Kevin J. Ryan - Ahead of the Game: The Unlikely Rise of a Detroit Kid Who Forever Changed the Esports Industry

A journey through the trials and tribulations of a young man who has defied all the odds in business and life. Delane Parnells story is a tribute to his courage, drive, and will to make it while surrounded by a series of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Its an inspiration to all who seek to improve their lot in life.

Michael Ovitz,

investor and cofounder of Creative Arts Agency

As both a vivid portrait of a fearless young tech entrepreneur who cleared every imaginable barrier and a chronicle of the phenomenal growth of the team-based video games known as esports, Kevin Ryans Ahead of the Game is never less than engrossing. This is a remarkable tale, told with a brio that matches its subject.

Don Aucoin,

coauthor of Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy

A dramatic startup tale from Detroit to Los Angelesbut more than that, the fascinating life story of a truly inspiring entrepreneur.

Steve Case,

cofounder of AOL and CEO of Revolution

Kevin Ryan has created a fantastic reading cocktail: one part biography of a truly original character, one part crystal ball into the future of sports, one part primer on digital-era entrepreneurialismand all parts entertaining!

Gary Belsky,

former editor-in-chief of ESPN The Magazine

Ahead of the Game is a truly refreshing startup story that vividly chronicles the rise of a scrappy company in a thriving industry. Its also a moving, beautifully written portrait of a founder whose storyand whose reachextends far beyond Silicon Valley.

Christine Lagorio-Chafkin,

author of We Are the Nerds

The wonder of Kevin Ryans work here is the way he effortlessly reinvents a classic talethe triumph over the oddsfor the golden era of video games. In fact, Ahead of the Game chronicles three triumphs for the price of one: the rise of an unlikely entrepreneur, the birth of a high school gaming team, and the explosion of esports itself. Make that four triumphs.

Devin Gordon,

author of So Many Ways to Lose

Delane Parnells rise to startup stardom is as riveting as it is unlikely. Kevin Ryans account of how PlayVS started, got funding, and captured the imagination of millions is as thrilling and addictive as any video game out there.

James Ledbetter,

chief content officer at Clarim Media and former editor-in-chief of Inc.

A great read about a great founderand so much more. More so than almost any other book out there, Kevin Ryans enthralling Ahead of the Game gets at the precise stuff about how an entrepreneur succeeds and all that such a journey requires. But it also tells a much bigger tale. One in which a culture around gaming takes root and spreads to everywhere from Alaska to Alabama. One in which outsiders become heroes. And one where Delane Parnell makes his way from one of Detroits toughest neighborhoods to the innermost circles of tech and Hollywood, willing himself into becoming one of the worlds most fascinating and inspiring tech foundersall before he reaches his late twenties.

Jon Fine,

author of Your Band Sucks

Told with the pace and energy of a Fortnite tournament, Ahead of the Game is Friday Night Lights meets How I Built This. Whether hes taking you inside a Silicon Valley boardroom or a small-town high school classroom, Kevin Ryans curiosity and enthusiasm make him an ideal tour guide. A must-read for anyone interested in entrepreneurship or the booming esports business.

Jeff Bercovici,

Los Angeles Times deputy business editor and author of Play On: The New Science of Elite Performance at Any Age

2022 Kevin J. Ryan

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Published by HarperCollins Leadership, an imprint of HarperCollins Focus LLC.

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Cover photograph by Sean Yalda

ISBN 978-1-4002-2451-7 (eBook)

ISBN 978-1-4002-2450-0 (HC)

Epub Edition November 2021 9781400224517

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Printed in the United States of America

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For Nana; I know shes proud.

LESS THAN FIVE years ago, Delane Parnell set out to change the landscape of esports for young people. In that time, his PlayVS platform has made video games an organized high school varsity sportalongside basketball, football, baseball, volleyball, etc. Even saying that out loud seems unbelievable! Ahead of the Game takes you behind the scenes of his upbringing and documents how he raised more than $100 million in venture capital and, in doing so, kicked in the door of the tech world unlike any other African American before himplacing him in the less than 1 percent of Black people in leadership in the tech industry.

Because I have always known that Black Americans are a culturally rich people, too often trapped by societys limited expectations rather than our own, I am never surprised by the heights we reach in any arena. The surprise is in our ability to navigate the obstacle course, to maneuver around the traps and landmines, and, despite them all, to fulfill our God-given destiny. This and more is what Delane has accomplished.

I am known around the world as a hip-hop mogul, dealmaker, record executive, producer, cultural influencer, and rapper. But what you may not know is that my path as an entrepreneur began with a paper route. I still remember the sense of exhilaration Id feel whenever I sold out of those papersalmost as much as my disappointment when I was told that it didnt matter how great a salesman Id become; each kid could only have one route.

What to do? I convinced five friends to start routesand then, I bought them out. Years later, when I left Howard University early to go to work as an intern at Uptown Records for my mentor, Andre Harrell, I did so because hip-hop (still in its infancy but on its way to becoming a multibillion-dollar-a-year industry) was the next frontier, and I knew I couldnt wait. A few years later, when I left Uptown and started Bad Boy Records, it was with that same sense of urgency. Already, it was clear to me that my superpower, above and beyond my other creative impulses, was entrepreneurship itself.