Episode Five: Going Deep with Sonny Vaccaro on the Commercialization of Sports
Sonny Vaccaro is a fascinating man. He is a living legend in the world of sports and puts players interests first. Sonny grew up in Western Pennsylvania and started the Dapper Dan Roundball Classic with boyhood friend Pat DiCesare in Pittsburgh. His hope was to get local basketball players in front of college coaches to enhance their chances for recruitment. That All Star game led to camps, which led to shoe contracts, which led to Sonny becoming the most prominent marketer of basketball shoes in the world.