Issue No. 145 | January 18, 2025

I met Jordan Rogers, oh, probably around 10 years ago now, maybe more. We went to church here in Dallas together and spent some time together right around the time he was getting a job at Nike, which took him up to Oregon.

He spent 10 years working for Nike doing a million different things, eventually landing as an executive in the creative space of brand marketing. Life brought him back to Dallas eventually, and we have reconnected over golf and entrepreneurship as he has launched his own creative agency.

Jordan is a good friend and someone who I aspire to be like creatively. He’s a sicko (at the infirmary level), too. It’s all he thinks about, the same as the rest of us. And his story — which he tells below — is insane. One that I’m grateful for as a friend and glad that he’s willing to share.

Hope you guys enjoy.

But first!

Thank you to Seed Golf for presenting today’s newsletter.

Jordan and I haven’t played in a while, but next time we do, we’ll both be playing Seed Golf balls (mostly because I’ll bring him some as a thank you for doing this Q&A).

We are fired up to partner with Seed for 2025. Like Jordan and I talk about below, best story wins, and Seed has a great story. Here’s a snippet of it from founder, Dean Klatt.

Of all the golf ideas floating around in the universe, we’re thankful that Dean’s inventor spirit landed on affordable premium golf balls.

Speaking of price, we said in a recent newsletter that you can use the code NORMALSPORT at checkout at Seed Golf for 20 percent off your order (one thing to note here: this discount only works with items that are not already discounted!).

OK, onto the Q&A.

KP: When do you remember first falling in love with golf?

JR: Intrigued, entranced, obsessed, in love: these were the phases of my golf journey.

I became intrigued with the sport tagging along with my grandfather. He had an honorary membership at the Vicksburg, MS Country Club because he was a local pastor. He loved Jesus and golf and sports. The rituals of golf seemed cool to me: the crunch of metal spikes, the cool polos, & the chance to drive the ever intriguing golf cart is what hooked me early, but it wouldn't be until years later that I fell in love.

KP: Your backstory is incredible — one of my favorites — give readers the elevator version, and tell me how — if at all — golf was part of the healing process for you.

JR: Heroin addiction and incarceration weren't part of my plan, but they are key parts of my story. I grew up obsessed with all sports. I was a jack of all trades, master of none. But in Dallas if you wanted to keep playing sports into junior high and high school, you needed to be a master of at least one. 

In hindsight, golf was actually the one I was most equipped to excel at, but Tiger hadn't hit the scene yet, and my desire for excitement and cool drew me to basketball, forsaking my other sports like soccer and baseball.

I didn't have the raw athleticism to overcome my lack of an MJ work ethic, so there I was at 14 when the music stopped. In the game of sporting musical chairs, I was left out. 

Suddenly, what occupied a huge part of my existence was gone at the moment I needed it most. The grandfather I mentioned passed away, and I was idle at the most awkward and challenging stages of youth: early adolescence.

I turned to drugs and alcohol. That devolved rapidly. I got arrested for the first time at 14, tried heroin for the first time at 15, and spent the next several years battling addiction. By 22, I wound up incarcerated for over a year. 

Getting into recovery was key and I fortunately landed in a group of friends all striving to put their life back together. All of us were at different ages and stages, but a common theme emerged through the group: we all wanted to stay clean and try golf again. So, a bunch of dope fiends pick up golf and never look back.

We practiced around the clock, skipped work to play, watched the Golf Channel all the time, had putting competitions in the house, played Tiger Woods on PlayStation ... full immersion therapy as it were.

Golf has been an integral part of healing. 

I broke 90 for the first time the week that my best friend died of addiction. When nothing else in the world made sense, golf seemed to be the only respite that wouldn't get me locked up or buried.

This has been true for many years ... and after much loss. 

Golf is the opposite of addiction. My addiction was isolation, indoors, nocturnal & unhealthy. Golf is with friends, outdoors in all of the elements, in the sunlight and healthy.

Ed. note: I know a lot of Jordan’s story, but I honestly didn’t realize how paramount golf was to his healing so I was so pumped to read what he wrote above. What a story. Also, his I Am Second is terrific.

KP: You were an executive at Nike for a long time. What was the most important thing you learned about sports marketing during your time there?

JR: Marketing is mostly about storytelling.  We have to get people's attention, but it's often through a compelling story that makes them want to be a part of something. This is the basis for much of human connection.

KP: What is your favorite Nike golf commercial ever?

JR: "Ripple" — it tells Rory's journey, from childhood inspired by Tiger...to sharing the first tee with Tiger as a pro.  Ugh, chills just watching it now. 

KP: I know you’re a big brand guy — you care deeply about how companies tell their stories to consumers. How does this weird intersection we’re at where individual creators or tiny shops seem to be usurping the Big Brands affect branding into the future? Maybe specifically in golf.

JR: I'm watching the disruption happen in golf that I was dying for when I jumped into the game 16 years ago.

The Big Brands are finally giving us some of what we want: Air Jordan golf shoes, more access BTS on the Tour, documentaries like Full Swing ... but it's all because they've been pushed by the people. TGL and YouTube Golf are built from the unrequited demand of golfers for years. 

Despite golf's history as a fashion leader (think Arnie and the Rat Pack), by the 2000's we reached peak performance golf gear dominance. The only place you could shop for golf gear for years was a pro shop, Golf Galaxy or PGA Superstore. The big brands dominated: Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, Puma if you wanted a head-to-toe orange Rickie Fowler outfit.

None were exactly great experiences, nor very fashionable. 

Enter Stephen Malbon. What started as an Instagram nostalgia page gave way to a full on fashion business. Couple that with the big manufacturer breakups of 2016-19, the LIV/PGA infighting and the pandemic that gave birth to a new influx of golfers...and we have a new set of demands. 

Just this week we see Good Good Golf signing PGA Tour players to apparel deals! I absolutely love to see it. 

KP: Where is the biggest opportunity to jump into the golf world and flip it on its head from a business perspective? 

JR: Close your eyes and throw a dart! Golf is stuck in the mid nineties in so many ways. Almost every area is ripe for disruption, and we're seeing it. 

Getting a tee time is laborious and antiquated. Golf carts are the same as they were for decades. The PGA Tour has overplayed its hand and failed to innovate at literally every turn so YouTubers are now the leaders in golf culture. Women's golf is undercovered and underserved. 

KP: “Best story wins” is a quote I think about a lot. What are the most important elements of a great story to you?

JR: Does it connect to the listener and stick with them? Does it make them FEEL something? Humans are story making creatures. It's our way of making sense of the world. 

KP: What is the most intriguing part of Bryson’s rebrand to you? He has somehow gone from ostracized to Tom Brady wanting to be on his YT channel. The entire thing has been incredible to watch.

JR: Bryson has taken control of his own brand. Most athletes rely upon their sponsors or their league to tell their story & build their image. That's fine if and when they're heavily invested in you AND are good storytellers. But most brands are fickle and only stick with the winners. 

Bryson hired his OWN team and does his OWN content, building his OWN YouTube channel. His charisma and showmanship was not able to shine in the traditional formats of pro golf.  More players should take notes.

KP: What is your dream golf job?

JR: I'm living out my dream in so many ways right now. I'm being paid to speak, create content and consult for companies in the game.  But I'd like to do more for The Masters or The Open Championship.

A Wright Thompson creative collaboration in Augusta. Creatively directing film pieces for The Open championship. I dream of these things. 

So, if you're out there reading ... my DMs are open.

Thank you for reading until the end.

You’re a sicko, and I’m grateful for it.

And thank you to Jordan for his friendship and his willingness to share his story.

Go follow him if you haven’t yet.