Business Lessons From Howard Stern And LeBron James

You might not think that radio host Howard Stern and basketball phenom LeBron James have much in common, but their ability to fully exploit being the best in their field is extraordinary. Each man is well-known nationwide and beyond and each have captured their fans’ fierce loyalty for years. However, their respective talents in radio and basketball alone haven’t led to their business successes.

Stand out by doing things differently. “King Of All Media”, Howard Stern has been a controversial figure in radio and other media for over 30 years, but he has also been the most popular radio host in the United States for most of those years. Whether offering his unique take on what’s happening in pop culture, or shedding light on the not-so-mainstream world of strippers and misfits, Howard Stern has given his audience the kind of entertainment that they enjoy – whether or not they would ever admit it publicly. If he wasn’t controversial and didn’t go against the grain in the manner he has, he wouldn’t be anywhere near as popular as he is and I wouldn’t be writing about him.

LeBron James was already an extremely popular athlete prior to the Summer of 2010, but his Decision to “take [his] talents [from Cleveland] to South Beach” catapulted him into an entirely new level of superstardom that very few reach. LeBron set a precedent for all elite professional athletes that Summer by taking away some of the power of billionaire team owners, and building a team on his own terms. By making this move, LeBron was exclaiming that team owners are no longer the master’s of athletes careers. In fact, elite athletes can make or break entire franchises, as evidenced by the Miami Heat’s ascension to the NBA Finals the following season while the Cleveland Cavaliers’ value fell from $476 million to $355 million and from 61 to 19 wins. The manner in which he made his announcement was perhaps more radical than the announcement itself, as 13.1 million people watched LeBron and Jim Gray conduct an hour-long special that led to LeBron’s decision after several days of intense buildup.

You can bend (a lot of) the rules if you’re the best at what you do. There’s probably no better example of someone being able to break the rules and being able to live to tell about it because of their huge talent than Howard Stern. Between 1990 and 2004 The Howard Stern Show received fines from the FCC totaling $2.5 million to radio licensees for airing material it deemed indecent from the highest amount of any American radio show. Why was the show able to continue despite these massive fines? Because Howard Stern has had millions of loyal listeners for decades.

Piggybacking off of the previous topic, LeBron James is changing the landscape of free agency for elite players in the NBA by keeping the NBA and its fans on edge every time his current contract expires. Will LeBron sign a one year deal with the Miami Heat this Summer? Will he sign with a totally unexpected team rather than re-upping with the Miami Heat as expected? Nobody knows, except LeBron.

Fan loyalty is king. LeBron and Stern are enabled to push the limits with the methods described above because of their massive fan followings. No fans, no popularity, and no audience to entertain. LeBron hosted his Decision special because he knew that millions of people would be interested enough to tune in because they cared about where he’d be playing the following season. Stern took the risk of jumping to Sirius Satellite Radio in 2005 after his terrestrial radio contract ended because he had faith that a good percentage of his fans would make the jump with him, and he was right.

Never be boring (or find your niche). Howard Stern distinguished himself from the masses of talking heads by positioning himself in stark contrast to status quo broadcasters: by becoming a shock jock and relentlessly pushing the limits of decency. Stern saw that unless a broadcaster was positioned with a ready-made platform to position themselves as a star (see Casey Kasem, Ryan Seacrest), they needed to take it upon themselves to separate themselves in a memorable way that people could resonate with. Stern understands that controversy and emotion riles up an audience more than the mundane ever will. Don’t agree? Why does America love reality television and how did Jerry Springer’s show become so popular?

How does LeBron fit in this category? He is perhaps the most exciting player in the NBA, and constantly keeps the NBA world’s attention by using the methods explained earlier.

Reinvention is the key to longevity. After nearly a decade of being beloved by the basketball-watching world, LeBron James became the enemy in 2010 for the way that he announced his departure from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite not embracing this persona, LeBron became more popular than ever, maybe even more popular with his haters and his fans. As the evolution of LeBron continues, he could be transitioning back to being generally beloved, as rumors swirl about his possible return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. This ever-changing storyline paired with LeBron’s immense talent makes him a minute-to-minute staple of sports talk shows across the world.

Howard Stern has had a remarkably long career with a common thread of pushing the limits of what is acceptable and shocking his listeners and viewers. In the 1980’s and 1990’s it was all about testing the borders of the FCC. From 2005 to present Stern has operated outside of the FCC’s jurisdiction, instead testing the boundaries of what society is comfortable with while at the same time becoming perhaps the best interviewer in the modern age. While still hosting his radio show, Stern made perhaps his most shocking moving of all: transforming himself into a family friendly personality on network television by becoming a judge on America’s Got Talent in 2012. While some argue that Stern’s shtick grew tired long ago, there’s no denying that he still wields massive power in the entertainment industry because of his ability to stay relevant with continuous reinvention.

Do you have examples of other celebrities who use these tactics in such as masterful way? What about other tactics that these 2 men use? Other comments? Shoot them to me in the comments below.

PS: Baba booey.

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Tonight’s Box Score: 31 points, 9 boards, 7 dimes, 1 Block, 3 Steals, 2 Turnovers.