CEO NOW

The men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments provide some of the most compelling entertainment for sports fans. There is something special about watching these amazing athletes have the opportunity to showcase their talents and the genuine drama, excitement, and heartbreak “March Madness” produces every year.

This season was no exception, especially in the men’s tournament where more upsets than usual left most brackets in tatters after the first weekend. The yearly upsets also give us a great look at many different forms of leadership through the coaches directing their teams.

The tournaments put a spotlight on little-known coaches who are doing more with less resources than the traditional big-name programs. We see coaches inspire their teams at schools with unfamiliar names like Fairleigh Dickinson and Florida Atlantic to pull off stunning upsets and amazing runs of success in the men’s tournament. Or how the Iowa women’s team was prepared to knock out the unbeaten defending championship powerhouse from South Carolina.

We also get a glimpse into the way coaches handle profound disappointments and the lessons they try to impart on their teams. Setbacks can be used toward successes similar to Virginia winning the 2019 NCAA championship a year after becoming the first No. 1 seeded team to lose to a No. 16 seed in tournament history. Something NSGA looks to do every year at the Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit is bring in speakers who can share their leadership philosophy.

We’ve had some March Madness legends like the late Pat Summitt of Tennessee, Mike Krzyzewski of Duke and Tom Izzo of Michigan State.

The speakers at this year’s Conference & Summit on May 21–23 in Nashville, Tennessee also bring excellent insights on leadership from different angles. This issue of NSGA NOW features a story on former NFL quarterback Tom Flick, and specialty retail expert Dan Mann, who share their views on successful leadership.

Olympic gold medal swimmer Missy Franklin was a leader in most of her races but also faced her share of adversities along the way. Marcus Whitney, who helped found Nashville’s Major League Soccer team, will discuss how to turn failures into successful innovation.

This year’s Conference & Summit is also an opportunity to recognize four of the great leaders of our industry as Bill Hunt of CHAMPRO, James Clifford Keen of Cliff Keen Athletic, Jeff Lynn of Dunham’s and Kent McKeaigg of OrderMyGear are inducted into the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame. These great coaches, athletes, and business icons have faced many challenges on their roads to success, using those challenges as their “fuel” to propel them forward. Our goal is to have top-quality speakers share their insights to advance your business interests. Who knows, maybe those lessons help in other areas of your lives as well!

Nsga Officers

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

PAT DONNELLEY

BSN Sports, Twin Falls, ID

CHAIRMAN-ELECT

GORDON GEIGER

Geiger’s, Lakewood, OH

PAST CHAIRMAN

DAVID LABBE

Kittery Trading Post, Kittery, ME

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

KEVIN BEZANSON

Cleve’s Source for Sports, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

BOB FAWLEY

Capitol Varsity Sports, Oxford, OH

TROY FREEMAN

Play It Again Sports, Minneapolis, MN

MICK MONTGOMERY

Denver Athletic Supply, Englewood, CO

RON RUGAL

B&R Sporting Goods, Shelby

Charter Township, MI

JOHN SCIPIO

SV Sports, Pottstown, PA

NSGA TEAM LEADERS

MATT CARLSON

President & CEO

MARTY MACIASZEK

Director, Team Dealer Division, Communications

JULIE PITTS

Director, Public Affairs and President, NSSRA

NICK RIGITANO

Director, Insights and Analysis

JENNIFER SHAFFER Comptroller

Best regards,

MATT CARLSON PRESIDENT & CEO

from publisher. Periodical postage paid at Downers Grove, IL 60515 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NSGA NOW,® 3041 Woodcreek Drive, Suite 210, Downers Grove, IL 60515. © NSGA 2023 all rights reserved. Printed in the USA.