Author: Don Yaeger

I’ve gotten some meaningful gifts in my life, but few have captivated me quite like this one. Last year I heard a story about a company in its infancy, Fabled, that found a way to lace storytelling into the very fabric of a pair of shoes. A couple of weeks ago my wife surprised me with a pair of those special shoes for as an early Christmas gift. The shoes honored a man I considered my mentor, legendary UCLA Coach...

The “sports” news over the last few days has had little to do, actually, with games. Opinions, discord, protest…and now a national scandal involving college basketball coaches and the FBI. The acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York issued indictments this week to a collection of men that represent the underbelly of the college game (college basketball coaches, Adidas shoe executives, and agents)....

You never know how close your “Big Break” might be. So be patient. For evidence, look no further than last Saturday’s slate of major college football games. Entering the 2017 collegiate football season, nearly a dozen freshman quarterbacks had an opportunity to make an early impact on their team’s season. From the Terrapins of Maryland to the Hurricanes of Miami, there was the potential (not guaranteed) that young...

Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Joe Thomas has seen a lot of praise this week following an accomplishment implausible to most in his profession. Not to be overshadowed by what would amount to another road loss for the Browns on Sunday, Thomas lined up for his 10,000th consecutive snap. I want you to think about that for a moment. Ten years ago, in 2007, the Browns chose Thomas with the third-overall pick in the...

It must have seemed weird to the woman sitting next to me on the plane when I chuckled out loud as I read USA Today on a flight to San Antonio for a speech Tuesday. But I couldn’t help myself. Only in America, and more specifically, only in Indianapolis in early March, would it be deemed appropriate for a gaggle of sweaty, tie-less, out-of-shape guys to be furiously photographing and filling notepads with minute...

I’ve always been fascinated by the intense focus placed on new political administrations during their first 100 days in office. Pundits, fans and critics are certainly already drawing up their scorecards of President Donald Trump’s performance in that short time frame. He had high hopes about what his administration could accomplish quickly. Every new president does. But he is learning that navigating politics...

In business, as in sports, there is nothing more frustrating than a poorly executed meeting. Whether you are stuck in an office conference room listening to a droning, directionless boss or huddled up on the field with a queasy, indecisive quarterback, your confidence, productivity and competitive edge are bound to plummet.

As the curtain closed on the most dramatic denouement in Super Bowl history last Sunday, offering us so many indelible images—a tearful Tom Brady hoisting his fifth Vince Lombardi trophy, a defiant Bill Belichick pumping his fist skyward—I sunk back into my couch feeling oddly contrarian. Rather than celebrate the many riveting plot points in the New England Patriots’ record-setting 25-point comeback victory—Julian...