Latest / The Standard / The Road Most People in Sports Never Take — Ph.D., the NFL, the Classroom, and What the Industry Isn't Telling You | Ep. 78 Robert Wright

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The Road Most People in Sports Never Take — Ph.D., the NFL, the Classroom, and What the Industry Isn't Telling You | Ep. 78 Robert Wright · The Standard

• 0:02
  SPEAKER_02: Excellent job.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome to the Standard Podcast where we raise the bar, rebuild the culture, and call out the lies or misconceptions that nobody else will.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_02: This isn't motivation, this is a movement.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_02: I'm Thomas Rowell, alongside my co-host Aaron Sarles, who's also the co-founder and CEO of Blueprint at Blue Chip.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_02: And today we're sitting down with Robert Wright, a PhD candidate in sports administration at the University of New Mexico, assistant professor of sports management at Lander University, and someone who has built a career at the intersection of professional sports academia and athletics communication.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_02: Robert grew up in Yeaton, Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia where he is right now, getting ready to celebrate the 4th of July, 250 years for America, and earned his bachelor's in sports management at Hampton University, his master's in sports administration with concentration in intercollegiate athletics, and is currently finishing his PhD in sport admin with a minor in marketing and communications.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_02: Good lord, you're getting it done.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_02: His professional experience spans from the Washington Commanders and Public Relations to Temple Athletics Communications, golf operations at Cops Creek Golf Course, and in the classroom, where he served as both an adjunct professor at Jacksonville State University and an assistant professor at Lander University, teaching the next generation of sports management professionals.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_02: Robert is someone who has navigated every level of sports of the sports industry, from the professional sideline to the college communications office to the university lecture hall, and has done it while simultaneously building one of the most rigorous academic credentials in the field.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_02: His path is not one most people picture when they think about career in sports, and that's exactly what makes it worth talking about today.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_02: We're diving into the truth behind what it really takes to build identity, discipline, and legacy in sports and in life.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_02: Let's get into it.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_02: Robert, thank you so much for joining us, taking time out of your day to meet with us and share your insight.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_02: We really appreciate you being here.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: No problem.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for having me.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: That was a great introduction.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_02: Of course.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_02: That's it, team.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_02: That's the whole podcast.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_02: Robert said it.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_02: I shared everything you need to know.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_02: Let's move on.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_02: Kidding.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_02: Robert, let's start here.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_02: You grew up in Eden, Pennsylvania, and went to Hampton University.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_02: Worked with the Washington Commanders and Temple Athletics.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_02: And now you're finishing your PhD at University of New Mexico while teaching sports management as a professor.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_02: That's not a straight line.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_02: What does raising the standard mean to someone who has built a career by taking the road most people in sports would never even consider?
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: That's a great, great question, Thomas.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: You know, raising, you know, raising the standard, and for me, from being from an athlete, starting off at the high school level, always, my parents always instilled to me, be a good student as well as being a good athlete, but also being well-rounded with the holistic development, being able to be have integrity and character.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: So to me, raising a standard is not just being a good athlete, but also having all intangibles on the outside as well, with like I said something earlier, with accountability, character, and discipline.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like those are the three characteristics to having high standards.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's what I believe in is uh raising the standards.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_02: You know, that's one of the things that we do we preach at Blueprint here is bigger fans, bigger, faster, stronger isn't enough anymore with these young athletes.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_02: You know, character integrity and discipline is.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, we recently had a conversation with an athletic director at the NCA level, and he said the difference between a 4-7 and a 4-4 is character, right?
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_02: So it's it's awesome.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_02: That being said, what do you think is the biggest lie the sports industry sells young people who want to build a career in athletics about the path, what the path looks like, what it costs, and what it actually takes to get to the other side or to the next level?
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I definitely think, you know, you always hear if you work hard, constantly put your head down, work hard, you'll get there.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: Unfortunately, that's not always the case in sports.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, you might get to the college level and play maybe a D3, D2, or you know, even at the high level D1.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: But, you know, go thinking that having these high aspirations, all these athletes are going to become professional athletes just isn't really realistic, in my opinion.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: So I always make sure I tell athletes, you know, hone in on your skills with your discipline, you know, hard work, work after, because these are transferable skills into life after sports.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel as though that is what more coaches should be touching on, just life after sports.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: So I definitely think that one of the biggest lies is you work hard and you'll get to that to the next level.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: Because you can work very hard and still might not get there.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_02: No doubt.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_02: No doubt.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_02: You have HBCU roots for your undergraduate degree.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_02: What did Hampton build in you that shaped how you approach everything that came after it?
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: Definitely shaped, you know, standard outs because that's what Hampton was known for.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: I always, you know, performed at a high level, but I felt as though once I got to Hampton, you know, just pressed pressing on the matter even more of uh standard excellence with not just in the athletic work as coaching, but also in the academic classroom as well.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: You know, every every every class you're not gonna get A.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes like I like I say, B plus is get degrees too.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, you just need to put your best foot effort, uh foot effort and into the opportunity.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: What Hampton instilled to me is, you know, always go the extra mile.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: Don't let don't just be good, be great.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: And like you said, the difference between 4-7 and 4-4 is character.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: That's the same thing between difference between good and great.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, good, you know, have half the time people that are good have that skill and talent, but the people that are great take the extra extra step and add the discipline aspect in as well as to add implement with their talent.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_02: That's so well said, so well put.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_02: On that one, I'm gonna turn it over to Aaron for segment two: identity education and the long game.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_02: Aaron, all yours, take it away.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_04: Awesome, welcome.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you so much, Robert.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_04: I'm super excited to kind of dive into what you are studying now and what you're working on.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_04: So you you're you've got your bachelor's, your and master's, and now you're in progress of getting your PhD while simultaneously still working.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_04: Tell us more about what you're pursuing as far as your PhD and what you want to then do with that and impact the world.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so you know, I'm finishing up my PhD in sports administration with the uh minor and marketing communications at University of New Mexico.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: And what I want to do once I finished, I'm finished writing my dissertation right now on the impact of NIL on division and HBCU athletes' experience.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: And once I finish, um hopefully obviously what I'm going to teach at Atlanta University in the fall, full-time uh assistant professor, but also for on research aspect, I want to focus hone in more on dealing with NIL impact of athletes, not just HBCUs, but also at uh PWIs, which is predominantly white institutions at the D1, D2, and D3 level, to see a comparison and see uh is there a difference between the impact NII between HBCUs and uh PWIs, and how do these athletes that might not be receiving these NIL deals, because as we know, the world is afraid, not every athlete's gonna get a NIL deal, or some of them might be looking at these athletes on their team that getting a couple millions and they might get you know a couple thousand, which isn't bad for you know students in 18 plus 18 years and older, but you know, that that can bring that dynamics of that jealousy because how is this how's this guy getting or this lady getting more money than me and we're on the same team?
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I hope to just try to bring that at pack in the professional experience, try to figure out how much of an impact NIL is making on these athletes' experience.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: And also another one of my research interests is dealing with fantasy sports and just how is the impact of fantasy sports affecting sports viewership.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: I did a study on impact of fantasy basketball participation on NBA live game viewership.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: Eventually want to do one on the WNBA.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so those are some areas I want to do, and also continue to work on my uh block access one, which is my sports media uh brand, trying to branch it out more and start having it like golf events and basketball events as well in the future.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_04: Well, that's awesome.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_04: I love that.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_04: I think we do need to study the impact of NIL and what it what the impact that's having, which obviously there's so much research still to be done.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_04: What have you found thus far, like as you're working on it now?
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_04: What would you share with our audiences maybe some key highlights or things that have stood out that maybe surprised you that you weren't expecting to find?
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so something I found from what I've read articles before dealing with impact NIL.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like I talked about before with the team dynamics, we see a lot of athletes at these the revenue sports, and typically revenue sports is basketball and football.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: You know, obviously football is a 53-man roster, and you might have a couple of people at a red shirt.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: But, you know, a lot of the times these these main guys that, you know, that have like the quarterback, top quarterback, top receivers on the team, as well as people with a high social media file and get these big time deals.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: Whereas the guys, maybe as I say, the old line guys might not get enough love because we know unfortunately old-line guys do all the heavy lifting, but don't get the uh the love as much as the quarterback and wide receiver running backs do.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: So you you see you see interests in that of that in-house jealousy.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: We and we already saw that touch bases on that before NIL even came to the picture.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: We usually like a lot of star athletes compared to the rules of role players that might not get enough time.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: Might say, how's this guy playing more getting more time than me and when I'm a better athlete?
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, also, um, I saw like dealing with collaboration.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: We see now with the non-revenue sports like smaller sports like swimming, uh track and field, where these athletes are collaborating together to help each other get brand deals with NIL.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: Which you can see, the positive side of NFL, NIL is helping these athletes work together to find deals, um, which I thought was pretty interesting because you know, typically, as I talked about the jealousy, and so you would think that's the same thing for the non-revenue uh sports, the smaller sports, they don't get enough love as the basketball and uh football pro teams do with their program.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: So those are some things I've found this far.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_04: Well, that's really interesting.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_04: How cool is that that the non that non-revenue generating sports are the ones that actually are being more collaborative and coming together and figuring out how they can work together, like as a group, to go, okay, how do we elevate each other?
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_04: What and how would that translate, or what would that impact be to the revenue generating sports on the opposite side if they took the same mentality?
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: I definitely think it would definitely increase the you know people's numbers, bottom line for NIL.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: But unfortunately, you know, they already you already seen them jockeying for spots for playing time.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: Now they're jockeying for NIL deals with these big time companies or from the boosters.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so those boosters mainly is my take on the yeah, yeah, because that's typically the collectives where everybody put their money together and you know try to get these big after that we saw with BYU and getting IU over there stuff.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_04: So much more to come on this NIL front.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_04: But with those probably gonna it's gonna get worse as before it gets better, everybody put that out there.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_04: With that, I think with that, you know, kind of knowing, I think how you know people say it's a wild, wild west or it's a race to the bottom.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_04: What is like the truth, or what would you want to convey to the athletes, parents, universities in this deal in this space right now that's dealing with this?
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_04: What would you want them to know about NIL based on your research?
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: For starters, my favorite saying is don't chase the bag, chase the system that is going to work best for you, not just for these next four years, but for a lifetime.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: And what I mean by that is, you know, build that partnership and relationship where you can constantly you can come back to the university at any time, whether that be coaching or working at the university, or just building those relationships with these corporate partners these these schools and universities have to work there after you graduate.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people are looking at these NIL million-dollar contract, which is great, but not everyone's gonna get it.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: I I tell people a lot of the time at NIL, NIL is just a short term.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: What you what you're gonna do now is you want to build these relationships and partnerships for a lifetime where life at once sports ends, you still have something you know to probably wake yourself up for every day to work work to work towards.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_04: That's awesome.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_04: Great advice.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_04: Sounds like advice Thomas gives our athletes.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_04: Don't chase the bag.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, it's a system.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_04: And with that, I'm gonna toss it back over to Thomas.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_02: Really cool.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_02: Robert Aaron, thanks so much.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_02: Robert, the as far as the classroom, the sideline in the industry, you've worked on the NFL sideline with the Washington Commanders and in the press box at Temple Athletics.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_02: Then you walked into a university classroom to teach sports management.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_02: What does the predictionary experience bring to the classroom that pure academic training never could?
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_02: And what does the academic rigor bring back to the industry?
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: One thing going into the classroom, it brings the experiential learning.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: You know, one thing that irritates me this most is when I see professors teaching at universities and you ask them worked in the field, and they say no.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not pretty sure you wouldn't take a math lesson.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: So for me, it's always I'm big on having professors in academia that has actually worked in industry because now you can give these students a l a look into the lenses of experiential learning and talk about how you actually work in industry and how you know how you had to maneuver around that.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: And then taking this back to the professional side, I'm always talking about how bridging how we can like we can help bridge the gap between sports and then sports academia.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: To me, I feel like there's a gap where again a lot of people in academia, sports academia, don't actually never work the industry.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: So I feel as though a lot of university, of course, should be looking for people that have PhDs, but also should be looking more for people that actually work the industry because if they work in the industry, they can give they can give that in-depth experience that they work in industry.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_00: And also, you know, students respect professors more to have work in industry.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: You can ask them questions and you know they're not gonna give you any BS, they're gonna give you the actual real deal, what they actually dealt with.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: And you might not be something you want to hear, but at least you know what they prepare for.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_02: So for the college student right now, sports management major, interning or trying to figure out how to break through into the industry, what do they need to understand about that?
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_02: What actually opens doors that most career fairs and professors won't aren't telling them?
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: One thing I tell my students all the time is just you know, any opportunity that comes to you, go out there and try it because it's it's it's easier to figure out what you don't like and get it out of the way early.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: So once you know you get into your senior year, you know what you want to do, and now you're not looking for internships in other areas.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: Now you know personally what area you want to get into, and that's when you can hone in on specific areas.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: And also I always tell people about ticket sales is the way to get in in the door in the sports industry.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_00: You know, everybody hates ticket sales or calling cold calling people.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: But I always tell my students at the end of the day, you're always gonna have to tell yourself whether it's in sales or anything or in life and just in life in general, because when you're applying a job, you're telling yourself of why you're the best fit person for this job.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_00: But once you tell them that, they they kind of understand a little bit better that they get a little more comfortable with ticket sales.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: Because I know everyone hears the word ticket sales and gets scared, like, oh, I don't want to call these people just to hear a thousand no's.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: But once you get that thick skin and you can deal with taking those, the sky's the limit, in my opinion.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_02: Totally agree.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_02: Totally agree.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_02: What about for the young professional who's already in the sports industry but feeling like they're a little bit stuck, doing good work and not advancing or not being seen, not sure whether to go deeper in their lane or broader.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_02: What do you say to that person?
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_00: I would say take a step back, you know, analyze your situation, figure out whether you still want to stay in this industry or if you want to pivot into something new.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: People, even older generation, the younger generation, like you asked, it's never too late to start over.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_00: It's the only time it's too late to start over is when you're seeing Jesus Christ right in your face.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_00: That's when you know it's over.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_00: But if that hasn't happened, you can always, it's always no problem to analyze the situation, look at all your options, see what's best for you.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: That can be either staying in the industry or pivoting to another, or even just going back, I did going back to school and you know, furthering your education, and then continue to figure out hey, do I want to work in academia or do I want to go back into sports, or do I want to try, let's say, tech or something?
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_00: And if so, how can I pivot into that next phase of my life?
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: Gotcha.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_02: And this is the tricky one because not every athlete ends their career on their term.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_02: Sometimes they're forced out or they have to make that quick transition.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_02: What about for the athlete transitioning out of competition and into life on the other side, considering a career in sports, admin, communications, or management?
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_02: What do they need to know about translating their athletic experience into a professional identity in this space?
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, one thing I don't think people talk about enough life after sports.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: Athlete identity crisis is definitely a thing.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: People always think other people just have crisis, the 50-year-old crisis or menopause.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_00: But athlete identity crisis is a huge component as well.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel as though, you know, athletes just going into the sports admin definitely can still stay connected to sports in a way where they're not obviously not playing anymore, but they can bring that same intensity, the same discipline and drive and energy over into working in an admin, whether it be in coaching, uh working in sports marketing or communication, like I did or PR.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: But I feel as those other transfer transferable skills, if they're willing to, you know, accept the fact that hey, me playing in sports is over, but me not me still be able to interact and engage in sports from a you know administration or management level is still alive and thriving.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_00: Right on.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_02: You're a Hampton University building a career in a space where HBCUs and their graduates are still fighting for the recognition recognition and access they deserve.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_02: What does it mean to for you to carry that flag?
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_02: And what responsibility do you feel toward the student and institutions that come behind you?
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_02: HBCUs and their graduates are still fighting for recognition and access they deserve.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_02: What does it mean to carry that flag and what responsibility do you feel toward the student and institutions that come behind you?
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um I I think it's here for me to carry this flag, which is why I started, you know, did my dissertation on the impact of NIL and the vision on HBCU athletes' experience.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um I just want to see, you know, how much of an impact has NIL done to HBCU athletes' experience?
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: Because we already saw what it's been doing for at the P Pro League Institution with PWIs, but unfortunately some of these uh HBCU athletes, you know, are definitely talented as well, but it might have not had these people, the eye, the eye candy looking at them and you know saying, okay, let's let's look at these goals.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: We've seen what Deion Sanders did with Jackson State and kind of catapult that program.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, we see now more coaches with Eddie George and Deshaun Jackson going to Delaware State.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_00: So we're seeing now more of these performer professional athletes go to work with these HBCU athletes.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_00: For me, I just want to continue for my research.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: I want to focus on how we can help these athlete directors better impact these athletes' experience and how they can use NIL as a component to how to paul, you know, one generating more revenue for the university and the athletic programs, as well as getting more deals for these athletes, not just from collectives, but also from either local businesses as well as national businesses.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_02: Love it.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_02: Love it.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_02: On that one, I'm gonna turn it back over to Aaron for the rapid fire round.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_02: Aaron, it's all yours.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, this what this little segment's fun.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_04: So I start a sentence and you're just gonna finish it for me, okay?
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: Gotcha.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_04: Discipline equals progress.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_04: Integrity equals integrity equals foundation.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_04: Legacy equals impact.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_04: Faith equals belief.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_04: What is one thing you would never compromise on?
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: Definitely my integrity.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_00: And also my word, like I guess it's go hand in hand because in my opinion, you know, at the end of the day, all a man has is his word.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_00: And once he you know reneges on that, it's kind of hard to respect anyone that doesn't stick to their word and and stick to their intangibles and integrity.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_04: I love it.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_04: And if you could put a billboard up for the next generation of athletes, what would your message to this generation of athletes be?
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_00: Reach for the stars, and if you don't do that, at least you're falling the clouds.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_04: I love it.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_04: And Jesus is not in your face.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_04: Okay.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, yes.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_04: You can keep shooting for the moon.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_04: That's awesome.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_04: Awesome.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_04: I love that.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, with that, it's that's how fast it was.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_04: Back to you, Thomas.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_02: Awesome.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks, Aaron.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_02: Robert, that was unreal.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_02: Usually sometimes I have an expression uh that my dad showed me when somebody asked me what time it is, don't build a McClock.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_02: So when we have the when we have the rapid fire, we get some lengthy answers.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_02: So thank you very much.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_02: As we close out, is there something we didn't touch on today that you feel aspiring sports professionals, student athletes, or anyone building a career in this industry needs to hear?
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah, I would just say always reaching one working your personal network, connecting with just you know your peers that you're working with as current students, or if you haven't, if you already graduated, former classmates, but that's that's that's your early basis for your personal network.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_00: And then also, you know, reach back to older alumni that's been well in the field.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: You can go on LinkedIn and look that up and you see who's in the field in your particular area or your department might have it on file for you.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, just always tap into your your network, always go to networking events, gotta get always get out of your show, don't be afraid.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: To look like the person that looks awkward or weird, because I'm sure the people that's going to his network, I mean it's feeling awkward and weird, just like you.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_00: Just talk to as many people as you can.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: You never know who can take it to the next level and always bring more value to someone rather than ask asking them for something.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_02: So true.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_02: So true.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_02: All right.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_02: So, Robert, you went from the rapid fire now.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_02: I'm going to put you in the hot seat.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_02: What because I love art imitating life.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_02: What are the top three sports movies of all time, any genre, according to Robert?
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_00: Definitely want to say Remember the Titans.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_00: I wish another one that I like.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_00: Friday Night Lights.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: What was that?
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_00: I'm trying to remember the movie with Texas Western.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_00: I forgot the name of that movie, but it's definitely one of my favorite movies.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: All Black Star to Fire, Texas Western, and the one-on-one in national championship.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_00: But that was number three.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_02: You know what?
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_02: Somebody else mentioned that last time.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_02: Glory Road.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, there we go.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's probably hard to say it's your favorite movie.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_02: You don't even remember the title, but it's definitely one of those movies that we it was kind of it's definitely a cult classic, but uh it doesn't get a love enough love.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_02: For me, you know, and it's interesting.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_02: I thought we were gonna go with all football.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_02: I'm glad you mixed it up a little bit because it's so interesting when we get football players on here, pro ball players, and they just say nothing but basketball.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_02: I love that, you know, because you know, everyone we all heard about the the football movies, and you know what's crazy for me is I've never played hockey in my life, but miracle, right?
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_02: You just bring you just bring you know a bunch of misfits together with one common goal, and it's amazing what they can accomplish.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_02: And then second one is Rocky.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, the original Rocky, that was just that I mean, I remember seeing that when I was a kid, I'm dating myself now, where people were standing in the aisles, just you cheering for Rocky and it was a movie.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_02: Third is Hoosiers, everything else is an honorable, honorable mention.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_02: Robert, thank you so much.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_02: Where can people get a hold of you?
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_02: Whether that's a website, your social media handles, or an email.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you can you can find me on LinkedIn.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_00: That's my name and profile, Robert Wright Jr.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_00: Also on social media, you can find me at blog access one on one.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_00: That's B-L-O-G-A-C-C-E-S-S one-on-one.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_00: And that's on all platforms: Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_02: Love it.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_02: Robert, thank you for showing us what the long game actually looks like, and for being willing to talk about the road.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_02: Most people in sports never take seriously until it's the only one left.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_02: Team, if this conversation hit you, do two things first.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_02: One, share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_02: A student trying to break into the sports industry, a young professional wondering whether the degree or the extra experience or the next opportunity is worth it.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_02: A student athlete figuring out what they're what is in store for them on the other side of competition.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_02: And two, connect with Robert and follow his work.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_02: We he just mentioned his social media handles and his website, so we'll definitely put that in the show notes.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_02: He's doing the kind of building in the sports industry that most people will talk about and few actually do.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_02: And if you're a parent, athlete, or coach ready to raise the standard, reach out to Aaron and myself at blueprintbluechip.com.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_02: We help athletes build identity, discipline, and legacy that goes well beyond the game.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_02: And if this episode has resonated with you, leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_02: It helps us reach more athletes, parents, and leaders who need to hear the message Robert just shared.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_02: This is a standard podcast, and this movement only grows when we raise the standard together.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_02: Talent faith, but truth endures.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_02: Let's raise the bar, rebuild the culture, and become the standard.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_02: Robert Aaron, you guys have a fantastic rest of your week and a great holiday weekend.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_02: Team, we'll see you next time.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: Enjoy your holidays.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_00: Appreciate you guys.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_02: Robert.