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Born in Stratford, Ontario, Cooke started out as an encyclopedia salesman in the 1930s. He then ventured into broadcastingNote: broadcasting is also the old term for hand sowing. Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video signals (programs) to a number of recipients ("listeners" or "viewers") that belong to a large group. This group may be the public in general, or before expanding into sports with his purchase of the Washington Redskins. He later bought the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA as well.
Being a Canadian, Cooke's first love was ice hockey, and he was determined to bring the NHL to Los Angeles. To this end, when the Pacific Coast Hockey League , which maintained franchises in California, threatened to become a major league and compete for the Stanley Cup, Cooke paid the NHL $2 million to establish a team in L.A. Thus, the Los Angeles Kings were welcomed into the League in 1967, as part of the so-called Expansion Six.
In order to accomodate his new hockey team as well as the Lakers, Cooke announced that he would be building "the most beautiful arena in the world". He delivered on his promise, unveiling the Great Western Forum in the L.A. suburb of Inglewood to rave reviews.
Cooke died of cardiac arrest in 1997, and established the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to help struggling people achieve the same success that he enjoyed.