Shanon Lersch

Shanon is a former dancer for the Chicago Bulls who has worked for the NBA in China, hosted sports TV around the world, and become an activist for the inclusion of diverse communities in sports.

Guest: Shanon Lersch

Interviewer: David Driscoll

Shanon: After dancing 4 years in college, and then dancing professionally for 7 seasons for the Bulls, I was given the opportunity to travel internationally. I was working on an international TV show for the NBA in mainland China and most of Southeast Asia. Here, you really get to see passion. It is on a magnified level for the NBA, which is something that we hold dear to ourselves here in the U.S. Going overseas and seeing that passion firsthand, that was multiplied on an international level, gave me another regeneration of what I love about sports- that community and bringing everyone together.

David: How was your experience in China?

Shanon: Another thing I love about sports is that it is a common language. Maybe you don’t speak the same language, but you understand the game the same way. When I would attend games, the announcers were speaking Cantonese or Mandarin, but you still know what’s going on. And that’s what I love is that commonality that sports has.

David: That’s interesting. You have to have a good sense of the feeling of the game if you are reporting on it and you don’t understand Cantonese. I’m guessing you developed a pretty good sense for those kinds of things.

Shanon: You do, and you also learn that body language is essential. We can really read each other just by our body language. You can find out what the players are feeling and sensing, even though you may not know what they are yelling at each other. You know what they are trying to communicate.

David: What got you into coaching?

Shanon: Sports were so important to my development. Sports taught me life skills, and I knew I wanted to give that opportunity to others. That was my push. I said to myself, “If I can’t do it anymore, I want to make sure somebody else has the opportunity to do it.” Just being able to create teams or programs that allow individuals to participate in a sport is near and dear to my heart. I want other people to have the same eye-opening, life-changing experiences with sport that I had.

Shanon: Sports open doors. Whether you are a high level athlete or someone who just enjoys the game, it can open doors and give you opportunities to expand your human growth, expand the cultures you know about, and expose you to different backgrounds. And, you’re doing it while doing something you absolutely love. To me, sports is such a key part of someone’s personal growth. I love that the bubble of sports is no longer just basketball, baseball, and football. You’ve got a wide variety of sports—we even talk about cheerleading and dance now as physical sports. Any type of physical activity, whether its yoga or even gaming, is now considered a sport. Any time you can come together as a team and learn those life skills, it is so important. Sports can connect so many different cultures, and it allows you to learn from each other’s experiences. The more we can encourage every level of participation in sports, the more we can connect on a cultural level.