My goal was to build a meaningful sports business that operates at the highest levels in the areas of business that we compete in. I have an intense desire to be successful, and I'm extremely competitive.
Casey Wasserman
This is one of the last unique things to do in the business of sports, to return the National Football League to the city of Los Angeles. I happen to love the city of Los Angeles; I happen to love the NFL - and to somehow be a part of that, a helper in that process, is something I've always been interested in.
I lived in Cleveland for a summer when I was 12, and I was a ball boy for the Browns, which few people know.
I don't need the NFL to be happy or successful.
Giving back was an expectation, not an option.
The NBA has been extraordinary in its use and embrace of social media; they are by far the leader in professional sports.
I operated a professional football team in L.A. By no means was it the NFL, but I understand what it takes on some level to build and operate a professional sports enterprise in Los Angeles.
I had the freedom to choose my career. I had the opportunity to choose a career in sports. It's what I'm most passionate about. It's what I love.
I have been in business a long time. I never had a successful relationship or partnership with any entity by issuing an ultimatum.
You never want to start a season knowing your team doesn't stand a chance to win. The Premier League may be the one example where fans continue to be passionate about their team despite that.
The Yankees can buy all the stars they want, but that doesn't guarantee they are going to win.
I love the entertainment business. I have a lot of friends in it, but it wasn't my passion. The sports business is what I am passionate about. I also wanted to define myself through something that wasn't linked to my grandfather.
All the lessons I learned from my grandfather from the day I was born until the day he passed away served me well, and I think about them and use them every day. It was much more valuable than any business school could have provided.
You can't just put a bubble over the Westside of L.A. and pretend like there aren't other problems. The way that we are failing the kids in this city through our education system has a profound effect on everybody in the city, and I'm not prepared just to turn a blind eye to that.
I don't think 3D television gets huge adoption until the consumer experience is no different than HD television. Until you can sit down on your couch and just turn on your TV, and it's 3D without anything else happening, I don't think it'll be a massive adoption.
I, like most guys, sit around on Sundays, turn on 'NFL Sunday Ticket,' and watch a dozen-plus games every weekend, much to the dismay of my family.
It's no secret that I have, at best, a strained and awkward relationship with my dad. The Wasserman family - my mom, my sister, Lew and Edie - raised me. They are the people I define as my family.
I was willing to accept a bad reputation if I deserved it, but it was going to be based on my actions, not on anybody's history. I'm not running from my family - I couldn't embrace my family more. But I wanted to work in an industry where I could define myself, not be defined by my grandfather's history.
The All-Star Game represents everything we as a nation love about basketball on and off the court - diversity, sportsmanship and, most of all, a commitment to unite fans.
