Photo by Danilo.Lewis|FotographyTed Leonsis once almost died in a plane crash. Well, he was on a plane when a crash landing was expected, but he and the other passengers came down just fine when the landing gear worked at the last minute. It’s what arose from the flight crew’s instruction to prepare for disaster that has landed Leonsis as partial leader of the Washington, D.C. sports landscape for years to come.
No, the 1983 almost-crash didn’t motivate Leonsis to become rich – he already was pretty successful. Rather, it provided him with perspective that redefined him as a person and steered him in a new direction. Leonsis drafted a list of 101 things he wanted to do in life, which (among other things) earned him an appearance on Oprah. But it was item number 40 in section V which put him where he is today: ‘Own a sports franchise (basketball, hockey or football).’
