best to impart advice to the students that will be graduating in May about starting out their work careers, especially in the Sports and Entertainment fields, which are so extremely competitive.

As noted in previous blogs, this year’s class is outstanding — full of engaged, interactive, smart and terrific students.  It makes it that much more enjoyable to teach when you connect well with the class.

One more class next Monday — then, it’s Spring Break for the seniors the following week!

Five & Alive

We had a great night last night at the beautiful Georgetown home of Rick Rickersten.   Built in 1799, it is truly one of the most spectacular homes in DC.   It was the perfect venue for a superb party.

The event was an Academy Awards viewing party, hosted by Moet Chandon, to benefit the Five & Alive Charity.  Founded by the wonderful Kate Roberts, Five & Alive is a Population Services program that provides children and their families with information about education, products and services to improve health and to help save lives in over 30 countries.

Five & Alive primarily targets youth five years old and under to help them prevent and treat malaria, water-borne illnesses, pneumonia and malnutrition.   This program is  the sister program of YouthAIDS, the highly effective initiative founded by Kate Roberts in 2001.   To learn more about these programs, please go to http://projects.psi.org.

As for the party, it was full of Washington, DC’s social elite … people were dressed in “red-carpet attire” … it was a fun-filled evening … and most of the crowd seemed to be happy that “Slumdog Millionaire” swept the awards show!

Sports — 24 x 7

We are about to enter one of the peak periods in Sports … early March to mid-April is a fantastic time for sports fans.  Just think what’s on the calendar:  the upcoming college basketball conference tournaments, then the hugely popular NCAA Tournament; Spring Training, then the beginning of the new MLB season in early April; the stretch run in the regular seasons of the NBA and NHL as teams jockey for post-season play-off spots; the return of Tiger Woods and the ever-glorious Masters Tournament in early April; all of the hype for the upcoming NFL Draft; and the ongoing NASCAR season.

For sports fans, this March – April timeframe and the September – October slot are the two best periods of the year.   Looking forward to March Madness and much, much more!

Today was a great example of the confluence of sports events … I went to watch the Caps win convincingly over the rival Penguins at the Verizon Center … and got home in time to see Phil Mickelson win the tourney at Riviera (after blowing a big lead); up-and-down NBA action; the NASCAR race in California and of course, a full menu of college hoops game.

It’s going to be a fun couple of months …

Citronelle – World-class!

Admittedly, I’m not much of a “foodie,” but I definitely know when I’ve had a great meal.  And, last night, I was so fortunate to have a world-class meal.   Our good friend, Jonathan Klein, was celebrating a special b-day and he treated a group of us to a phenomenal dinner at Michel Richard’s “Citronelle” restaurant in Georgetown.

DC is fortunate to have Michel here in town.  He was awarded the James Beard award in 2007 as the most outstanding chef in the U.S.   Per the quote on their web site from Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, which states … “a great chef, who is cooking at a level that exceeds any Michelin three-star chef in France.”

Some of my friends asked what was on the menu at the Chef’s Table, so here you go (9 courses paired with 9 world-class wine tastings);  1) Fried Chicken Lollipop, Crispy Escargot Ravioli and Crab Gratin with Champagne Jean-Louis Vergnon Brut Blanc; 2) Terrine of Smoked Salmon with Scancerre “Cuvee Edmond” Domaine; Nantucket Bay scallops with Calamari Spaghetti with Reisling “Turckheim” Domaine; 3) Skate Wing Rolled with Crabmeat – Beaune “Close des Mouche” Premier Cru, 4) Lamburger with Pinot Noir “Presidio Vineyard” Bonaccorse; 5) Breast of Squab Stuffed with Squab Liver and Foie Gras with Chateanuneuf-du-Pape “Secrets de Pignan”; 6) Prime short ribs of Angus  Beef cooked 72 hours Sous Vide with Cabernet Sauvignon “Tresca” Allora; 7) Selection of Ripe Cheeses with “Relentless” Syrah-Petite Sirah; 8) Strawberry Cocktail; 9) Selection of Michel Richard Signature Desserts with Coteaux du Layon “4 Villages” Domaine.

One words sums it up … “wow.”   In addition to the brilliant Michel Richard, the Sommelier, Mark Slater, is also a James Beard award winner for Outstanding Wine Service.    Citronelle is definitely the place in DC for special occasions.   What a great night with terrific friendships, lots of stories and laughs and a world-class meal!

C-A-P-S

What a fantastic NHL game tonight!  The Capitals, in front of another sell-out crowd, defeated the NHL’s most famous team, the Montreal Canadiens, in an OT thriller.   But, it wasn’t just the victory that made it a great night, it was the spectacular goal scored by the world’s best hockey player, Alexander Ovechkin.

Words can’t do justice to this place.   If you haven’t seen it yet, please go to http://www.youtube.com and type in Alex’s name.  It’s simply an incredible play – from start to finish.  It might not be as spectacular as the goal he scored while on his back against the Phoenix Coyotes three years ago, but it ranks right up there as one of the greatest goals you’ll ever see.

Let’s go Caps!

GU

I blog every Monday night or Tuesday morning during the Spring about the Sports Marketing Strategy class we teach at Georgetown University.  But, no class tonight since the campus is closed due to President’s Day.

This is probably a good thing we have tonight off, especially if I brought in a guest speaker tonight … who would have had the monumental task of being the guest speaker after Ted Leonsis’ stellar appearance in our class last week. I received a number of wonderful emails from our students about how much they enjoyed hearing the many fascinating stories and life lessons from Ted.  He knocks it out of the park each spring semester when he talks to the class.

So, instead of the regular Monday routine of working all day at AOL, then teaching a class on Monday night — I’m free today / tonight.   I did come back from NYC this afternoon on the train.   And, I guess I’ll watch 24 live tonight vs the usual routine of watching it on DVR.   Sweet!

NASCAR

NASCAR season kicks off today with the running of the Daytona 500, which is regarded as their biggest event of the season.  Unlike the NFL, which culminates with the Super Bowl or the MLB, which ends with the World Series, it’s interesting that NASCAR starts its 38-race season with their largest and most popular race.

Why?  Because Daytona Beach is where NASCAR got its start behind the brilliance of Bill France, Sr.  His grandson, Brian France, now is the CEO / Chairman of this hugely popular sport.

NASCAR took off in popularity about 10 years ago when they signed the major TV deals with Fox, NBC and Turner Sports.   Plus, they’ve done a good job by opening tracks outside of the Southeast, where the sport got its’ start.  They are now tracks in Chicago, Kansas City, Texas, California, etc.

I have a lot of friends that say they don’t watch NASCAR on TV or won’t attend a race in person.  But, I encourage you to try to attend a race in person.  It’s exhilirating — the power of the cars, the sounds, the smell of the fuel and tires — and, of course, the devoted passion of its’ fan base.

At AOL, we sponsored the #30 car with Richard Childress Racing (one of the greatest people in the sport), for three years.   Plus, we had a three-way partnership with NASCAR and Turner Sports to promote NASCAR.com.   So, I got quite a bit of NASCAR experience earlier this decade.

Who do I think will win today’s race?   My choice is Carl Edwards, who should probably battle Jimmy Johnson for the crown.  But, with major wrecks often occuring in a super speedway like Daytona, one never knows since so many cars can get knocked out.   Fortunately, the safety of the drivers has increased dramatically after the tragic accident of the sport’s most popular drive, Dale Earnhardt, Sr.

Time to go watch them “tradin’ paint!”  “Rubbin’ is racin’” 

NYC

I’m heading to New York City this weekend with a few good friends this weekend.   I haven’t been to NYC since early November to attend the Asian Leadership Summit.   And, this will be my first weekend there in nearly a year.

I used to work at least one day a week in our AOL office NY for over 3 1/2 years.  I went there for staff meetings as well as to meet regularly with my primary accounts — the NFL, NBA, MLB, NASCAR, NHL, Sports Illustrated, etc.   Sometimes the trip would be two days but normally it was back and forth onthe same day.

But, things have changed over the past few years … we longer have the strategic sports partnerships with the leagues (mostly due to our change in business model).  Also, with a keen eye on expenses, business travel has been reduced dramatically.

NYC is definitely one of my favorite cities in the world … other fave’s are Tokyo (where I grew up), Paris, Hong Kong and Montreal.   I used to fly there regularly but I’ve become much more of an Amtrak Acela user the past couple of years.   It takes 2 hours, 45 minutes vs a 45-minute flight but you don’t have to deal w/ airport security … plus the flights delays and the cab ride from LaGuardia to mid-town.

NYC is electric … and, there’s always so many things to do.   One of my closest friends and his family live there as well as a number of other great friends.  So, I am looking forward to the visit this weekend (and some NY pizza, too)!

Washington, DC has been regarded as the most powerful city in the world while NYC has been regarded as the financial center.  But, times are changing, especially with the Wall Street firms needing desperate financial assistance from the gov’t.

I feel fortunate to live and work in a wonderful city while also being located a short distance from one of the greatest cities in the world.    But, I’ll never be a Yankees fan — especially with all the crazy money they throw each year at free agents.  Go Nationals!!! 

Lessons from Ted Leonsis

Although we’re only about a 1 / 3 of the way through our Spring semester at Georgetown, last night’s class was the highlight of the semester.  Why?  Because Ted Leonsis spent over 2 hours with our 45 students.

Ted, who is one of my primary mentors and a long-time friend, speaks each Spring to my Sports Marketing Strategy class.  And, he always knocks it out of the park.   It’s such an honor having someone with his background share his life story and life lessons with the class.

With his background of running AOL when we were the world’s hottest company; operating as the Majority Owner of the Capitals and Mystics (as well as interests in the Wizards and Verizon Center); producing two stellar documentaries – “Nanking” and “Kickin’ It”; serving as one of the DC area’s leading philanthropists; investing in new hot companies and ideas such as ClearSpring and Snagfilms; and being a terrific family man, he has so many wonderful experiences to share.  And, that’s exactly what he did to our class last night.

He talked about coming to Georgetown as a 16-yr old freshman — his mentorship with Father Durkin — his initial job right out of college at Wang — to successfully selling his company for millions of dollars before the age of 25 — to the plane crash he fortunately survived at the age of 25 (very similar to the story about the recent crash on the Hudson River) — to his days at AOL, including the rise which led us to the largest merger in corporate history  — to finding out the truth behind real happiness in life — to running and operating professional sports franchises (and the successful turnaround of the Capitals — to producing documentaries and coining the term, “filmanthropy” — and, much more.

(To learn more about the life of this terrific person, please go http://www.tedstake.com.  Also, please take a look at http://www.snagfilms.com.)

Each year, after he speaks to the class, I get a few emails from students that tell me how they were blown away by the stories and life lessons; how they called their parents after the class to share some of the stories; to how some of them say that the class where Ted spoke was their best class in their 4 years at Georgetown.  Those type of compliments say it all.    Thank you, Ted, for giving back so much to your alma mater.  We are all better for it.  Go Hoyas!