Hello Game Changers,

This is a very special issue of "Changing the Game" for me, someone who shares their birthday with the anniversary of 9/11. With that in mind, we wanted to put out a phenomenal issue of the newsletter for you to enjoy as we turn the chapter and continue to seek the ties that bind us together as a unified nation.

The 10th Anniversary of 9/11 was certainly a fitting backdrop for an exciting weekend of sports.  From Raphael Nadal's poignant post-match comments demonstrating his awareness of playing in the U.S. Open during this emotional weekend to the final seconds of the Jets comeback victory against the Cowboys (my beloved Cowboys)...the second weekend of September symbolized the powerful role that sports plays in many of our lives.

The families & friends of those innocent men & women who lost their lives while working in the Twin Towers or for the NYPD, the NYFD, and the U.S. Military continue to be in our thoughts as prayers.  It is in their memory that we are inspired to continue using our favorite pastime....sports as a platform to do great things!

I hope that each of you will take the next 363 days to be grateful for our blessings and to continue to inspire others to greatness.

As always, if you haven't already, make sure you sign up for the bi-weekly newsletter.  Also, don't forget to share the newsletter with your co-workers, peers, friends, and family.   

Help us make a difference in someone's life by inspiring them to pursue their dreams!  Enjoy!

All the best,

Angela Taylor

Joby Branion

Co-Founder & Executive Director, Athletes First

Written by Tracey Savell Reavis 

 

 

 

For Joby Branion, the route from athlete to agent was about as predictable as going undefeated for an entire season in the NFL. Youth football in his hometown of Wareham, Mass., led to a scholarship to Duke University, where he played four years and earned All-ACC honors. But when the former Blue Devil defensive back got cut by the Washington Redskins, what followed was 10 years in a school administrator's job, grad school and law school, and a stint as a corporate lawyer. 

 

It wasn't until 1996 when a friend of a friend informed Joby of an opportunity to work with Leigh Steinberg's sports representation firm.  His perception of sports agents up to that point had been that they were enablers who told their clients whatever they thought they wanted to hear. Since that was not his makeup, Joby initially wanted no part. It took more than a little research before he decided to give it a try. It was a decision that would turn out to be a wise one.

 

Today, Joby is Co-Founder & Executive Director of Athletes First, a bicoastal sports representation agency that opened its doors in 2001.  As the agency's name suggests, they focus on personalized service. For Joby, that means not only being there for clients, but being honest with them. Even if it's not what they want to hear. In addition to big name NFL players like Mark Sanchez, Matt Hasselbeck and Ray Lewis, Athletes First reps baseball and basketball players and a number of coaches. Among the services Athletes First offers its clients are contract expertise, a pre-draft training program, PR, and negotiating marketing/endorsement deals. It's this work that gives Joby the opportunity to do something he loves - sharing his life experiences so that he helps young men navigate life's minefield of important decisions.

 

Post-draft, post-lockout and, finally, post-season kickoff, Joby spoke with us about some of the benefits of focusing less on a specific destination and instead on enjoying the journey.

 

 

Read More of our NetWorks Spotlight Interview with Joby... 

After a successful experience as a cheerleader at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, Michelle Yeager-Turner has taken her passion for fitness, competitive nature, diligent work ethic, and desire to help others to launch her own business in Louisville, KY.

 

The focus & commitment required to be a gymnast & fitness competitor have served as the foundation for Michelle's business endeavors.

Fitness is in Michelle's blood!  She grew up both a competitive gymnast and cheerleader and is currently a national level fitness competitor.  Her passion is helping others, especially getting them into shape.  She is a certified Zumba Instructor and Personal Trainer.  

Find out more about what has lead to Michelle's success in the business world and in competitive fitness.

 

I opened my own (primarily) women's fitness studio in Louisville, KY twelve months ago. We specialize mainly in Zumba classes although we offer other strength and toning questions. It's an amazing feeling to own my own studio and create a positive community of people that look forward to improving their lives. It's been rewarding both to personally be able to reach and teach our clients but also to train other instructors to do the same.

 

 

NetWorks Career Advice: How to Ace the Phone Interview

 

 

You just got word that you landed a job interview with a company that really interests you -- only there's a slight catch.  You won't be meeting with your interviewer(s) face to face. Instead, you'll be taking part in a phone interview, the results of which will determine whether you're invited to meet with company representatives in person.

 

Many companies use phone interviews as an initial employment screening technique for a variety of reasons. Because they're generally brief, phone interviews save companies time. They also serve as a more realistic screening alternative for cases in which companies are considering out-of-town (or out-of-state and foreign) candidates.

 

So the chances are pretty good that, at some point in your job hunt, you'll be asked to participate in a 20- to 30-minute phone interview with either one person or several people on the other end of the line. In many ways, the way you prepare for a phone interview isn't all that different from the way you'd get ready for a face-to-face interview -- save for a few slight additions to and modifications of your list of preparation tasks. 

 

Here's what to do:

 

The NetWorks Sports Small Business Profile is a brief vignette that provides a closer look at companies founded by individuals who have been involved in the sports industry at some point in their career. These business owners will share their journey as an entrepreneur as well as insight for those of you interested in starting your own venture.

 

This week's NetWorks Sports' Recommended Book is Ubuntu! by Stephen Lundin and Bob Nelson.

 

 

For those who have read Stephen Lundin's morale boosting book Fish! or learned how to motivate & reward your employees after reading Bob Nelson's 1001 Ways to Reward Employees are in for a doubly powerful treat when you read Ubuntu! a book based on an African philosophy "Ubuntu" about partnership, teamwork, and collaboration.

 

Ubuntu, also known as a GNU/Linux based computer operating system, is defined on Wikipedia as African ethic or humanist philosophy focusing on peoples allegiances and relations with each other.  Ubuntu is seen as a classical African philosophy or worldview.  The word has its origin in the Bantu language of southern Africa.

 

Similar to Patrick Lenchioni's books, Ubuntu follows the fictional story of a manager, John Peterson, who like many of individuals today find themselves in a rut both personally & professionally.  In particular, Peterson finds his work environment to be one that is extremely inefficient due to the lack of connectedness between co-workers.  His eyes are virtually opened one night when a co-worker, of African decent, stays behind to assist Peterson.

 

As with Lenchioni's books this is a pretty easy read where the reader may discover the intent of the message well before the book concludes.  The premise provides readers with some very simple principles that should be commonsense but may be lost on many of us in today's corporate culture.

 

Read the entire review of NetWorks Sports Recommend Book here...

NetWorks Sports Consulting's mission is to provide customized and comprehensive strategic consulting & marketing services that will assist every client to effectively position themselves in their respective markets with the optimal goal of helping them to accomplish their stated short-term or long-term objectives while incorporating a social component to the project.

The Changing the Game Newsletter profiles minorities at various levels throughout the sports industry (high school, collegiate, professional, and international) who have impacted the sports industry through their leadership and those who have leveraged their experience as student-athletes to impact their careers & their communities.  Changing the Game is published twice every month.

This week's favorite video is a behind-the-scenes video from State Farm's Commercial commemorating the 10th Anniversary of 9/11. Narrated by Spike Lee.

Click on YouTube Image below:

Movie - Pulp Fiction 

Sport (Other than Football) - Lacrosse

Musician - Prince

(November 9-10, 2011) 

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