Mar 17 2011
London Wrap-Up
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By: Gabe Marwell
I just wanted to give a big thanks to Dean Winkler, Stephanie Holland, Jimmy Lynn, and Georgetown University for taking us to London last week. It was a great experience which we’ll remember for a long time, and the list of things we got to do and the people we got to meet just show that our program is the best and most forward thinking in the country. Here’s a list of things I learned:
1. The people in London love football. Their attention to detail, the quality of their stadiums… American football is said to be king in the United States, but in England, where they have a beloved monarchy, European football is legitimate royalty. They’re also a bit spoiled, as five of the 20 English premier league teams are located in London—think of New York City having six NBA teams. We’re also really excited for Under Armour and their recent deal with Tottenham.
2. There are brilliant people involved in sports—I found myself most impressed by Andy Knee of IMG and David Portas of Portas Consulting. Each of these gentlemen have been tasked to change the direction of a sport—Knee is director of football at IMG—or a country—Portas was instrumental in the bidding process for the London Olympics in 2012. Andy Knee helped kick off the trip on the right foot, with energy and interesting challenges for us to contemplate, and Portas was gracious enough to meet with us briefly in the stands at Lord’s Cricket Ground and discuss his background and thoughts with us. I feel very confident that both of these men have this industry heading in the right direction.
3. The London Olympics in 2012 will be spectacular. Just taking a bus tour past the finished, half-finished, and barely started venues was evidence enough. Another awesome thing we learned was that the basketball stadium is temporary, and will likely be moved once the Olympics finish, possibly to Brazil for 2016. The theme of the London Olympics is legacy and sustainability, and the portable stadium fits in with this theme, as well as being fiscally responsible.
4. Will American professional sports leagues be successful in Europe? The NFL sells out their annual game within hours, and the NBA regular season game we went to was packed with an excited and fascinated fan base. We couldn’t get a consensus from our speakers. The best answer was that with advances in the speed of air travel, an NBA team could be successful, but more likely there would have to be more than one team to make road trips worth the travel. We’ll see in the next coming years what will happen, but we were very impressed with the folks at NBA International and if anyone can get this done, they can.
5. Everyone we met with implored upon us that we are much more qualified and able to do their jobs than they were, which is exciting and good news to hear. Our generation, with our ability to use digital media and social networking, is poised to be successful in the upcoming years—just stay patient, work hard, and your opportunity will come.
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