📝 Editor’s Note
At work, we rely on sponsors as an important revenue stream. I remember watching with fascination at how many major sponsorships FTX, the crptyo futures exchange, was doing across the NBA, Formula 1, MLB, and even, esports.
I also remember about a year ago when FTX came crashing down. Watching the events unfold on Twitter was surreal.
I recently bought (and very quickly finished) Going Infinite, the new Michael Lewis book that chronicles the rise and fall of FTX and its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried. The story is wild and I highly recommend it.
Without further ado….
Why Emory?
We go way back to early day elementary and Sunday school days. Admittedly, we had lost touch until I started doing my newsletters. It has been great to reconnect with him and get some of his feedback and reactions to various profiles. I’ve also participated in his golf pools (see his plug at the end).
Self-Description
Ever changing, yet Charlotte remaining fella who believes life is better experienced with sarcasm and springer spaniels.
Emory’s Recommendations
Written in his own words…
Brand
I recently upgraded my pickleball paddle to one from "Head," and it's incredible the amount of engineering manufacturers are now putting into their paddles due to the increasing popularity of the sport. Along with myself, many of my friends are getting more and more into pickleball. I try and play a few times a week but it can be difficult to get on courts consistently without proper planning.
I'm bullish on pickleball. Any age can play. If I had the juice, I'd find 20 acres no more than 20-30 minutes from Charlotte and create a pickleball club that caters to both the recreational and serious player/league(s). Places like Rally (think Top Golf but for Pickleball) are really fun, but I'd want to create a mecca for tournaments, local play, etc.
If you have millions of dollars and are willing to be a non-David Tepper/Jerry Jones type boss, hit me up.
Digital Tools
This is a perfect way for both my wife and I to track our finances. It's similar to Mint in that it links your accounts (checking, investments, etc.) and categorizes each transaction to give you a crystal clear picture of your spending habits. With this tool, we're able to have open discussions about the past, present, and future from a planning perspective. So many relationships crumble due to a lack of financial transparency. Don't let that be the main reason your relationship fails.
Content
Hard Work: Life On and Off the Court
I just finished reading Roy Williams' book (Hard Work: Life On and Off the Court). He is the former men's basketball coach at Kansas and UNC. I love reading books by coaches because 1) I love sports and 2) they serve as a great metaphor for life. Roy writes in a simple way. You can breeze through, receiving a lesson and fun story from each page. For example, Tyler Hansbrough's recruitment, or Tar Heels lack of excitement from the 2009 championship compared to 2005 and how that affected him.
Coach Williams loves being a part of a team. That's such a simple statement, yet when I read it my mind raced. I didn't have that with my last job. I started a new one 3 months ago and I'm so much happier now that I'm squadded up.
A semi-deep question for you...what team(s) are you a part of? Where could being on a team help you? It can be a team of two or twenty or two thousand. Human beings don't exist, we belong.
Well-Being
I've tried several different workouts and this just fits everything I want. Cardio focused, with a little bit of strength mixed in. I love talking about OT and just deleted 3 paragraphs worth of content in order to spare you all. Just understand that it's an "in and out," coach-driven, hour-long workout where you dictate the % effort you give and they write the workout for you. As with any of these recommendations, I'm more than willing to give more information if you reach out!
Watch
Warning: this is an animated show aimed towards children. But I absolutely love it. I'm not a parent quite yet, but my kids will watch this show and (hopefully) dress up as little air, water, fire, or earth benders. Those of you with kids...you're welcome! Netflix is coming out with its own live-action version in 2024, but do yourself a favor and watch the animated version first.
Food & Drinks
If you're in Charlotte, go to Lower Left Brewery. It's off of Old Pineville/Nations Crossing and is very much a hidden gem. Try their "Juicy McJuiceface."
Travel
My wife and I just got back from there a month ago. The history is incredible. If you go, get a well-reviewed tour guide. We went on one led by an archaeologist and he was phenomenal. I was "that guy" asking all of the questions, but I won't spoil much for you here. Just know that humanity learned an incredible amount about their civilization due to the city being buried (and thus preserved) in volcanic ash.
Not so fun fact: the average lifespan back then was around 30 years old. Turns out that lead pipes aren't the greatest method in which to transport water. Even worse, putting drops of lead into wine for sweetening purposes also isn't recommended. That's all for your tour.
Bonus: if you took Latin in middle school, you'll want to go see the home of Caecilius and Matella.
Plug
Two things: I'm on an improv team (team name: Bigfoot) - we perform once per month in Charlotte through the Charlotte Comedy Theater. If you're interested in coming to a show, let me know! Tickets are less than $20. It's a fun hour and a half where you can bring your own booze, snacks, etc. Come support those of us with main character syndrome.
Secondly, I run a golf pool for each major during golf season. It's a simple pool ($20 buy in, pick players in tiers based on odds) and is growing. If you're interested, I'd love to tell you more.
Want to get in touch with Emory? Email him at eps.smith@gmail.com
P.S. Check out this list of where to stream holiday movies from @Christmas_joy365. Unfortunately, Die Hard is only available for rent / purchase.