EPISODE 27 - Passion and Purpose with Marty Smith

 

Passion and energy for your life’s work is hard to manufacture. You either have it or you don’t. And when your job puts you in front of millions of people who share a similar passion, you better be ready to turn that energy dial all the way up.

 

On this episode, we talk to Marty Smith from ESPN about the importance of mentorship, how his work life has changed while live sports take an unforeseen pause, and how he looks forward to gathering buddies in a small Middle Tennessee town as soon as possible.

 

 


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Success often starts with equal parts passion and energy. But to really set it into motion, you need guidance, support, and sometimes, the right opportunity. So it was with Jack Daniel, who arrived at Dan Call’s farm as a young boy to discover his passion for making whiskey. He learned his craft from Nathan “Nearest” Green, and after the Civil War, Jack purchased Call’s whiskey still. He hired Nearest and his sons, and the rest, as they say, is history.


We see this recipe for success in places both obvious and unexpected. For ESPN reporter Marty Smith, his trajectory has been much the same.


Smith grew up in Pearisburg, Virginia, and started small, covering sports for daily newspapers in Roanoke and Lynchburg, Virginia. He then joined NASCAR.com where he served as a senior writer, became an analyst and host on the SPEED Channel, and a NASCAR analyst on Fox Sports Net. From 2007-2014 Smith was ESPN’s lead NASCAR reporter. Today, he hosts Marty Smith’s America on ESPN2 and co-hosts Marty and McGee on SEC Network and ESPN radio, among other roles with the network.


Smith has been fortunate to make a career off passion, but he attributes his success to the many people who believed in him. Those who recognized his passion offered him opportunities. They cracked the door just enough that he could kick it in and seize the moment.


Never one to forget those who helped him, Smith passes it on whenever possible, most notably in 2019 when his supportive words to a young reporter were captured in a video that went viral.


Smith felt he was just doing what he was supposed to in that moment. He believes that small nuggets of kindness can change the world. Perhaps it’s in his blood.


On this episode of Around the Barrel, host Lucas Hendrickson chats with Smith from a distance (due to the ongoing pandemic) to find out his connection to Jack Daniel’s. Smith also shares the backstory on his career path, and why he always tries to pay it forward. He discusses how sports reporting has pivoted in the absence of live sports, and what he hopes to do once we can all gather together again. Hint: it involves a group of friends, our hometown product and some live country music. Join us for this and more, Around the Barrel.

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