Business is the ultimate sport, according to Desmond Ferguson, former NBA player, Lansing native and owner of Moneyball Sportswear. Ferguson shared this advice during a press conference for journalism students at the MIPA 2018 Summer Workshop on July 30.
“You have to do something you love,” Ferguson, who started his company in 2002, said, “that you would be willing to do even if you didn’t get paid.”
Students asked questions about Moneyball, what made Ferguson start the business and his future plans and goals for the company. He also talked about his basketball life, both in the NBA and overseas.
But despite his many experiences, Ferguson said his greatest accomplishment was his new son.
“To be able to bring another life into this world is my greatest joy,” he said.
He said besides having a good education, one of the most valuable qualities a person can have is relationships. He said he credits his success to having good relationships with the people he played with and for.
Ferguson encouraged journalism students to research and prepare questions for whomever they interview, because interviewees don’t respond well to questions that could easily have been researched. He also said, “You have to get comfortable being uncomfortable.”
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Desmond Ferguson press conference at MIPA 2018
Hi Madison! My name is Annie and I’m taking the Opinion Coverage class at MIPA this year. The headline of the article was to the point, and the material fit it well. Something that I found interesting at his seminar was that he mentioned his family including his hard working single mother and his new son. Adding the information about his family added an emotional piece to the article.
My name is Vidalia, and I’m in the opinion writing class. I thought your story was very well done. For example I really liked the quotes you used such as “To be able to bring another life into this world is my greatest joy,” he said. I think that was a great quote to segway into the second part of the story. I also liked your word choice in the last paragraph you used the word whomever.