Tweet

Joe Pompliano

8 Dec, 11 tweets, 4 min read

The greatest coach of all time used to work for $25 per week.

Time for a thread 👇👇👇

1) Let's start in 1975...

Bill Belichick, the son of a football coach, has just graduated from Wesleyan University in Connecticut — where he played football, lacrosse, and squash.

Looking to start a career in coaching himself, Belichick asked a college coach of his for help.

2) After a college coach put in a good word, Bill Belichick landed an interview with the Colts.

Belichick told HC Ted Marchibroda that he was "willing to work 16 hour days" & would do anything asked of him.

Marchibroda offered him the job.

But there was just one problem…

3) Despite being offered a special assistant role with the Colts, Bill Belichick was reminded of one important detail.

The position was unpaid...

Belichick accepted anyways.

“I got three meals, a bed, and a lot of football.”

4) Just a few weeks into the job—after impressing the coaching staff with his work ethic—the Colts GM offered to pay Bill Belichick $25 per week instead.

Still without an official title, Belichick accepted the raise — saying he was getting “a graduate course in football.”

5) By the end of the 1975 season, Bill Belichick was earning $50 per week and wanted a raise.

Belichick asked the Colts for a $4,000 salary and a car.

The funny part?

The Detroit Lions lured him away with a $10,000 offer and a new Thunderbird.

6) Despite now being paid an inflation adjusted ~$50,000 annually, Bill Belichick would spend his offseason in Detroit coaching high school lacrosse.

After seeing an ad in the newspaper, Belichick showed up with a lacrosse stick unannounced.

Why?

Because he loves coaching.

7) After Detroit, the rest is history — Bill Belichick has become one of the greatest coaches NFL history.

Accomplishments
— 8x Super Bowl Champion
— 3x NFL Coach of the Year

The best part?

He'll soon become the winningest coach in NFL history.

Not bad for an unpaid intern…

8) Whether it's your personal life or business, successful people continuously demonstrate one thing:

Find what you enjoy, and double down — the money & success will eventually come.

From unpaid intern to 8x Super Bowl Champ, Bill Belichick did just that.

Now, he's a legend.

If you enjoyed this thread, you should:

1. Follow me, I tweet cool sports business stories everyday.

2. Subscribe to my free daily newsletter where I give detailed analysis on topics involving the money and business behind sports.

readhuddleup.com

@AthleticBrewing

Also, don't forget @AthleticBrewing is the reason I'm able to create sports business content full-time.

If you want to support me, buy some beer - it's really great stuff.

Use code "JOE25" for 25% off at athleticbrewing.com

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

More from @JoePompliano

Joe Pompliano

@JoePompliano

9 Dec

Topgolf, which was recently acquired by Callaway, has over 50 locations contributing $1.1 billion in annual revenue.

The part you didn't know?

They're quietly building another $200M+ business.

Time for a thread 👇👇👇

1) First, let's set the stage...

Despite the US population increasing from 298M to 331M from 2006 to 2020—an 11% increase—the number of golf participants in the United States hasn’t followed suit.

There has been a ~20% decline in golf participation during the same time period.

2) As participation has declined, legacy golf companies like Callaway have searched for ways to diversify their business beyond traditional golf.

The solution?

Acquisitions.

Since 2015, Callaway has spent ~$750M on premium brands like Jack Wolfskin, TravisMathew & Ogio.

Read 16 tweets

Joe Pompliano

@JoePompliano

4 Dec

One professional athlete founded a business with more than 5,000 locations in 14 countries.

The crazy part?

He only made $1 million from it.

Time for a thread 👇👇👇

1) Tim Horton, who was born in Ontario, grew up similar to other Canadian children — with an intense passion for hockey.

Eventually, that passion would lead him to a hall-of-fame NHL career.

The only problem?

Professional hockey players didn't make money like they do today.

2) Tim Horton played in the NHL for 24 years, becoming the only player in league history to have 2 different numbers retired — #2 & #7.

Accomplishments:
— 3x NHL All-Star
— 4x Stanley Cup Champ
— Hall-of-Famer

Even still, Horton never made more than $150,000 in a single season.

Read 14 tweets

Joe Pompliano

@JoePompliano

2 Dec

LeBron James turned Apple's $3 billion mistake into a $30 million paycheck.

Time for a thread 👇👇👇

1) Let's start in 2006 — Dr. Dre is approached by a major shoe brand looking to collaborate.

Dre, who worked with Interscope Records founder Jimmy Iovine for a decade, asked his friend for advice.

Iovine said, “F**k sneakers, let’s sell speakers!”

Why?

Apple...

2) Apple changed how we consumed music with the iPod & planned to release the iPhone in 2007.

The only problem?

"Apple was selling $400 iPods with $1 earbuds."

“It's one thing that people steal my music. It's another thing to destroy the feeling of what I've worked on.”

Read 13 tweets

Joe Pompliano

@JoePompliano

1 Dec

Stephen Curry & Under Armour officially launched the Curry Brand today, attempting to emulate Nike's success with Michael Jordan.

The interesting part?

Nike missed out on Stephen Curry by $1.5 million.

Time for a thread 👇👇👇

@AlexKennedyNBA

1) First, let's set the stage.

There are 3 types of shoe deals in the NBA, per @AlexKennedyNBA & @NickDePaula:

1. Signature Deals
2. Cash Deals
3. Merchandise Deals

The differences?

Let's run through 'em...

2) Signature shoe deals are reserved for superstar players — think LeBron James, Kevin Durant & James Harden.

Economics:
— Paid $5-$15 million annually
— Receive ~5% royalties
— Unlimited merchandise
— Signature shoes & apparel

Only 15-20 NBA players have signature shoe deals.

Read 13 tweets

Joe Pompliano

@JoePompliano

28 Nov

Hyperice, the leading sports recovery company, is set to become the next multi-billion-dollar sports business.

The part you didn't know?

Without Kobe Bryant, it would have never happened.

Time for a thread 👇👇👇

1) Let's start in 2007 — Anthony Katz is a 30-year-old high school teacher and basketball coach in Southern California.

For exercise, he regularly organizes pickup basketball games.

The only problem?

As he got older, the games started to leave him increasingly sore & fatigued.

2) Looking for a way to recover faster & prevent injury, Anthony Katz researched how professional athletes dealt with soreness & fatigue.

"I wanted to get the level of treatment the pros were getting."

A combo of elevation, ice & compression made sense — but ice bags didn't…

Read 19 tweets

Joe Pompliano

@JoePompliano

24 Nov

Ben Wallace went from undrafted to $90 million in career earnings, cementing himself as an NBA legend.

The interesting part?

Without $3 haircuts and a mentor, it would have never happened.

Time for a thread 👇👇👇

1) Let's start in 1990 — Ben Wallace, born and raised in Alabama to a family of 13, is a teenager obsessed with two things:

Football & Basketball.

That summer, Wallace wanted to attend Charles Oakley's basketball camp.

The only problem?

He didn't have money to pay for it.

2) Determined to make enough money to attend Charles Oakley's camp, Ben Wallace spent weeks cutting hair for his friends & family.

At $3 a cut, Wallace eventually saved up enough to attend the week-long basketball camp.

With camp paid for and $50 for gas, Wallace hit the road.

Read 16 tweets

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!