The Phrase Worth $400 Million

January 18, 2022

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Hey Friends,

We could talk about the NFL’s continued interest in blockchain technology today, or even the University of Miami NIL deal that shook up Twitter yesterday, but I would rather run through a quick (& fascinating!) story instead.

After hearing announcer Michael Buffer do the intro during last night’s NFL playoff game, I tweeted one of my favorite sports facts: Michael Buffer has built up a net worth of $400 million solely by yelling, “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble” for 40 years.

The reaction was great, and people loved it, but the story behind it is even better.

Michael Buffer was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was raised by a foster family after his parents divorced when he was a child.

Throughout his teenage years, he went by “Michael Huber” until an Army officer noticed his birth certificate said Buffer, not Huber, and made him change it upon enlistment in 1965.

After three years of service during the Vietnam War, Michael Buffer left the US Army in 1967 and spent the next 15 years, from age 23 to 38, searching for his true passion — he sold cars, tried acting, and even wanted to be a model.

But one moment in the early 1980s changed everything for Buffer.

He was watching a boxing match with his 14-year-old son in the early 1980s, and the ring announcer kept fumbling his words and killing the crowd’s excitement.

"I found out later that that was pretty standard,” says Buffer.

And Buffer thought he could do better, so he printed out headshots, mailed them to local casinos scheduled to host boxing matches, and begged them for a chance.

The only one that answered was The Playboy Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey — they gave him a chance, and Buffer immediately started gaining a reputation as an exciting and entertaining presence in the ring.

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The TLDR version of the story is that Buffer gained notoriety for his energy and eventually traveled the world to say those famous five words.

Over the last 40 years, Buffer has announced thousands of sporting events worldwide and is routinely paid between $25,000 to $100,000 per ring intro, even making up to $1 million on rare occasions.

But that’s not where he made $400 million.

Michael Buffer ended up meeting his half-brother Bruce Buffer (more on that here), who helped him trademark the legendary phrase “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble.”

The wild part? In addition to routinely being paid to announce the phrase himself, video game maker “Midway” paid Michael Buffer $100 million to license the phrase in perpetuity — the phrase is now used in songs, video games, movies, and more.

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The money behind the trademark is fascinating. Still, I love this story for one simple reason — Michael Buffer saw a need in the market, perfected one skill better than anyone else in the world, and was compensated well for it.

Remember, he was nearly 40-years-old when he mailed headshots to hotels & casinos, proving it’s never too late to take a chance, change careers, and chase your dreams with a relentless passion.

I hope everyone has a great day, and we’ll talk tomorrow.

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