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Super Bowl Champion QB Joe Theismann to Give Closing Keynote at 2021 Management Conference

NSGA News • September 16, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT
Marty Maciaszek, Director of Communications
mmaciaszek@nsga.org
(847) 296-6742, ext. 1260

DOWNERS GROVE, ILLINOIS (September 16, 2021) – 
Joe Theismann, a star NFL quarterback and successful entrepreneur and television broadcaster, will give the closing keynote at the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit on September 26-28 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Florida.

In the “Challenge of Change” session on the afternoon of Tuesday, September 28, Theismann will share the personal challenges he faced and how attendees can learn to tackle change by maintaining a positive mental outlook and committing to a vision that leads to success.

Golf celebrity and analyst Gary McCord was originally scheduled for the closing keynote but was unable to speak at the Management Conference because of a personal matter.

“We are really happy to get a speaker of the caliber of Joe Theismann for the Management Conference on such short notice,” said Matt Carlson, NSGA President & CEO. “Joe has lived a life of significant achievement on and off the football field and sharing the lessons he learned will be a great way to wrap up the Management Conference for our attendees.

“We are disappointed Gary McCord could not be with us at the event but we understand with the circumstances involved.”

Theismann was an All-American at the University of Notre Dame, a runner-up for the 1970 Heisman Trophy award and a 2003 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame. He spent three years in the Canadian Football League before coming to the NFL and Washington, where he led the team to a victory in Super Bowl XVII, was the NFL’s MVP in 1983, a Pro Bowl MVP and winner of the league’s Man of the Year award in 1982 for his community service and dedication to the health and welfare of children.

Theismann’s playing career came to an abrupt end on November 18, 1985 when he suffered a compound fracture of his leg during a Monday Night Football game. At age 35, he faced his “Challenge of Change” personally and professionally and became an Emmy-award winning network analyst and successful businessman, author and speaker. Theismann received the Walter Camp Football Foundation “Distinguished American” award in 2013 and his book How To Be A Champion Every Day was released in June 2020.

The Management Conference program will also feature Duncan Wardle, the former vice president of innovation and creativity for Disney, with the opening keynote on Monday. There will be education sessions analyzing Gen Z from the perspectives of sporting goods shoppers and employers, how the DNA of what makes sports champions can be applied to business success, the current challenge of finding people to join the workforce and organizational cybersecurity.

The Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held for the Class of 2020:  Peter Capolino (Mitchell & Ness Nostalgia Co.), Robert Greenberg (Skechers) and Klaus Obermeyer (Sport Obermeyer). The popular Speed Networking session, which features a series of quick meetings between manufacturers and retailers and team dealers, will be held Monday afternoon.

Registration is still open for the 2021 NSGA Management Conference and Team Dealer Summit on September 26-28, 2021 in Naples, Florida. Go to https://www.nsga.org/conference2021.

About the National Sporting Goods Association

Since 1929, the National Sporting Goods Association has been the leading voice and go-to resource for sporting goods retailers and dealers. NSGA helps the industry grow the business through research, advocacy and networking. For more information about membership or NSGA’s products and services, please visit nsga.org.

About the NSGA Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit

The NSGA Management Conference and Team Dealer Summit was first held in 1965 and is the longest-running and most successful leadership event in the sporting goods industry. Top executives and decision makers from sporting goods retailers, team dealers, manufacturers, sales agencies and industry supporting vendor companies gather for education, best-in-class networking, dynamic speakers and industry recognition at the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame induction.