JOHN SHANNON EXPLAINS ‘EVOLVE OR DIE’

By: Stephen Lylyk, RP Show Intern

Humanity’s ability to evolve alongside societal advancements is absolutely paramount.

As 19th century scientist Charles Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.”

One industry that’s seen several evolutionary strides is the Sports Broadcasting business.

A man who’s witnessed the progression of Sports Broadcasting during his decades-long tenure is hockey pundit John Shannon.

The former Executive Producer of Hockey Night In Canada appeared on Tuesday’s Rod Pedersen show at Grey Eagle Resort & Casino in Calgary, to discuss this topic, as well as his newly-released biography entitled, ‘Evolve or Die: Hard-Won Lessons from a Hockey Life’.

The necessity of evolution in the broadcasting industry is a belief Shannon values, as it was the motivating factor behind the title of his book. 

“What I had to do throughout my career was change,” Shannon reflected. “I went from being a broadcast guy to a hockey person. I went from being a guy that worked at a television network to a guy that worked for the National Hockey League. There’s been an evolution during my time, and I’ve had to adapt to survive, hence the title.”

The youth of today have been blessed with technology that previous generations could only dream of. When asked how the industry must evolve alongside technology Shannon had this to say:

“Most young people (age 25 and under) probably don’t watch a whole game,” Shannon explained. “They watch the highlights and then just follow it on social media. So we have to find ways to tell those stories and be interesting, without creating controversy, while still making it fun.”

‘Evolve or Die: Hard-Won Lessons from a Hockey Life’ is currently available in bookstores, and online at indigo.ca, amazon.ca (amazon.com for Americans).

When asked about its content Shannon said that he was, “asked to put pen to paper and tell some of the stories that make our game and the people of our game so indelible.”  

“It was a thrill to do this project,” said Shannon. “It took me 14 months to create this, but it won’t take you 14 days to read it.”  

 (The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV and WQEE Radio. Call your cable provider to subscribe. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)