JerseyMan Magazine V14N1 by JerseyManMagazine

The growth of Women’s sports

EAGLES’ WIDE RECEIVER

A.J. Brown

George Anastasia’s

MOB SCENE

Jeremy Messler Photography LLC

Volume 14 • Number 1 – $3.95

CELEBRATING OUR MAN & WOMAN OF THE YEAR HONOREES

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Peter J. Cordua, CPA

Tax and Financial Consultation

(856) 724-2047

FROM THE

PUBLISHER

JerseyMan Magazine VOLUME 14 • NUMBER 1

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BY KEN DUNEK

The older I get, the more I am in awe of the life around me. With age comes wisdom, and a feeling of confidence that you are doing the proper things and heading in the right direction. (I’ll try not to mention the aches and pains). For what it is worth, here are some of my philosophies. A few I have had for a while, but many I have acquired recently. 1. NEVER JUDGE anyone solely on their color, ethnicity, or religious beliefs. I have many black, Jewish and Muslim friends. I couldn’t love and respect them any more than I do right now. Stop the hate, it gets you nowhere. 2. I RECENTLY TOURED EUROPE with my family and made the decision to go as I was lying in a hospital bed in February recovering from a quadruple bypass. Don’t wait to take the trip. Do it now. 3. O RDER WHAT YOU WANT. Forget about the diet. If you need to go to the gym the next day, do it. 4. D ON’T GET CAUGHT UP in minor squabbles, especially with family members. If there is a sore subject, avoid it. In points of conflict, my standard line is “My love for you and our relationship means more to me than this issue.” 5. INCORPORATE MEDITATION, prayer, and exercise into your normal daily activities. 6. PICK SOMETHING YOU LOVE to do and do it for a living. 7. START EARLY and work late.

Ken Dunek Publisher ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Ashley Dunek EDITOR George Brinkerhoff ART DIRECTOR Steve Iannarelli CONTRIBUTING WRITERS George Anastasia, Jan L. Apple, Michael Bradley, George Brinkerhoff, Sam Carchidi, Alexandra Dunek, Ashley Dunek, Mark Eckel, Allison Farcus, Dei Lynam, Jon Marks, Anthony Mongeluzo, Kevin Reilly, Kurt Smith, Dave Spadaro Event Coordinator & Administrative Assistant Alexandra Dunek Website & Digital Coordinator Jamie Dunek Editorial gbrinkerhoff@jerseymanmagazine.com Advertising 856-912-4007 Printing Alcom Printing, Harleysville, Pa. Controller Rose M. Balcavage

8. THERE IS NO FINAL DESTINATION. The journey is the destination.

Sales Associates Ashley Dunek, Jamie Dunek, Terri Dunek, Allison Farcus, JP Lutz

9. LET THE CAR in front of you in the line of traffic.

JerseyMan/PhillyMan Advisory Board

10. BE GRATEFUL.

Peter Cordua (Chairman). . . . . . . . . HBK CPAs & Consultants Don Eichman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alcom Printing Bill Emerson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emerson Group Jerry Flanagan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J Dog Brands Damien Ghee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TD Bank Bob Hoey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Janney Montgomery Scott Kristi Howell. . . . . . . . Burlington Co. Chamber of Commerce Ed Hutchinson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hutchinson Robert Kennedy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Kennedy Companies Anthony Mongeluzo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PCS Charlie Muracco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CLM Advisors Ryan Regina. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Big Sky Enterprises Scott Tanker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tanker Business Solutions Joe Tredinnick. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cornerstone Bank Les Vail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Workplace HCM Jim Wujcik. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Joseph Fund

Here is to a great 2024 for ALL of us!

“I am alway more interested in what I am about to do than what I have already done.” – Rachel Carson JerseyMan Magazine/PhillyMan Magazine, products of a partnership between Ken Dunek, Anthony Mongeluzo, and Alcom Printing Group, are published by New Opportunity Publishing, LLC, with offices at 5 Perina Boulevard Cherry Hill, NJ 08003. Copyright 2024.

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INSIDE 40

“The great glorious masterpiece of man is to know how to live with purpose.” – Michel de Montaigne

JerseyMan Magazine VOLUME 14 • NUMBER 1

ON THE COVER

Presented by:

CELEBRATING OUR MAN & WOMAN OF THE YEAR HONOREES

FARM TRUCK BREWING

DR. TARYN MARIE STEJSKAL

WOMEN’S SPORTS

NO LONGER AN AFTERTHOUGHT

THE FLYERS REBUILD BY SAM CARCHIDI

A.J. BROWN EAGLES’ WIDE RECEIVER IS ALWAYS OPEN

GROWING UP PHILLY

IOWA COACH FRAN McCAFFERY

COLLEGES EMBRACE THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS

COLUMNS

1 2 J O T T I N G S • 1 8 G E O R G E A N A S TA S I A’ S M O B S C E N E • 20 DEI LYNAM 22 KEVIN REILLY • 26 GET FIT • 30 WHAT’S COOKING • 76 TECH TIME

Cover photo: Jeremy Messler Photography LLC

www.jerseymanmagazine.com

JOTTINGS

“It is harder to stay on top than it is to make the climb. Continue to seek new goals.”

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BY GEORGE BRINKERHOFF

Long distance traveler

he red knot

is an endangered species of migratory shorebird which spends a part of its migration, a very vital part, every year at the New Jersey shore. Its annual journey, from south to north, entails an utterly remarkable feat of flight of up to 9,000 miles, from the most southerly part of Tierra del Fuego in South America to its breeding grounds in the Arctic. On the way, its final destination before the Arctic is its stop in and around the Delaware Bay. While here, it feeds on the eggs of thousands of horseshoe crabs during their equally remarkable annual spawning event, which occurs on the Delaware Bay shore beaches every May and June. Clearly the timing is significant, as the red knots have lost as much as half of their body weight with which they began by the time they find themselves here. And perhaps the most amazingly impossible-to-fathom aspect of this long distance traveler? They repeat their journey, north to south, every autumn! One tagged bird, at 19 years of age, was estimated by researchers to have flown farther than the distance from the earth to the moon during its lifetime. It was nicknamed, appropriately, “Moonbird.” Sources: The Nature Conservancy, nature.org; American Bird Conservancy, abcbirds.org/bird/Red-Knot/

www.jerseymanmagazine.com 12

– Pat Summit

s the subject of one of our earliest

and most popular JerseyMan cover stories, Angelo Cataldi has continued to prove our fascination with him absolutely correct, finishing his celebrated and legendary Philadelphia morning radio career last year. For an encore, Angelo has crafted this insightful, one-of-a-kind memoir, chock full of many funny stories and encounters throughout his life and career, including tales and commentary about sports figures and celebrities and others. A real Philadelphia icon talking real Philadelphia sports, LOUD delivers the goods, just like its author. Purchase your own copy at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and wherever books a are sold. From the publisher: “For over three decades, Angelo Cataldi was the on-air voice of Philadelphia sports fans, leading the charge with unabashed zeal and infectious energy. He was the maestro of the mania, the conductor of the symphony of vitriol that blared through car radios every morning in the most misunderstood yet passionate sports city in America. It made him his share of enemies, but he walked away from the microphone with enough stories for several lifetimes—or one jam- packed, lively memoir. LOUD is an exuberant chronicle of Cataldi’s life, from his childhood as a self-described “king nerd” to the traditional newspaper career he left behind, and his eventual rise to the top of the Philadelphia sports radio scene on WIP. Through it all, Cataldi remained dedicated to his mission of talking about what the city was talking about, in the same tone. And that tone was loud, passionate, and unapologetically real. Full of encounters with athletes, personalities, and power brokers as well as candid reflections, LOUD is a must-read for die-hard Philadelphia sports fan and anyone who appreciates a good story.

The 80s Revenge during the 1980s, (you know, when Ronald Reagan was the President and MTV was all the rage?) perhaps you find yourself wistfully glancing back and pining for that simpler, less stressful and seemingly better time. And maybe you wonder “Well, just how the hell will we ever get back to that rose-colored epoch again?” Well fear not, there’s a local New Jersey based time machine that will transport you back “totally” into that era. The 80s Revenge, a local tribute band, plays all your favorite tunes from that magical era. Led by vocalists Jennifer Caprice Baird and Phil Wessner, who is a banker by day and a rocker by night, you’d swear that Bon Jovi was playing your local taproom when you hear them. In their latest light-hearted video post on their Facebook page, the camera follows Phil walking past the lens dressed for a typical 80s Revenge show. The caption reads, “If your Daddy goes out on Saturday nights dressed like this to sing in his 80s band … you probably have siblings you don’t know about.”

Photo The 80s Revenge

IF YOU GREW UP IN AMERICA

Catch The 80s Revenge at local venues in the South Jersey area. And follow all their activities and check out upcoming shows at: www.facebook.com/the80srevenge.

Legacy Club Holiday Party at Live! Casino & Hotel, Philadelphia, PA

Photos John Wilchek Photography

MOB SCENE

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BY GEORGE ANASTASIA

The Podfather

T WAS SUPPOSED TO BE a secret society, but that train left the station years ago. There was supposed to be a code of silence, but that’s been replaced by sound bites and pontificating. Turncoat mobsters used to tell their stories from the witness stand and then disappear into witness protection. Now they do podcasts. This is Cosa Nostra in the social media age. The latest wrinkle may be the most dramatic. Erstwhile Philadelphia mob boss Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino has joined the fray. With a slick sports handicapping show called “The Skinny” Merlino has become something of a social media darling to thousands of internet mob watchers. The weekly show, which debuted with the start of the football season,

tified wiseguy. “It’s like Seinfeld’s bizarro world,” he said, adding that for many mobsters what Merlino is doing flouts conventional underworld wisdom. It’s the opposite of what has been the norm. “Old-time guys are rolling in their graves,” he said. We’ve seen some of this with reality TV shows that purported to offer a glimpse of “the life.” But these were always once removed from the real players. “Growing Up Gotti” was the underworld version of “My Three Sons” with Victoria Gotti and her slick-haired boys offering a view of everyday life from the fringes of the underworld. Then came “Mob Wives” a show in which the wives, girlfriends and daughters (Sammy Gra-

There is a fine line between roguish bravado and self-serving bitterness. Merlino often crosses that line. blends sports talk with Merlino’s unique take on life in the underworld. There has never been anything like it. “I think he’s refreshingly entertaining,” says a former North Jersey mobster. “He’s calling out every level of mob hypocrisy – rat podcasts, the federal government… He understands the politics of Cosa Nostra… He has no equal.” That comes from a mobster who became a cooperating witness for the FBI. In Merlino’s world, he’s a “lying rat.” But when it comes to The Skinny he’s a big fan. Go figure. Less complimentary is this take from a cer18

vano’s daughter Karen was one of the “stars”) offered angst, pathos and lots of F-bombs. Merlino has taken it to another and more genuine level. There is an edge to what he has to say about cooperating witnesses, federal prosecutors and judges. And there is also lots of bitterness. Cooperators are “lying rats” who have cut a deal to get out from under their own problems. Some are documented abusers of women, he says. Others have committed crimes while cooperating. But the feds have looked the other way because the witnesses help make cases against “the good guys.” Good and bad are relative terms, of course.

And this is clearly a perspective from the underworld. Merlino’s presentation is the opposite of a grand jury investigation where only the prosecutor gets to present his case. On The Skinny it’s only Merlino’s view that’s presented. Always quick on his feet and never afraid of the media, Skinny Joey was Philadelphia’s first – and perhaps only – celebrity gangster. But until now, most of his media exposure had come through conventional channels. He would occasionally agree to an interview and he almost always responded to a question posed by a reporter as he entered or left a courthouse or was approached while hanging on a corner or sitting in the coffee shop he once frequented in the heart of South Philadelphia.

NE OF THE CLASSIC encounters involved my friend and colleague, TV reporter Dave Schratwieser and then FOX News’ intrepid cameraman Brad Nau. A rumor was circulating that jailed Philadelphia mob boss Little Nicky Scarfo had put out a $500,000 contract on Merlino because he believed Merlino was the gunman who shot his son in Dante and Luigi’s restaurant on Halloween Night in 1989. It was an audacious hit. A gunman wearing a mask and carrying a trick-or-treat bag

walked into the restaurant and up to the table where Scarfo Jr. was having dinner with two friends. The gunman pulled a machine pistol from the bag and opened fire. Scarfo Jr. was hit six times but miraculously survived. Later he and his father were picked up on a phone tap discussing plans to kill Merlino. That’s where the contract rumor began. Schratwieser and Nau, driving around South Philadelphia, spotted Merlino and, with the camera rolling, asked him about the $500,000 contract. Merlino looked into the camera and casually replied, “Give me the half million dollars and I’ll shoot myself.” It was quintessential Merlino. And if his foray into social media proves successful it will be because he’s able to bring that same street corner attitude to the show. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always come across that way. There is a fine line between roguish bravado and self-serving bitterness. Merlino often crosses that line. His f-bomb-driven anger toward prosecutors, judges, witnesses and the media can at times come across as an underworld pity party. It doesn’t have to be that way, but too often it is. That being said, it’s his show and he can do and say whatever he wants.

Until now it has been the mobsters from the other side of the street who have had the franchise.

ICHAEL FRANZESE established the template and is still at the top of the leaderboard. There is also Sammy the Bull Gravano and John Alite and John Pennisi and on and on and on. Most of them were cooperating witnesses and first told their stories from the witness stand. (Franzese may be the only exception in that regard.) All are considered “rats” in Merlino’s world. And perhaps as important, all are perceived as cashing in on their notoriety. At least one source said all the debate about how and why and what is motivating Merlino boils down to economics. It’s all about a payday. If “lying rats” can turn their stories into a weekly or monthly cash stream, then why can’t real, died-in-the-wool wiseguys? Al Capone was the first mobster who recognized the power of celebrity and what the media could do for a guy’s image. John Gotti followed in Capone’s footsteps. Merlino never had as big a stage to play on, but his act was just as flamboyant. So here was Merlino, in the 1990s, holding forth at Christmas parties for poor children,

offering a lavish meal, a visit with Santa and a pile of toys – bikes, dolls, footballs – under the tree for each one to take home. Or here he was Skinny Joey in a housing project giving out turkeys to poor residents a few days before Thanksgiving. After raising money through his podcast back in October and November, Merlino revisited the gift giving. On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, he had a massive giveaway of turkeys to the needy and hosted a Christmas party for children that included brand-new bicycles and other gifts. His fans on social media loved it. No word from law enforcement on this one, but I suspect little has changed in the two decades since Merlino first hosted one of those parties. For cops and prosecutors, it was Merlino, a street corner gangster, playing the role of an urban Robin Hood. And it drove them crazy. “You don’t see the FBI doing this,” Merlino quipped to reporters during one of his first Christmas dinners. “It’s easy to be giving things away when it’s not your money,” responded an FBI agent angrily when asked about Merlino’s comment. All of that, of course, came through the filter of newspaper, radio and TV reports. Now the filter is gone. n

DEI LYNAM

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NBA’s In-Season Tournament

N DECEMBER 9TH, the NBA concluded its first-ever inseason tournament with the Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Indiana Pacers 123-109 in Las Vegas. On the heels of the win, the Lakers were awarded the NBA Cup, and LeBron James was named the tournament’s MVP for his play over seven games that made up their tournament schedule. All thirty NBA teams participated. There were six groups comprised of five teams. Each team in the given group played the other four teams once. That was called the group play stage of the tournament. The team with the best record in each group advanced to the knockout round. The next best record of one team in each conference also went, accounting for eight teams in the knockout round. The four teams that won in the knockout stage traveled to Las Vegas for the semifinals

and championship games, mimicking the NCAA Final Four, one venue used to determine a champion over three days. “I want to thank all of the players in the league and the coaches, of course, the teams, for embracing this new concept,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “I know it doesn’t come without challenges. There’s no doubt there are some things that we are learning this time through. Overall, we are thrilled with the interest we’ve seen this season.”

HE TOURNAMENT had its challenges. The four games played in the group stage went toward each team’s regular season record. The knockout round and semifinal games counted as well. Teams that did not make it out of group play were assigned two opponents and those games were played last week while the tournament was still going on. Everyone played six total games except the

Lakers and Pacers. The championship game will not go toward the regular season standings, but it does have historical value. “This is special for us, just winning the inaugural In-Season Tournament,” Anthony Davis said after contributing 41 points and 20 rebounds in the championship game. “But we want to also win the same thing in June. It’s a step in the right direction, but even though it’s a big performance, it’s another game and we’ve got to continue to get going starting back on Tuesday.” Elements of concern surrounding the event include the bold, colorful courts designed solely for in-season tournament play. The intention behind the courts’ design was to make real life look like a popular video game. The courts received mixed reviews. “I’m a big advocate of the colorful courts,” Silver said. “Obviously, we want to make sure the players have confidence in them and the Photo courtesy Dei Lynam

type of paint used isn’t more slippery. We dealt with those issues, but I want to ensure they are not distracting.”

NOTHER CONCERN was using the point differential as a tie-breaking tool. Multiple people scrutinized Joel Embiid for launching a three-point shot at the buzzer in their initial tournament game against the Pistons. Detroit players and coaches were upset, viewing the shot as unsportsmanlike since the Sixers were up 114106. Embiid knew point differential was a tiebreaker; others needed to pay closer attention to the rules surrounding this new event.

The feeling is the in-season tournament is here to stay, but the league will tweak aspects of it. “That concept is well known in international basketball and FIBA and Olympic competition,” Silver explained. “I’m not ready, necessarily, to move away from it, but if ultimately there’s going to be a sense, particularly from our American fans, that somehow it is an indication of poor sportsmanship, that’s not a good idea for us to be doing it.” The feeling is the in-season tournament is here to stay, but the league will tweak aspects of it. The prize money, $500K for each player on the winning team and the head coach, is an incentive even for those already well compensated. Bragging rights also play a role in the competitors wanting the tournament to return next year. “We thought it was a cool idea,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said, despite his team not advancing to the knockout round. “Our guys talked a lot about wanting to advance in the tournament. We didn’t, so we must find another positive from the experience.” Nurse’s players were equally disappointed that their participation in this inaugural event was short-lived. “One hundred percent,” Tobias Harris said when asked if he and his teammates were upset about not moving on to the knockout round. “Say what you want about the in-season tournament, but as players, we are competitors. And while it was a regular season game, it was the kind of game that prepares you for playoff basketball. We didn’t handle our business tonight (Cleveland) or against Indiana, but we absolutely wanted to advance.” n 21

KEVIN REILLY

Kevin Reilly is an author, motivational speaker, and former Philadelphia Eagle. To contact Kevin Reilly, visit https://www.kevinreilly52.com

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How to Be Your Best Self in 2024

HE NEW YEAR is conventionally our anniversary of selfreflection. We begin to contemplate all of the ways we can become our “best self ” over the next 12 months. Maybe, we’ll even sit down and write out each of our goals, putting them in a list titled “Resolutions.” Most of this list will include the previous year’s resolutions, which we gave up on before February 1st. I’m willing to bet your list looks like this: (1) Lose 20 lbs., (2) Drink Less, (3) Exercise More, (4) Eat Healthier, (5) Spend More Time with the Family, (6) Pay Off Debt, (7) Read a Book a Month, (8) Get More Sleep, (9) Take the Stairs... and so on. That’s quite a lot of goals, huh? Before you wrote them all out, they seemed far less intimidating. If you want to set achievable goals, let this saying ring in your ears, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” In other words, make a plan. Now, before I tell you how to plan your march through 2024, you’re probably wondering why you should listen to me. Well, I had to do quite a lot of self-reflection at the age of 29, when I became a left-arm and shoulder amputee. I had to retire from the NFL and face a whole new set of challenges to become my “best self.” However, at the time, my list of new me resolutions looked a lot like your list of New Year’s resolutions. Even though I wasn’t a football player anymore, I still wanted to stay in shape. But medical professionals said I shouldn’t and couldn’t shovel my driveway, let alone run a 5k. As you can imagine, I wasn’t in a great place mentally either. It was from rock bottom that I had to face my problems with drinking, alienating myself from my family, and the stress of it all leading to many restless nights without sleep. Today, I owe my success to patience, perseverance, and being hard-headed. I’m in my 22

9th year of sobriety and have never felt better. I even still run 5ks with my grandkids at the age of 72. And my golf swing out-matches many of my two-armed competitors.

HAT SHOULD BE PROOF ENOUGH to anyone that I know how to set achievable goals and conquer them, no matter how insurmountable they seem. But that’s enough about me. I’m concerned

goals on your list. What does “spending more time with the family” mean to you? Will you attend all of your children’s sports events? Will you request a week off work in the summer for a family vacation? Last, I’ll give you some practical words of encouragement. Research tells us that it takes 66 days on average for a habit to become truly automatic. The same research says it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days to form a new

If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time. In other words, make a plan. with getting you ready to tackle 2024 with a rock-solid strategy for success. Let’s take another look at your list of resolutions. First off, prioritize. Which of your goals are the most important to you? Which do you need to achieve sooner rather than later? Next, consider which of your goals will be the easiest to fit into your current routines. For instance, exercise is most beneficial in the morning. It kicks off endorphins that will help propel you through the day. If you get up a little earlier and hop on the treadmill, you’ll set yourself up for success and achieve even more. Then, why not end your day by reading a chapter of a book? If you stay consistent, you can read a book a month without breaking a sweat. Third, I want you to define any ambiguous

habit, but if you are consistent and committed, the results are what counts, as we all are wired differently.

EMEMBER, IF I CAN DO IT, anybody can! At the age of 29, I had to relearn to do a lot of things differently. Over time, my patience and motivation bolstered my brain to never give up and eventually, I conquered most things. In the spirit of accountability, I will leave you with two of my goals for the new year. I am going to add mindfulness and daily prayer to my repertoire, keeping my mind as healthy as my body. This new year, let’s work together to stay accountable and become our “best self ” in 2024. n

GET FIT

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BY ALEXANDRA DUNEK

Beat the Winter Blues

OR MANY OF US, the cold and bitter weather makes it challenging for us to stick with our usual routines especially coming off all the holiday celebrations. Here are a few tips if you’re looking for some new ways to help with the winter blues. WALKING PAD If it’s too cold outside to get your daily steps in, consider purchasing a walking pad. They are cheaper than treadmills and easy to store without taking up space. You can stay active in the comfort of your home!

CELTIC SEA SALT We all know that drinking water and staying hydrated is important. If you feel like you drink a ton of water and constantly have to run to the bathroom, your body isn’t absorbing it correctly. You might want to consider including Celtic Sea Salt into your routine. Just add a small pinch in your water bottle (if you can taste it, you’ve added too much), or put a pinch on your tongue before drinking.

PRIORITIZE SLEEP With the sun setting so early in the winter, it truly feels like 9 pm by dinner time. If you struggle with sleeping, try going to bed a little bit earlier. You can improve the quality of your sleep by limiting phone usage, setting the room to a cooler temperature and adding in a magnesium glycinate supplement. Magnesium glycinate has been shown to have a calming effect and helps with insomnia.

BONE BROTH OR GINGER TEA If you’re one of those people who loves drinking hot beverages all day to stay warm, try sipping on bone broth. It’s low-calorie, packed with collagen and helps keep you feeling full. Another option is ginger tea. This can help with your immune system, bloating and digestion to name a few benefits. n

Ginger Tea Recipe: • Ginger Root • Lemon • Honey • Sweetener Directions: Peel the ginger root and cut into three large chunks, place into a pot with a cup of water, add in the juice of half a lemon (or less if you prefer) & also throw in the lemon peel, bring to a boil. Strain tea into a mug and add honey and sweetener of choice to taste.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with your doctor before using any new supplements.

WHAT’S COOKING

BY ALLISON FARCUS

Steak done right. It’s personal.

Steak.

It’s the dinner ingredient that doesn’t need a recipe, aside from one humble addition to maximize its flavor: salt. One popular condiment that often accompanies steak is “poivre sauce”, a mixture of cognac, cream and black pepper that come together gorgeously to coat your bites like a velvety cape. While heavenly, so is an unadulterated 100% A5 Japanese Wagyu, and though contestable, it’s often considered to be some of the best beef in the world. Marbling and quality aside, how a steak is cooked is a very personal thing. In a pan. On a grill. In a pan on a grill, and to varying temperatures that yield a variety of colors and textures. And should it be marinated? With my husband’s sign-off, I share his technique for a steak “experience” that has been served on plates that have returned to the kitchen nearly wiped clean. And there’s marinating too.

Here’s how it’s done: Marinate: The richness of steak stands to benefit from teriyaki-like sauce or marinade. The sugar lends to great caramelization and the soy complements its flavor. Add your pieces of steak to a resealable plastic bag and pour enough marinade to coat the steak. Using your hands from the outside of the bag, massage the steak in marinade together to coat. Seal the bag, leaving as little air as possible inside. A day’s marinade will do the job.

Cooking in a pan: No grill needed! Pan-searing steak creates a beautiful, even crust that enhances the flavor and appearance of the meat. Using a hot pan gives you the best char, cooking the meat as rare or

Marbling and quality aside, how a steak is cooked is a very personal thing.

www.sauteandsoiree.com

as “well” as you like. A well-seasoned, cast-iron pan works beautifully here, with stainless steel in second place. Cooking times will depend on the thickness of your meat and desired doneness. The most accurate way to determine when your steak is done cooking is to use an instant-read thermometer (and remember that your steak will come up 5 to 10 degrees while resting, so you’ll want to pull your steak a little bit before it reaches its final temperature.) The web contains plenty of reliable guides or cooking times. To test to make sure that the pan is hot enough to sear, splash a drop or two of water on the surface of the pan. If it evaporates in a few seconds, you’re ready to cook. Tongs in hand, lay it away from you when placing it in the hot pan to keep from getting burnt.

Condiment: Chipotle mayo may not be first on carnivores’ minds, but this stuff just sells. Chipotle en adobo (sauce) is smoky and spicy and a little goes a long way. The small cans can be found on Amazon or the Latin section of your grocer. Spooning out a bit of the sauce or chopping up one of the peppers, added to some mayonnaise, with a squeeze of lime juice and one dash of toasted sesame oil, creates a salmon-colored creamy condiment that’s also great with egg dishes or as a sandwich shmear. A great complement is a simple green or seasonal garden salad with a bright vinaigrette, to cut through the fatty richness of your steak, the star of the show! n

Photo Kurt Smith

Excellence in Garden State Brewing BY KURT SMITH

Farm Truck Brewing has recently

Photo courtesy Farm Truck Brewing

opened their much-anticipated brewery on Main Street in Medford, NJ to rave reviews. Their dedication to quality on every level is likely to keep them growing.

You don’t have to speak with Brooke Tidswell for long

without seeing his obvious success mindset. He has big goals, he’ll pay the price, and he’s committed to continuous improvement. “One of the things we said when we started,” he reflects, “is we always want to be getting better every day. If we make a beer that we think is good, how do we make it great? If we make a beer that’s great, how do we make it spectacular, and never stop changing that? “So, we always are tinkering with recipes, or tinkering with the process.” That drive is a necessary quality if you’re going to operate a craft brewery in South Jersey these days. Especially in Medford, which has become a first-class destination for craft beer almost overnight. Tidswell, his partner Jay Kuhn, and minority partners Chris and Aaron King, currently own and operate Farm Truck Brewing, the newest craft brewery to open on Main Street. It’s already a huge hit, earning raves online for the atmosphere, the staff, and of course, the beer. A business venture that literally started with business-minded Brooke asking chef Jay, “You wanna start a brewery?” has become a model for brewing the way it should be done. “Who’s the top brewery in South Jersey?” Tidswell asks. “I think if you ask that question today, 99% of the answer is Tonewood Brewing. Those guys are phenomenal. But for us, top two, top three, I want to be one of those here. I want Farm Truck to be in people’s minds. But we have to earn that. And it takes time. It takes a lot of work.” The brewery’s name, he explains, is a tribute to the farming history of the Garden State, the environment where Tidswell spent his childhood.

“There was always a truck that would always start no matter where it was parked. Cornfield, wheat, whatever, it started. It was reliable. Smelled like hay and cow s*** (laughs), but it worked.”

The Farm Truck Menu

The beer-drinking experience has improved expo-

There is craft beer for every taste at the Farm Truck Brewery, and each one was created by brewers with a culinary background.

nentially in our lifetimes. The selection of specialized brews for every taste, compared to the days of “Budweiser or Miller?” has made life significantly better for all of us. (If only we had so many choices in political parties.) People can now drink beer and actually enjoy the taste of it. People like Brooke and Jay and his gang are a big part of the reason. At Farm Truck’s home base, you can sample a variety of IPAs, lagers, and ales, made for both conservative and adventurous tastes. And there’s a dedicated process behind making each of them taste great. Tidswell emphasizes three keys to a flavorful beer: timing, science, and ingredients. He also shares an obvious advantage Farm Truck has: that three of his brewers, including Jay, are chefs. That kind of experience can go a long way in improving the taste of a beer. Tidswell says that when creating a recipe, Jay and crew try different chef-inspired approaches until they hit on something that works.

As this was written, here are a few of the flavors on tap listed on their website:

BLACKOUT! – Farm Truck describes BLACKOUT! as “German-style Schwarzbier brewed with the finest malts & hops”. It features roasted coffee with malty flavors for that extra kick.

Badunkadunkel – Cleverly named to combine Dunkel beers with the trademark Trace Adkins phrase for a voluptuous female rear end. “We really reared into this one!” their site says. It’s Munich Dunkel dark beer with donut flavors, including cinnamon and honey.

Shakedown: Pumpkin Pie – Pumpkin-flavored ales are enormously popular in the fall, and this one offers it all. It’s a milkshake IPA with pumpkin puree and spices mixed in chef-style.

Hot Like Sauce – Have you ever tasted bubble gum flavor in a brew? Hot Like Sauce is a DDH (Double Dry Hopped) IPA that includes pineapple, bubble gum & grapefruit flavors.

Love the One You’re Wit – No, this one doesn’t come “wit” fried onions as the name would suggest. It’s Witbier (Belgian white beer) made with coriander, that is conditioned on freshly squeezed orange juice. Farm Truck calls it “the most requested style we hadn’t done, so we took a crack at it.” Photo courtesy Farm Truck Brewing

Fizz – Does your gluten allergy make beer drinking difficult? Farm Truck has the solution…Fizz is a gluten-friendly seltzer that can be made to your taste…try Watermelon, Blueberry Lemonade, White Peach Lemonade, Prickly Pear, Blood Orange, or Spicy Pineapple. There’s plenty more on their website, and they list alcohol content levels and prices there with their humorous product descriptions. You can decide in advance what you’ll have and how much. Check the menu out at https://farmtruckbrewing.com/on-tap-1. Photo Kurt Smith

“I was not a culinary guy, but I love great beer. I love great food. Obviously, in a kitchen, experimentation is the norm. It should be the norm. It’s their mentality with my willingness to say yeah, let’s do a full batch of an experimental beer anytime.” Farm Truck’s attention to detail during the brewing process is easily as important as their willingness to experiment. As Tidswell describes, a lot can go wrong when brewing beer. “Bacteria can ruin a beer. Our cleaning process has to be top-notch. Number two is oxygen. Oxygen can ruin a beer. Then temperature, if we’re not keeping our beer at the right temperature, that can play a part into it going wrong. “There’s a lot of things, bad grain, bad hops, bad ingredients, but those things are negated when you work hard with your checks and balances.” The crew even brings in a “beer chemist” to check on their products. Leaving aside the question of “Where was “beer chemist” on Career Day?”, that’s a testament to their commitment to quality control.

“She does a lot of our testing, checks our water profile, does all the little things that we don’t do or know how to do. “If I’m going to put beer that we made in your hand,” Tidswell asserts, “I need to make sure that every single little bit of it was done right.”

Fortunately, you don’t have to make the trip

to Medford to try Farm Truck’s craft beer creations. Their website lists multiple restaurants and liquor stores in the area where you can find their products. Once you’ve established solid quality, Tidswell says, selling to liquor stores isn’t difficult. “That just takes time. Just stopping by and talking to them, telling them your story. “A lot of the liquor stores started off buying three cases, one of each style that we had available. When it sells, they call us and say, ‘Hey, I want three more.’ Then it goes, ‘Hey, I want six more.’ Now you’re gonna get your own shelf, or you’re gonna get your own tap line at a restaurant. “It’s just earning it. Earning it by trust and good product. And obviously, if they’re making money and they’re selling beer, they’re happy.” Ultimately, however, Tidswell would prefer that beer aficionados come visit Farm Truck and experience it for themselves. “When you come here and we have 16-20 beers on tap, and you see the space that we have, you’re able to go, ‘Okay, this makes sense. I enjoy this place. The guys are pretty neat, the staff ’s awesome. They’re always so friendly.’ We have live music on Fridays and Saturdays, so you’ve got good beer, good people, good music.”

Tidswell loves Medford, and he even loves that he has some tough competition on Main Street. “People come to Medford now because it’s a destination for beer.” Tidswell loves Medford, and he even loves that he has some tough competition on Main Street. With Farm Truck being one of three and soon-to-be four craft breweries in town, Tidswell shares, “People come to Medford now because it’s a destination for beer.” Farm Truck seems made for the JerseyMan audience. Not only does it reflect Garden State pride, it’s upscale and high quality, and it’s crafted by entrepreneurs who know how JerseyMan readers think. “You guys like the finer things in life,” Jay Kuhn says accurately, “and we go above and beyond to make sure we source the best ingredients for these beers, and we treat people right. “You’re putting that hard-earned money into a good place, you feel comfortable, because you know it’s gonna be good.” Brooke, Jay and company are pleased with the reception so far…4.9 stars in 81 Google reviews as this sentence was written. Kuhn says “When you walk through these doors, there’s always gonna be a smile on your face. You see all these people in here, every single one of them is having a good time. Every single one of them.” Tidswell agrees. “I think it’s just absolutely awesome when I can sit in a corner and see 60 people sitting with their families and friends and laughing. “That to me is the most humbling and most exciting thing, you can go anywhere you want, and you choose to come to Farm Truck.” n 34

Photo courtesy Dr. Taryn Stejskal

Res

ilience Dr. Taryn Marie Offers a Roadmap BY JAN L. APPLE

S Sure, life has its challenges,

setbacks and curve balls. Whether it’s an untimely flat tire, professional or personal disappointment or a traumatic experience, we can be sure to expect the unexpected. Yet, it’s how one deals with life’s challenges that can make a world of difference. “Resilience is the essence of being human,” said Taryn Marie Stejskal, PhD, who aspires to provide a roadmap for people to effectively tackle and overcome difficulties. Stejskal, better known as Dr. Taryn Marie, a mental health and well-being expert, is passionate about making a positive impact and sharing what she describes as the best practices of resilience. The 44-year-old founder and CEO of the Philadelphia-based Resilience Leadership Institute (RLI) reflected on two decades of research that included interviews with hundreds of people and thousands of pieces of data. The findings of what she gleaned about the ways people deal with challenges has resulted in the publication of her book in April 2023, The 5 Practices of Highly Resilient People: Why Some Flourish When Others Fold. The book has quickly become a number one Wall Street Journal bestseller. “My goal and the mission of RLI is to positively impact the lives of one billion people by 2030,” said Stejskal. With this in mind, the internationally recognized expert on resiliency is always on the move with innovative and thought-provoking ways to achieve her mission. The Philadelphia resident partners with companies in the United States and globally to formulate plans of action and solutions through multiple platforms. These include keynote presentations, workshops and training, executive coaching, talent strategy, succession planning, leadership retreats, online courses, even book clubs, to name a few. Her podcast, Flourish or Fold: Stories of 37

Photo courtesy Dr. Taryn Stejskal

When people are in crisis, at that moment, explained Stejskal, they ask themselves “What am I going to do?’” They are faced with what she defines as the three Cs: challenge, change and complexity. She explained that “the five practices” provide a framework that will ultimately create a more positive, productive outcome. “We all have secrets kept hidden in our pockets,” said Stejskal. Yet, it’s about more than simply sharing that story; it’s about doing the work and taking the steps to achieve resilience and well-being.

PERSONAL CHALLENGES

Resilience, was recently featured on the Tamron Hall Show, ABC, when she appeared as a guest with actor Quinton Aaron (The Blind Side). Her popular TEDX talk “How Resilience Breaks Us Out of Our Vulnerability Cage” has been viewed by over 1.3 million people. Stejskal has also been tapped by the Local Fox 29 network as a parenting expert. Her diverse group of clients includes Amazon, Charles Schwab, Pfizer, Toyota, Prudential, The Rockefeller Foundation and many more. The impetus for Stejskal’s research and exploration of resilience was based on her curiosity about why some people faced with challenges emerge stronger while others seem to falter. Her interviews led to multiple discoveries, including the conclusion that five behaviors made the difference. In her book, she shares the five universal prac38

tices that worked time and again: vulnerability, productive perseverance, connection, “gratiosity” (a word she created combining gratitude and generosity) and possibility. “We all have stories of resilience,” said Stejskal. “By speaking our story into existence with a supportive community, we solidify our own resilience. We have a better appreciation for what we went through and how we were able to tap into resilience – our natural essence. “We’re taking our darkest moments and by doing the work and being at a point where we can share that story – personally or on a stage – we transmute that darkness and transform it into a light that we shine on other people’s paths that are in the midst of challenge. That for me is so powerful because that is the alchemy of the human spirit.”

The Ann Arbor, Michigan native shares glimpses of the challenges in her life as the backdrop to where she is today. At age 14, as she was dressing for school one morning in the privacy of her bedroom when she realized that a man, a stranger, was peering through a crack in the window. He began taunting her, telling her she was beautiful, instructing her to take off her clothes. She was gripped with fear, realizing that a man had seen her naked for the first time and that her once safe, secure space – her bedroom – had been invaded. Her parents called the police, who minimized the incident, concluding that there wasn’t anything to be concerned about. The police officer’s conclusion was far from accurate. Over the next few years, the stalker returned repeatedly; he seemed to know her schedule and when she would be home. One day, he started to throw plastic patio chairs at her window, smashing the glass. Her call to 911 was just in time. The fear shook her to her core. And she kept it all hidden for a long time. During her freshman year of college, her mother called to tell her that a man had been arrested in the neighborhood for entering a nearby house and beating and raping a woman. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The police suspected, but never confirmed, that it was the same man who had stalked Stejskal throughout her high school years. For Stejskal, the trauma did not end simply because this man had been imprisoned. The experience had caused post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She had recurring nightmares

and lived with fear and anxiety for two decades. It took years for her to share the experience.

EARLY CHILDHOOD When Stejskal was in first, second and third grade, she was repeatedly placed in the lowest-level reading group. Deeply disappointed and knowing she had the ability to achieve more, in third grade, she told her teacher that she was determined to move to the highestlevel group. Somehow, she devised a method to teach herself to become a stronger reader. She ultimately achieved her goal. It wasn’t until she was 37 that the reasons for such learning obstacles came into focus. She was diagnosed with dyslexia and Inattentive ADHD. Stejskal had already achieved significant academic and professional success. She had earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, a master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy and a doctorate in Neuropsychology, both from the University of Maryland, College Park. She had also completed pre- and post-doctoral fellowships in Neuropsychology at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center.

‘‘

WE ALL HAVE STORIES OF RESILIENCE. BY SPEAKING OUR STORY INTO EXISTENCE WITH A SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY, WE SOLIDIFY OUR OWN RESILIENCE.” “With every deficit, there is a stronger strength,” she noted, elaborating that she has a nearly photographic memory and can easily recall someone’s exact words. Before launching RLI in 2017, Stejskal was the head of Executive Leadership Development at Nike and head of Global Leadership Development at CIGNA.

In early 2020, just when her entrepreneurial spirit led her to exit the corporate world and dive full-time with RLI, the unexpected occurred – a global pandemic. She was not only facing the challenges of an uncertain income, but also that her two young sons were suddenly thrust from their classrooms to an unknown world of virtual learning. Yet Stejskal doesn’t believe there are coincidences in life. She looks back proudly on those days, confident that she conquered the difficulties and emerged stronger. She shared that her sons, Samson, 12, and Sawyer, 9, teach her about resilience daily as well as what she calls emotional regulation. Stejskal frequently thinks twice about her actions and words before redirecting the behavior of her sons. Stejskal often receives messages of gratitude. “Anytime someone writes to me and says, ‘I listened to your podcast, I read your book, I heard you on stage, I attended one of your workshops or training or was a student in your digital course, and as a result here’s how this changed my life,’ that is really rewarding because I know my work is making a difference.” n

Stejskal’s book can be purchased on Amazon and through her website at www.resilience-leadership.com.

Hosted by NBC Sports Philadelphia reporter, John Clark, we recognized our six Man & Woman of the Year Honorees for their professional and philanthropic accomplishments. With every ticket purchased, came a “vote” for an honoree and a charity that is meaningful to them. Because of your votes, our high-end silent auction and the help of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, we were able to donate a record amount of $18,000 to our honoree charities. All six of our honorees are winners; winners in their profession and winners in our community, but this was a contest, and we are proud to recognize our top two honorees and their charities. Our runner up, receiving a $6,000 donation, Tine Hansen-Turton and Legacy Foundation. And in first place, receiving an $8,000 donation, Kimberly S. Reed and Legacy of Hope. Thank you to all of our 2023 Honorees, our sponsors, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and the 400 people in attendance for making it another successful #Unmasking! – A.D. 40

Photos: Center City Photo, John Wilchek Photography, Nichole MCH Photography

Our 8th Annual Unmasking celebration, presented by T.C. Irons Insurance was yet again a night to remember!

C E L E B R A T I N G

O U R

M A N

W O M A N

O F

T H E

Y E A R

H O N O R E E S

Presented by:

Portrait photographs by Jeremy Messler Photography LLC

Grace Hanlon

Oaks Integrated Health Care

Kimberly S. Reed Legacy of Hope

Tine Hansen-Turton Legacy Foundation

Baba Renfrow

SYNERGY: A Charitable Initiative

Andy Pritikin

Liberty Lake Foundation

Michael Vertolli

RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association

Photos: Center City Photo, John Wilchek Photography, Nichole MCH Photography

C E L E B R A T I N G

42 O U R M A N & W O M A N O F T H E Y E A R H O N O R E E S

H O N O R E E S Y E A R T H E O F W O M A N & M A N O U R C E L E B R A T I N G

Photos: Center City Photo, John Wilchek Photography, Nichole MCH Photography

C E L E B R A T I N G

44 O U R M A N & W O M A N O F T H E Y E A R H O N O R E E S

H O N O R E E S Y E A R T H E O F W O M A N & M A N O U R C E L E B R A T I N G

Photos: Center City Photo, John Wilchek Photography, Nichole MCH Photography

BY JON MARKS

Women’s sports M are no longer an afterthought

uffet McGraw laughs thinking back to what it used to be like getting people interested in women’s sports. “When I was playing or coaching, they tried to recruit from big families,” said the longtime former Notre Dame women’s coach and now ESPN studio commentator, the fifth oldest of eight children in her family. “That way they could get more people at the games. “It was pretty empty otherwise, but that was all we knew. We just wondered, why didn’t anybody care?” They do now. It may have taken more than half a century, but interest in women’s sports: basketball, tennis, soccer, golf, even—you’ve got to be kidding—volleyball, where a record 92,003 packed Nebraska’s stadium for a recent game, has never been higher. Since the advent of Title IX in 1972, a 37-word federal decree that granted equal opportunity to college students of any gender in terms of sports participation, the tide has been turning. Slowly at first, then gradually picking up momentum over the years as the stigma of girls playing sports has dissipated. For those who’ve been there from the beginning, overcoming the skepticism and often ridicule, it’s a testament to their perseverance. “I never thought we’d even get started, because the decision-makers were all men,” recalled Theresa Shank-Grentz, star of the Mighty Macs of tiny Immaculata’s 1972-4 championship teams, before beginning a stellar 680-win coaching career at Saint Joseph’s, Rutgers, Illinois and Lafayette. “They’re being told ‘Now you have to allocate dollars for women,’ and they didn’t have the budget for that.

Photo courtesy Saint. Joseph’s University

Photo courtesy Rosa Gatti

Theresa Shank-Grentz

Rosa Gatti

“We’re wondering ‘How’s this going to happen?’ It’s really been a process and it’s taken 50 years. If in 50 years we’re still having this conversation we haven’t done a very good job. “But when I came out of school you had the choice of being a secretary or teacher, getting married, becoming a nurse, or going to a convent. The idea of coaching and trying to make it a lifetime career was just unheard of.”

And then you have Olympic sports. In figure skating Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, Katerina Witt and Kristi Yamaguchi led the way. When it came to gymnastics Mary Lou Retton, Nadia Comaneci, Olga Korbut and Cathy Rigby stole our hearts, just as Simone Biles has of late. But those are individual sports. Team sports for women have always been a different story. That story, however, is finally changing, especially when it comes to basketball. Not only is attendance up, but there’s plenty of TV coverage. Even during prime time. “I’ve got a couple of thoughts about that,” said Jill Bodensteiner athletic director at Saint Joseph’s since 2018 after serving in the same capacity at Notre Dame for a decade. “First, obviously success matters. “We (ND) went to six Final Fours in nine years and had a better fan base than the men. It’s fun to watch teams playing good ball against top-level competition. “No. 2 is the accessibility of female athletes. Third is NIL’s (name, image and likeness), third parties paying athletes. Women are crushing it because they’re interesting and have great personalities. “They’re willing to work at it and interact with their fans. You see men with their headphones on all the time. Women are totally engaged.”

THE CHANGE certainly didn’t happen overnight. In fact, today’s women stars: Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, who’s scored over 3,000 points… Coco Gauff, who picked up the mantle from the Williams sisters—Venus and Serena—by winning the U.S. Open… Sophia Smith and Rose Lavelle in soccer … weren’t even born until decades after Title IX began to alter the landscape. But by the time they started playing, attitudes towards girls and women playing sports had shifted. “Women who played sports weren’t feminine enough,” remembered Rosa Gatti, who made history with her appointment as the woman to be named a college Sports Information Director at Villanova in 1974. She then went on to become Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications during a 33-year career at ESPN. “We weren’t supposed to sweat,” she continued. “That was the thinking at the time, as ridiculous as it sounds.” There were certainly exceptions, even back then. Billie Jean King, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova ruled tennis. Nancy Lopez, Betsy King and Annika Sorenstam were atop the golf world, where women had been making their mark going back to Babe Didrikson Zaharias’ days.

IT TOOK A WHILE getting here, though, even after Title IX opened the door. Not soon afterward, Pennington, New Jersey native Val Ackerman headed off to play at Virginia, where women weren’t even admitted as regular students until 1970. After graduating and playing overseas in France she

Jill Bodensteiner

The tide has been turning. The stigma of girls playing sports has dissipated. went on to get her law degree and work in the NBA alongside Commissioner David Stern. There had been short-lived women’s leagues before, including the Philadelphia Fox of the Women’s Basketball League, which folded just 10 games into the 1979 season after the owner couldn’t meet payroll. But Stern believed those leagues were onto something. It was his brainchild, then, to pick up where they’d left off by creating the WNBA in 1997, installing Ackerman as its first Commissioner. “David really had a vision connecting women to pro basketball,” said Ackerman, now Commissioner of the Big East, where she oversees 22 men’s and women’s sports. “When we got it launched, he was a proud Papa. “We played in the summer because we thought there’d be better television and came out of the box with great numbers. NBC and ESPN had a network game in prime time and David got us a deal with Lifetime Television for women. 47

“We averaged almost 10,000 a game the first year and went up the second year. Then we started to tail off as the novelty wore off. The numbers flattened and it was stagnant for years.”

Photo courtesy BIG EAST Coference

Not anymore, to her delight. “It’s really exciting to see the league getting the attention and support it deserves,” said Ackerman, who says the next step will be getting more women in leadership positions like hers. “That wasn’t happening for a while. “What’s gotten it to that point is the quality of play, the appeal of the players – particularly star players – the beginnings of rivalries. And I think societal currents have helped. “It’s just a more accepting environment now a generation later. Just a different view about the role of women in society and as athletes. “And other sports are helping each other. The rising tide is helping everybody It’s a different time; a far cry from when I was growing up.” So, what turned the tide? While the NFL, NBA and baseball have thrived for generations to various degrees, why have women’s hoops, soccer, softball, etc. become such hot commodities? “A woman I worked with would say to me, ‘Rosa the change will happen when fathers are in the stands of their daughters’ games

Val Ackerman

and want the same opportunities for them as their sons,’” Gatti explained. “For girls to get scholarships. “Many colleges were slow to adapt to Title IX. I guess they figured we’d go away. However, there was a misconception on the part of some executives at ESPN who thought women would automatically watch women’s sports. “That’s not the case.” Especially when Tennessee and UConn so dominated the scene it became predictable, and interest began to decline. Now, though, there’s

Women’s sports are expected to generate $1.3 billion in the near future. more parity which leads to more interest. Which means—of course—more money. According to Deloitte, women’s sports are expected to generate $1.3 billion in the near future, with nearly half of that coming from soccer. “That’s evolving,” noted Ackerman, elected to the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2021. “We’re starting to see NILs create opportunity for women athletes, which helps elevate their profiles. “At the end of the day, though, the key for me is fan support, the kinds of interest level you saw lift men’s sports that results in commercials. If you’re watching on TV it drives up rating points and revenue streams. “I saw the growth in the NBA. Arena prices went up. Rights fees went up and players

started participating in the rewards. That’s what has to happen. “I think that’s part of the next phase of the journey.”

Photo NCAA

TO SOME, that journey seems to have taken forever. Now that it may finally be here, they want to make sure it continues. “Players like Caitlin Clark have changed the game,” said Muffet McGraw, a Hall of Fame coach with 936 wins and two National championships on her resume. “Last year’s Final Four proved people are excited about the game. “The game is at a great place. People who never watched women’s basketball are

Muffet McGraw

talking about it in the office. People want to see fun and great players. “Now look at women’s soccer. They’re fighting for equal pay. It’s paving the way for other sports. So the interest is there. “The question is, can we market it and showcase our product?” The early indicators are promising. “Who’d have ever thought there would be NILs?” wondered Shank-Grentz, who, like McGraw and Ackerman, is a Hall of Famer. “If I were a player today and had NIL, I’d have never coached because I’d have made enough money I to be set. “Who in their right mind would ever think you could get paid to play in college?” Probably not even the foremost media proponent of the sport. “You could not have seen this world back then,” conceded Mel Greenberg, who began his poll ranking women’s teams back in the late 70’s, which started bringing them legitimacy. “You could see a better world. “But you couldn’t see from there to here.” No, it’s not perfect. But at least now, Muffet, they don’t have to come from large families anymore to get the chance. n 49

Rebuilding Flyers Taking Positive Steps BY SAM CARCHIDI

ith a new and patient front office, the Flyers are in a rebuild. A massive, time-consuming rebuild. So, when they surprisingly climbed into second place in the eight-team Metropolitan Division in late December, a fan on X ( formerly Twitter) proclaimed: “Fastest rebuild in history!” If the season ended at that point, the Flyers would have qualified for the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. But the 82-game regular season doesn’t end until mid-April, so the Flyers will have to huff and puff to end their playoff drought. Still, it was an optimistic start for the Orange and Black, highlighted by the fact they had more goals from players 24 and under than any NHL team in the first quarter of the season. Coach John Tortorella says there’s a lot of parity in the NHL, but that “I really don’t look at the standings that much.” He is more concerned with the Flyers’ on-ice development than he is with their placement in the Metro Division. “I don’t have expectations,” he said, referring to the standings and the team’s record. “My expectation is how we perform each and every day, whether it be practice, or who we play coming up next. I’m just not too far off of that because I don’t think we’re in that position as an organization to even start thinking about expectations. We have so many things 50

we need to watch and decide as we keep building this. That’s my focus. What do we foresee in another few months as far as that player and does he fit in the future?” The Flyers have more speed than in recent seasons, and that – along with their feisty play – has helped them stay ultra-competitive. “They’re fast. They’re tenacious,” said New York Rangers coach Peter Laviolette, who directed the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2010. “They’re heavy in the battles.”

The Positives The biggest positive has probably been the emergence of Travis Sanheim, who put on 15 pounds in the summer and has been among the NHL’s leading point producers among defensemen. Cast as the Flyers No. 1 defenseman because of the trade that sent Ivan Provorov to Columbus, Sanheim has flourished and is having a career season while mentoring his young defensive partner, Cam York. “It’s his mindset. He’s a difference-maker now,” Tortorella said. “Your play doesn’t change unless you change your mindset. Last year, he watched. That’s what aggravated me about him. All the foot speed and his abilities and length [he possesses]. And he watched. He’s not watching this year. People are watching him. That’s not a change in his skill or anything physical. To me, it’s mental.” In the summer, the Flyers tried trading Sanheim and Kevin Hayes in a deal in which they would have acquired veteran defense-

man Torey Krug and a first-round draft pick. But Krug refused to waive his no-trade clause, and the trade never happened. It may have been one of the best deals the Flyers didn’t make. Sanheim, 27, became intent on showing the Flyers it would have been a mistake to trade him. “Obviously, it’s motivation,” Sanheim said “I wanted to prove to them it would have been the wrong decision.” Another positive in the first two months: Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson have made better-than-expected returns from injuries that sidelined them for the entire 202223 season. Both have given the Flyers quality minutes and provided veteran leadership. Perhaps the most surprising development has been the steady play of journeyman defenseman Sean Walker, 29, who was perceived as a throw-in in the three-team, Provorov deal. The righthanded-shooting Walker has been solid defensively and has contributed on the attack. He could be a trade chip before the March 8th deadline. Bobby Brink’s development has also been a surprise. The rookie right winger was a longshot to make the team in training camp, but he excelled in the exhibition games and showed some great playing ability early in the regular season. On a less surprising note, goaltender Carter Hart, a walking trade rumor himself during the offseason, has been very good. When Hart is in the nets, the Flyers are competitive in al-

Photo courtesy Philadelphia Flyers/Len Redkoles

Keeping Tyson Foerster on the roster at the start of the season seemed to inject some youthful energy into the lineup.

The Negatives The Flyers’ power play could finish last in the league for the third straight season. That’s why some are wondering how Rocky Thompson, who has run the power play during the last two years, still has a job. Early in the season, the Flyers were at the bottom of the league – or close to it – in power-play production. Even the additions of Couturier and Atkinson haven’t helped. At one point, the Flyers had as many power-play goals ( four) as shorthanded tallies. They also failed to score a power-play goal in eight straight games. That’s not good. The Flyers were passing too much and looking to make a perfect play. They created very little chaos in front of opposing goaltenders. “Execution,” said Atkinson when asked to explain the power-play struggles early in the season. He said the players need to “want the puck more and want to make a difference.” The Flyers need to “shoot the puck more when there’s a shot there.” The Flyers also struggled in the faceoff 52

circle, where they were near the bottom of the pack. Individually, the Flyers didn’t get much goal scoring from Noah Cates (before he was injured), Scott Laughton and rookie Tyson Foerster in the early part of the season, but each contributed in other ways – especially Laughton, who was one of the team’s best playmakers and a key performer on a solid penalty-killing unit. Foerster struggled to turn on the red light, but the good news is that he was getting numerous chances and winning lots of board battles. Those were positive signs for the 21-year-old right winger.

The Good Decisions Keeping Brink and Foerster on the roster at the start of the season seemed to inject some youthful energy into the lineup. Yes, there were growing pains. But this is a year for development, and the two right wingers haven’t looked out of place as they find their comfort level in the NHL. It also was a wise decision to keep Sam Ersson as a backup goalie over Felix Sandstrom and Cal Petersen. Ersson, another rookie, got better as the season progressed and the Flyers played with confidence in front of him.

The Puzzling Decision Until Cates broke his foot, Tortorella continually had Morgan Frost, a former firstround draft selection, in and out of the lineup

Bobby Brink’s development has also been a surprise. The rookie right winger has showed some great playing ability early in the regular season.

early in the season, making it difficult for the 24-year-old center to get into a rhythm. It was puzzling because Frost looked like a big piece of the Flyers’ future last season when he had a breakthrough year by producing 19 goals and 46 points. He was the Flyers’ top point producer over the last 55 games, collecting 40 points in that span. For the season, he led the team with 41 even-strength points (18 goals, 23 assists). Tortorella’s handling of Frost makes you wonder if he will be on the trade block this season. That said, Cates’ injury has given Frost a chance to show he deserves to be a part of the Flyers’ future.

The Future It would be stunning if the Flyers made the playoffs this season, but their impressive start – with many young players contributing, including 23-year-old winger Joel Fara-

Photo courtesy Philadelphia Flyers/Len Redkoles

most every game. With Hart leading the way, the Flyers had a top-10 defense for much of the first two months. That was even more surprising when you consider veteran defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen and Marc Staal missed lots of early-season games with injuries. Hart, Sanheim, and high-scoring Travis Konecny were the Flyers’ best players in the first two months.

bee – makes the future look bright. Cutter Gauthier, a center/winger, continues to dominate at Boston College and could sign with the Flyers late this season. Gauthier, who will be 20 on Jan. 19, looks like he’ll step right into the Flyers’ lineup as a key performer in 2024-25. And then there is Matvei Michkov, the electric forward the Flyers pilfered with the seventh overall selection in the 2023 NHL draft. He was named an All-Star in Russia’s KHL this season, and he was scoring at a level not seen by such a young player in league history. He was more prolific than players like Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, and Evgeny Kuznetsov during their early KHL seasons. After this season, Michkov, who turned 19 on Dec. 9th, is signed for two more years in the KHL. The Flyers would love to get him to North America sooner, but that seems like a long shot. When he does arrive, he has the potential to be a 90-to-100-point scorer down the road. In other words, he is a player the Flyers will build around. By the time he arrives, the long-suffering Flyers could finally be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender..” n

Photo Philadelphia Eagles/Kiel Leggere

Eagles’ wide receiver A.J. Brown just wants to win.

BY DAVE SPADARO

IS OPEN!

W W

ITH THE POSITION

of playing wide receiver in the NFL comes a certain, shall we say, confidence. Confidence that no man on Earth is capable of denying the best of the best an opportunity to catch the football, turn up the field and make big plays happen and, truly, bring crowds to their feet. Eagles’ wide receiver A.J. Brown has that, um, confidence. Well, maybe he’s taken it a step beyond, as he has an “Always Open” sign hanging in his locker, he wears the most attention-getting cleats he can muster up and if you ask him, he is, well, always open. “I have a lot of respect for everyone who plays this game,” Brown is saying one day in mid-December as the Eagles dug their teeth into the stretch run of the 2023 regular season. “But I also have the belief that if I am out there, I’m open. That’s just me. I love the competition. I love the challenge. I know I’m going to get every defensive player’s best shot and I welcome that. That is what makes me the best player I can be.” Brown is the best player he can be and, it so happens, one of the best players in the NFL and one of the best wide receivers the Eagles have ever had. In just two seasons, he has posted the kind of ridiculous numbers that place him among the franchise’s greatest: 88 receptions, 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns teaming with one of his best friends, quarterback Jalen Hurts. In his first season in Philadelphia after the Eagles acquired him in a trade with Tennessee during the 2022 NFL Draft, Brown tore it up. 57

(Photo by Drew Hallowell/Philadelphia Eagles)

‘‘

WE HAD OUR TASTE LAST YEAR. GETTING TO THE SUPER BOWL, MAN, THAT WAS A RIDE.”

What would he do for an encore? “I knew,” he said, “that the stakes had been raised and that’s how I prepared myself in the offseason,” Brown said after being named both an All-Pro and Pro Bowl receiver in ’22. “When I reported for this season, I was so excited, ready to go. I was thinking, ‘This is going to be a

special year.’ That was my mindset.” The power of the mind. Maybe that has something to do with what Brown has been this season. Or maybe it is the manifestation of all that work combined with incredible natural gifts that has helped Brown soar even higher, and as the Eagles make the turn for the 2023 postseason, it is Brown and fellow big-play wide receiver DeVonta Smith around whom the offense is built. “We complement each other, play off each other’s skills,” said Smith, who in 2022 recorded 95 receptions, 1,196 yards and 7 touchdowns. “I think we bring out the best in each other, push each other.”

THAT HAS CERTAINLY BEEN THE CASE in this regular season. Brown set an NFL record with six straight games of 125-plus receiving yards and had seven 100-yard-plus games in the team’s first 12 outings (at this writing, prior to the Dallas game). Brown was the go-to receiver in the passing game as the Eagles started the season far ahead of the pack in the NFL, and as defenses rolled their coverages his way and tried to take him out of the offensive equation, Smith stepped up and filled the void with four touchdown catches and at least 99 receiving yards in four of five games from November into December. “We know that we have two of the premier playmakers in the entire league, and we need to make sure they are a big part of our offense every week,” head coach Nick Sirianni said. “That’s not always easy to do because everybody wants the football. But they both understand that there are a lot of ways to help the team and they are willing to do whatever it takes. “It isn’t always about catching the football. Everyone here recog-

Photos: Philadelphia Eagles/Kiel Leggere

IN JUST TWO SEASONS WITH THE EAGLES, BROWN HAS POSTED THE KIND OF RIDICULOUS NUMBERS THAT PLACE HIM AMONG THE FRANCHISE’S GREATEST.

nizes all the little things they do to help this team win football games.” In the 2023 NFL, “chunk” plays are often equal to a team’s ability to score big points. The bump-and-grind days of yesterday’s league just doesn’t cut it any longer: You wanna score points? You gotta throw the football and you need to make big plays. Enter Brown. Enter Smith. “I’m here to win football games. I’m here to win a championship,” Brown said. “We had our taste last year. Getting to the Super Bowl, man, that was a ride. But you walk away with winning the game and you want more. You want it all. We want it all. I want it all.” The Eagles put themselves in playoff position through the first three months of the season with an uneven mix of timely defense, big-play offense and enough mental strength to erase weeks of halftime deficits. The constants were Brown, and then Smith and both Brown and Smith. And as the Eagles put the finishing touches on this regular season and point toward the playoffs, they know the passing game is going to have to come up big, bigger, biggest. “I think they are both great players and they are difficult matchups for defenses, and I have total confidence in both of them,” quarterback Jalen Hurts said. “You know the great ones, and they’re great ones. They can do it all, in every way.” What, then, is the personality of a football team that aims to take it one step further than a season ago? It may just be Brown leading the way, with Smith in lockstep. If the Eagles are to go where they want to go to finish out the regular season and then roar in the playoffs, they need to ride the talents of Brown and Smith, and Smith and Brown. 60

DEFENSES KNOW THE DEAL: Are you going to try to take out the brawl of Brown or erase the smooth of Smith. It is easier said than done. “Shoot, we have so many weapons in this offense, and we need to put it all together and stay at that highest level,” Brown said. “I just know that if you give me a chance to catch the football, I’m going to find a way to come up with it. That’s just the way I think. We’re a team first, so the ball isn’t going to come my way all the time and that’s fine. I’ll do everything to win. “We’re at the point in the season where we all have to step up our games. I can only control what I can control and that is me. I’m here to make plays, so let’s go.” n

Photo courtesy hawkeyesports.com

Growing up Philly Iowa head basketball coach

Fran McCaffery

BY MARK ECKEL

erry Price, who has spent the better part of the last four decades in the Princeton University office of athletic communication, knows a good coach when he sees one. And why wouldn’t he? Price has worked side by side with Hall of Fame basketball coach Pete Carril and five-time NCAA lacrosse champion Bill Tierney to name just two. Back in 1982 when Price was a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania and on a work-study program, he shared office space with then Quakers graduate assistant basketball coach Fran McCaffery. “We had this room in a basement and we had to use the same copy machine. And this was 1982 when copy machines weren’t what they are today,’’ Price said. “We got to spend a lot of time together making copies.’’ An aside: Price’s friendship with McCaffery led him to meet Fran’s brother Jack, a long-time Philadelphia sportswriter, who got Price a job as a sportswriter which eventually led to his job at Princeton. Back in that copy room, 40-some years ago, Price saw what Big 10 coaches have seen for the past 14 years, and what coaches in the East Coast Conference, Southern Conference and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference have seen as well. “I’m not surprised at all at how well Fran has done as a coach and how he has moved up the ranks,’’ Price said. “He had that same fiery nature. He was very driven and very competitive. If it took us 45 minutes to make copies one day, he would say, ‘Let’s do it in 40 minutes today.’ And he loved basketball. He knew more about basketball than anyone I had ever met.’’ McCaffery, who grew up in Philadelphia where he was nicknamed “White Magic’’ on the city schoolyards, began his 41st year as a basketball coach this season. This is his 14th year at the University of Iowa where he started the season just 11 wins shy of becoming the school’s all-time winningest head coach.

When McCaffery won the Big 10 Tournament in 2022, he joined Rick Pitino, Bob Huggins, Eddie Sutton and Lefty Driesell as the only coaches to win four conference titles with four different schools.

Photo courtesy hawkeyesports.com

Iowa City is a long way from Philadelphia and not just geographically. But, after 13 years, McCaffery has fit in rather well. He’s actually become a bit of an icon to Iowans. That will happen when you win 261 games and take the school to seven NCAA Tournaments. “I’ve lived in New York, lived in North Carolina, lived in Indiana and now Iowa. It’s kind of what coaches do. If you want to move up in the industry, you have to be able to move,’’ McCaffery said. “I haven’t lived in Philly in a long time, a very long time. It’s still home in a lot of ways. because I have a lot of family and friends there.’’

OWA HAS BEEN HOME for 14 years. His three sons were raised there and two — Connor and Patrick — played for the Hawkeyes. Very soon, if not already, he will become the school’s all-time winningest coach, passing Tom Davis, who won 271 games. “You think of the coaches who have been

here, Bucky O’Connor, Ralph Miller, Tom Davis, George Raveling, Lute Olson,’’ McCaffery rattled off the names. “It’s quite an honor. When I came here, I looked at this as a destination job. You get to the Big 10, it’s hard to get there. I was also keenly aware of the history of Iowa basketball, great players, great coaches. It’s something I take great pride in, because it’s very important to the people in this state. It’s not like cities back East, we don’t have professional sports. The atmosphere at an Iowa football game is the same as it is for an Eagles game.’’ In the three years before McCaffery arrived at Iowa, the Hawkeyes went 13-19, 15-17 and 10-22 overall and were a combined 15-39 in the Big 10. McCaffery had a losing record his first year (2010-11) and just one since. He’s won 20, or more, games eight times and had two 19-win seasons. When he won the Big 10 Tournament in 2022, he joined Rick Pitino, Bob Huggins, Eddie Sutton and Lefty Driesell as the only coaches to win four conference titles with four different schools. He’s the only head coach to take three schools from “one-bid’’ conferences to the tournament.

T STARTED AT LEHIGH University, where McCaffery first went as an assistant to Tom Schneider after his one year at Penn as a grad assistant. He took over for Schneider in 1985 when he was just 26 years old and won the ECC in 1988. His draw that year was No. 1-ranked Temple and Lehigh gave the Owls all they could handle for more than a half. He then made an interesting career choice. He left his head coaching job at Lehigh to become an assistant at Notre Dame, first under Digger Phelps and then under the late John MacLeod. “It was a no-brainer,’’ McCaffery said. “It was not a hard decision for me. And in no way is that a knock at Lehigh. But to go to Notre Dame, I mean my second game we’re playing Kentucky in front of 32,000 at the Hoosier Dome. I’m preparing scouting reports to go against Bobby Knight, Coach K, Dean Smith… you’re not doing that in the ECC. “From a selfish standpoint, I could say I had coach Phelps and MacLeod pushing me. [But] what was best for me? What was really best for me was I became a better coach. I went there not as a stepping stone, but to 63

learn from the best and coach against the best. I would be better prepared when I got the opportunity to be a head coach again. And I was a substantially better basketball coach when I left Notre Dame than when I left Lehigh.’’ He spent 11 years in South Bend, met his wife Margaret there, started his family, and then took over as the head coach of UNCGreensboro in 1999-2000. He won the Southern Conference in his second season and took his second school to the NCAAs.

ROM THERE it was on to Sienna of the MAAC where he won three straight conference titles, made three NCAA appearances and won two openinground NCAA games. “Fantastic program, great institution, small school but a special place with a great basketball tradition going back to the ‘50s,’’ McCaffery said of Siena. “Very few schools that have 2,900 students can play in an NBA arena and draw 8-9,000 fans every night.’’ The Saints, who run a big-time program in a mid-major conference, have their own TV station, radio station and back then newspapers that traveled everywhere with the team. It prepared McCaffery well for the real big time in the Big 10. “People say, ‘What’s the best conference in the country?’’’ McCaffery said. “We send the most teams to the tournament every year, so I think that answers that.’’ McCaffery has thrived at a school that wasn’t even in the Top 10 in the Big 10 when he got there. He’s also had to adapt. Between Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal, the college game has changed. Coaches have had to as well. “I never thought we would see the day where players were getting paid,’’ McCaffery said. “The opportunity for our athletes from their name, image and likeness is something we should have allowed a long time ago. What you’re doing is connecting your athletes with the business community, which was never allowed before. Why do you go to college? To network, to make connections, to learn, to grow, do internships, figure out what life is like after college. These guys now have the opportunity to do that.’’ He is not so much in favor of the transfer rules. “The transfer portal rule should never have been instituted,’’ McCaffery said. “It’s the biggest mistake the NCAA has ever made. What it’s done is made it pay-for-play. It wasn’t supposed to be pay-for-play. Every player is a free agent every year.’’ n

BY MICHAEL BRADLEY

Sports Marketing, Management and the Business of Sports:

NY TEMPLE STUDENT interested in spending some time during their four years on campus working for a local professional sports team or college athletic department should get to Amy Giddings’ office as soon as possible. The Temple professor and chair of the Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management Department has plenty of opportunities available. “We have about 1,000 students in our department, and we have more internships and jobs than we have students to fill them,” Giddings says. That shouldn’t be surprising to anyone. A field that began with just a couple of schools – the University of Massachusetts, Ohio University – offering degrees in the 1970s has ballooned to an ever-growing number that provides training in the field of sports management and affiliated areas. As the number of jobs in the college and professional realms increases, so too does the interest among students. As Giddings points out, there is something for everyone, and schools like Temple understand that. Temple offers undergraduate B.S. degrees in Sport and Recreational Management, Tourism and Hospitality Management and Event and Entertainment Management within the 68

A field that began with just a couple of schools offering degrees in the 1970s has continued to grow. Department, as well as a master’s in Sport Business. The Department has shifted its focus to a heavy business bent, and Giddings is careful to manage the expectations of those who want to run the Eagles personnel department two years after graduation. Working in

Working in the world of sports is fun, but it requires hard work and plenty of skill development. the world of sports is fun, but it requires hard work and plenty of skill development. “I tell people right away that if they think they’re going to be the GM of their favorite team, that’s a real long shot,” Giddings says. “I’m all for hope, but I wish I could record what students say they want to do when they come in as freshmen and what they say when they graduate. “So much of this business is about relationship building. Everybody in sports knows everybody else. We are very focused on networking.” Just as the field is growing nationally, there

are also plenty of opportunities for students in the area to gain classroom and real-world training in the field, which Giddings describes “as the third-largest industry in the world.” Saint Joseph’s offers an undergraduate Sports Marketing Major. At Drexel, students can earn a B.S. in Sports Business, while Villanova has a host of different opportunities for students, including the Moorad Center for the Study of Sports Law, which allows its law students to specialize in Sports Law. The undergraduate business school has classes in Sports Analytics and Sports Marketing, and ‘Nova’s College of Engineering has a laboratory dedicated to Cellular Biomechanics and Sports Science. La Salle offers a minor in Sport Management. There is even an opportunity at Penn for 10th and 11th-grade students to take part in the Sports Business Academy through the Wharton School. “Each school does it differently,” says Stephanie Tryce, an Assistant Professor in the Marketing Department at Saint Joseph’s. SJU’s Sports Marketing Major began as a track in the Sports and Entertainment major and was elevated as demand grew. Students take a Business of Sport class that Tryce teaches. It is “a diversity-intensive course,” she reports, a characteristic that fits into the Department’s mission of diversity and inclusion. Students take Sports Law, Sports Marketing

Photo: Temple University

Giddings

REXEL’S SPORT BUSINESS major began in 2006 and relies heavily on the school’s co-op program, which provides students with a top-notch blend of classroom and real-world training. The instruction includes a strong dose of general finance, accounting and marketing, while also providing specific classes in sports leadership, media relations, facility and event management, sports law, digital media and marketing and sales. “I think Drexel in particular provides career preparation,” says Joel Maxcy, Head of the Sport Business Department. “The co-op is front and center, and it’s what Drexel is known for. We are helping our majors enter the sports industry. We think of the industry very broadly.” The Department is in the Drexel Business School, and students receive B.S. degrees in Business Administration. It permits them to enter other fields if they decide the sports world isn’t what they prefer to do. There are core classes in sports law, marketing, media, economics and finance. And Drexel students can choose from a wide range of electives, such as sports entrepreneurship and sports gambling.

The co-op offers opportunities to work with local professional teams and in college athletic departments. They work for marketing agencies and firms that represent athletes. They can also gain experience with media outlets. As is the case with other schools, Drexel’s program is constantly evolving. Maxcy says the Department has added a new course every year. For instance, the legalization of sports gambling has necessitated a class in that, and it won’t be surprising if others like it emerge. The same goes for analytics. Twenty years ago, a pro team might have had one person working on advanced metrics. Today, franchises have entire departments, as do many colleges.

Photo: Saint Joseph’s University

and Sport Selling and Sales, which Tryce says is essential for anyone entering the field. “Most of the entry-level jobs in sports are in sales,” she says. “Students get training in how to sell, how to pitch and how to match sponsors with brands. “Even if someone is just trying to get a job, they have to be able to sell themselves. At the end of the day, selling is a skill.” That skill involves building relationships, overcoming customers’ objections and finding ways to satisfy their needs. Saint Joseph’s offers a variety of electives, including one that focuses on Esports, which Tryce emphasizes is not about learning how to play video games. Rather, it deals with the

growing field and how to create marketing opportunities around it.

Tryce

Photo: Drexel University

Maxcy

There is even a major in Esports at Drexel. It is a combined B.S./B.A. program with the College of Arts. “There’s a bigger variety and breadth of opportunities than ever before,” Maxcy says. Villanova doesn’t have a dedicated undergraduate sports business component, but through its Moorad Center, law students can complete a Sports Law Concentration that provides academic and real-world experience

Area colleges are working to satisfy the demand. “Students have always wanted to get into sports.” through working with ‘Nova professor and former NFL executive Andrew Brandt on his annual report about the sports law and business industries.

N SPRING, 2021, La Salle began a Sport Management minor as part of its School of Business Department of Management and Leadership. The 18-credit program is geared toward helping students become “successful and ethical leaders in the sport and recreation industry.” Meanwhile, Penn offers “ambitious” high school juniors and seniors a chance to gain instruction and exposure to key business principles from Wharton professors and to learn more about the industry in order to have a head start on their collegiate studies. Those who complete the program receive a Wharton Global Youth Certificate of Completion. It’s another example of the popularity of and opportunities available in the industry and how area colleges are working to satisfy the demand. “There are probably more opportunities than ever before,” Maxcy says. “Students have always wanted to get into sports.” n

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H Do you want to attend exclusive networking events once a month at local venues? LEGACY CLUB SPOTLIGHT “When asked about the Legacy Club and Jersey Man/Philly Man, I often find myself responding with a bit of advice. Be ready to answer two questions, what you do and who do you want to meet? Because those are almost the first things I hear, whenever I meet someone new. The Legacy Club is more than just a networking group, it is a collection of decision makers and friends through a variety of disciplines that strive to assist each other in developing business.” – Robert Telschow, Colliers Engineering & Design

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TECH TIME

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

BY ANTHONY MONGELUZO

Tech-Savvy Resolutions:

Five Smart Moves for the Modern Man

S WE RING IN THE NEW YEAR, it’s the perfect time to upgrade your digital life. For today’s man, being tech-savvy isn’t just about having the latest gadgets; it’s about using technology smartly and safely. Here are five tech resolutions every man should consider to protect themselves online and boost their efficiency in 2024. 1. Strengthen Your Password Game Your first line of defense in the digital world is your password. In 2024, vow to leave behind weak passwords. Use a password manager to generate and store complex passwords for each of your accounts. Remember, your dog’s name followed by your birth year isn’t cutting it anymore. A password manager not only creates strong passwords but also helps you keep track of them without the need to memorize each one.

2. Embrace Two-Factor Authentication Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of security to your accounts. Whenever possible, activate 2FA. This usually involves receiving a code on your phone or email after entering your password. It might seem like a hassle, but it significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access to your accounts. Think of it as a double lock on your digital door.

TECHNOLOGY IS A TOOL, AND LIKE ANY TOOL, ITS EFFECTIVENESS DEPENDS ON HOW WELL YOU USE IT

3. Declutter Your Digital Space Efficiency isn’t just about speed; it’s also about organization. This year, make a resolution to clean up your digital clutter. Unsubscribe from unnecessary email lists, organize your files and delete apps you no longer use. A cleaner digital space leads to a clearer mind and increased productivity. Plus, it reduces digital distractions, allowing you to focus on what’s important.

4. Update Regularly Keeping your software up to date is crucial for online security. Software updates often include patches for security vulnerabilities. By delaying updates, you leave yourself exposed to potential threats. Make it a habit to install updates for your operating system, applications, and security software as soon as they become available. 78

5. Learn a New Tech Skill Expand your horizons by learning a new tech skill this year. Whether it’s basic coding, understanding blockchain, or getting better at Excel, adding a new skill can boost your career prospects and personal efficiency. There are plenty of online courses and tutorials that can help you start. Embracing lifelong learning keeps you relevant and sharp in a fast-paced digital world.

Conclusion Making these tech resolutions part of your life in 2024 will protect you online and make you more efficient and prepared for the future. Remember, technology is a tool, and like any tool, its effectiveness depends on how well you use it. So, gear up, stay safe, and stay smart! n