The Schmo catches up with former Laker point guard Gary Payton
a fresh, new take on the world of sports. the
Schmo, gives viewers a fresh, new take on the
world of sports.
When Schmulenson realized that his dream
of becoming a professional basketball player
was never going to materialize, he figured his
thirst for sports would be quenched by diving
into the world of Jerry Maguire. Yes, the
Schmo almost became a sports agent.
Schmulenson’s love for basketball, as well as
for awesome weather and scantily clad coeds,
led him to Arizona where he did prep indeed
for a career as an agent. During his senior year
in Tucson, Schmulenson was studying for the
LSAT, the law school admissions test, when he
took a chance and auditioned for Cat Nation,
University of Arizona’s own in-house sports
pregame show. Schmulenson got the gig and
with it a realization that he was destined for a
completely different career.
With a burning desire to succeed and the
uncanny ability to make connections, the
Chicago native made one that would change
his future.
An internship at a Comcast network Chicago
area affiliate led Schmulenson closer to the
alternative sports personality that would
become known as The Schmo.
No stranger to hard work, Schmulenson
began a regimen that is tiresome even
attempting to put it into words. He was
up at 4:30 a.m. putting a personal training
certification he had earned to work. By 3:30
p.m., he had navigated Chicago traffic to
work his internship shift that often ended
after midnight, especially if the Bulls or
Blackhawks were playing out west.
When the internship ended, the Arizona grad
received exactly one offer to work in network
sports in rural Alabama. The Schmo had
other ideas. If he was going to make it in the
industry, Schmulenson figured a move to Los
Angeles was the ticket. It turned out to be the
right move.
Schmulenson figured a
move to Los Angeles was
the ticket. It turned out to
be the right move.
Schmulenson took a job with the Starz
Network to pay the bills while also working
as a game day logger for the NFL Network
on weekends during the 2013-14 season.
That same year, he would catch the break that
Coach & Player Magazine • Summer 2017
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