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Those lying coaches

Posted on by Brian Lee

I really thought Urban Meyer, who today was announced as the new head coach of the Ohio State football team, was a classy guy. No more. Not since he lied about being offered the job.

On Wednesday, Nov. 24, the AP wrote a story that Urban denied being offered a job: “I have not been offered any job nor is there a deal in place.”

However, in the stories that followed his press conference on Monday, Nov. 28, it was reported the Ohio State AD Gene Smith talked with Meyer over the phone on Nov. 20 and in-person on Nov. 23 about the position.

I’ve worked in sports PR for many years, so I know no secret is safe–there’s ALWAYS a leak somewhere. I also know that unfortunately, winning will be the cure for a morally weak coach. Look at Alabama’s Nick Saban, for example. He blatantly lied about being offered the job with the Crimson Tide a few years back, and all was forgiven after his team won the national championship.

But can we ever trust the likes of Saban and Meyer again? It doesn’t matter to athletic departments or fans, apparently. I would have recommended to Meyer to answer the media’s inquiries with a statement such as “So far, the media have only used unnamed sources as the basis for their stories. Thus, I will not comment on any speculation.” That’s much better than lying.

Then again, Ohio State fired its previous coach, Jim Tressel for lying. I guess the school didn’t learn its lesson.

The Iain MacFarlane Show

Posted on by Brian Lee

My interview with business radio host Iain MacFarlane of 1670 WTDY aired on Saturday, Nov. 19. The premise of his show is to have business owners share their insights as to what has helped them succeed.

I enjoyed the interview. We recorded early morning on a Friday in September. I remember walking in to the Mid-West Family Broadcasting studio and hearing live music. It turns out they were having a party at 7 a.m. Lots of people were rocking out and enjoying Alaskan Beer. I was asked to join, but I (reluctantly) declined.

Amongst the advice I provided on air, here’s one I’ll repeat for people thinking of starting a business. I believe people can be classified into one of two categories, in two scenarios. First, there are those who lead and there are those who are led. Second, there are those who seek out their own opportunities, and there are those who go day by day and hope something happens to them.

If you think the former in both scenarios describes yourself, then you have the personality type to start a business.

To listen to the interview, click on this link. Once the Listen Live window opens, click on “On Demand” and choose “Iain MacFarlane.”

Google Chrome and Movember

Posted on by Emilie Buckman

In my opinion, Google Chrome has some of the best television commercials on TV right now.  For me, the commercials are always well planned and thoughtful. I am not embarrassed to say that the Dear Sophie commercial left me teary eyed!  The ads are fairly simple when you think about them but maybe that’s what is remarkable.  Some are just collection of images that we see every day:  searching Google, watching a video on YouTube, comment sections, social media, etc.

Considering I am predisposed to like Chrome ads, I was pretty excited when I saw their latest one, Movember. (Movember is an excuse to for dudes to grow a mustache for the month of November.) For those of you who don’t know me, I’m also predisposed to like facial hair! While it started out as something silly to do, it’s actually become a platform to raise awareness and money for men’s health issues, like prostate cancer. Now men all over the world now grow their mustaches for a purpose.

For me this whole concept is fantastic!  Sometimes it seems the push for cancer awareness and prevention tends to be dominated by women.  While men participate, it never seems to be the main target of most campaigns.  With the Movember campaign taking a more male-centered approach, it has a real chance of making a big impact. I mean seriously, men seem to really enjoy having any reason to grow a mustache!

I love Movember and I love Google Chrome for spreading the word for such a good cause.  And if I could grow a mustache (thank the lord, I can’t!), I would be sporting a handlebar one right now to support the cause!