This essay appeared in the September 22, 2018 edition of Blue Avocado. As a former all-American and professional basketball player turned nonprofit leader, I see tons of similarities between life on the court and as an executive director of a small nonprofit. Everything I learned playing the game comes in surprisingly handy, especially the importance of both …
Nonprofit Leadership Tips from the Basketball Court Read More »
“When I feel athletic, I go to a sports bar.” — Paul Clisera In the coming weeks, America will be overcome by “madness”. Throughout the country, sports fans, both casual and hard-core, will focus their attention on the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. In bars and bakeries, at the dinner table and over phone lines, people …
When football legends Bo Jackson, Harry Carson and Mike Ditka say it, it’s a big deal. People pay attention to what athletes of their stature say. The “it” is that they would never let their sons play football. With increasing revelations regarding the link between tackle football and brain trauma, this should come as no …
Creating a Football “Safe Space” for Kids and Parents Read More »
Our band recently performed a gig during which I sweated as much as in any basketball game. It was the end of one of those early spring days when an unseasonable warm front moves through and the temperature explodes to summer-like levels. It was still too early in the season for restaurants and bars to …
In Search of the Shared Music or Athletic Experience Read More »
Each March, America is overcome by “madness”. Throughout the country, sports fans, both casual and hard-core, focus their attention on the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. In bars and bakeries, at the dinner table and over phone lines, people catch the madness. Office pools are organized and parties are thrown as television screens everywhere are tuned …
Every year while the college athletic world is obsessing over the NCAA basketball tournament, otherwise known as March Madness, I can’t help but recall my own little March Madness moment with basketball legend Bill Walton. This year’s trigger for that memory occurred well after midnight, when, still wound up after playing a gig in town, …
