interview: MK
We interviewed cardiologist John Jefferies, co-founder and partner of the Cotogna Sports, an investment group that targets opportunities globally and has recently acquired Pallacanestro Trieste, the local basketball team.
Unlike other group members, you’re the only doctor in the team.
Yes, true. The beauty of our team is that we all come from various professional backgrounds and our partnership came together organically. Conor played professional American football and is now the front office for the Philadelphia Eagles. I am the cardiologist for the Memphis Grizzlies NBA basketball team. We also have lawyers, finance experts, and an engineer. We are all united by the love for sports and an entrepreneurial spirit.
It’s not common for medical professionals to purchase basketball teams.
Although medicine is my raison d’être, I’ve seen too many things throughout my career that made me yearn for change. For example, people who were in charge of medical decisions without having anything to do with the field. All this made me enter the business school knowing that we can and must do better. We spend all of our time and efforts dealing with people who have heart diseases, but very little time helping people stay healthy. Health is better than healthcare. Health is the most valuable asset you have.
Why Pallacanestro Trieste?
I met the rest of our team during my first year at the MBA program and together we created the Cotogna Sports Group and started looking for a sports team to buy. One of our professors in sports marketing advised us on buying Trieste’s basketball team. We did the due diligence, looked into the team, the market, the city and all aspects of the operations. We were convinced we had discovered a hidden gem in the city. We want the team and the community to thrive. This is a long-term goal. When you have that vision the short-term goals are going to come. We are investing in the team but also in the community. We believe both are going to do very well. And of course we want to integrate in the community.
You are the cardiologist for the Mephis Grizzlies NBA basketball team. What will you bring from that experience to Pallacanestro Trieste?
As I always tell players, I want you to be healthy. That should be everyone’s priority because health is the one thing you have to cherish the most. This message doesn’t always go down easy as many players want to go out there and play even when they do not feel their best. As a cardiologist, I can assure you that even elite basketball players suffer from heart diseases. My responsibility is to help people understand that my goal is not necessarily for you to be the best basketball player, my goal is for you to live a healthy life. Those are two different things.
What can we learn from professional basketball players health wise?
I live in the south where high blood pressure, overweight, obesity are prevalent and some of these things are avoidable. And for players it’s even more so. Most of these folks are seen as elite players without ever having any sort of health problems, which of course doesn’t make them immune to heart disease. However, a lot of these problems are preventable through discipline – regular exercise and diet.
Do you think Italian diet might help the basketball players perform better?
We haven’t come up with the right answer for the best diet yet. Most people will probably say the Mediterranean diet that you know so well. As I always tell my kids and players, a little bit of common sense goes a long way.
Is this your first time in Trieste?
It is and we are already enamored. This place is almost idyllic in some ways. I knew God was moving me in the direction of making the right decision. I didn’t think I would ever be at a point in my life that I would own a professional basketball team and I just knew it was too cool of an opportunity to pass up. I am not doing this for the money, but for the passion and the uniqueness of all of this. It seems like such a great marriage because the city and people are so passionate about their basketball team. It felt like the right opportunity at the right time.
