Crystallizing the Cause

This post originally appeared in the Blotch section of the Fort Worth Weekly's website. To consume it there : https://www.fwweekly.com/2018/02/22/sports-rush-a-crystal-clear-cause/https://www.fwweekly.com/2018/02/22/sports-rush-a-crystal-clear-cause/

Great performers can steal the show without even trying. Billy Crystal did it Monday night.
His opportunity came at the Nancy Lieberman Charities Dream Ball. The event teemed with celebrities from the worlds of sport and entertainment. Hall of Famers like Deion Sanders and Ralph Sampson came. Local media did interviews on the red carpet. ESPN’s Jay Harris hosted.
The show wasn’t about Billy Crystal per se. And the renowned entertainer didn’t make it about him. He made the night in a different way. It wasn’t because of the way he showed his talent. It was because of how he showed his perspective.

We interviewed him before the event began. When I asked him why it was meaningful for him to be there that night, he didn’t talk about being recognized for the work he’s done (Crystal received the Lifetime Achievement Award). He talked about the cause and about how Nancy Lieberman Charities had helped him rebuild a small part of the area where he grew up.

“When I was in a situation where my hometown had been wiped out by Hurricane Sandy, a little town on Long Island called Long Beach, I was looking for a way to raise money” Crystal said. “In a place that had been ripped apart by seawater, they built these two magnificent basketball courts. “
Crystal did another thing that showed his perspective. He fell. This wasn’t a comedy pratfall. He actually tumbled from his chair as he sat at his table. I don’t think he was injured, but nobody would have blamed him if he had left the venue after that. He didn’t. He stayed until the end of the show and entertained the crowd, in part with a running series of jokes about his mishap. A bruised tailbone didn’t result in a bruised ego. He was going to stay and help the nonprofit show the guests an enjoyable evening.

Crystal took photos of the crowd from the stage. He told Jay Harris fantastic stories of his one-man show and his (and Nancy Lieberman’s) friend Muhammad Ali. And he did receive his award from Bo Derek. Though he had the audience riveted, we probably can’t say he stole the show on the stage. That’s because Trailblazer Award winner Sam Moore (a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer from his work with Sam and Dave) gave a superb musical performance and after Bebe Winans introduced Jan Miller for the Inspirational Award, the noted literary agent gave a stirring speech.

But it was off the stage that Crystal’s work stood out the most. When Derek spoke before presenting him his award, she told of a program he sponsored that brings together Israeli and Palestinian actors and directors to peacefully co-produce creative works. It showed the perspective he has on the world – one that he contributed to an event that grossed $1.2 million for charity. For a man who has hosted award programs and walked away from them with hardware, it showed why he was truly a worthy recipient.

Rush Olson has spent more than two decades directing creative efforts for sports teams and broadcasters. He currently creates ad campaigns, television programs, and related creative projects for sports entities through Rush Olson Creative & Sports, Mint Farm Films, and FourNine Productions.


RushOlson.com

Linkedin.com/company/rush-olson-creative-&-sports

Facebook.com/RushOlsonCreativeandSports

Of LIeberman and Legacies

This post originally appeared at the Fort Worth Weekly's website. To view it there : https://www.fwweekly.com/2017/02/24/of-lieberman-and-legacies/


Before the night began, media members did interviews. The program officially started with the national anthem, as many sporting events do. The lights illuminated a pair of basketball goals, and Hall of Famers paraded past them as the crowd applauded.

photo by Thomas Garza

Those assembled had not come to see a game, however. Monday night’s happening was a charity gala. Six years ago, a steakhouse could accommodate it. These days, they hold it at a concert venue and it is attended by nearly 800 well-coifed people.
The attendees included, by my count, nine members of various Halls of Fame (assuming you include Pudge Rodriguez, who was elected to Cooperstown this year and will be formally inducted this summer – any Rangers fan would concede that).  One of those Hall of Famers directs her name, effort, passion, connections, and just about everything else you could think of toward making the affair a success. I was fortunate enough to try to help her make her Nancy Lieberman Charities Dream Ball a memorable one. This article offers a few highlights that you as a fan of sports or philanthropy or Deion Sanders in a jaunty hat may enjoy.

The Red Carpet

photo by Thomas Garza

Pretty much everybody who comes in gets to greet Ms. Lieberman. Ben and Skin broadcast their radio show live and local TV stations cover it as well. Some inside scoop – we let a number of student photographers infiltrate the working press to make it feel even more big-time for the regular guests.

The Emcee

photo by Thomas Garza

Jay Harris from ESPN used to work with Nancy at the network. He has attended a number of these events, but had never drawn emcee duties before. He was fantastic to work with behind the scenes and just as good on stage. He improvised with aplomb whether things went right or wrong and when he read the script, he made it his own. His most impressive performance might have come during the live auction. Harris interacted with auctioneer Tim Willett as if they had hosted SportCenter together for years. The banter back and forth was flawless, and hopefully helped make the charity a few more dollars.

Michael Irvin and Roger Clemens

photo by Thomas Garza

Neither the Hall of Famer nor the seven-time Cy Young winner were scheduled to speak at the event. Both did to spur the crowd to contribute funds to the cause. Irvin took over the podium during the Heads and Tails game (where people buy a chance to win airline tickets) to announce he was buying some chances and to encourage others to do the same and also have a good time while doing it.

photo by Thomas Garza

Clemens had already contributed a day of batting practice at his house to the silent auction. He addressed the crowd to announce he would also add a suite at an Astros game and a jersey autographed by a favorite Rangers or Astros player.

Stomp Wars
Nancy Lieberman Charities partnered with Rock-T from the Rickey Smiley morning show to create a mentoring program, and Rock-T also was able to bring some adept step dancers to the program. Their performance was tight, but they had already impressed me before the show even started. As I went over the show with our DJ Poizon Ivy (who also does the Mavericks and Wings and is a tremendous collaborator and spinner of tunes), two boys who would be performing came up to us unchaperoned. They went over cues and music like they were industry veterans. There is hope for the youth.

David O. Brown

photo by Thomas Garza

The night’s first award went to the former Dallas police chief. We had pre-produced a video in which his colleagues praised him for his emphasis on enabling officers to engage with the community (and one of those initiatives involved building basketball courts with Nancy Lieberman Charities). Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings introduced him and quickly quieted the room when he soberly reminded everyone of the tragic events of last summer and how Brown had handled them. When Chief Brown took the podium, he delivered powerful messages about coming together. Keep an eye on that guy.

Muhammad Ali
The late champion’s presence permeated the night. Nancy Lieberman considers him one of her greatest influences and friends, and the gala’s second award went to his wife Lonnie. One of the evening’s most poignant moments came when the evening’s namesake stepped forward to put a hand on Lonnie’s shoulder and weep with her as they shared the emotion of remembering a friend and husband.

photo by Thomas Garza

The night culminated with a roundtable discussion featuring SportsCenter anchor Harris moderating Lonnie Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, and George Foreman in a discussion of the G.O.A.T.’s legacy. Harris navigated it smoothly, with favorite moments coming via amusing stories from the two former boxers that led Lonnie Ali to smile at the memory of the man she loved. We streamed this portion of the program live and it has been archived at Nancy Lieberman Charities’ Facebook page. The former Cassius Clay meant a lot to each panelist in his or her own way, and the idea that we would be able to get them all together at one time to discuss his impact seemed incredibly compelling. It may never happen again.

The Bottom Line
Between table sales, donations, auction items, sponsors, and other revenue streams, the event grossed a million dollars, the vast majority of which will fund programs designed to improve kids’ lives.

photo by Thomas Garza

Disclosure : Nancy Lieberman Charities has sometimes paid me to produce elements of their events


Rush Olson has spent two decades directing creative efforts for sports teams and broadcasters. He currently creates ad campaigns, television programs, and related creative projects for sports entities through Rush Olson Creative & Sports and FourNine Productions.

RushOlson.com
Linkedin.com/company/rush-olson-creative-&-sports
Facebook.com/RushOlsonCreativeandSports

Dreams Can Be Memorable

This post originally appeared at the Fort Worth Weekly's website. To view it there : https://www.fwweekly.com/2017/01/11/memorable-dreams/

“It’s an amazing event. Every year it gets bigger, it gets better and I really expect nothing less from Nancy Lieberman.”

• Former NBA player Stephen Howard, speaking about the Nancy Lieberman Charities Dream Ball.

Expectations create challenges. When people anticipate you’ll deliver something, you kind of have to do it. Basketball Hall-of-Famer Nancy Lieberman made a career out of going beyond the norm, from making an Olympic team as a high schooler to playing in men’s leagues to coaching in the NBA. When she started a charity, she wanted to make it bigger and better, too.
“I think all along she was trying to take it to where it is today, in 2017, and that’s where she’s having a huge red-carpet affair and big-time people coming and donating and just giving back,” said Theresa Pusateri, who assisted Lieberman in the formative years of what was then called the Nancy Lieberman Foundation (now Nancy Lieberman Charities).
Helping the Dream Ball grow has certainly required Lieberman’s legendary energy and connections. Notables the caliber of Emmitt Smith and Martina Navratilova attended the 2012’s inaugural Dream Ball, entitled “A Night of Magic with Lady Magic,” and many more have followed. Maintaining their participation, and that of sponsors and ticket buyers, has required making sure they enjoy themselves enough to want to return the next year. Here then, are a few of the memorable moments from past Dream Ball galas that might have caused folks to jump up from their chairs and take notice.
2012 : “Please help send Nancy to the Olympics.” That’s what Nancy Lieberman said her neighbors wrote on the can they passed around Far Rockaway, New York to raise money to send her to the Olympic trials when Lieberman’s single mom couldn’t afford to send her. The evening’s host told how that episode inspired her to charitable pursuits and helped propel her to basketball success.

 

 

photo by Carmine LiDestri

2013 : As in 2012, one can always expect to hear some Lieberman’s compelling stories at her events. But in 2013, the Dream Ball created its own amazing story. As the evening’s host, John Rhadigan of Fox Sports Southwest put it, “Larry Fitzgerald went and he did the most generous thing I’ve ever seen at one of these (charity events).”
That evening at Ruth’s Chris Steak House the theme was “Together We Can.” Starpower donated a big-screen TV as a raffle item, and the winner turned out to be not one of the well-heeled guests or celebs, but a girl named Katelyn Gordon whose family had benefitted from the foundation’s outreach efforts.
“The little girl is so sweet. She tells me to tell Nancy ‘please auction this off. We’re going to give this back so that we can auction it off.’ So we’re like, ‘no, no, no, you keep it,’” noted Rhadigan.

photo by Carmine LiDestri

The young lady insisted the TV become an auction item to benefit the charity’s programs. The auctioneer started soliciting the bids, which trickled in as auctions will do, getting over $1000 fairly quickly. Then the Arizona Cardinals wide receiver made an exceptional offer. Fitzgerald would pay $5,000 for the TV if, and only if, the little girl’s family would keep it. That’s exactly what happened.
Rhadigan said, “It gives me chills when I retell the story. It was an unbelievable moment.”
2014 : Fitzgerald featured prominently the next year, too, as he, Smith, and Deion Sanders participated in a roundtable discussion with host Gina Miller. Perhaps the most inspiring messages, however, came from honoree Diana Nyad, who joked that “I’ve been on Dancing with the Stars. It doesn’t get any bigger than that,” before delivering some profound wisdom that spoke to why the event bears the name it does.

photo by Carmine LiDestri

“What makes us feel alive is our dreams,” said the athlete who, at the age of 64, had just completed a 53-hour Cuba-to-Key-West swim on her fifth try. “All of us – every human being on this planet – suffers heartache, knows disappointment, and worse. And if you see where you’re going, you imagine it, you envision it. You bring good people around you to get there. You run up against obstacles. You get thrown back by jellyfish, whatever it is. And if you find a way around, if you do not give up on that vision, eventually you walk up on that shore.”
2015 : The charity honored Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and he proved himself worthy in more ways than one. Early on in the evening, as the auctioneer sought bidders for backpacks that would help send kids to basketball camp, Romo and his wife bought all the remaining stock. When it came time for him to accept his award, Tony Romo didn’t mail in a perfunctory thank-you speech.

photo by Carmine LiDestri

The media latched onto a small portion of the talk wherein he predicted his team would go to the Super Bowl, apparently considering it somehow newsworthy that a star player might think his division-winning team from the year before would advance slightly further in 2015. Hopefully, however, those who watched Romo’s speech because of the prediction also paid attention to the rest of the talk, as he provided powerful insight into why programs like those of Nancy Lieberman Charities benefit children. He talked of the “10,000 hours” necessary to acquire expertise in a skill, and how an entity that builds basketball courts where there are none, or sends kids to camps they would otherwise not attend, can help a child achieve great things.
“To give these kids that avenue and that chance to start that process earlier?” he said. “That’s a gamechanger.”
2016 : As always, sports played a major role in the Dream Ball program. Cowboys Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer Charlotte Jones Anderson was introduced by her father, Jerry, as she received her award. Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle brought up his boss, team General Manager Donnie Nelson. But music, in some ways, grabbed the spotlight on this night. From Jerry Jones dancing a bit to the opening music to dance numbers from the Cowboys Cheerleaders and the Mavs ManiAACs, the evening featured a lively soundtrack.
Two moments stole the show, however. The first one came before the auction. Many charities will play a video describing their work before asking attendees to spend money supporting it. This video featured a custom musical track, as local artist Big Joe Walker had recorded a version of one of Lieberman’s favorite songs “With A Little Help From My Friends” especially for the event. As soon as Walker’s powerful voice hit the opening lyrics, the room fell completely silent, a reaction rarely, if ever, seen at an event of this type. It remained that way throughout his sparse yet arresting rendition.

photo by Carmine LiDestri

The evening’s final honoree provided a moment that all who attended will not forget. Toby Keith accepted his award, and then strolled to the microphone for an impromptu performance with the Jordan Kahn Orchestra. They filled the intimate setting with a cover of the Bill Withers song “Ain’t No Sunshine,” followed by one of the tunes that got Keith into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.” Keith, gracious throughout, name checked the house band and gave the saxophone player a solo.
Nancy Lieberman has earned the trust of a lot of famous friends over the years, so the expectation will indeed be for future Dream Balls to continue to provide memorable happenings. To ensure the event’s continued success, she might have even grown her own star power, as son T.J. Cline has turned into a legitimate professional prospect hooping at the University of Richmond.  In fact, T.J. has actually exceeded expectations on that front – apparently that quality runs in the family.
This year’s Nancy Lieberman Charities Dream Ball happens February 20 at the Factory Ballroom in Deep Ellum. Tickets are available at nancyliebermancharities.org.


Rush Olson has spent two decades directing creative efforts for sports teams and broadcasters. He currently creates ad campaigns, television programs, and related creative projects for sports entities through Rush Olson Creative & Sports and FourNine Productions.

RushOlson.com
Linkedin.com/company/rush-olson-creative-&-sports
Facebook.com/RushOlsonCreativeandSports