The notion occurred to me after watching a video my friend Canaan Kelley put together for one of my favorite nonprofits, Nancy Lieberman Charities. In the piece, Nancy visited the office of one of the organization’s dedicated supporters, Couture Dentistry. Thus you see the connection that occurred to me: dentists & smiles.
In the video, like pretty much everywhere else in the world, we see a lot of people wearing masks. Masks make it harder to tell if someone is grinning at you. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t smile. In fact, conveying that touch of warmth in your expression seems more crucial than ever.
The world already had COVID-19 disrupting human relationships and, in the U.S., we had a contentious election looming. Then this summer social justice upheaval, made us question a lot of our assumptions about people and precipitated more tension. I’ve been fortunate enough to do some diversity, inclusion, and equity work with Sidney and Takisha Moncrief this year, and one thing he wrote about in his new book was how a smile can defuse hostility. I’d like to think I’m inclined to be friendly anyway, but I found myself thinking more than ever about smiling at strangers, especially ones who looked different than me. But unless I was properly socially distanced, the ever-present mask frustratingly muted its impact.
But a smile doesn’t have to just be about lifting your lips. There are other ways to show affection. You might just have to get a little more creative about it.
Nancy has always believed in showing love to the companies who sponsor her charity. And in making this piece, she found a creative way to smile at one. She and Couture’s owner, Dr. Nelson Lo, come from different ethnicities and backgrounds, but she smiles at him big-time in the video - whether she’s showing her teeth off or not.
Nancy’s friend and TV colleague Erin Hartigan appeared with her at the Couture offices. If you’ve ever seen them together, on the air or off, Nancy and Erin share laughs regularly. Constantly, even. That comes through when they appear on camera together, including in this video. Thanks to COVID-19, most of us have had to do a lot more of our communication through cameras and monitors. We’re not all as professional at it as Erin and Nancy. But we can all aim to convey amiability in our interactions.
Please, whether anyone can see you or not, keep smiling.
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.
A woman got hired to coach in an established men’s league. And she instantly became the most qualified head honcho in the circuit.
This past week, the Big3 basketball league announced Nancy Lieberman would coach the team known as Power. She’s served as a head coach in the G-League and the WNBA and an assistant coach in the NBA. That alone gives her more experience than any of her fellow head coaches (all men) in the eight-team league. But she’s got a leg up in this particular hoops discipline as well.
The Big3 league plays 3-on-3 basketball. Each team fields three players on the court at a time, and they share the same hoop. This version of the game is on the rise and will make its Olympic debut in 2020. The Big3 rules, which feature a 4-point shot, a 14-second shot clock, and a winner declared when one team reaches 50 points with a two-point lead, differ marginally from the Olympic version. Lieberman won two women’s national titles in the Hoop-It-Up (née Hoop-De-Do) competition as a player, back when that was the most high-profile 3×3 show in the country. She had a lot of game herself (she’s in the Naismith Hall of Fame and a bunch of other ones), and she also recruited the likes of fellow Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes to her Hoop-It-Up-winning team.
Nancy Lieberman didn’t have to interview for this job. They identified her as a top candidate pretty quickly. By way of confession, Ms. Lieberman is a friend of mine, and we had been working on a PSA for her charity’s basketball camps, so she had called me with some advance notice of this development. And it seems that when Big3 co-founder Ice Cube promoted former Power head coach Clyde Drexler to league commissioner, he considered it a no-brainer to bring Nancy in as a replacement.
Were they thrilled to have her because it creates publicity to employ a woman coaching a men’s team? I’m sure that wasn’t irrelevant. But as you’ve perhaps surmised by the brief overview of her resume I gave you, that shouldn’t matter. She’s qualified to coach, no matter the gender.
What does matter, though, is the value of trailblazers. Lieberman overcame myriad challenges to play in NBA summer leagues for the Lakers and Jazz. She lost scores of games against the Harlem Globetrotters as a member of the Washington Generals. And along the way, she showed, along with other committed women, that a person of her gender could compete as hard, and love the game as much, as any man.
When Hank Greenberg made All-Star teams, it made it easier for powerful men to embrace hiring the next Jewish baseball player. When Jerry LeVias gained 1200 rushing yards in a season, it made it more justifiable for Texas universities to give scholarships to other African-American football players. When the Oakland Raiders put Amy Trask in the role of CEO, it set the stage for a woman to become, well, chairman of the board of the Big3 league – Trask’s current position.
The world needs people who demonstrate that things can be done differently from the way they always have been. That’s especially true when the previous way of doing things bore no relation to whether or not the job got done properly.
And that’s the case here. Ice Cube said he anticipates Coach Lieberman will win. He’s right to expect that of her, given her resume, but my guess is he demands, and should demand, it of any coach he hires.
That’s what trailblazers do: they change expectations. And gradually, women like Lieberman, Kings assistant Jenny Boucek, and Spurs assistant Becky Hammon will make it normal to hire women into roles for which they’re qualified. Heck, this is the third time Lieberman’s been hired to coach men. It’s not quite routine yet, but progress has been made.
The Big3 season begins June 22 in Houston and the tour comes to North Texas August 17. I look forward to seeing who exceeds expectations.
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.
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
At charity events this year, I saw folks throw footballs or
hit tennis balls to people. I heard wild stories about ballgames and
boxing matches. And I witnessed some moments of generosity and respect
worthy of the holiday season.
Regular readers of this blog may know that when I’m not lounging in
the palatial Fort Worth Weekly office suite, I do other creative work. A
good chunk of it involves adding to the presentation of events, and
especially sports-related charitable ones. Read on for some detail on
some event-related moments that left an impression.
Nancy Lieberman Charities Dream Ball
February, 2017
photo by Thomas GarzaFrom a sports content standpoint, it might not get better than this,
especially if you’re a boxing fan. At the end of the evening, a
roundtable discussion moderated by ESPN SportsCenter anchor Jay Harris
featured Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman, and Lonnie Ali (Muhammad’s
widow) talking about Muhammad Ali’s legacy. We streamed it via Facebook
Live and you can watch the panel, plus Lonnie Ali receiving an award, here.
Taste of the Cowboys May, 2017 photo by Lori Gunter FrenchThis event raises funds for the North Texas Food Bank, and the Dallas
Cowboys serve as the face of the event (especially the bearded face of
Travis Frederick and his fellow offensive linemen). They held this
year’s event at the team’s new practice facility, The Star. It features
prominent local chefs serving samples of signature dishes, so the food
is a highlight, but the most fun part might involve football. After the
live auction concludes, a bunch of current and former Cowboys players
take the stage. The auctioneer requests additional donations to the food
bank, and when an audience member raises his or her hand to contribute,
a player throws him or her a football. The completion percentage isn’t
terribly high, but you do see a few good catches interspersed. It’s a
cool spectacle and no doubt drives donations.
Behind the Masque Gala May, 2017
Former Stars goaltender Marty Turco runs a charity called C5 Youth Foundation of Texas, and they do amazing work
helping kids from challenging backgrounds navigate their teenage years
and get into college. They annually hold a masquerade ball as a
fundraiser, and this year the featured entertainment involved an
improvisational comedy troupe from the Hideout Theatre.
The comedians managed to lure the easygoing Turco on stage, where
they quizzed him about his day, which included hot yoga, picking up
spirits for the event, and playing nine holes of golf. They then made up
a song about his activities. In the middle of the routine, Turco
laughed so hard his chair broke. It couldn’t have been scripted any
better.
Talk of the Town July, 2017 photo by Carrie AdamsMaybe the most poignant moment of my year came at the Talk of the Town event. I’ve written in detail
about why, but the quick holiday summary involves a Skype appearance by
Dallas Stars announcer Dave Strader. Strader’s fight against cancer had
prevented him from being physically present at the event, but he wanted
to participate. So he joined his counterparts from the Mavericks,
Rangers, and Cowboys electronically and it lit up the room, especially
the table full of his Stars co-workers.
Nancy Lieberman Charities Celebrity Golf Classic September, 2017 image by Dave FrenchOne reason golfers play this tournament is the opportunity to rub
elbows and trade foot wedges with notables from the worlds of sports and
entertainment. It was nice seeing the likes of Seth Curry, Tony
Casillas, Jose Guzman, and others show up to the support the charity,
but one of the highlights was talking to comic actor Burton Gilliam near
the 10th tee. My work that day involved shooting video, and we got to
talking about camera technology. When he first got into the business,
there was no digital technology allowing you to see what you had just
shot as soon as you’ve done it. One shot movies on actual film, and you
didn’t know what you had until it had been developed. Burton told me
they once had to completely reshoot a scene when he was making Paper
Moon because of something they hadn’t seen the previous day. It gives
one an appreciation for all the scenes moviemakers did get right back in
the day. The main reason this one made the list though, is the scene at the end of this video. You’ll note Mr. Gilliam still has his acting chops.
Dirk Nowitzki Foundation Pro Celebrity Tennis Classic September, 2017 image by Dave FrenchDirk and Jessica Nowitzki have put on a celebrity tennis event
the last two falls at the SMU tennis center. The tennis was a lot of
fun, with a mix of world-class players like Donald Young and celebs from
other professions like Owen Wilson and J.J. Barea. The evening before,
they hold an exclusive VIP dinner
and a silent auction. My personal favorite moment came when a video we
had edited elicited tears from some audience members, but the best
overall moment came during the silent auction that followed. As bids
rose for various package, celebrities started stepping up. Former Dallas
Star Mike Modano offered to fly in for a dinner package that already
included Dirk, and other celebs joined. There were a number of cool
gestures made and a lot of generous bids made it a six-figure night for
the children’s causes helped by the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation.
Those are just a few highlights of the year in sports charity events, and I could name many more
great moments and events (and I do feel guilty for not mentioning every
single event I worked or attended in 2017 – they were all fantastic).
Sport can be a force in doing good things, and a lot of people
contributed a lot of time, energy, and money to improving people’s lives
this year. Here’s to more of that in 2018.
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, Mint Farm Films, and FourNine
Productions.
In the last couple of seasons, Seth Curry has started to make
an impact on the NBA and the Mavericks will count on him as a
contributor when they begin play next month. Dallas signed the guard
before the 2016-17 season after he had some solid games the previous
year with Sacramento. One reason Curry improved as a King was coaching
he received from assistant coach Nancy Lieberman. Tuesday, he visited
her and other celebrities at her charity golf tournament. Proceeds from
the Nancy Lieberman Charities Celebrity Golf Classic go toward
scholarships, and Curry also started an education-related initiative to
help young people learn about business and entrepreneurship.
In this video interview, we asked him about golf, including his
brother Steph’s foray onto the Web.com Tour this summer. Check out the
video of Seth’s golf swing – he looked pretty smooth. We also talked
about his new charitable program.
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, Mint Farm Films, and FourNine
Productions.
Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman has been putting on kids camps in North Texas since the early 1980s. With the summer in full swing, some families may still be in need of activities for the kiddos. You might also be wanting to figure out how to evaluate the camps you did this year. She and I discussed these topics in this video interview, and also an idea Lieberman stole from DeMarcus Cousins (not physically - he's a big dude- virtually). You can find details on the camps she runs (one in July, one in August) at nancyliebermancharities.org.
Side note : As you’re checking out the cool framed memorabilia in the background (we shot chez Lieberman and she has some remarkable stuff there), you might notice a little movement, too. Don’t be alarmed, it’s just Magic and Thunder, her dogs. Later in the interview you can even hear them a bit as well when they decided they’d like to wrestle beneath where we were sitting.
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.
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
“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.
It’s one thing to break new ground. It’s another to continue to plow it, plant seeds in it, and nurture it year after year.
Last Thursday, a group of prominent sports figures (and a handful of
entertainers) congregated in North Texas for the purpose of cultivating
the future. The likes of Jerry Jones, Larry Fitzgerald, Rick Carlisle,
and Toby Keith came at the behest of a Basketball Hall of Famer. The
celebs’ host has always pushed boundaries.
Nancy Lieberman became the youngest basketball player to medal in an
Olympics, the first to play in a men’s professional league, the first to
be the head coach of a men’s professional team in the NBA Developmental
League, and, just last year, only the second woman to serve as a
full-time NBA assistant coach. What got all the prominent people to
attend Lieberman’s annual Dream Ball gala, however, didn’t have to do
with honoring her on-court achievements. It had to do with how she took
her experiences, considered the people who helped her accomplish them,
and looked to recreate their impact for others.
“All of us in this room are beneficiaries of people who reached down
and pulled us up. I love that Nancy is doing that, not only on her own,
but bringing all of us,” event host Mike Tirico of ESPN told the crowd.
Her Nancy Lieberman Charities aims to create opportunities for young
people through basketball and educational initiatives, reflecting how
assistance in those areas contributed to Lieberman’s own advancement.
“While your playing time is fleeting, the ability to turn almost
every minute that you were on the court turn into a lifetime of
recognizing a need and recognizing how to leverage your experiences,
your career, into something that benefits a lot of people,” Cowboys
owner Jerry Jones said in an interview a few days prior to the event,
“Nancy’s arguably as good or better than anybody I’ve ever met.”
The Dream Ball raises funds for the non-profit’s programs, as the
charity looks to facilitate another generation of groundbreakers. They
honored Keith, Mavericks General Manager Donnie Nelson, and Cowboys
Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer Charlotte Jones
Anderson for their careers and philanthropic endeavors. Anderson summed
up Lieberman’s philosophy from the podium as she accepted her award.
“You have many firsts associated with you, and I’m sure many people
ask you what is it like to be the first. Your response is ’It’s
actually my obligation to make sure I’m not the last.’” When people like Anderson and Lieberman break through in
non-traditional sports environments, they succeed for more than just
themselves. For one thing, they show the establishment a new way to win.
Last week, we also celebrated the anniversary of Jackie Robinson and
Branch Rickey showing baseball a new way to win, one that was quickly
copied to the betterment of all.
The innovators also show the way to those who come after them, by
example, and in the case of Lieberman and her guests, though personal
investment of resources.
“It was my dream to be on the court because it was a safe
environment. Nobody cared if I was a girl. Nobody cared if I was white
or young or old. It was all about ‘could you play,’” Lieberman told
Tirico on the stage. Her organization builds basketball courts at places
like Boys and Girls Clubs so others can have the same experience and
show that they, too, can play.
Eventually, as newcomers prove how irrelevant traits like skin color
or gender or national origin are to the question of whether or not they
can contribute to a franchise, more people like them get chances. Rick
Carlisle introduced Donnie Nelson at the Dream Ball and spoke of the way
the honoree’s efforts had demonstrated that non-Americans could play
championship-quality basketball. Nelson’s open-minded outlook led him to
hire a female coach for his D-League team, mostly because he and his
bosses knew she understood hoops. The season she coached them, the Texas
Legends made the D-League playoffs, the only time they have done so
since moving to Frisco.
That season, Lieberman showed she could coach men effectively. At the
Dream Ball, she and her attendees showed how the seeds sown by
groundbreakers can blossom into opportunities well beyond their own
fields, or courts, or continents.
Disclosure : Nancy Lieberman Charities once paid me for AV work I did on its behalf.
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 his company, Rush Olson Creative & Sports.
It’s got the makings of a great story. Oklahoma girl, originally from Detroit, leaves the hinterlands of Northwest OK and heads to the big city in Texas to make her fortune.
We recently learned of such a story in the offing, although it involves not one girl, but rather several women (really tall ones at that). The ladies in question play basketball for the Tulsa Shock of the Women’s National Basketball Association and the team’s owner announced last week he wants to move the franchise to North Texas. They expect to play home games at UT-Arlington’s College Park Center.
To that, I say super. It means more high-quality basketball in the area, with visits from the best women’s players in the world. It also pleases me because I have two nieces who like hoops and could benefit from the chance to observe, and become invested in, a team of that caliber.
So I hope the team does well, but they should know success won’t come easily. Local arenas are strewn with remnants of pro teams that have come and gone. I still own Fort Worth Fire jerseys and a Fort Worth Cavalry golf shirt. Maybe your attic houses a Fort Worth Cats cap (old or modern) or a Dallas Chaparrals program your dad bought. To help the A-Town Shock (or whatever decide to call themselves) avoid the fate of, say, the Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs, I put together a committee to make some recommendations.
It’s a committee of two. I got a spot because I write this column and because I did broadcasting work for a lot of the defunct teams and marketing work for some of the ones still in existence. The better half of the committee (in so many ways) is Nancy Lieberman. She made the cut because she’s in the dang Basketball Hall of Fame, she played pro ball here, and she knows a heck of a lot about the WNBA and hoops in general. I also picked her (blatant plug alert) because she runs a really great foundation that helps a lot of kids. I’ve done some videos for it and helped at some NLF events.
Lieberman pointed out “You get one chance to do it right,” which means the team has to hit the ground running and have a good plan.
Let’s start with the challenges. This seems like an attractive market because of its large population and affinity for sports. The NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, and MLS certainly liked the looks of it and their teams have shown staying power here. The newest of the Big Five pro franchises, the one I wish they still called the Dallas Burn, has lasted in the area since 1996.
In 1992, the new Central Hockey League began with, among others, the Fort Worth Fire, Dallas Freeze, and Tulsa Oilers. The Oilers won the league’s first championship and still reported drawing 5,479 fans a game last year despite never having won another title. The Fire and Freeze exist only in my closet, I think. I might still have a Fire puckhead somewhere.
The point is that the North Texas market is a lot different from Tulsa and so are the teams that stick here long term. The Shock moved to Tulsa from Detroit, so they could have some institutional memory about the challenges of sharing a large media market with teams from the country’s dominant sports leagues. In fact, Lieberman coached them their first three seasons in Motown. She had a strong opinion about the most important thing they could do to start carving a local niche.
“Grassroots, grassroots, gassroots!,” she said emphatically. Trust me, you could hear the exclamation point in her voice.
She suggested the team be everywhere from “camps to birthday parties.” She cited a model used by the NBA D-League team with which she is affiliated.
“Every team in the WNBA should borrow from the Texas Legends,” she said, noting also their kid-oriented approach to game presentation
My top point of emphasis relates closely to Lieberman’s: “Group tickets, group tickets, group tickets!” I didn’t actually say that out loud, but if I did, you would hear the exclamation point.
They can’t monetize their grassroots strategy without building in reasons to come to a game. Not only does a solid groups strategy allow a team to sell a bunch of tickets at once, but it can do so before the season starts. Preseason sales offer some revenue certainty that isn’t subject to the vicissitudes of a won/loss record.
Speaking of “Ws,” that “W” in WNBA matters. It’s a point of differentiation for the team brand. Lieberman pointed out one has to “get with the parents who are going to send their kids to you.” Parents who see value in inspiring their girls to pursue sports and fitness would seem a vital community outreach target.
Geography matters when it comes to the grassroots outreach. A WNBA team will have the advantage of being the most high-profile women’s pro team in the area, so they can draw some fans from throughout North Texas. Because the area is so enormous, however, driving distances will discourage fans in East Dallas and the northern suburbs from coming to games in Arlington. The Shock, then, need a solid strategy for establishing a base of fans near where they play. I’d start a lot of the grassroots activity by identifying pockets of likely ticket buyers in Arlington, Grand Prairie, and eastern Fort Worth.
They must keep regional tensions in mind as well. The Cowboys can play in Tarrant County and get away with having “Dallas” for a first name. Another team that tried that would risk alienating potential fans in Fort Worth and its environs.
The size of this media market can seem daunting as well. Going beyond the grassroots in Tulsa by, say, buying TV ads or airtime to broadcast games, incurs costs appropriate to the 61st largest media market. In North Texas, top-five market costs mean major sticker, um, shock. One has to pay to reach millions of viewers/listeners who live too far away to drive to many games. Big-market media costs make a more targeted PR strategy really important (and grassroots outreach, too).
The franchise will still want earned media attention, certainly, and an NBA-affiliated entity offers advantages there that are unavailable to, say, the Grand Prairie Airhogs. But one has to keep in mind that the media will expect major-market service. The D-League’s Fort Worth Flyers, for instance, didn’t put an emphasis on PR support. They lasted two seasons (with lack of media savvy helping compound lots of other issues).
One tricky part, then, of operating in this market is that one has to act major league without having the budget of a team that generates substantial TV revenue and draws 18,000 fans a night. Lieberman believes that doesn’t have to be an insurmountable problem.
“Even if you don’t have the budget, what you have to do (to be major-league) is work hard,” she said. The Shock do have to go the extra mile as a little fish in a big pond, and have to show creativity as well. For instance, they may not be able to afford to shell out the scads of money the Mavs spend to produce scoreboard features, but digital technology has made it possible to create really good ones much less expensively than ever before. Quality concepts can make up for lack of cash outlay.
Part of the hard work element comes in the form of digital strategy (creativity is pretty important here, too). A strong social media plan, one that goes hand-in-hand with the grassroots fan engagement plans, is a must, especially with a spread-out fan base and high traditional-media costs. Constant updates and new features require a significant time commitment.
So, to summarize, here’s what our committee thinks the team needs to do to succeed:
1. Get involved in the grassroots (with an exclamation point).
2. Sell group tickets like crazy.
3. Understand the market and overcome its challenges with creativity and hard work.
One thing I didn’t add to the above list: Win.
Winning a lot of games never hurts, but finishing first is actually not as important at driving fans as it is for the Mavs or Rangers. The Shock won three titles in Detroit and moved. The Houston Comets won four and folded. Establishing a loyal fanbase matters more than even championships.
Lieberman won a title in this area in the WABA and also led a team to the WBL finals. Her Dallas Diamonds drew sustainable crowds but the rest of those leagues did not. Since the current well-established NBA-backed women’s league seems unlikely to fold like those earlier circuits, the Shock would seem to have a chance at success.
For the record, Lieberman thinks they will. “(Owner) Bill Cameron is a wonderful person,” she said. She believes he will put a plan in place to turn the move to Arlington into a success story. Heeding the recommendations she made in this piece would probably be a great place for Mr. Cameron to start.
Rush Olson has spent two decades directing creative efforts for sports teams and broadcasters. He currently creates ad campaigns and related creative projects for sports entities through his company, Rush Olson Creative & Sports.
