Tag Archives: ESPN

Jessica Gelman, Tom Haberstroh Star In Special “Super Bowl”

Posted on February 26, 2015 | 3 comments

When Jessica Gelman starred on the Staples High School basketball court in the early 1990s, Tom Haberstroh was just entering elementary school.

As he grew up — and became a Wrecker hoops player himself — their paths crossed occasionally. Tom says, “She was the first athlete to teach me that girls could kick guys’ butts.”

Jessica Gelman, at work. (Photo/Sports Business Journal)

Jessica Gelman, at work. (Photo/Sports Business Journal)

Jessica went on to star at Harvard, play professionally in Europe and enter the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. After earning an MBA at Harvard, she’s now a high-powered vice president with the Kraft Sports Group, handling marketing strategy for the New England Patriots and Revolution. Last year, Sports Business Journal named her to their “Forty Under 40” team.

Tom’s path took him to Wake Forest. He’s been an ESPN NBA analyst since 2010.

Jessica Gelman fights for a rebound, as a Staples junior.

Jessica Gelman fights for a rebound, as a Staples junior in 1992.

Both Jessica and Tom are numbers guys people. She took high-level math classes at Staples, learned to use data as a pyschology major in Harvard, and became an early leader in the field of sports analytics. (Her database of 3.4 million names makes Kraft the envy of the sports world.)

A decade ago, she taught a course on sports analytics at MIT Sloan School of Management with Daryl Morey. When he got a new job — general manager of the Houston Rockets — they turned the class into a conference.

The initial event, in 2006, drew 150 people. (“Half of them were my friends,” Jessica jokes.) Nine years later, she’s still the chair.

This year’s conference — tomorrow and Saturday (February 27-28) — will draw over 3,000 industry leaders. Michael (“Moneyball”) Lewis, statistician Nate Silver, US Soccer president Sunil Gulati, and league commissioners Adam Silver and Rob Manfred are among the presenters.

So is Tom Haberstroh.

Tom Haberstroh, as a Staples senior in 2004.

Tom Haberstroh, as a Staples senior in 2004.

Like Jessica, he’s a sports industry leader in the field of analytics. He parlayed his background — which included Jen Giudice’s AP Statistics course at Staples, and the strong influence of math teacher Rich Rollins — into a highly respected specialty.

(In a small-world coincidence, Jessica’s former colleague Daryl Morey used an ESPN statistical segment of Tom’s to promote Dwight Howard for the NBA All-Star game.)

A few years ago, Tom introduced himself to Jessica at the Sports Analytics Conference. They kept in touch. This year, Jessica asked Tom to moderate a panel on the growth of sports science and data collection.

The 2 former Staples basketball players are huge fans of each other.

“Jess just won the Super Bowl with the Patriots,” Tom says. “Now she’s running a Super Bowl conference of her own.”

Tom Haberstroh

Tom Haberstroh

“Tom’s stuff is great!” Jessica replies.

Both look forward to this weekend’s conference. Tom jokingly calls it “the Super Bowl for sports nerds.”

Don’t be fooled. If the conference adds a 2-v-2 basketball game to the agenda, Jessica Gelman and Tom Haberstroh will kick everyone’s butts.

 

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Posted in Education, People, Sports, Staples HS

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David Lloyd’s Subtle Shout-Out To Westport Little League

Posted on July 30, 2013 | Comments Off on David Lloyd’s Subtle Shout-Out To Westport Little League

As host of ESPN’s 1-3 p.m. weekday Sportscenter, David Lloyd can’t play favorites.

But that didn’t stop the Staples grad from adding this little bit of support on his Twitter profile to the Westport Little League team that vies for the New England championship starting Friday:

David Lloyd

And where does the tournament take place?

Bristol, Connecticut — ESPN’s back yard.

David is on vacation this week. No word on whether he took the time off to cheer on his favorite hometown team.

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Posted in Children, Sports, technology

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Debra Haffner To ESPN: That’s A Foul!

Posted on May 25, 2013 | 2 comments

When Jason Collins came out as the 1st gay male athlete currently active in a major American team sport, ESPN’s Chris Broussard called homosexuality “an open rebellion to God.”

Some Americans said “amen!” Many more said “aaaargh!”

Rev. Debra Haffner

Rev. Debra Haffner

Debra Haffner swung into action.

Rev. Haffner — president of Religious Institute, the Westport-based national multifaith organization advocating for sexual health, education and justice in faith communities and society — organized an online petition.

It read:

Stop Trying to Score Points By Misrepresenting My Religion!

If ESPN addresses religious issues, it must include leaders from the many religious traditions that affirm sexual and gender diversity as a blessing, or they must cease from commenting on such issues entirely. We strongly support open dialogue, but true dialogue cannot be one sided.

ESPN

Haffner and her organization then had “dialogue” — phone conversations and emails — with Monica Diaz. ESPN’s vice president for diversity, inclusion and wellness cited her network’s long history of commitment to women, people of color and the LGBT community.

Okay, said Religious Institute. But if the on-air comment had been racist rather than anti-gay, it would have been dealt with immediately — and in far stronger terms than ESPN’s president’s initial tepid apology.

Haffner says she and her staff will work with ESPN to ensure a broad spectrum of religious views when reporting future stories.

If, that is, ESPN feels the need to include religion at all.

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Posted in Organizations, People, religion, Sports

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DJ Sixsmith Hangs With Bob Ley

Posted on March 19, 2011 | 3 comments

“06880” is a big fan of DJ Sixsmith.  The Staples senior is a mega-talented radio and TV sportscaster.  He’s got a good shot at becoming the next Bob Ley.

The real Bob Ley knows it too.  The other day the ESPN star wandered down from Bristol, and over to the Staples Media Lab.  He and DJ chatted about their careers.  (Bob’s is longer — he joined ESPN on its 3rd day of existence in 1979, more than a dozen years before DJ was born.)

They also talked about the March 22 fundraiser Bob is hosting at Fairfield University.

Bob Ley (left) and DJ Sixsmith.

The event — which also includes Bob’s colleagues Josh Elliott, Chris McKendry and Justin Kutcher — offers an outside-the-lines, behind-the-scenes look at ESPN, like how the shows get on the air, and all the fun stuff left in the newsroom that viewers never see.

It’s a benefit for FSW, the 161-year-old Bridgeport-based social services agency (formerly Family Services Woodfield).  Bob is a board member, and DJ helped promote the event (including a silent auction) on the air.

On Tuesday, Bob Ley will tell tales about his work — everything from announcing World Cup soccer and NCAA Final Fours, to covering an earthquake during the 1989 World Series and assessing the impact of the 9/11 terror attack on sports.

DJ Sixsmith does not have that resume — yet.  He’s called some pretty exciting basketball and football games, but the Staples Wreckers are not the Green Bay Packers.

Then again, when Bob Ley was 17, Howard Cosell didn’t wander into his high school station to say hi.

(Tickets for “Outside the Lines & Behind the Scenes at ESPN” are $20 general admission; $50 for a meet-and-greet and auction.  Click here to order, or for more information.)

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Posted in Entertainment, People, Sports, Staples HS, Teenagers

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Kyle Martino Heads To The World Cup

Posted on April 20, 2010 | 1 comment

Kyle Martino — the Westport soccer star who was National High School Player of the Year in 1998, earned MLS Rookie of the Year honors, and shared the Los Angeles Galaxy field with David Beckham — is going to the World Cup.

Kyle Martino

He won’t be playing for the US national team — though he’s done that in the past.  For a  month starting in mid-June, Martino will be a key part of ESPN and ABC’s radio crew.  He’ll announce games with TV veterans J.P. Dellacamera and Tommy Smyth, and former New York Cosmos star Shep Messing.

Martino has earned praise for his ESPN television work, covering the US men’s team and MLS.  However, for the World Cup, Disney — ESPN and ABC’s parent company — has signed a largely British TV crew.

That will be particularly interesting on June 12.  It’s the Americans’ 1st game of the tournament — against England.

Don’t want to hear a Brit call the match?  No problem.

Gather in front of a huge hi-def screen.  Mute the sound.

And listen to Kyle Martino, live from South Africa.

Game time is 2:30 p.m.

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Kyle Martino Tackles Something New

Posted on January 26, 2010 | 2 comments

Kyle Martino is not yet 30 years old, but he’s already had a lifetime of success.

The Gatorade National Player of the Year at Staples in 1998, he starred at the University of Virginia; was named Major League Soccer Rookie of the Year in 2002; played on the US national team; was David Beckham’s teammate on the Los Angeles Galaxy, and is now one of ESPN’s top soccer announcers — with a shot at calling World Cup matches this summer.

At the same time, he’s forging a career in finance.

Kyle Martino (Photo courtesy of Fairfield County Business Journal)

Martino’s storied careers — on the soccer pitch and on Wall Street — are the subject of a front-page story in the current issue of Fairfield County Business Journal.  Writer Ryan Doran notes that while playing for the Columbus Crew and Galaxy, Martino prepared for life after pro sports by taking classes at Ohio State and UCLA.

He arranged an off-season internship at Lenox Advisors, a wealth advisory firm.  He was mentored by Tom Henske — a Lenox partner who in the 1990s won 3 national championships as the University of Virginia’s goalkeeper.  (In a you-can’t-make-this-up coincidence, Henske now serves as Staples’ goalie coach.)

“The reality of knowing that there is a next chapter after, for a kid who sees his name in neon lights, is that you have to figure things out very quickly after hanging the cleats up,” says Martino.  He figured things out long before his career ended.

Martino hopes to develop a specialty helping athletes manage their money.

He’s kept his ties to the Staples boys soccer program, assisting with training and offering inspirational talks whenever he can.  He’s a great role model for teenagers — whether they want to be professional soccer player, sports broadcaster or financial advisor.

Or all 3.

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