American Dream, a three-million square foot retail, dining and entertainment center in East Rutherford, NJ has become a desired sports destination.
One of the reasons why is Gregg Schwartz, Director of Public Relations for American Dream. Schwartz, who has nearly 20 years of experience in sports industry joined SportsJam with Doug Doyle to talk about the center's exciting sports plans.
The legendary Harlem Globetrotters are a big part of that, agreeing to a residency at American Dream (August 16-25).
Schwartz says the Globetrotter's residency is unique venture.
"It's great. It's been great to work with Keith Dawkins and the team there. The thing about the Harlem Globetrotters is that they usually go to an arena and they might be there for two games over four days. The unique thing about our environment is that they can set up shop for ten days. We came up with the concept for the first-ever sports residency. That will be 16 games over ten days with a couple of doubleheaders over the weekends. The first game on Sunday, August 18 is going to be nationally televised. So it's a great way for fans to engage with the Globetrotters and get some unique VIP experiences."
The residency follows some other major events at American Dream. The entertainment complex recently held the USA Curling National Championships and Arena Bowl Championship. Last year, American Dream was the home for the now-defunct Metropolitan Riveters women's professional hockey team.
Gregg Schwartz's sports passion came at an early age. He began his sports career in production and journalism before shifting to public relations with the New York Jets in 2007. He joined the New York Knicks communications team in 2008 and spent 12 years with the NBA team.
"I love sports. Obviously, I have an extensive background in it. When I left the Knicks, I still wanted to be involved in sports. It may seem like I'm not working at a retail center. I was trying to figure out how to combine sports into my day. We've done that. We've hit the ground running."
You can SEE the entire SportsJam with Doug Doyle interview with Gregg Schwartz here.
