Levine: Eddie Einhorn Was A Visionary
By Bruce Levine--
GLENDALE, Ariz. (CBS) -- If there was a real Walter Mitty of the sports world, his name would have been Eddie Einhorn, the brilliant television marketing man and White Sox executive who passed away at 80 late Tuesday night, just a couple days before his best friend and business partner Jerry Reinsdorf's 80th birthday.
The two friends were inseparable for almost 60 years, as they helped change the Chicago sports culture with the purchase of the White Sox and Bulls. Reinsdorf had made his mark in business by selling out to American Express in the late 1970s in a deal that made him a multi-millionaire. Einhorn became a minority owner.
Einhorn took the route of sports and entertainment promoter. Nobody had a greater vision in televised sports than Einhorn, the brains behind countless iconic events. He can be credited with the growth of The men's basketball NCAA Tournament, CBS Sports' spectacular Billie Jean King-Bobby Riggs "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match and pay-per-view sports and were all Einhorn's babies.
"He will be missed greatly," White Sox executive vice president Kenny Williams said. "He knew everyone in TV and basketball. Eddie was held in reverence when it came to sports on television and his impact on entertainment in the field. I encourage people to do a little more investigating into Eddie's influence on the landscape of television sports."
Einhorn had been ill for nearly two years after suffering a stroke in March 2014. He had been less involved in the past decade with the two teams he had owned a part of.
"Eddie and I had a wonderful relationship," White Sox trainer Herm Schneider said. "I knew him since they bought the team. He was a brilliant guy. He was way ahead of his time in sports and television. He had visions that we look back now on and say, 'This is the fellow who created the NCAA tourney becoming a huge event.' He made wrestling big on TV again, ice skating a TV sport. His vision was unbelievable, his personality was incredible. This is a big loss. Eddie was a wonderful guy."
Reinsdorf will represent the White Sox and Bulls families at the funeral this weekend.
"Eddie was a creative whirlwind whose ideas -- many of them far ahead of their time -- changed the landscape of sports, and sports on television," Reinsdorf said. "He was a man of many interests, projects ideas and opinions. We will all miss him dearly."
Einhorn was the founder of the TVS Television Network and a leader in sports programming in the 1970s. He authored a book when "March became Madness" about his impact on the NCAA Tournament.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
