May 21, 2024 - Business

How I Wake Up: Ted Leonsis

Cuneyt Dil

Photo illustration of Ted Leonsis inside a red alarm clock. — Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Kenny Giarla/Getty Images

Before getting into the sports business, Ted Leonsis was a senior exec at AOL, and he has some email pet peeves: Namely when people cc him on everything!

"It litters your mailbox," says Leonsis, who still replies to fans on his AOL email. "Imagine I'm getting 500 emails or messages a day."

In 2010, Leonsis founded Monumental Sports & Entertainment which in addition to owning the Wizards, Capitals, and Mystics, is growing on the media front. And Leonsis covets the Nationals.

We caught up with how Leonsis starts his mornings.

😴 Wake-up time: About 5am, no alarm needed.

☕ First thing he does: Brew coffee, Starbucks beans.

💭 Morning zen: Quiet time with his wife and catching up on the day.

"It's a great way to start the day. We're empty nesters."

📝 AM productivity: Checks a to-do list written the night before. "I use the morning to read and write."

Reads newsletters: Axios (thank you!), Puck; industry outlets. And checks out sports TV.

🥛 Breakfast: Don't Quit protein shake.

👟 Morning workout: Treadmill jog.

💡 Wisdom: "The earlier I get up, the more productive I become." Bedtime by 10pm.

🚗 Commute: Drive to Capital One Arena.

Check out more morning rituals:

Framebridge's Susan Tynan
Hockey star Alex Ovechkin
ESPN's Michael Wilbon

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How I Wake Up: Ted Leonsis

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