Seven years ago this week Sports Business Radio launched on NewsRadio 750AM KXL in Portland. SBR Co-Founder Keith Forman joined me on the maiden voyage and our first guest was NBA Commissioner David Stern. (Listen to our show this week and I'll have a special audio clip from a favor Commissioner Stern did for me following the interview......hint: It made this NBA wannabe's dream come true).
Our show's mission was and continue's to be, "We Talk to the People Who Call the Shots in the World of Sports".
I look back over the course of the past 7 years and there are so many highlights.
I've had the opportunity to go one-on-one with a few men who sit atop their sports - NBA Commissioner David Stern, MLS Commissioner Don Garber, late NCAA President Dr. Myles Brand and now the current NCAA President Mark Emmert and BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock.
Team owners such as Portland Trail Blazers/Seattle Seahawks owner Paul Allen, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, Washington Wizards/Caps owner Ted Leonsis, Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver, Cleveland Cavs owner Dan Gilbert and Sacramento Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof have joined me to explain some of the key decisions they've made with their franchises as well as share with us the business strategies that have made them successful over the years.
And I've even had the opportunity to chat with several athletes about their business interests. Jack Nicklaus talked about his successful golf course design company that is introducing the game of golf to people around the globe. Oscar de la Hoya spoke about being a successful boxing promoter and part owner of an MLS franchise. Steve Nash shared with us his passion for his charitable foundation as well as his thoughts about his first trip to China when I was with Nash in Beijing in 2007. Former Dallas Cowboys great Roger Staubach joined us to tell us about his race car team and how he interned during his offseasons to learn the real estate business. And Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer, Ryne Sandberg, who I idolized as a kid, joined me to talk about working his way up the ladder as a baseball manager so he can one day hopefully manage a major league baseball franchise.
Even tennis great John McEnroe joined us on the show and serenaded our audience from his hotel room in Paris with "Purple Haze" (one of my favorite moments in our show's history).
If you would have told me 7 years ago that our show would make it to this point and that I'd have a guest list like the one mentioned above, I would have been thrilled. And now looking back on it, if I never do another show, I'd be very proud of what we've done to this point.
Our Sports Business Radio team has been the best part of this voyage though.
