Civility in the Sports Business:

A Talk with ESPN's George Bodenheimer

George Bodenheimer, an ESPN and cable industry pioneer and the company's longest-tenured president, will give a talk on “Civility and the Sports Business” on Jan. 17 at 6 p.m. at The Ferguson Library.

After graduating from Denison, Mr. Bodenheimer started in the mailroom at ESPN, a company he would one day run. He understood the company culture from the inside out, and ultimately helped the company achieve astounding global growth and success by encouraging a culture that puts people at the center of its mission.

Bodenheimer is the author of Every Town is a Sports Town: Business Leadership at ESPN, from the Mailroom to the Boardroom.

As ESPN President from 1998 to 2011, he led an unprecedented period of global growth. He oversaw all multimedia sports assets of The Walt Disney Company and was co-chairman, Disney Media Networks from 2004 to 2011.

Bodenheimer assumed the newly created position of Executive Chairman, ESPN in 2012. In that capacity, he provided strategic direction for ESPN’s global business until he left the company in 2014.

Bodenheimer’s path to leadership mirrors that of ESPN itself – with his sharp focus on creativity and cutting-edge innovation, always enhancing value for sports fans and ESPN’s business partners. He says ESPN’s culture is the company’s strategic advantage. As president, he viewed his primary role as working hard to preserve and enhance that culture while emphasizing career development for all of ESPN’s people.

He graduated from Denison University with a degree in economics. He serves on the boards of The V Foundation for Cancer Research, Denison University, Under Armour and Sirius XM.

Robert L. Dilenschneider, founder and president of The Dilenschneider Group, who conceived the idea for the series, said, “Incivility has become socially acceptable and commonplace. The lack of civility in every segment of society, from politics to academia, from the media to the blogosphere, from talk radio to the pulpit, has become a crippling epidemic that threatens the future of our country. Something must be done.”

For information about the series, call (203) 351-8231. Register online.

The Civility in America Series is sponsored by The Dilenschneider Group, the Hearst Media Group in Connecticut and The Ferguson Library.