On this episode of the SeventySix Capital Sports Leadership Show, Wayne Kimmel interviewed former Investigative Reporter for ESPN Outside The Lines, Steve Delsohn.

During his 30-plus years in journalism and communications, Delsohn has built a national reputation as a network television reporter, nonfiction author, documentary producer, and strategic communications consultant.

Delsohn worked 16 years as an investigative reporter for ESPN TV’s Outside the Lines, the news magazine show which examines substantial issues in the sports world. In 2013 he won a Peabody Award for a story on the concussion crisis in the NFL. In 2009 he earned an EMMY nomination for a story on Joe Paterno’s morally-decaying Penn State football program.

He did other high-profile investigations of improper medical care in high school football; the dangers of 15-seat passenger vans which transport small-college athletes; the academic fraud scandal at the University of North Carolina; corruption in the youth football helmet industry; a college football coach who sold meth on the side; and a female teenage athlete sexually assaulted while competing against boys during a high school water polo game.

Delsohn has written 12 nonfiction books, including The Fire Inside, an oral history of American firefighters which inspired a History Channel documentary (Into the Fire) and was used as source material for the fictional film Ladder 49.

He has also written or co-written books on John Wayne, Bobby Knight, Sam Kinison, Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown, Notre Dame football, the 1985 Chicago Bears, the Los Angeles Dodgers and USC football. He has co-produced one documentary on college basketball (Guru of Go) for ESPN’s esteemed 30 for 30 series, and the aforementioned documentary on firefighters for History Channel.

Delsohn is a native of Chicago now living just outside Los Angeles. His passions are reading, fitness, movies, politics...and above all his wife and three children.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Steve Delson

02:00 Journey into Sports Media

08:11 Experiences with Jim Brown

09:22 Memorable Stories at ESPN

13:00 The Importance of Trust in Journalism

17:37 Working with Bob Lee

19:28 Transition to Delson Strategies

22:33 The Evolving Sports Media Landscape

25:21 Advice for Dealing with the Press

32:05 Proudest Career Moments

35:13 Advice for Aspiring Sports Journalists

Connect with Steve Delsohn:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/delsohnstrategies/