White gives PR, life lessons

Eddie White likes to describe himself as a lunatic.

Demented, crazy, and different are other words the director of corporate communications for the Indianapolis Pacers used to characterize himself to IU students Monday.

“I was so demented when I came out of high school, you know what I wanted to do? I wanted to be a lawyer, or I wanted to be a disc jockey, or I wanted to be a writer for Sesame Street,” he said.

Instead, White pursued a career in sports public relations that led him to work for the University of Notre Dame, the Miami Dolphins, Logo 7 and a popular Indiana radio station.

White emphasized that his success did not come easily.

“As God is my witness, I came in second for nine straight jobs before Notre Dame hired me,” White said. “You’re gonna have rejections and it’s the worst thing in the world. You have to believe.”

White also encouraged students to separate themselves from the field by being original.

“I’m different. I’m not your typical PR guy,” he said.

“But, and I say this very humbly, I’m one of the best sports PR guys in the country. I have this weird ability. I see shit nobody else sees.”

One of these things was the potential impact women could have in the sports industry, he said.

White said he was one of the first people to start hiring women into the industry typically dominated by men.

“I realized a long time ago that women are smarter than we are and they’re tougher than we are,” he said to a group of women who stayed to chat after the speech.
Another unconventional tactic White uses in his job is keeping up to date on celebrity news.

“How many PR guys who work with the NFL religiously read People magazine?” he said.

“I get People and Star because I want to know which famous actress is chasing which quarterback. I can use that.”

Along with originality, White also recommended students be prepared to pay their dues.

He gave examples of success stories like Norby Williamson, the ESPN Inc. executive senior vice president of studio and event production who began his career with the company working as a driver. Another man who began working in the ESPN mailroom later became the corporation’s president.

White shared his enthusiasm about the Pacers’ successful season and the PR advantages that have come with it.

Winning is the greatest marketing tool there is, he said.

“If the people in Indiana think the Pacers are getting better, then the Pacers are getting better,” White explained.

White said he believes this philosophy can also be applied to IU.

“The problem I have with Indiana is you should be like Stanford,” he said. “You should win in every frickin’ sport. It should be like, ‘We’re Indiana. We’re gonna fucking win.’”

But noting the Pacers’ recent losses, White said that winning organizations need to carefully avoid arrogance.

“We’ve lost four in a row and I’m like a hockey goalie deflecting,” he said. “You get the dumbest people calling in to sports shows.”

MaryClaire Cieply, a senior who organized the event, said she appreciated White’s straightforward approach.

“I think he was great,” Cieply said. “He’s not as timid as other speakers. He gives you the cold hard truth.”

Junior Margaret Hicks agreed White’s talk was helpful for students pursuing careers in the field.

“It was a pretty informative, laid back perspective on the sports industry,” Hicks said.
 
“It helped me know where to go as a college student since we’re all naive and don’t know what the hell we’re doing.”

When speaking about the future, White said he envisions having his own sports talk show on satellite radio.

“You have to have a dream,” he said. “You gotta know what you wanna do.”

Although he said it is important to think about the future, White reminded students to enjoy the present.

“College is fun,” he said. “Enjoy it. Because when you get on this side of the fence it sucks.”