Jerry Reinsdorf is Chairman of the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago White Sox, United Center, and U.S. Cellular Field. He is also a partner in Bojer Financial Ltd., a real estate investment company. We spoke with Mr. Reinsdorf to explore his thoughts on sports, the business of sports, and success in life.

Kaizen: You grew up in Brooklyn when the Dodgers were there. Were you a fan as a youth?

Reinsdorf: I was an avid Dodgers fan. Everybody in Brooklyn lived and died with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Kaizen: You went to college at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and then earned a law degree from Northwestern University in Chicago. Looking back, what was the most valuable business skill or knowledge you acquired while a student?

Reinsdorf: In college I was involved in a lot of extracurricular activities—I was the business manager of the newspaper, business manager of the yearbook, and participated in many other activities. It gave me a start in trying to think like a businessman. I don’t think I learned anything in law school about business. I did learn one incredibly valuable thing in law school—I had a professor who taught us that if somebody asks you a question, your answer should be, “Why do you want to know?” Obviously that helps you frame the answer and puts everything in context.
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The latest issue of Kaizen features our interview with Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of the Chicago Bulls, Chicago White Sox, and many real estate ventures. Also featured in this issue of Kaizen are a mini-interview with Professor Shawn Klein on his sports ethics course, as well as reports on Professor Langston, who received a course grant, and the prize-winning essays of five students in the Business and Economic Ethics course—Naomi Byars, Jennifer LaSarre, Kathreen Atkerson, Seth Kryder, and Brittney Leach.

A PDF version of Kaizen is available here. We will soon post separately the interview with Mr. Reinsdorf.

If you would like to receive a complimentary issue of the print version of Kaizen, please email your name and postal address to CEE [at] Rockford.edu.