Jul 20, 2021
Tune in to this episode of The K.P. Wee Podcast to learn about
the Sports Business 2.0 revolution and meet the online learning
pioneer at the center of it. Dr. Lynn Lashbrook founded Sports
Management Worldwide (SMWW) three decades ago as a forum for
experienced professionals in the business of sports management to
mentor students aspiring to build a career of their own. At a time
when dial-up Internet was still the standard in most homes, SMWW
was offering live online classes accessible to the world. For
decades, Dr. Lashbrook has recognized this technology as a
transformational tool but Covid-19 has finally driven it into the
mainstream. The mantra? “Go global, or go home!”
Not only does SMWW make learning about the business of sports
more open and interactive, it also extends opportunities to
would-be sports management professionals around the world. With 35
online sports business courses, sports career conferences, a
graduate degree program, and valuable alumni network, Dr. Lashbrook
is helping individuals achieve their dream of working in sports not
just in Northern America but in countries across Africa, Eurasia
and South America. He is fostering a global conversation among
students and professionals – one that supports the export of sports
across borders and preconceived notions of all kinds.
With a long history as a successful agent himself, Dr. Lashbrook
shares with K.P. both hard-won wisdom and an unquenchable
enthusiasm for diversifying, democratizing and growing sports year
over year. He sees and feels this burgeoning energy in his online
forums, building on inspiration he has taken from uniquely
successful mentors such as Howard Schultz of Starbucks, Phil Knight
of Nike, and Lamar Hunt, a founder of the American Football League
and Major League Soccer.
The SMWW toolbox offers students a lifetime membership that
promises exponential growth. With its ever-widening network of
connections and live conference event opportunities, students
across different cultures and sports learn from one another. They
are encouraged to interact, trade notes, dialogue online and
interact via informational interviews with professionals across the
spectrum of sports management training and skills.
SMWW’s online learning program is growing by leaps and bounds
not only because pandemic has accelerated the embrace of video
communication but also because it makes education affordable and
opens the field globally to sports enthusiasts who want to turn
their passion into a profitable profession.
Enjoy this lively conversation in which K.P. learns about Dr.
Lashbrook’s original vision and entrepreneurial journey, the types
of student best suited to SMWW (Hint: anyone with a genuine love of
sports) and the potential of unleashing a sports fan base of 8
billion people worldwide. No letterman jacket is required to tap
into this huge trend and become a part of the SMWW network – the
LinkedIn for people building a career in sports!
You can hear previous episodes of The K.P. Wee Podcast here.
If you’re a fan of this podcast’s intro music, please follow
Roger Chong: Twitter @chongroger and
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KEY TOPICS:
- (04:03): Dr. Lashbrook explains how he has put together a
stable of rock stars – teachers from across sports disciplines who
share their real-world managerial experience through a range of 35+
SMWW online courses.
- (05:48): For decades Dr. Lashbrook has been offering weekly
online chats for current and former students, an outgrowth of his
love for the Socratic method. It’s all about keeping a dialogue –
and the learning and growing -- alive in a global classroom
across163 countries.
- (09:10): A bit about how SMWW has grown and evolved over its
many decades in existence, from early Internet to
post-Covid-19.
- (11:27): The opportunities to be had in the global conversation
that is sports.
- (12:13): Dr. Lashbrook touches on the potential sports have to
advance diversity, democratize opportunity and support global
outreach.
- (15:33): Sports business needs are the same across the world,
which is what Dr. Lashbrook recognized early when he put a priority
on cultivating a global footprint across countries at all stages of
development with regard to professional sports.
- (18:57): The role of live, in-person conferences (often linked
to important draft and other sports events). Dr. Lashbrook believes
SMWW has a vital role to play in providing students direct access.
Plans are set for getting back on the road to facilitate these
events as Covid-19 restrictions ease.
- (21:34): How and why Dr. Lashbrook designed informational
interviewing and shadowing of professionals into his SMWW
curriculum.
- (24:10): Why informational interviews and the legitimacy
conferred by the SMWW credential are what Dr. Lashbrook calls his
“secret sauce.”
- (25:00): Having a letterman jacket in your closet is no longer
a prerequisite for going into professional sports management.
Business acumen and other skills/talents can be equally
important.
- (28:03): Himself a successful agent, Dr. Lashbrook shares
thoughts on what it takes, SMWW’s model for mentoring a growing
network of well-trained agents and what hurdles to expect in
pursuing this sports specialty.
- (33:33): K.P. elicits from Dr. Lashbrook, with his demonstrably
visionary track record, thoughts about where the field of sports
management is heading and what elements will shape SMWW’s model
over decades to come.
- (37:08): What types of traits and circumstances constitute the
ideal SMWW student and what ultimately sets them up for success.
(Answer: Anyone with the commitment!)
- (40:30): Dr. Lashbrook’s passion for helping people who love
sports work in the arena professionally. SMWW is all about helping
students connect with real jobs and fulfilling lives.
- (41:52): What lies ahead for sports? Globalization of all types
of sports across borders and across affinity groups. The landscape
is changing dramatically and opening up with cross-pollination of
all types of sports.
KEY QUOTES:
- (04:31): “The lightbulb went off that the experts might not
have the educational doctorate that we require, such as me with
kinesiology, but we realized that there were people out there who
wanted to teach and give back.”
- (07:52): “I’ve always said books are outdated when they’re
printed. SMWW never becomes outdated because next week’s curriculum
is happening as we speak.”
- (09:59): “When Covid hit, the whole world joined online
overnight.”
- (10:58): “You must have an educated society to have a free
society and you must really have sports, which is synonymous to
peace, if you look at the original Olympics and how they
started.”
- (12:59): “We’re into a magical formula and I don’t think
anything stops us from getting bigger and better. Our contribution
back is the growth of sports business around the world.”
- (14:46): “An entrepreneur has to believe in something so
passionately that no one can talk you out of it.”
- (18:07): “There’s no walls to our target and it’s a worldwide
target. Sports and access to education are a universal
language.”
- (20:02): “(Live conferences) complement our business model and
are icing on the cake, adding so much to the course.”
- (23:57): “The informational interview is what I call our secret
sauce.”
- (26:21): “So many people from all walks of life that never
played the game are running sports. It’s a catalyst for the
diversity explosion.”
- (31:01): “We think we’re in a major seismic change of
opportunity in the agent world and the nice thing (is) you don’t
have to quit your day job to try it out.”
- (33:40): “I’ve always been in love with the Internet and the
potential for what online education can do around the world with
name, image, and likeness as well as other avenues.”
- (35:12): “I want somebody to have the same adrenaline in a
classroom that you have when you go to a game or the ice to
watch.”
- (39:52): “The better the audience, the better the class. The
better the engagement, the more value you get.”
- (40:29): “I think anybody who loves sport should be able to
make money in sport.”
- (41:14): “We can’t guarantee a job, but what a great
opportunity to test the waters (and find out) if there’s a way to
monetize your passion!”
- (43:55): “As the tide rises, the boats are raised in sports. I
think the sky is the limit.”
- (45:10): “If I can keep growing and listening to the cultures
and challenges, I think we can come up with solutions to accelerate
the business of sports.”
Dr. Lynn Lashbrook Bio:
Dr. Lynn Lashbrook has been working and teaching in Sports
Management for over 40 years and has demonstrated a lifelong
passion for growing dynamic sports programs, and he also continues
to work as an NFL agent and has personally represented over 100 NFL
clients including first rounders.
Currently, Dr. Lashbrook is President of Sports Management
Worldwide, first ever online sports management school with a
mission to educate future sports business executives. SMWW trains
and mentors thousands of students every year for sports business
careers, including athletes, agents and sports industry leaders.
Sports Management Worldwide, under Dr. Lashbrook’s guidance, offers
a global sports faculty including former General Managers, Scouts,
Coaches and well-known sports executives. Offering sport specific
skills via online training, SMWW boasts over 5,000 alumni from over
140 countries. SMWW offers cutting edge sports career courses that
complement college courses. This includes the Sports Management
Worldwide Agency, an international full-service sports agency with
over 200 Agent Advisors worldwide representing hundreds of
professional athletes.
Follow Dr. Lashbrook: SMWW Website: www.smww.com (newsletter, access to
career counselors)
SMWW Agency Website: www.smwwagency.com
Dr. Lashbrook’s Email: Lynn@SMWW.com
Dr. Lashbrook @LinkedIn
Dr. Lashbrook @LinkedIn
Dr. Lashbrook @Wikipedia
About K.P. Wee: K.P. Wee is the author of
multiple books and a regular contributor to sports radio programs
and websites. In addition to hosting The K.P. Wee Podcast, he also
enjoys writing sports and psychological fiction with a twist of
romance. He spent a decade working as a program developer and
instructor for a private school before joining the Vancouver
Canadians baseball club’s media relations department.
You can find out more about books by K.P. Wee
here.
Follow K.P. Wee: K.P. @Twitter
Additional episodes of The K.P. Wee Podcast: https://kpwee.libsyn.com