A “Saintly” Display Of Being A Public Trust…

One of the toughest elements for a sports entity to maintain these days is the balance between being a multifaceted, revenue generating business and being a public trust, like other community institutions that evoke emotion, passion and support in addition to brining in dollars. The endless media presence, a never ending season, the transient nature of athletes have all contributed to the drive to having franchises be more big business and less part of the community as they were in earlier generations. There is a need to find every way to engage partners and fans these days, and the balance between quality and quantity of brand positioning can sometimes get lost in the dollar search, especially when partners are under continuous pressure to justify their spends, and teams are under constant pressure to deliver more return for the dollars spent by fans. Now it is true that teams have realized this issue and have taken strides to restore community trust and interest, but the true integration into the community is still a very tough balance in these challenging times.

There are franchises in particular markets that do a better job in maintaining that balance and sense of being a public trust than others. The Green Bay Packers are one, the Chicago Cubs are another, as are the Vancouver Canucks and the Portland Trail Blazers (perhaps the best example of restoring a public trust after the.Jail Blazer. problems the franchise had in the.9.s). Another great example are the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints, who again this week showed how big a part of the community they are by taking a trip to see the devastation caused by the BP oil spill and finding ways to both assist and bring attention to the plight of those effected in the Bayous of Louisiana.

While some may say that the trip was a publicity stunt done to draw attention to the brand in the offseason, the truth is that the Saints have always been a team deeply embedded in the soul and the culture of New Orleans. Quarterback Drew Brees has led countless programs on his own to assist in the continued recovery from Hurricane Katrina and calls New Orleans home, as do many current and former players. The team is involved in year-round education programs that rarely lack player involvement, and both front office and player leadership take great pride in their commitment to the area regardless of the goings-on on the field. That sense of support has not dissipated as the team has grown more successful on the field. On the contrary, it appears to have grown, with the trip this week the latest example. The response from the players has been emotional and genuine and their sense of commitment to helping in any way has been remarkable.

What sets the sense of being public trust with teams like the Saints apart from other.? One is probably size of market, although there are teams like the Cubs and Red Sox that continue to maintain that position despite market size. Another is senior leadership on the field and off. The commitment the team makes, sometimes eschewing short term dollars for brand development and connection to the community, can pay of. in ways that give greater value sometimes than taking a check. Another reason is the loyalty and support of fan. While some may say the fan today is as fickle as player loyalty, the fact remains that the emotional connection some teams make with their fans is stronger than many others, and sometimes is even more binding. Sometimes that too has to do with being a one trick pony in a market, but fan loyalty for a team like the New York Giants, win or lose, is also generational and comes from a sense of community built over time. Of course another reason is ownership positioning as well. The ability for ownership, whether corporate or private, to strike a proper balance between profit at all costs and the cost of building a deep connection with the community is another long lasting difference in being a public trust or being a business that happens to be in sports. At one point being.too corporat. on the team side brought a shudder to loyal followers and employees. However today corporations are listening more and more to local constituents and partners and in the case of sports, fans, and being.corporat. can actually lead to positive developments for teams growing their brand and their community positioning. The days of the Ivory Tower in ownership are gone. High spending to maintain brand and position yes, but the time when people will shell out large dollars with no attachment to team will probably never return.

So what does the idea of public trust tell team.? It usually says that the investment in community will be repaid several times over in long term loyalty, usually regardless of wins and losses. Like in any business now, the emotional tie and the reasons to spend discretionary dollars come at a much higher price than ever before. So if you are not tied intimately to the community, you run the risk of a short term gain when there is buzz, for long term brand pain. It used to be that all teams were viewed as a public trust. As much as money and profit drove that connection away, the need to bring in money and consumer trust may very well drive all teams back to finding ways to take that stance in the community again.

Some teams like the Saints never really lost it, and maybe they can set the best practice example as to how all can win it back again for the long term health of all franchises.