Today we’d like to introduce you to John Boezi.
Hi John, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Background: I’m originally from Rhode Island. My family immigrated from Italy. Most of my family worked in trades or engineering. I was fortune enough to get accepted at Georgia Tech. I came to Atlanta without even visiting. I just trusted that I could find whatever was going to be next for me in Atlanta. After college, I did choose to stay and build my life here. Atlanta has it all. I have benefited greatly by the city’s opportunities.
Ultimate background: I found ultimate after college. This was before kickball leagues and Atlanta Sport & Social club existed. There were very few opportunities for adults who loved sports to continue to play. I had some friends who played ultimate in college. They suggested I join a summer league. I fell in love with the sport. I can’t describe how enjoyable it is to throw a disc. It’s hard at first, but once you figure it out it’s endlessly entertaining. You can be much more creative with a disc than a ball. Its flight is more majestic as it floats. The sport had a special culture. If you play it, there is a really good chance we’ll get along. The people who played in leagues became my friends and I got roped into helping to organize the local rec leagues. I did that for many years, growing ultimate to be a bigger and bigger part of my life.
The AUDL emerges: During this period of time the American Ultimate Disc League started. They aimed to professionalize the amateur sport after 40 years of existence and move it to a stadium spectator format. I was aware of this tangentially but it wasn’t in Atlanta so I didn’t follow closely. Eventually, the AUDL had plans to expand to the South. They reached out to me as the head of the local rec leagues for some ground-level intel. One thing lead to another and they asked me to run a franchise here. At the time I was a freelance engineer so I had a flexible schedule. It sounded like an intriguing opportunity to get to run a professional sports team. I was skeptical of its business prospects but I thought that it would be a fun adventure to pursue while I was young and unattached. I have always been attracted to a challenge. I thought that running a business like this could be good experience for me if I ever decided to evolve from a freelance engineer into opening a firm.
The Hustle: In Dec 2014 I began the process of recruiting top local players and building out business operations. One of my favorite exercises was building the brand, along with the support of the league’s marketing staff. I settled on Hustle because I have always valued hard work and effort. Some of my favorite athletes were as tenacious as they are talented. I thought that the name would resonate with Atliens as we tried to get the word out. We chose purple & black as our primary colors with orange as an accent. Red and black are everywhere in Atlanta. Purple has roots here but still stands out.
The evolution: The Hustle started out humbly as a seasonal side business. We didn’t know much about the sports entertainment business but we had success and built a strong reputation within our community. The sport is photogenic and generates a prolific stream of highlights, several that have gone viral or made Sportscenter. Across the league, there was a push to professionalize our “side hustles” into year-round businesses. Universally, AUDL owners are people who had a personal experience with ultimate that greatly impacted their lives. They see the AUDL as a tool to share what they love with others in their communities. Owners from around the country pooled our collective learnings and began to cultivate a unique fan experience, a much more affordable sports alternative for families. Today, in a time of sky-high entertainment prices, the Hustle is a shockingly good value. We give unprecedented access to the game to our fans. They can choose their seat. They can toss on the field at halftime or after the game. They can meet and engage all of the players. The games are fast-paced, there is always music playing, beer flowing and fans have the freedom to move about the stadium, unlike football or baseball games where you are cramped in tight seats. Instead of hosting games our mindset is to throw 6 blowout parties every summer. Sports fans willing to try something new will discover a hidden gem. We hear all the time from new fans how impressed they are with attending their first game.
It’s been a transition to learn an entertainment and service business when I was trained to be an engineer. I have been able to apply my design and organizational skills and pick up many new ones. It has opened me up to new experiences, new people, and new places. I love the Hustle.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The primary obstacle is that the AUDL/Hustle are essentially a start-up sports business, one that is a disrupter. We are a new, modern sport. Over the years we have been fortunate to attract investment, sponsors, and media but the teams are largely owner supported. We are pouring our time and money into this labor of love because we think it will serve the ultimate and Atlanta communities. That can put a lot of stress on you. It can also motivate you to find creative and innovate solutions. We have worked hard to create additional streams of revenue and to distribute our revenue events throughout the calendar year to avoid a feast or famine model.
Throughout our seven years, we have had a number of owners join or leave our group. Coaches and players have come and gone. Our athletes have day jobs and other duties. At times the ultimate community has had strong criticism for us as the most visible ambassadors of the sport. Through it all, we have relied on our strong culture, values, and passion for the sport to sustain our dream.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Atlanta Hustle?
The Atlanta Hustle is a professional ultimate disc team that plays at Silverbacks Park between April and August. We also run youth ultimate programs. Our mission is to amplify Ultimate and the sport’s unique values by showcasing high-level competition and entertaining sports fans.
The AUDL format is designed for fans. It is the best tool to introduce new people to field disc sports through economical live experiences and compelling digital content.
As a highly visible ambassador of our sport, the Hustle takes seriously its responsibility to be a shining example of our sport and city. We aim to display passionate, committed, intelligent and skillful play with integrity to youth players and to be a reflection of the Atlanta ultimate community that they proudly support.
The Hustle utilizes its resources to make the sport more accessible to players of a wider spectrum of backgrounds. As we introduce the sport to new people, we work to lower their barriers to entry. We strive to be inclusive and respectful of any person who is excited about disc sports.
We work hard to positively influence Atlanta’s community with clinics, camps, and scholarships that offer the best coaching to all of Atlanta’s youth players.
Pricing:
- Tickets are general admission
- $15 or 2 for $25
- Kids U14 get in for free
Contact Info:
- Website: theaudl.com/hustle
- Instagram: atlantahustle
- Facebook: atlantahustle
- Twitter: atlantahustle
Image Credits
Gino Mattace Photography, Ryan Cameron Photography. Both are Hustle photographers.
