Today we’d like to introduce you to Vic Enwere.
Vic, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
For the last decade of my life, I had been in a position that I was all too familiar with, a place of comfort even. As a former division 1 student-athlete, I commanded the captain’s hat by holding myself accountable to all aspects of student athlete life. In Wooden on leaderships (2005) he states “Remember, control of your organization begins with control of yourself.” (p. 39) At the time, I was a clear walking example of this vision; I lived it in every way possible.
However, as my career came to an end I was forced to look deeply within, I was thrusted out of place I was so comfortable with. While transitioning into my next phase of life I was lost; deeply depressed and estranged from a life that was structured for me from 6am-10pm. Many people look at the life of a student-athlete and say how hard it is or how impossible it would be to endure a schedule like the ones we knew all too well. Truthfully, there was some comfort in that experience; it gave your life purpose and direction in many areas that otherwise you would not have obtained purposeful driven tasks to strive for. Losing that put me in a mental state that leads me to question the foundation of my “Pyramid To Success”. (Wooden, 2005, p.16) Although, as moved toward the discovery of the journey I am embarking upon now, I found that the foundation pieces of a leader never escapes that individual but one must learn to adapt by redefining the next tiers of success. Like many of my peers when I graduated from undergrad, I told myself I was never going back to school under any circumstances. As a projected 5th round pick in the NFL draft, I envisioned a life far from the main stacks of Moffit library and miles away from a homework assignment. I ended up going undrafted and being signed as an UDFA to the New York Jets, this was my first taste of real-world failure but I didn’t waiver or quit; I carried a chip on my shoulder with intent to prove my worth to the organization who took a chance on me. After sustaining a number of injuries, bouncing from 1 team to the next I saw my football career come to an end.
For the months to follow, I struggled greatly with my negative self-talk; I had lost my identity and everything that I had tied myself to for 15+ years. In Emotional Intelligence the authors discussed the idea of making your goals public in an effort to bring the best out of yourself. (Bradberry & Greaves, 2009) Truthfully, I could not disagree with that notion any more than I already do. The emotional journey is a personal one and from my experience, the added pressure from the external voice created by publicizing your goals only crowds the mental space with outside noise. Essentially, making it much harder to hone in on your own reasoning and more importantly, it can obscure your “why”. From questions from family, friends, and media I dealt with the constant question of “what is your next move?”, “will you ever play again?’ I heard it all. In less than a year, I had felt like i lost it all, my life had unraveled in a way I never expected. I had finally had enough I was ready to take back the control of my life, but first I had to make peace with my past. Prior to reading Wooden On Leadership, I never was able to find the words to define the maturation process that I underwent at that time. “When you’ve done your best, you may call yourself a success” (Wooden, 2005, p. 55). It was important during that time period to separate my rationality from my emotions to truly dissect my state of mind.
As an athlete, many of us think of ourselves as strong-minded individuals who have the internal conversation figured out. When truthfully emotional intelligence is an everchanging attribute that we must continue to adapt and mold constantly. As illustrated in Bradberry and Greaves’ Emotional Intelligence, the path to “self-awareness” is often led by the examinations of one’s relationship between reason and emotion. The journey through my own mental space was not an easy one by any means but nothing can change for you without first having the internal conversation. Once enough time had passed by, I was able to look at my journey through football and define myself not by the failures and not by the wins, but by the process itself. The work that I had put in and all the sacrifices I had made over the years suddenly didn’t feel like a burden but a pleasant memory of how far I had truly come. “True success – personal greatness – should not be defined by the final score or bottom line” (Wooden, 2005, p. 56). Unknowingly, through what felt like my biggest failure to date, I pieced together one of the final and key elements to my leadership journey. I had become too comfortable in the sports realm as an athlete, I began to move through the routine like clockwork, passive in some ways.
This obstacle, this great obstruction, ignited a new fire in me to impact the world in ways I never imagined prior. Growth is found in the most uncomfortable places, and failure is the world’s greatest discomfort.
As the Account Director at TSE, I represent a Diverse Group of Athletes in their off the playing field endeavors. From the Sports Marketing, Branding, & Business Development Perspective, I provide strategic support to navigate the business of sports for our clientele. As a Former Division 1 Student Athlete and Professional Football player with a Bachelor Degree in Legal Studies from the University of California at Berkeley; Currently in the process of completing my MA in Sports Business Management at the University of San Francisco, which ranks in the top 10 as an educational Institution. I specialize in Marketing, Business Development, and Client Relations with in the Sports Industry. I have extensive experience working in the Sport & Entertainment industry, gaining applicable skills from various perspectives. I have serviced a number of major Sports Agencies & Management firms. Working directly with Agents, CMO’s, and CPA’s, where I consulted on various aspects of Sports Business; developing a vast network of professional relationships.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Was released from the New York Jets. Injuries that ended my football career and essentially my NFL dreams. Hit rock bottom with barely a dollar to my name. Was passed on by numerous job opportunities. Covid-19 shut my business opperations* down losing 70% of my revenue.
We’ve been impressed with Transition Sports & Entertainment, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Transition Sports & Entertainment Transition Sports & Entertainment is a strategic marketing agency that was founded upon the principles of the support, growth, and development of the modern-day athletes. Founded by Keith Bullock and his right-hand man Don Povia, Keith a former All-Pro LB for the Tennessee Titans found himself on the other side of his career with very little support from his agent as football had ended for him. Bullock believed that is was time to create some change, he felt that it was time for there to be an agency that helped players navigate not only their career transitions but to help them successfully navigate life and maximize the opportunity they had been given. Keith Bullock then sought out his trusted friend and well-known businessmen with this idea. Don Povia who was recognized as a trailblazer and influencer in the sports digital space for his work to bridge the gap between traditional media and the social web space in the early 2000s.
In 2009, he created a first-of-its-kind new media sports conference series and platform and has worked with public relations and digital agencies to help develop and implement strategies for sports and lifestyle brands both on a national and global scale. Transition Sports & Entertainment (TSE) empowers athletes and entertainers to position themselves and their brands as enduring businesses – to transcend their value on the field to create economies of meaning for the benefit of themselves, their families, and their communities. The company not only preaches an era of transparency but as a pivotal part of the organization, I will be the first to say that the environment of which we work reflects everything that our company says it stands for. We support our clients in every way possible, the good, the bad, & the Covid-19. The attention to detail at which the leaders approach solving the individual issues of our clients and our staff is unlike any work experience I’ve had to date. With an open-door policy with our senior leaders, we work in a comfortable environment that not only challenges us to do our best but provides us with every resource to be the best we can be.
Administrative Structure: The agency is comprised of five main verticals; Athlete, Sports Tech, Brands, Creative Studio, & Public Relations. Each vertical is led by a senior officer & a second in command, except for the creator’s studio which is a collection of a number of talented artists (in house & freelance). As an Account Executive, I head the Athlete vertical as well as being a leader on the Brand Vertical staff. The Sports Tech Vertical is headed by our CEO Shannon Judd & sports tech expert Peter Stein. The Public relationship department is owned by our Senior President Don Povia and is assisted by advisors Paul Murphy/Josh Green. The creator’s studio is led by former MLB content creator Rich Mcleod who oversees all of content creation, design buy, & media direction. Transition is not your everyday marketing agency, we are brand developers, we help our clients build leverage for themselves and their own brands.
Doing so through a multi-faceted approach to PR, Marketing, Branding, in house creative development, and complete ownership of the process. We look as athletes as businesses and not just players, we structure their core presence as businesses are structured and provide the necessary strategic support to satisfy all of their necessary operations. From philanthropy to financial consulting, fundraising and business allocation we perform all tasks necessary for the success of the athlete their families and community.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
The thing that most people I work with are very surprised about is my age, I am currently 24 years of age and will be turning 25 on January 9th, one of the youngest people to reach a senior position in this space, and one of the youngest athlete reps to date. I started in this business at the age of 22 years old and have achieved a great deal in a very short amount of time.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://transitionse.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vicenwere23/
