I do not know where this will end up, but at least it will serve as a record of my opinions on what I believe the NFL should be moving towards. This is simply true business decision making in circumstances where the traditional football mindset would lead you astray.
Why do this?
- I want to be informative over splashy. To be blunt, ESPN is no longer fact driven, and our goal at U Mountain is to provide something that is fact driven and business orientated
- Selfishly, because I want an organization to notice me and to pay me to do what I love.
In 2014, I was watching tape (like the nerd that I am) and ran across an Eastern Washington University game in which a player stood out. By all accounts, I was not the first person to discover this player’s talent, but what I did begin to follow was the person that he was. In interviews, he was intelligent both in his football and emotionally. His dad was a former player, and he had grown up around the game. He got his degree, got married, and shattered collegiate receiving records.
Then he ran a slow 40 at the combine, and scouts wrote him off as a Top 50 player. This is where my MBA and thinking in the business sphere diverted from NFL thinking. I didn’t give a shit about the 40. He was a good player, and more importantly he was a tremendous person. The number one question that I’d have my scouts ask themselves would be, “If you had a daughter, would you be ok with her bringing home this man?” With Cooper Kupp, that answer is yes and that is why he has been successful.
Give me Russell Wilson over Cam, give me Austin Ekeler over Kareem Hunt, give me Cooper Kupp over Odell Beckham . Good people win. Culture wins. Intelligence wins.
Will Martinez, MBA
U Mountain Sports 