Steve Young: Why Super Bowls Don’t Define His Legacy & How He Measures a Successful Life

Steve Young (0:00)

The NFL is hard to explain, because it's the most inelastic business, if you think of it from a business perspective. 100 TV shows, highest rated TV shows in America last year, 80 of them were sports, no, NFL. To me, the super heroes are the ones that have defied the natural state. The natural state is seeking credit, the natural state is selfishness, the natural state is fame erodes, and it kind of eats up your ability to relate, to be authentic. So when super famous people are authentic, in those little brief moments, it's a superhero. I try analogies, and one that pops into my mind is a plane. A plane can be built and be amazing, but can it fly? And how does it get flying? And it's like all these esoteric EQ kind of issues around. And people say, oh, I'm EQ, I understand people. Do you use it as a weapon or use it as a tool?

Derek Andersen (0:56)

This episode is brought to you by Google for Startups. Welcome to Divot, where each week I interview interesting and amazing people. Make sure to like and subscribe wherever you watch or listen. Today, we're in Palo Alto, California with Steve Young, the Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, two-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl champion who became one of the defining players of his generation. Steve won NFL MVP awards, he earned seven Pro Bowl selections, he threw a Super Bowl record, six touchdown passes in Super Bowl 29, he won Super Bowl MVP and he earned his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He's the author of three books, QB, My Life Behind the Spiral, The Law of Love and The Law of Love in Action. Today, Steve is chairman and managing partner of HGJC, a private equity firm with more than $10 billion in assets under management. Hope you enjoy our conversation. One time when you were doing Monday Night Football, I came with you and it was in Kansas City, which is like, Airhead Stadium, one of the most insane sports, awesome environments of all time.

So we were there and you were filming and at the time it was like you and Stuart Scott, who was like, I probably spent more time with him than my own dad growing up.

And then Trent Dilfer, right? And so you guys did something at half time or something. And it's like, as we're walking off the field, I mean, it is just like, I can't even, it was like Oracle Finals Playoffs. You know, it was like so intense. People were just going crazy. NFL fans are so crazy. And it's like, you guys are, we're all walking off and it's like, Steve, we love you Steve. And it's like, Stuart, Booyah, we love you Stuart.

Steve Young (2:40)

It's like, Trent, get off the field.

Derek Andersen (2:43)

Like anyways, they, just the like insane NFL sports passion. It's, I don't even know. I don't know what, what, what matches it.

Steve Young (2:53)

Well, I think soccer in Europe matches it. Maybe beats it probably. Really? I mean, the fans are there. It does be beautiful. I've not been, I want to go to the Premier League or see some big European kind of cup.

Um, because like NFL has done what European soccer has done is it's generational now. It's like it passes down and it's, and it's, it's a part of the family. Yeah. It's like, you're not just a fan. You're, it's a part of your family. Like the Chiefs are a part of our family. And, uh, and it's a part of, it's almost a little bit of a religion, right? It's like a religious fervor.

And the NFL is, it's hard to explain because it's the most inelastic business. If you think from a business perspective, doesn't matter what happens. You know, you can talk about all the injuries or CTE, or different players doing things that are not great, or you know, the demand is always there, no matter what. Yeah. And it's just growing. The equity values for NFL teams are skyrocketing every year. Like, how's it going to stay up? It's because the demand is just inelastic. A hundred TV shows, highest rated TV shows in America last year, 80 of them were...

Derek Andersen (4:15)

Sports?

Steve Young (4:15)

No, NFL.

10 of them were college. And the rest were the Oscars or something else, some of their events. Of all TV in America.

Derek Andersen (4:29)

That is insane.

Steve Young (4:29)

80% of the highest rated TV shows in America, 80 of them of the top 100 were NFL football games.

Derek Andersen (4:38)