SBJ Piece Talks Bluntly About “Owners” and Communicators; Maybe Some Lessons For Both…

On Friday, Sports Business Journal ran the piece below which I cut and pasted for clarity. I found many of the answers a little surprising…only one of the group really showed a path forward…and it seems to point to either a lack of understanding internally, a sign of the changing climate of ownership, and more importantly a distrurbing lack of trust between some…it’s only a sampling…some senior leaders and those who write the checks. It also seems to continue a trend of what we have written about before, the need to build bridges not walls, and maybe a lack of understanding that grows between “media” and ownership.

I also found this a little ironic because my catchups this week with people I know in the industry…teams, leagues, agencies…said kind of the opposite. Leaders crave respect, sometimes that is from an outside source, and the best cultures value the input of the right senior communicators. Did my colleagues I caught up with this week say their most senior leaders…I hate to call them owners…are not challenging, opinionated, and sometimes difficult to deal with or understand a POV. Of course! We have all dealt with challenign bosses. but not one, and I happened to speak with at least six people whose value and input I enjoy…and who happen to deal with some tough folks…who said that in these fluid times their input is important and appreciated and they take the time to try and make sure they overcommunicate with those at the top. Granted, I have not been fully on the firing line with one individual in quite some time. But I have been around more than my share of ownership groups with many senior comms execs to try and problem solve or build stories and bridges. Sometimes you lose the fight and have to pick up the pieces, sometimes the trust gets frayed, but many times all learn,,,and many do listen. Sometimes, maybe the best way forward is convinced silence eventhough the “owner” is perceived as the face of the business. Not all, but many can also find that solution.

Kudos to SBJ for doing this below…it is a worthwhile look into the challenges of an industry and a reminder we can all always get better at what we do.

SBJ Publisher & Executive Editor Abe Madkour in his Sunday Forum recently discussed Celtics owner Bill Chisholm’s meeting with the media after the trade of F Jaylen Brown, saying that Chisholm “could have been more vocal and forceful around decision making” and that he “wasn’t convincing enough.” It led Madkour to “wonder if owners take any practice or suggestions in their public speaking.” That note has in turn sparked a lot of feedback about when (and if) owners should speak to the media, which Madkour shared in this past week’s Sunday Forum. Here’s a sampling:

• “Owners shouldn’t ever do press conferences. They try to be funny. They are not. They try to sound so smart. It’s smug. They don’t understand what the fans want to hear. Just don’t speak!”
• “I worked for an owner. I would try to work with comms team to offer ideas, talking points and let’s just say that never went over. They are incredibly confident in their ability and then wonder when they get hammed in the media.”
• “They won’t take feedback or ideas. They won’t stick to a script, and I hate it the most when they try to be sarcastic or clever. Disaster.”
• “I always argued to put our owner’s wife in front of the media. Much more on point, she smiled, she listened to feedback and she would actually think of the fan. But, no, that didn’t happen.”
• “I feel badly when an owner speaks, tanks, and the comms team takes the heat. ‘I can’t believe they didn’t prep them, how could they put the owner out there like that, etc.’ I bet 80% of the time the owner has been prepped, provided talking points, gets in front of the camera and goes rogue. Instead of sticking to messaging, trying to outsmart the reporters. It rarely ends well. Honestly the key is convincing the owner NOT to talk. That’s where most comms teams fall short. Most tell the owner what they think they want to hear instead of giving sound advice. So, if an owner wants to speak, they let them instead of advising against it. Owners tend to let emotions take over, make rash declarations, or try defend their actions. That’s usually when it turns badly.”
• “There are many owners who fully understand the role and the value of media on every level. The ones who are successful usually come from businesses where their lead comms person had a seat at the senior management table from day one in those businesses, and it translates over into their roles as owners in sports” (SBJ).

Thoughts welcomed. Email me to vent or tell me I’m out of touch, or to help. joefavorito1@yahoo.com