Behind Sports - Interviews With Athletes And Sports Professionals

Keith O’Neil is a former NFL linebacker with the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, and the New York Giants. Born in Rochester, Michigan, Keith is the son of Ed O’Neil who was an All-American linebacker at Penn State and a first round draft pick in the 1974 NFL Draft.   Keith attended Northern Arizona University where he was a four-year letterman and three-year starter and first-team All-Big Sky choice as a junior and senior, and earned All-American honors. After being signed by the Dallas Cowboys, Keith played in the NFL with a undiagnosed bipolar disorder that was only diagnosed after he retired from the game. He finished his second season with the Colts with a Super Bowl ring. Keith founded the 4th and Forever Foundation to inspire and assist individuals challenged with mental illness. 4th and Forever also works to fund research, raise mental health awareness, and to de-stigmatize the struggle with mental illness. Keith is also is currently busy writing a book and hosting speaking engag

Kenny Florian is a retired mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Kenny grew up in Dover, Massachusetts where he was a successful soccer player for his high school and went on to attend Boston College and played for the varsity team. After college Kenny became interested in mixed martial arts and earned a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Florian made his MMA debut in January 2003 at Mass Destruction 10 when he defeated his opponent via KO in 7 seconds. He later competed on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter as a middleweight and progressed all the way to the finale. Known for his razor sharp elbow strikes, Kenny is the only UFC fighter to compete in four divisions – Featherweight, Lightweight, Welterweight, and Middleweight. In his fight career, the southpaw achieved 14 wins, 3 by knockout and 9 by submission. Kenny is now a UFC on Fox analyst and color commentator for UFC Fight Night. Kenny also founded the Florian Martial Arts Center to teac

Shjon grew up in Rochester, Minnesota where he started playing hockey at 5-years-old. He was recruited to play collegiate hockey for the University of Minnesota-Duluth and continued to play in the local weekend series. Shjon Podein is a former professional ice hockey player who spent 11 seasons in the NHL for the Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Colorado Avalanche, and St. Louis Blues. Shjon was drafted after his freshman year by the Edmonton Oilers. He later signed as a free agent by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1994 where he flourished as a first rate penalty-killer and checking forward. After a trade to the Avalanche, he helped the team win the Stanley Cup in the 2000-01 season and achieved a career high in goals (15) and tied a career high 32 points. While in Colorado, Shjon and his wife Sherry created Starfire Dog Adoption, a shelter which finds loving homes for dogs who’s owners are no longer able to care for them due to entering a nursing home or hospice. Shjon also made numerous appearances a

Ben Sturner, Founder and CEO of Leverage Agency,  joins us to talk about his experiences in the industry and some of their great projects.  A key focus for Leverage Agency is marrying sports properties and brands that compliment each other well in specific projects and sponsorships. Specifically Ben speaks to us about Leverage’s involvement with the David Beckham Super Bowl ad, Dunkin Donuts March Mania project, Top Rank Boxing fights, and their new branch of the company called Leverage Latino. Ben also founded a great mentor program in New York City called the Manhattan Sports Business Academy.  MSBA accepts 20-25 graduate and undergraduate students and brings them into New York for an 8-week summer sports business leadership program.  The students gain invaluable experience in the sports industry and get a jump start into the fast paced, high energy sports business world through internships, mentoring and networking. It was a pleasure to talk with Ben and hear about all the great t

Jolene Mizzone, VP of Operations for Main Events Boxing Promotion Firm, shares great stories from the past fights she’s been involved  with including Mike Tyson vs. Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield vs. George Foreman, and all three Arturo Gatti vs. Micky Ward fights.  Jolene has been in the boxing business for 16 years and has seen the peaks and valleys of the industry.  Watching this interview, you will gain great insight on fight day activities, prepping the fighters for media, promoting a large pay-per-view fight, and working with some larger-than-life personalities. We also talk about the current state of the boxing industry and how mixed martial arts (MMA) has affected the boxing world.

Steve Smith is an Alaskan-born former NFL wide receiver who spent time with the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, St. Louis Rams, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.   Steve played football for Taft High School in the San Fernando Valley where he set the state records for most receptions (271) and yardage (4486) in a varsity career. He later attended the University of Southern California as a Public Policy/Management and Planning major. Steve was one of the top two wide receivers by yardage for the USC Trojans football team. He was named 2006 First-team All-Pac-10 and First-team All-American that same year. Drafted in the second round by the Giants in 2007, Steve became a reliable third down receiver for quarterback Eli Manning in the postseason. As a rookie he helped the Giants win Super Bowl XLII with five catches for 50 yards. Steve suffered a serious knee injury during the 2010 season that required extensive surgery and eventually became a career-ending injury. Steve took his talents to the Philadelp

Kyle Mauch is a former NCAA D1 and professional baseball player from Klamath Falls, Oregon who founded Athletes Brand, an off-field apparel company for athletes. In 2012, Kyle was selected as a 30 Under Thirty recipient in the sports industry for his work with the sports marketing company, Gloves Off Sports. Kyle founded his apparel company, Athletes Brand, during an 18-month rehab stint after college baseball. Athletes Brand is a high-end off-field apparel company formed 100% by athletes that designs clothing specifically to fit athletes’ fashion needs. These needs include clothing to fit a more typical athletic body type, apparel for long bus trips and flights, and lack of branding right on the chest to conform with league rules. Sales from Athletes Brand go to the specific cause supported by the athlete, allowing athletes to use clothing as a platform to help educate people on societal issues and the causes that are helping support these issues. Kyle was selected in 2013 as a 30 Under Thirty recipien

Terése Whitehead, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Brand Development for Tandem Sports & Entertainment, joins us to talk about the agency, the power of new media for athletes, and how an athlete’s social media presence can affect their off the court marketing opportunities.Tandem’s client list includes Tim Duncan, Jeremy Lin, Ray Allen, Grant Hill, Tameka Catchings, amongst many others.Terése leads Tandem’s strategic marketing efforts, transforming client needs into fully-integrated, deliverable action plans. Overseeing endorsements, brand strategy, event management, and social media campaigns, she ensures that opportunities match the unique personalities of Tandem’s clients while positioning them to meet their philanthropic, business and personal goals.Terése’s fifteen years of experience in sports and entertainment includes working for the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Thrashers as a team marketing executive and for HA-LO Sports & Entertainment in

Prince Hubertus von Hohenlohe is a Mexican Alpine skier, who also works as a commercial photographer, businessman, and a pop singer with 8 records. Recently deemed "the most interesting Olympian in the world," Prince Hubertus is the son of a German Prince and Princess, and his grandfather was the last Holy Roman emperor.Prince Hubertus was born in Mexico, where he grew up speaking Spanish and German. He discovered skiing after moving to Austria as a child. Prince Hubertus founded the one-man Mexican Ski Federation in 1981, and first raced on the World Cup tour that year at age 22. He first skied for Mexico in the 1984 Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo, and has been the only member of the Mexican Winter Olympic Team since. Prince Hubertus has competed in the Olympics under Mexico’s flag in Calgary 1988, Albertville in 1992, and Lillehammer 1994. In the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, finished 78th in giant slalom and 46th in slalom.Since 1982, Prince Hubertus has participated in 15 World Championships.

Jackie Chamoun is a professional Alpine skier from Lebanon. She is competing as Lebanon’s only female skier in the Sochi Olympic Games, and one of only two athletes to compete for the entire country.Jackie won the national slalom championship title in 2009 and has competed in two World Championships and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.Jackie currently works in Geneva and hopes to improve sports in Lebanon by encouraging children to participate in athletics.

Tyler Clary is a world-class, Gold-medal-winning Olympic Swimmer on Team USA.  In the 2012 London Olympic Games, Tyler came from behind during the last stretch of the 200m backstroke to overtake heavy favorite, Ryan Lochte, and win Gold.  Tyler talks with us about his mindset going into the race and strategies used for training and in-race execution. Tyler also shares about his plan to compete as a race car driver once his swimming career comes to a close.  He talks to us about some of his future racing events, providing details about the types of vehicles he plans to drive. As always, we asked for some helpful advice for up-and-comers within the sports industry.  Tyler mentioned that being fearless and conducting yourself with class are two of the most important components for success.

Jazmine Fenlator is an American bobsledder who was recently named as one of the three pilots on the US Olympic Bobsled team for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Born in New Jersey, Fenlator received a Bachelor’s degree in multimedia communications and advertising from Rider University, and completed her Master’s degree with a concentration in exercise science. During her time at Rider, she competed on the track and field team for shot put, discus, and hammer, becoming the first student in school history to rank in the top 25 track and field athletes nationally. In just her third season as Bobsled Pilot, she has already earned two World Cup medals, a silver in Lake Placid, New York, and a bronze in Igls, Austria.

Darren Heitner is a Miami based attorney that is the owner and operator of SportsAgentBlog.com. Darren also contributes to Forbes magazine, focusing on the business of sports, and is an adjunct professor in at Indiana University Bloomington. While in school at the University of Florida, Darren started his own sports agency, representing as many as 40 clients.

Allison Baver is an American short track speed skater that won an Olympic Bronze medal and started Off the Ice Foundation, an organization that promotes wellness.  Allison also is a 3-time winter Olympian, competing in 2002, 2006, and 2010, earning a bronze in the 3000-meter relay in the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. She is believed to be the first female US inline skater to qualify for the Olympics in short track speed-skating.

Rumors have been surfacing across the internet of NFL player agent Rob London joining forces with Jay-Z's RocNation, and leading their sports division. We had the pleasure of talking with Rob London about these rumors as well as many other current topics relevant to the sports agent industry. Rob has represented many high profile NFL players like Maurice Jones-Drew, Matt Forte, and Tyrod Taylor.

Hunter Hillenmeyer, former Chicago Bears Linebacker and current President of Overdog, joined us for a great candid conversation about his playing days and his current position at #GameOnOverDog! This interview has it all! Hunter talks about his Super Bowl experience, his objectives as a Player Rep, concussions in sports, and a GREAT welcome to the NFL moment that he encountered as a rookie with the Green Bay Packers.

Chris Cabott is a certified NFL Player Agent with Zane Management Group in Philadelphia, PA. Chris takes us through his childhood and how he became interested and involved in the sports and entertainment industry. He represents many NFL players and is the Attorney for Philadelphia Phillies Shortstop, Jimmy Rollins.