John Skipper, the most powerful executive in TV sports, isn't a native of the TV business. The former Rolling Stone magazine executive came out of the publishing industry.
The unquestioned leader of the Worldwide Leader didn't study TV, journalism or communications. Instead, he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in English literature from North Carolina and Columbia, respectively. And his goal was to write novels.
But Skipper's background in publishing and literature hasn't stopped him from rising to the role of ESPN president and co-chairman of Disney Media Networks.
Skipper came in at the No.