By: Thomas Leary
Univision Exec VP/Sports Strategy & Planning OLEK LOEWENSTEIN, a ’17 SBJ/SBD “Forty Under 40” honoree, was in Charlotte last weekend for multiple Concacaf Gold Cup matches. It’s been a non-stop summer of soccer for the veteran exec, and this weekend he reunites with his wife and son back home in Miami to recharge the batteries.
SUMMER SLATE: The weeks are hectic for me. I was trying to go back in my calendar, and ever since late May, I really have only spent 3 days back home with my family. With all of the soccer properties that we have over the course of the summer, my days are filled with travel. Then we had the start of the World Cup, and I’ve been going back and forth from a couple of games making sure our coverage is what we want it to be. We need to give our audience what they’re expecting in terms of content and production and so forth. When people ask me where I live, I can honestly say the Admiral Club at Miami Airport.
FAMILY TIES: Given that the summer is so hectic, I normally outsource my family for some time. My wife and son recently went to see family in Europe and my son went to a soccer camp there. They’re coming back this weekend and I’m going to get to spend the weekend watching soccer with my son on the couch before I travel to the Gold Cup semifinals next week.
RUNS IN THE FAMILY: My wife has a good story. When I attended my first World Cup in 2010, I stepped into the stadium and I literally cried. I shed a few tears and my wife turns around and says, “But you never cry.” A few years later, my son is born — and I don’t cry. My wife still takes that out on me. So soccer has been my passion forever, and now my son is very into it. He went to his first World Cup when he was 3. Our guests at Univision and the house are nearly all ex-players and coaches. It could have gone either way with him, but he’s eight years old and loves the sport. Every time we think about sending him to a camp he asks, “Is there going to be soccer?”
HOME BASE: We take the time to relax whenever we’re at home with my constant traveling. We do live next door to a country club and Cuban restaurant, so those are probably our de-facto places. The good thing about Miami is that there is such a big Venezuelan community, where I grew up for most of my life. We have some go-to places with Venezualan food. It’s nice to be able to go somewhere that brings you a little bit home again. We also love to stay home and just have a barbeque when we can as well.
TRAVEL TIPS: This is going to sound like a road warrior story, but I’ve learned how American Airlines changes their movies on the first of each month. So the first couple trips in each month I knock out the ones I haven’t seen in theaters. Toward the end of the month I start downloading stuff on Netflix. Right now I’m watching the DAVID LETTERMAN series “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.”
Source: Sports Business Daily
