Favorite Fan of the Week: Jeni Britton Bauer

#FFOTW

Since Ohio is still basking in the afterglow of the Cavs championship, we’re going to celebrate one of the Buckeye State’s most fierce and famous females: Jeni Britton Bauer, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. She’s based in Columbus (close enough) and her ice cream has a rabid cult following (including Katy Perry and VP Joe Biden). Plus, she and LeBron were both listed to the Fast Company Most Creative People list in 2015 — so they’re basically related. Now, heeeeeerrrrrre’s Jeni!

Jeni together with Olympian, MLS Cup Champion, and Brand Ambassador for the Columbus Crew SC, Frankie Hejduk.

What is your first sports memory?

My first sports memory is waking up with Keith Hernandez at my feet when I was 7 years old in the hospital in Peoria, Ill., recovering from several stomach surgeries. He was so handsome, like a real life superhero, that I was forevermore a Cardinals fan in a family devoted to the Cubs. This is also one of my first recollections of going my own way — something that would become my trademark.

What is your favorite sports tradition?

I’m just going to talk food here. We have these things called Ohio nachos, and people make them for Buckeye games. Imagine a plate of kettle cooked potato chips layered up with alfredo sauce, blue cheese crumbles and green onions. I’m gonna go with that.

What is your favorite sports moment ever?

We were in NYC in 2010 at the Ace Hotel watching USA vs. Algeria play in the 2010 World Cup. It was a bunch of people just off the street and they opened up this amazing basement room that looked like a guy’s garage or basement. When Landon Donovan scored his goal, it lit the whole room up. It was a moment I’ll never forget, just extraordinary. I was in love with every single person in that basement at that moment, and I never saw any of them again.

I have a lot of soccer goal memories. I travel a lot and always have to find a spot to watch the games, often I am standing in a super crowded pub by myself with a bunch of die-hard fans. Also, I have invited random people on my Instagram or Twitter in various cities to come watch with me so I’m not alone. So much of soccer is for those insane moments. There isn’t another sport quite like that where each goal is so anticipated, and rarely achieved, but when they happen after a long hard fight, the feeling is intense. I find it to be exhilarating.

Which sports figure (living or dead) would you name your child/pet after?

Maybe I’ll get a goldfish and name it Ayrton Senna.

“I like buck-a-brat night at Mapfre — née Columbus Crew — Stadium with brown mustard.” (Image via)

How do you take your hot dog?

I like buck-a-brat night at the Crew Stadium with brown mustard. (I’ll take two or three).

EXTRA CREDIT: What is your at-bat/walk-up song?

Being an entrepreneur is like being an athlete in almost every way except the physical part. It’s competition, it’s highs and lows that are indescribable to regular people, it’s about stamina and moxy and mojo (each of which is easily rattled).

It’s a game, and you feel like you are training for the Olympics everyday. So, I don’t play a sport, but my drive to work every morning is all about getting into it. Right now my song is “My Shot” from the Hamilton soundtrack or one of the battle scenes — and then I show up to work juiced and bouncing off the walls and ready to go.