Episode 249 Snippets: Jon Schwartz, NASCAR/NFL/Big Ten

Best Of The Digital and
Social Media Sports Podcast
Episode 249: Jon Schwartz
@njh287; www.dsmsports.net
On episode 249 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast, Neil chatted
with Neil chatted with Jon Schwartz, Professor at the NYU Tisch Institute for
Global Sport. Veteran sports communications and marketing executive with
NASCAR, the Big Ten Conference, NFL, Mastercard, Bank of America, and
more.
What follows is a collection of snippets from the podcast. To hear the full
interview and more, check out the podcast on all podcast platforms and at
www.dsmsports.net.

Jon’s Career Path
“I went to the University of Maryland where I played ACHA tier one
ice hockey. It's equivalent to like a D3 schedule, so really tough. Penn
State was in our division as an example before they went D1. I had a
great few years at University of Maryland and while there I was the
team president of our hockey team. So my job was to work with the
media and work with administration to see if we could get more
integration opportunities between the school and the hockey team.

“Out of that came two internships: one with the Pittsburgh Penguins,
where I spent a summer working. For those of you who are familiar with
Pittsburgh, this will resonate with you — I worked at the Igloo, which
was the original Civic Center where Elvis played and the roof would open
for certain events, concerts and things. So a really interesting place. And
at night I would would work at Primanti Brothers, which is a famous
sandwich shop where they put the meat, fries, tomato and coleslaw all in
the sandwich. Pittsburgh is about eight hours is about eight hours from
New York City, so that was really a typical truck stop. You know, a
trucker would drive eight hours stop, grab a drink and grab a sandwich.
Pittsburgh is essentially one of those ‘gateway to the Midwest’ cities.

“So I did that at night and I realized that I was absolutely, positively
done with being a student. So I dropped out. So you're looking at a
college dropout who went to chase a job with an expansion American
Hockey League team in Baltimore, Maryland. Now, mind you, I
slowly finished up and got my degree; lest anyone think that I would
recommend not getting your degree. But I chased this dream of being
the first PR director for this franchise. We were the top farm affiliate
of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim at the time, so our logo was literally
designed by Disney. It was this raccoon with the hockey stick. We sold
a bunch of merchandise, it was bonkers.

“I spent about a year and a half there. It was wild and exciting. I'll tell you
a little bit more about connections that I made later, but ultimately I got a
call from the GM one day [and he] said, ‘Come on to my office, let's talk.’
And I sat in his office, he said, ‘Listen, we have good news. We figured out
that other AHL teams are combining the public relations director job with
the play-by-play announcer job, so we're going to merge the jobs,’ and I
was like, ‘Wow, I don't know how to do play-by-play, but I'm going to give
it my best shot. Thank you so much for this opportunity.’ [He stopped] me
and said, ‘No, no, no, no. You don't understand. We're giving your duties
to the play-by-play guy.’ So that was a rude awakening. You know, when
you have your first job, you sort of fall in love with providing for yourself,
being able to pay your own bills and and that was a little soul crushing.

“But I immediately landed on my feet at an arena football team in the
Big Apple and we were fighting against MLS, NHL, NBA, NFL —
every single major professional league. We were this little tiny arena
football team that played in the Meadowlands. So my job was to
convince these big New York City media outlets — New York Times,
New York Post, Daily News, Newsday to come cover us on a regular
basis. And I was able to do it and it was a lot of fun. But I realized I
kind of stopped growing, I stopped learning. I hit a wall and I always
want to be challenged in my career. So I went and took a job with, at
the time, it was called Alan Taylor Communications. It was a global
PR firm for sports, which was a great experience.

“From there I had a little stint with the XFL, which ended officially with me
being informed by watching SportsCenter that I lost my job. That was two
weeks before my wedding, so I had to face the whole family and explain that,
‘Hey, here's what I was doing and now I'm looking for a job.’ So then I spent the
next probably 10 or 12 years in-house at big public companies. I was at a
consumer products and goods company in corporate communications investor
relations. I went to Mastercard, Global Mastercard worldwide, and had a
chance to work on all sorts of amazing partnerships and ‘priceless’ advertising
campaigns that appeared in the Academy Awards and the Super Bowl, worked
a FIFA World Cup. Just incredible experience. I went to Bank of America, spent
a couple of years there and had an opportunity when I was at the bank to go
work for NASCAR, which is the sanctioning body for stock car racing in the US
and had a really amazing experience about eight years there.

“I got recruited away to go work for the National Football League as
senior vice president of communications and public affairs, leading all
strategic communications for the league and working with
Commissioner (Roger) Goodell and the leadership team to make sure
that we were going out with the right messaging and servicing the
media and trying new things and new campaigns, etc. Then I was at
the Big Ten for the last couple years essentially as their chief
marketing and communications officer. So I've run the gamut. A
bunch of time in-house at public companies, big brands, some time at
agencies and certainly some times at these big leagues. So I've been
very blessed with a wonderful career.”

On learning marketing and picking up lifelong philosophies while also
evolving with the times
“I think the relationship that a communications professional has with a
journalist is sacred. Never lie, never deceive them and have a good give
and take. It all starts with forming a good relationship — that stands the
test of time. And I think these other things that were really important
back then, I can remember working back in the late mid 90s, late 90s,
and it was all about the press release. It was all about print, television and
radio. It was all about doing video news releases and satellite media
tours. If you didn't get a wire story, there wasn't a really good chance that
your local story would make much of an impact.

“Now today, obviously, the biggest change besides social media is these
properties have these massive platforms. I know we were talking about a
little earlier; I mean, these platforms are so powerful. They're so
interesting. They've hired former reporters and creatives and TV
producers to make it so interesting and powerful. Look what's going on
with the Eli Manning project that the [New York] Giants are doing. One
Jets Drive over at the [New York] Jets, and so many great things coming
out of the Arthur Blank family businesses down in Atlanta with the
Falcons and Atlanta United FC. I mean, it's just incredible, the studio
they built. Teams and leagues are doubling down on investing in their
own content. I would have never imagined years ago that that would be
the direction in which we would be headed.”

On how teams and leagues building up their own platforms affects the
relationship dynamics with third-party media
“Some of those dynamics change, but the fundamentals don't. You have to have
great integrity and deal in honesty and plain speak and acknowledge when you
have a problem. You just got to work it out and you have to have enough
mutual respect with a journalist to be okay with that on both sides. But
ultimately, yeah, I mean, your organization may be competing with them for
news stories, and there may be other platforms that are emerging that are
getting stories because their networks are different. You know, some people
who are in the Generation Z, well, they're forming relationships with other Gen
Zers who are making the news right now; as opposed to the quintessential old
grizzly reporters. So it is changing a little bit.

“But I think what's happening more is there was a disproportionate amount of
focus and weight behind earned media back then. Now you're seeing these
efforts to put messaging and campaigns out in the marketplace are through the
lens of integrated marketing and communications and the use of the PESO
mode, which was founded in 2014 as part of the book called Spin Sucks…PESO
(stands for) paid, earned, shared and owned. So everything sits under that from
marketing communications to lead generation to podcasts like this, to brand
journalism like we just talked about, to earned media and community service
and co-branding and shared media. So, you know, I think all of this stuff, it's
never been more important than it is now that all of these tactics work together
under a codified plan that's actually on paper. Not like you guys go off and
handle this, we'll do that and then we'll cross our fingers and hope for the best
that we don't step on each other.

“So what I've learned over the years is if I need to be the central
clearinghouse or comms needs to be the central clearinghouse for
everybody's going to do to support a particular thing — a news event,
an announcement, a campaign — that's great, we'll be the scribe and
we'll put it all together, but we'll make sure everybody is aware of
what other people are doing. The integrated part is really hard, but it
pays off the most because it results in a campaign that really feels, to
use an old term, 360 degrees.”

About creating mutually beneficial relationships with media
“I think it's about the credibility and the street cred of a Washington Post or a New
York Times or a Wall Street Journal or a Sports Illustrated chronicling a story or a
news event. Because the news might not always be good, and you may have to deal
with those situations when you're putting out news or you're responding to an
inquiry, so that that trust exchange is extraordinarily important. But also, these
outlets are going to cover news either way. Good, bad, indifferent. So why not
work with somebody you trust to get your story out there in a way that's straight.
And the value exchange there could be you get it first, you get it exclusively. Sit on
it for a while, we may be able to do more for you. So that part is sort of whispered
in the halls like those sort of like exchanges. But it's part of the sauce of what we
do. And I think the backbone of those instances really is trust.”

What PR and PESO success looked like pre-social and pre-internet
“Probably a big win would have been a great feature story on your star player in The
Baltimore Sun. Or even just, you know, a big outlet [like] The Washington Post picking up a
game story. Those are things that would get you energized. But I think sometimes the big
wins really don't materialize until much later in life. I'll give you a couple examples.
“When I was at in Baltimore at the team, I ran the press box, which meant that I was
responsible for the game notes, making sure everybody had what they needed, stocking the
sodas and the waters and cooking the hot dogs and handing them out. And I forged a handful
of meaningful relationships in that press box that I still carry with me to this day. I'll give you
a couple examples. One is there was a kid who was fresh out of college, his name was Jason
La Canfora and he was he was one of the writers for the Baltimore Sun. And of course now
today he's renowned for his role as a CBS NFL insider, and I got a chance to work with him
again at the NFL. We were both on the other sides of our career. But it all connects, right?

“There was another person who was in the press box, he was writing a
little bit for The [Baltimore] Sun and maybe a couple other small
outlets named Brant James. Brant went on to work for Sports
Illustrated, ESPN, USA Today. And [when] I was at NASCAR I
worked with him all the time. We look back on those days and think
about how breaking news in that time was a lot more simpler and it
was very high touch and it wasn't sort of an arms race to see who can
get it out first. So I think those are some of the big changes that you've
seen.

“But again, it's all based on those relationships. I'll give you another example. I met a
gentleman in that same press box named Howard Dolgon, he was the owner of the
Syracuse Crunch. We were the farm team for the [Anaheim] Ducks, the Crunch, today
they're the farm team of the Tampa Bay Lightning. So when I left years later I was at Arena
Football and I answered an ad in The New York Times at this big New York City PR
agency, Alan Taylor Communications, today they're known as Taylor Strategy. They were
hiring a senior account associate. I went in to interview and before I went in to interview, I
hit the men's room and in the men's room I run into Howard Dolgon and he said, ‘What
the hell are you doing here?’ And I said, ‘Well, I'm here to interview for a job. What are you
doing here?’ He's like, ‘Well, I co-own this agency with Alan Taylor, the guy whose name is
on the door.’ And I'm like, ‘Really?’ I had no idea. I guess I lost track. And he's like, ‘Stop
talking, follow me.’ So he marched me into Alan Taylor's office…and said, ‘This is Jon
Schwartz. He took care of me in Baltimore. He's a really dedicated, hard working person.
We need him on our team here at Alan Taylor Communications.’ And Alan hired me on the
spot. So everything connects.

“Another piece of advice that I got from from someone who I hold
near and dear to my heart [is] everything communicates — the way
you speak, the way you write, your body language, the clothes you
choose to wear, your level of participation, the things you do, how you
carry yourself on social media, your attitude, are you on time and do
you have good self awareness. The words you choose really do matter
and you need to sort of be mindful that everything communicates all
the time. So never burn a bridge and always try and project positivity
and optimism.”

“But the other side, too, I mean you bring up a good point [about] the different generations
today. We have more generations in the workplace than we ever have before. There are 4
or 5 generations in the workplace. That's crazy. We have baby boomers working with Gen
Zers and even some silent generation people are hanging on. That's a really complex
environment. So that's why it's important for you to continue to give back like the people
before you gave to you, gave you time, gave you advice, gave you energy, gave you
motivation. So that's why I'm such a big believer in the power of mentoring. And there's no
better example of mentoring than in sports. That's why I think, you know, I was telling you
a little bit before that I spend most of my Fridays mentoring young people. And the other
day I said, to hell with it. I'm going to try to do this as an office hours because I'm a
professor and it's a school, so I called it quote unquote ‘office hours.’ People would sign up
and I had four amazing discussions with young people about their life and their aspirations
and their careers, and it was just incredible. I bought them coffee and there was no strings
attached. And I think, you know, those those relationships are the ones that stand the test
of time.”

“I think every generation communicates and expresses themselves differently. It's not just
on the older generation, it's on everybody to adapt, right? When I was coming up we had to
adapt to the status quo, we had to adapt to the older generations, the silent generation, the
baby boomers. I'm a Gen Xer. We had to adapt or die. Either you sink or swim. Do your
work, shut up, don't complain. And now it's a little different and that's okay. Everyone
needs to sort of adapt to the styles of all those 4 or 5 generations.
“One of the things I do with my NYU students is, I know it sounds silly, but I do a feelings
check every class; sort of how are we feeling? Are we feeling confident? Are we feeling
prepared? Do we need help? Are we excited? Are we bored? And I sort of keep track. It's
not for them, it's for me. I need to know if my schwerve is clicking with them. Because if
I'm not, I need to change it. I need to find another way to reach them. So it's about figuring
out how I could better serve their needs because ultimately that's the power dynamic.
You're always trying to figure out how to serve your boss or older generations… So I think
it's really important to adapt your style.”

On tips for introverted people to network and build new relationships
“I think that's really the philosophy in many ways behind LinkedIn, right?
You could, I don't like to use this phrase, but you can stay behind the
keyboard and not have that real-life interaction until you're ready. And by the
way in which you modify, update and edit your profile, one, and two, what
your content strategy is, you can attract certain kinds of people and you can
get yourself in a position to reach out to them proactively and see if they want
to have coffee. ‘Hey, can I pick your brain? I'm at this point in my career and I
could really use some advice. I saw you do X, Y and Z.’ And that's how it
starts. It's sort of like fewer, bigger, better, right? Fewer, deeper interactions
than just blasting out trying to see how many followers you can get.

“So I think I think that's one way. And the other way is just starting with
your your own network and see if you can get personalized introductions…
I think like it's one thing to add somebody to to your to your network, but
you and I made a commitment to each other. We're going to stay in touch
and we're going to follow up. But a lot of people I speak to, you know, it's a
parent who I know and their daughter or son is trying to go in a certain
direction and we have this great call and then I never hear from them
again. That's a missed opportunity for them because if they continue to
use the relationship and tap in or if I'm reaching out all the time saying,
‘Hey, how's it going? How can I help?’ It's not going to work. So
networking is much more than expanding your network. It's deepening
and enriching the current relationships that you have.”

About building the original XFL, the strategy, how it played out, and the lessons
“This is the beginning. Years ago, the USFL, the original USFL, was out there as
a spring football league. You know, there was a lot of interest [in the USFL]. I
remember having season tickets for the New Jersey Generals and watching
Herschel Walker play. So for years I think Vince McMahon, who for many years
ran and I believe he's still involved significantly in WWE; back then it was WWF
— World Wrestling Federation. He was talking with a gentleman named Dick
Ebersol who at the time was the president of NBC Sports. Also, earlier in his
career he started at Saturday Night Live. People don't remember this part of the
story, and you had this huge media company in NBC Sports and another huge
media company that flew under the radar because nobody thought of WWE as a
media company, but it really was back in 2000, right?

“In 1999-2000, they started this thing in earnest. And when it came together, it was white
hot. It was like lightning in a bottle. There was so much buzz around it. I remember being
on the cover of USA Today, Sports Illustrated and The Washington Post and The Wall
Street Journal like all in the same day. Just absolutely incredible. And I have a few stories
to share, but ultimately, I think the reason why that version of it failed was that there was a
bit of an overpromise to the advertisers and the revenue just never materialized on the
back end.
“I can remember the very first game was the New York/New Jersey Hitmen, which is the
team I was the VP of communications for vs. the Las Vegas Outlaws. So we went out to
Vegas and I'll never forget that line of headlights streaming into the stadium parking lot
even after the game had begun. I was standing in our radio booth and up behind me,
unbeknownst to me, walks (veteran NFL reporter) Peter King. And I didn't see who it was,
but he stood next to me and all of a sudden this voice says, ‘Man, this could really work.’ It
was Peter King.

“Another fun story was my team, the Hitmen, we were we were having a rough
start. I think that first game we lost like 6-0, and then we really had trouble scoring
the points. Our coach decided to just sort of do three yards and a cloud of dust kind
of thing, so not a lot of passing. And there was a former wrestler named Jesse
Ventura, Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura [who] went on to become the governor of
Minnesota. I know this sounds fake, but it's real. And in his role as governor, he
was chiming in on what was happening in the XFL, because I guess Vince
McMahon put him up to it. So he went on New York radio, ESPN or WFAN and
just started [berating] our coach, ‘Throw the ball, Rusty!’ Rusty Tillman was this
gray hair, crazy looking, red faced guy who was an awesome guy, but he was like a
special teams coach. We got him from the Minnesota Vikings and he would just yell
and scream and run up and down the sideline, his face would turn all red. And
Jesse The Body Ventura went on the radio and just challenged him to throw the
ball more.

“Then later in the week Tillman went on the broadcast, the same broadcast,
and said, ‘If he wants to come down here and show me the ropes, I'll take
care of him.’ It was almost like a challenge to a duel. It was just a really
weird, strange battle that was brewing the week we were going to play at
Soldier Field. So we show up at Soldier Field, and obviously NBC has the
game. Jesse The Body Ventura was hired as one of the color analysts in the
game. Soldier Field intentionally, the Chicago Enforcers, which is the name
of their team, didn't cover the field, and it was a torrential downpour three
days before. So we were all standing in three inches of mud. And I
remember we won that game. It was our first [win], I think we were 0-3
and that was the first game we won. And I knew something was coming.

“My job was to escort the head coach from the sideline to the
postgame media availability, and I look up in the stands and down is
walking Jesse The Body Ventura from his perch within the stadium.
So he was sitting out in the elements just like everybody else was. And
I'll never forget, there's a picture of me somewhere in between these
two gigantic men as seemingly they're about to throw blows. It was
just really an incredible experience, especially as a young
communications person to learn and grow and make mistakes. But it
was also in many ways the theater of the absurd.”

On encouraging narratives as part of the comms plan
“Comms shouldn't be part of the execution only. The real key for all of
these other leagues, USFL and XFL is the product. As the product is getting
developed, you need to think about the quality of the game, the quality of
the product that you're putting on national television. If that's good, if that
generates highlights and rivalries and star power, man, now you're on to
something and now you can start to create and amplify some stories.
“But ultimately it's about putting the right people in place to create an
amazing product that you can deliver to the marketing communications
folks and say go run with it.”

About the strategy at NASCAR and their objectives and execution during
his tenure there
“I joined NASCAR in mid-2011 and the sport had a lot of problems and
they were they were not shy about talking about them. If you went to a
racetrack, you didn't know where to go, where to sit, where to get a
headset, who to talk to. If you ended up in the right place sitting and
watching the race in the grandstand or somewhere else you couldn't talk to
the person next to you. You had no idea how the scoring system [worked]
because it was so loud.. You didn't know if you could. Most tracks didn't
accept credit cards and there's a high barrier for entry for new fans for that
reason, particularly people of color and other underserved communities.

“So NASCAR was trying to get younger, more diverse, more mainstream,
and all the while it was trying to buy back its digital rights. So in other
words, Turner (TNT) had the digital rights, which means that it operated
and ran the website and profit-shared with NASCAR on the revenue and
it also operated the social media channels. Think about that for a second.
A network partner running our social media accounts. It was just a
seminal moment for NASCAR, really. We were entering into that key
phase where we needed to launch a new race car and that had to go well
because we were in in the midst of negotiating our media rights, which we
ended up doing an $8.2 billion deal back then with NBC and FOX. [The
deal] is now up, so look for NASCAR to be making moves here in the next
year or so.

“It was a really difficult time. I mean, this is when the Confederate flag was flying proudly
at racetracks. You think about just that symbol and how it alienates people. Our CEO at the
time used to say that flag belongs in a museum, not at a racetrack. Then the other dynamic
was the ecosystem — the tracks, the teams and the drivers and NASCAR all sort of
seemingly working against each other. The teams are competing with each other for
sponsorship dollars, on and off the racetrack. They're fighting with the tracks about track
conditions and sharing revenue. The drivers are complaining about this and that and really
there was no integration whatsoever.
“So NASCAR had done a great job — I mean, let's remember NASCAR started in the
backwoods of Georgia when these moonshiners decided that they need to soup up their
cars, they would turn their cars into race cars to outrun the police. And years later, when
the pilgrims brought NASCAR to the shores of Daytona Beach in 1948, when they got all
the owners together and said, ‘We're going to do this, we're going to do a real series, we're
going to have points and it's going to be great.’ This is what NASCAR is founded on.

“So for years and years, NASCAR did a fantastic job making it easier and more
convenient for journalists to cover the race. And there was massive coverage,
especially in the late 80s, early 90s and in the 90s, really huge and even into the
early 2000s… But ultimately NASCAR needed to evolve and it did. Part of that was
installing an integrated marketing communications team that really ensured we
had stakeholder relationship groups, we had people working on the digital and
social side, we had somebody focusing solely on business, someone focusing solely
on our work with the media networks, solely on sponsorship and really making
sure that comms was embedded in every function of the business. And today,
NASCAR, I think this weekend NASCAR is racing in Chicago on a road course, I
mean, who would have thought downtown Chicago would be the host of NASCAR?
And they've got this amazing app where [if] you're at the track you can actually
watch 20 or 30 different camera angles for free on your phone. It's incredible.

“So they've come a long way; I admire so much what they did when in
the wake of officials finding a Confederate flag hanging in the stall of
Bubba Wallace and they ended up banning the Confederate flag and it
was at the height of Black Lives Matter. I was so proud of the work
that NASCAR did. So they've come a long way. I think it just goes to
show you — they turn 75 this year, so they've come a long way in 75
years from a small family-owned business to one today that's on the
precipice of doing a historic media rights deals and running races at
the LA Coliseum and on the streets of Chicago.”

About evolving the culture of NASCAR even knowing it may alienate some staunch traditionalists
“The sport hired an agency to go out — Taylor Strategy actually — to go out and conduct about
300 interviews with people from all over the ecosystem to talk about what they thought the sport
needs, and NASCAR came up with this sort of five point plan that would really re-energize the
sport. I think that combined with banning the Confederate flag, combining with drivers like
Bubba Wallace and Daniel Suarez and Kyle Larson, all products of the NASCAR Drive for
Diversity program, having success on the racetrack has really positioned the sport to become
future-proof. And I think the leadership there has done an amazing job, President Steve Phelps
and Eric Nyquist and Lisa France Kennedy and Ben Kennedy and Jim France, just really
incredible work.
“The teams have come together in a big way. You saw the Hendrick team went to the 24 Hours of
Le Mans and won it and using just incredible will and determination to bring a really badass race
car to Le Mans. So I can't say enough about the folks at NASCAR and it's really an example of
how a sport reimagined itself.”

About Jon being at the NFL when the video of players came out challenging Commissioner
Goodell and the league to say and embrace Black Lives Matter
“I think this is a lesson about how much the voice of employees matters. We had an
employee — we had hired a brand new head of Dgital and Social who was great. He was
doing his thing. His name is Ian Trombetta. He did a phenomenal job. He had a member of
his team named Bryndon Minter who, along with a group of employees, got together and
worked with the players because Bryndon had a relationship with these players to come up
with this video expressing their support for Black Lives Matter and challenging the league
to do the same. And I think, yeah, it was a very interesting moment. It was a moment I
think of the people and it really underscored the importance of listening and responding.
And I think in the wake of that, you know, the league was doing really good things with
Inspire Change, its social justice platform, before that, but it really doubled down with it
afterwards. You know, the commissioner recorded a really heartfelt video in which he said
‘Black Lives Matter’ and we fully support you.

“But it really in that moment and of course, you know, millions and millions of dollars
were funneled to Inspire Change in the wake of of that experience. But I think it
underscored the voice of the employee. And there was another group of employees —
nowadays these employee resource groups are really strong and powerful, they do have a
voice. And I have a real passion and connection with the LGTBQ+ community, so I as an
ally joined the ERG (employee resource group) for LGBTQ+. Tthey were getting great
support from the league office. They were getting about $10,000 a year and they were
putting, I mean that's a good chunk of change for an ERG, and they were putting that
money towards the gay pride parade. But it really it felt a little check-the-box, the group
felt it was a little performative. So they said, you know, we really want something that
doesn't cost a lot of money at all and that's a campaign around pride. So the challenge was
there were [only a] few of us in this group and this wasn't our day job. Nobody was
assigned to it. It wasn't my responsibility, it wasn't any of my colleagues’ responsibilities.
But we had a chance to put together a campaign, so I raised my hand and said, ‘I'll drive
and and I'll need some help from you all.’

“But I was able to get a few people together from marketing and advertising
and the NFL Network and NFL media and the social media team and we
created a really cool campaign. Troy Vincent, who is a cisgender African-
American male who's the top football official for for the NFL next to Roger
Goodell, [and] who is a devout Christian, he penned an op-ed about coming out
in the NFL and how the locker room environment is a safe place for you to do
that. And I'll never forget about a week after we launched the campaign a
woman who I'd never met — she's 3000 miles away at the NFL offices in Los
Angeles — she used the website we created for NFL Pride to come out
personally. For me that was a that was a huge moment to be part of something
like that that was so personal and intimate to her; that she would use the
platform to come out and citing the fact that her employer really made her feel
safe to do that. Just awesome.

“A year after that, Carl Nassib became the first active NFL player to come out.
And this year they're doing a big merchandise collection with a big fashion
brand around pride. So you know, yeah, it was an interesting time, but I think it
reminded everybody the importance of of listening to the voices of employees.”
“The big KPI was doing it. Just doing it. Just the NFL getting behind a
campaign for LGBTQ+. We didn't expect the kind of impact, we didn’t expect a
huge number of social media impressions. We didn't expect to be able to pull
off a public service announcement with Rob Gronkowski. We didn't expect
anybody to say yes and a bunch of NFL current and former NFL players did. So
just doing it, just getting out that out the door was a big KPI and the sort of the
bounce we got out of it was great. But ultimately doing it, which was I still
believe was the right thing to do, was the big KPI.”

About the platform of major sports organizations and helping drive cultural progress
“I think it's not an exact science, and that's not a cop out, but I believe that you need to
really know and understand your audience before you do anything and I think you have to
understand and appreciate the sentiment in the marketplace. In this case, it's, whatever it
is, baseball's got 30, 32 clubs, NFL 30, 32 clubs, NHL, etc. — what's going to resonate? Is
there something good that's working in a certain market that will allow people to opt in
across the league? Sometimes some of the best campaigns are coming from the local
markets as opposed to having the league create something and then jam it down your
throat.
“So I hate to answer the question in such a mealy-mouth way, but I really think it all
depends. I was really proud that the league was brave enough to do what they did on
LGBTQ+. You know, there are some leagues that can do that and there are some leagues
that probably are struggling with it right now.”

About Jon’s dedication to serving others and the programs he works with
“So hockey played a huge role in my development. When I was eight years
old, I was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome and I had all these different
tics that I was dealing with and games like baseball and basketball had a
little too much downtime for me. But hockey was this five sensory
experience, you know — taste, touch, smell, hear, see, and you have so
much going on, there was so much stimuli that it really was something
that worked for me.
“So years later, I decided that it played such an important role in me
developing self-confidence and physical fitness and socialization…

“I partnered with a mother of a young boy who had autism to start this
program in New Jersey called the New Jersey Dare Devils. It's for people
who have intellectual disabilities, children [and] adults and give them an
opportunity to play hockey. And at the time there was about 10 or 15
teams in the whole nation with about 250 people playing this special
brand of hockey. Today and I've been involved with the American Special
Hockey Association, which is sort of the sanctioning body for for all those
teams, and today we're at about 7000 members and about 128 teams. So
there's been massive growth of special hockey across the United States
and I've had some amazing experiences with these young men and
women and I'm so grateful for the role that they've played in my life, and
I've gotten to do some really amazing things along the way.”

The scouting report of Jon the hockey player (he played club ice hockey at
University of Maryland) and which NHL player would he resemble if had
reached 500% of his actual level
“Well, I'll do the first part. [I was a] very gritty [player]. Standing behind the
net and getting whacked at. Right in the slot area, not afraid to go into the
corners. Decent hands, although not great, but really good around the net.
“And if I was 500% of my skill set, if I was a pro, it'd be a mix of Connor
McDavid, Eric Lindros and P.K. Subban — sort of willing to be physical to
go to the corner, throw a big hit, maybe scrap, but also can skate and shoot
and have great hands. I definitely put my teammates first.”

The XFL or Vince McMahon story that is Jon’s favorite story to tell or a
lasting memory that sticks in his mind
“Being in meetings with Vince McMahon and Dick Ebersol, it was such an
opportunity to listen, learn and watch those two men deal with one
another and deal with the staff and how methodical they were, how well
they worked together and how talented they were in each of their own
ways. How intellectual they were. And I think that was, and it still is, a
special combination; those two are still friends. So I guess I was struck by
Vince’s acumen and his business prowess because obviously the way that
he's portrayed on TV is a little bit in the way between a buffoon and a
villain, which is not the case.”

The most important lesson Jon has learned from working with special
needs athletes
“I would say service before stardom. You know, young people really
struggle with this, they want this instant gratification; and I know
that's a stereotype. But do the work. It's not about you, improve
somebody else's life and it'll pay off. I mean, my drives home from the
rink are some of my most favorite times of the week because I get to
reflect on all these relationships I've built and the impact they've had
on me.”

The most memorable event from Jon’s time at NASCAR
“Well, on the track is probably watching Dale Earnhardt Jr win the Daytona 500, which
was great. He had been been a victim of a pretty long winless streak. But [also] when I
was in NASCAR, I had a really amazing experience. One morning, it was after the July
Daytona race, I was on my way into work in New York, NASCAR's New York City office
one morning and my train's coming into the station. All of a sudden I heard this big
thud and I looked down in front of me and there was a woman lying in the subway with
her head bleeding, she was knocked unconscious. She had fainted. So I grabbed her.
This is a quintessential New York story. I went down and I grabbed her. I pulled her up.
Another kid helped me with her legs, I sat her up on the steel girder. The train pulls in,
people get on, people get off, the train pulls away — like it never happened. As she's
coming to and sort of like kind of going through her purse, just to see if I can, and she
wakes up and she thinks in her mind that she's being mugged or attacked, thinking that
she was hit over the head or something, which obviously wasn't what it was.

“So anyway, that was an amazing story. I called the police station the next day
and I said, ‘Hey, this happened. I just want to make sure the woman is okay.’
And they're like, ‘Hold on, yeah yeah, hold on.’ And they were probably saying,
‘’This guy's full of crap,’’ blah blah blah. Well, he comes on the phone, he said,
‘Yeah, she's okay. She's in a local hospital recovering. We gave her your name
and address and oh, yeah by the way, you had 18 seconds.’ What do you mean?
He said ‘You had 18 seconds before from the time that she fell onto the track,
onto the tracks to the time she would have been cut in half by the train.’ She
was working a job as a administrative assistant at a small electrical company in
Long Island City and traveling from the Pocono Mountains. So it was taking her
almost three hours each way to get to work. And today she has her master’s
[degree] of social work and she works with children who have special needs,
which is kind of ironic.”

About an inflection point in Jon’s career when social media crossed over
to becoming an essential part of the picture
“I think for me and for everybody who sort of experienced this, it was
Twitter changing the way sports and almost everything was reported. It's
the way in which people gained influence and build up their brand by
breaking news and it made them more valuable, especially if they were
right. And the downside of it is a lot of people went before they were able
to validate the news. But, you know, it used to be that there was a 24-
hour news cycle and now if you're at a race or a sporting event, it's a 24-
second news cycle. So I would say that was the big inflection point.”

The biggest difference in Jon’s experience from working at college football versus the
NFL
“The Big Ten is 127 years old, right? So they for so many years operated kind of like a
mom and pop shop, believe it or not. Really small staff, did things sort of the traditional
old way and we had a new commissioner come in right before Covid, [Kevin Warren]
who's now the President and CEO of the Chicago Bears. He came in and really started
pushing all of us to act like an NFL team, to really do things that were above and
beyond. He really put a priority on diversity, a priority around driving business and
driving revenue and building the brand reputation. He knew that the media rights were
coming up and, as a result, the Big Ten did these historic deals last year and what really
was on the front foot with respect to expansion and adding schools like USC and UCLA.
So yeah, really different. The only similarities really is just the football. I mean, high-
quality football, time-honored traditions and some of the greatest fans in the world.”

The most memorable game from Jon’s time at Maryland
“My [club hockey] game, scoring two goals at Delaware, including the
game-winner. I didn't have much time to go to other sports…We
practiced at the same practice facility where the Washington Capitals
used to practice in suburban Maryland.”

The best meal to get in New York and where to get it
“Get it at Rao’s. Except I've never been. It's a dream
of mine to go. So if you have any hookups, please let
me know. But that would be the place I would go.
The history around Rao’s, owned by Frank
Pellegrino, I believe in the Pellegrino family for
years before he passed a few years ago. It's an Italian
restaurant in Harlem. They serve great food, tiny
little dining room.
“Legend has it that Robert De Niro has a table there
every night, and that one time when Madonna was
touring in in New York, she showed up at the
restaurant to see if she could get in and she was
turned away. So it is extremely hard to get a
reservation at Rao’s.”

The athlete whose presence in social media or media media in general that Jon feels has
been the most impactful or among the most impactful and why?
“Well, I think there are a couple examples. I mean, you look at the Manning family, which
they're seemingly on every media platform these days, and they're creating content and
they have Omaha Productions and they're doing all this great stuff. But you know, I think
LeBron [James] is really the best example. LeBron has enough money to do anything he
wants. He's a billionaire, he's a CEO of his own brand, and I think he represents the future
of sports ownership. There's no question in my mind we're watching future CEOs play in
the NBA and in the NFL, and it's really a matter of how they manage their money, how
they manage their environment and how they capitalize on opportunities.
“So you're seeing them get involved in investment groups that are buying teams and
they're going to get even larger stakes in these teams moving forward because sports
franchise values are continuing to go up.”

The lasting piece of advice that Jon hopes stays with the students that
he teaches
“I have a few, if you'll indulge me. One is measure twice, cut once. It's
the old carpenter's axiom. You want to be sure that you are being
really measured and thoughtful before you waste all this time and
money having to go out and buy extra wood. So measure twice, cut
once.

“Another piece of great advice I got along the way was don't buy back the
sale. After you've said something; after you've come to an agreement,
shut up. Don't say anything more, don't buy back the sale. Another one of
my favorites is the juice ain't worth the squeeze. Don't fall on the sword
over the little stuff. And then one of my favorites is people don't care how
much you know, they care how much you care. And that really stuck with
me not just in my professional life but in my personal life.
“I’ll leave you with one last one. There's a lot of really good people out
there, really talented in their craft, masters of their craft, if you will — I
would say, for those folks, just remember there are times in your career
that the game is coming to you, so stop trying so hard.”

Jon’s Social Media All-Star to Follow
I love what Rex Chapman is doing on on Twitter (@RexChapman).
He's a must-watch for me every day. His commentary is great, but I
love to see the way in which he curates content; [it] is really special. I
like people and brands that reinvent themselves and and he's done
that, and it's been a fun journey to watch for him.”

Where to find Jon on social media
Jon is @jonschwartz1 on Twitter and find him active on LinkedIn

@njh287; www.dsmsports.net
Thanks again to Jon for being so generous with his time to share his
knowledge, experience, and expertise with me!
For more content and episodes, subscribe to the podcast, follow me
on LinkedIn and on Twitter @njh287, and visit www.dsmsports.net.

Episode 249 Snippets: Jon Schwartz, NASCAR/NFL/Big Ten

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Episode 249 Snippets: Jon Schwartz, NASCAR/NFL/Big Ten