Rooting for The Captain . . . or Not

Mac Engel, writing in his must-read Star-Telegram column,⁽¹⁾ recently offered some thoughts on Derek Jeter. He deemed Jeter worthy of respect as a human being, despite his status as a wealthy, pinstripe-wearing, paparazzi magnet.

After reading it, I can’t disagree with the case Mac builds. From showing common courtesy to earning the respect of the staff at visiting stadia, Jeter demonstrates a humanity some celebrities struggle to retain. I don’t know Jeter personally. I’ve worked with a lot of athletes, but never crossed paths with The Captain. I do know the other two voices who testified in the article, however, and can vouch for the general quality of their insights. Mac has loads of experience dealing with athletes and if there’s one guy who knows the straight dope on what kinds of folks pass through Globe Life Park in Arlington’s third base dugout, it’s Visiting Clubhouse Manager Kelly Terrell.

The visiting dugout at Globe Life Park in Arlington (Derek Jeter not pictured)

I’ve been trying to square the rosy, and doubtless accurate, picture they paint of Jeter with the fact that since September 15, 2010,⁽²⁾ I have rooted against him when he has played baseball. Some of my antipathy comes from the name on the front of his jersey, of course. The Yankees cost me too many opportunities to enjoy postseason games in the ‘90s for me to ever hope they win. I can usually set that aside when it comes to individual players, however. If Mark Teixeira hits a walk-off home run, I am displeased the Yankees won. I am happy for Tex, though, because I found him a great pleasure to work with when he played for the Rangers.

In 2010, Jeter did something on a baseball field I really disliked. He lied. He claimed to an umpire that a pitch had hit him when he knew it had actually hit his bat. Jeter’s ruse succeeded, he took first, and later scored on a Curtis Granderson home run.⁽³⁾

Since I find dishonesty distasteful, I have since hoped that Jeter’s at-bats all end with weak grounders to short, as he did to end last night's game. After reading Mac’s article, it struck me that lying is likely out-of-character for Derek Jeter. Yet on that night in St. Petersburg, he perpetrated a scam.

I hate blaming things on “society.” Individuals are responsible for their actions. But in this case, it’s the only explanation. Rays manager Joe Maddon got ejected for arguing the call that night, but after the game suggested he would have “applauded” one of his players for doing the same thing.⁽⁴⁾ He’s not alone. I once had a conversation with a former big league coach in which I asked what would happen if a player admitted to an umpire that he had trapped a ball instead of catching it. The coach suggested that the player’s reception when he returned to the dugout would not be a positive one.

I hoped that replay would help modify such conduct, at least from a practical standpoint, if not an attitudinal one. Then in June, Matt Carpenter faked an HBP and got away with it despite replay.⁽⁵⁾ I want to cheer for Matt Carpenter. He’s a Texan, for goodness sake. I even called a handful of his games when he attended TCU. But since then, I must admit, I’ve kind of been hoping the pitchers win their matchups with him.

Carpenter majored in communication at TCU,⁽⁶⁾ and it’s conceivable he took a course at some point that covered ethics in the profession. And, indeed, had he or Jeter deliberately lied to a reporter, journalists would justifiably vilify them. If they fib to an umpire, however, many laud them for doing whatever it takes to win. The baseball instruction they received over the years deemed playing by the rules subordinate to winning.

If the culture could change, it would have to begin at the most basic levels. Coaches would have to teach children that playing a game involves entering into a contract. You agree to play by the rules and your opponent agrees to do the same. If you violate the contract, you have done something wrong, even if you get away with it. Even if the deceit helps you win, it’s still wrong.

It’s not that way yet, and, unfortunately, perhaps never will be.

Does a worthy end justify an unethical means? In baseball, that seems the prevailing wisdom. Even the good guys do it, which makes it darn hard to decide for whom we should cheer.

Rush Olson has spent two decades directing creative efforts for sports teams and broadcasters. He currently creates ad campaigns and related creative projects for sports entities through his company, Rush Olson Creative & Sports.

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Footnotes

⁽¹⁾ Mac Engel “Jeter always realized key to being loved was simply ‘don’t be a jerk’,” Star-Telegram.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/07/28/6001971/jeter-always-realized-key-to-being.html#storylink=cpy (accessed July 29, 2014)

⁽²⁾ Associated Press “Derek Jeter Fakes Getting Hit By Pitch, Claims ‘It’s Part of the Game’,” NESN. http://nesn.com/2010/09/derek-jeter-fakes-getting-hit-by-pitch-claims-its-part-of-the-game/,” (accessed July 29, 2014)

⁽³⁾ Ibid.

⁽⁴⁾ Ibid.

⁽⁵⁾ Thomas Harding “HBP call stands following Rockies' challenge,” Rockies.com. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/col/cardinals-hit-batter-ruling-stands-following-rockies-challenge?ymd=20140623&content_id=81296404&vkey=news_col (accessed July 29, 2014)

⁽⁶⁾ Amber Parcher “TCU baseball player, coach aid national team to victory,” Daily Skiff.

http://www.tcu360.com/dailyskiffcom-archive/2006/09/6342.tcu-baseball-player-coach-aid-national-team-victory (accessed July 29, 2014)

Can Team Brands Suffer in RSN Disputes?

For decades, Chicago Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz clung steadfastly to the once commonly-held belief that televising home games led to decreased attendance and wasn't fair to season ticket holders.⁽¹⁾ It took winning a Stanley Cup (as well as televising a lot more games after Wirtz's death) to repair the damage to the Original Six team's brand.

Modern thinking embraces widespread television exposure and believes it does not negatively affect team revenues or ticket buyer loyalty. In fact, the extra exposure leads to additional opportunities to generate revenue and for potential fans to embrace the brand. The brand enhancement and the revenue creation usually go hand-in-hand. Some teams, however, have recently seen the two come into conflict and face some difficult decisions because of it.

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ brand has a lot going for it, including marquee players, a distinguished history, and a great chance to make this year's postseason. Their local TV deal, however, cannot be helping their brand image.

Last year, the team executed a big-money contract with Time Warner to create a new sports network with the Dodgers as its cornerstone programming. The agreement guarantees the franchise $8.35 billion over 25 years. ⁽²⁾

Such a substantial amount of money would seem difficult to turn down no matter what the circumstances. That even includes the current situation, in which carriage disputes have kept Dodgers’ games out of some 70% of the market’s homes, because $8 billion is just a lot of scratch. ⁽³⁾ When teams do a deal to create a new network, however, they may want to keep in mind a couple of things besides the immediate revenue numbers.

One is the potential long-term impact on their brand in case the network's distribution piece doesn't work out and ticked-off fans blame the team or become apathetic about it. If fans perceive your arrangement as a money-grab at their expense, that can’t be good. Businesspeople always have difficulty quantifying brand-related effects of deals. It’s a squishy science, to be sure. In the long term, does the revenue generated from the TV deal offset that lost from brand negativity? We can measure the amount of team-controlled promotional inventory running in the games that fans missed, but there’s no standard spreadsheet for calculating the broader impact.

Franchises also must consider the long-term viability of the network itself if it doesn't get distribution. Poor distribution could hurt ad sales enough that the revenue loss can’t be offset by the monies a Comcast or Time Warner bring in from subscribers switching or staying. It won't do any good to have signed a big-bucks deal with a TV outlet if the station goes out of business. A couple of teams in Houston have found themselves confronting that scenario.⁽⁴⁾

When the NFL Network launched, they did so with a sizable charge for operators but without universal distribution. It took them nearly a decade to get close to universal availability.⁽⁵⁾ MLB Network, perhaps learning from the NFL’s experience, prioritized carriage.⁽⁶⁾ They likely made that decision partly with the long-term health of the MLB brand in mind.

A team network implies team control, which should make for enhanced brand opportunities. That presumes the business side works, however. Sometimes we get YES ⁽⁷⁾ and sometimes we get Royals Sports Television Network.⁽⁸⁾ Fox Sports’ regional channels seem to have found a happy medium by adding team-centric ancillary programming and working to promote team initiatives.

The Dodgers’ disputes have climbed to a new level of contentiousness, with Time Warner calling out DirecTV.⁽⁹⁾ How does that kind of negativity affect the Dodgers’ brand? It’s difficult to quantify, of course. Perhaps we could measure it by the number of folks using the #NeedMyDodgers hashtag now showing up onscreen during Dodgers’ telecasts (presumably seen only in sports bars and on highlights shows by those affected).

The Dodgers reside in the country’s second-ranked television market. The Astros and Rockets also occupy a top-ten slot. Could these be the disputes that pop the sports rights bubble? It’s conceivable. What’s for certain is that the impasses will damage teams’ brands. Will it be enough that only championships can rebuild them? Teams should make sure they’ve evaluated the possibilities.

Rush Olson has spent two decades directing creative efforts for sports teams and broadcasters. He currently creates ad campaigns and related creative projects for sports entities through his company, Rush Olson Creative & Sports.

RushOlson.com

Linkedin.com/company/rush-olson-creative-&-sports

Facebook.com/RushOlsonCreativeandSports

Footnotes

⁽¹⁾ Steve Nidetz “Nhl's Tv Blackout Policy Hot Topic,” Chicago Tribune.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1993-02-07/sports/9303176598_1_espn-officials-blackout-sportschannel-america (accessed July 25, 2014)

⁽²⁾ Joe Flint “Standoff over Dodgers games could be defining moment in sports TV,” Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-dodgers-tv-standoff-20140718-story.html#page=1 (accessed July 21, 2014)

⁽³⁾ Ibid.

⁽⁴⁾ David Barron “Judge returns Crane-McLane-Comcast lawsuit to state court,” Houston Chronicle. http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastros/2014/07/23/judge-returns-crane-mclane-comcast-lawsuit-to-state-court/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+houstonchronicle%2Ffanblogastros+(FanBlog%3A+Astros)#22102101=0 (accessed July 25, 2014)

⁽⁵⁾ Mike Reynolds “NFL Network Finally Adds TWC, Bright House to Distribution Roster,” Multichannel.com. http://multichannel.com/news/orphan-articles/nfl-network-finally-adds-twc-bright-house-distribution-roster/126037#sthash.406t6dcG.dpuf (accessed July 25, 2014)

⁽⁶⁾ “MLB Network learns lesson,” Washington Times.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/13/mlb-network-learns-from-nfls-mistakes/ (accessed July 25, 2014)

⁽⁷⁾ Bloomberg News “As TV Sports Surge, YES Network Extends Yankees Rights Through 2042,” Ad Age. http://adage.com/article/media/tv-sports-surge-extends-yankees-rights-2042/238396/ (accessed July 25, 2014)

⁽⁸⁾ The Staff “Fox Sports Midwest gets Royals TV deal,” BizofBaseball.com. http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=514:fox-sports-midwest-gets-royals-tv-deal&catid=40:media-news-television-radio-internet&Itemid=52 (accessed July 25, 2014)

⁽⁹⁾ Steve Dilbeck “Time Warner ad campaign may signal movement in Dodgers' TV impasse,” Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/dodgersnow/la-sp-dn-dodgers-tv-impasse-20140724-story.html (accessed July 25, 2014)

A $2 Million Trip to Cleveland

Could you spend $2 million for a trip to Cleveland? I think it might prove challenging. Maybe you’d go for several nights (by several, we mean a couple of hundred) in the Presidential Suite at the Ritz Carlton. Maybe you'd arrive there on a chartered Concorde from, say, Fiji.

You could rent the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for your own private tour. You could eat the porterhouse at Morton’s every night and wash it down by cleaning out their cellar’s premium Super Tuscans. Rent a yacht on Lake Erie? Heck, maybe rent Lake Erie.

Perhaps you have some better ideas than I do about how to go through $2 million for your time in the Forest City. For instance, you might rent a suite to go see their basketball team play. The prices should go up any time now, because word is that their hoops team will be pretty good. The squad has high expectations because one of their players just paid $2 million for a trip to Cleveland.

As it turns out, that player will still receive approximately $42 million for a two-year sojourn to CLE.⁽¹⁾ But he could have stayed in Miami and made roughly $118 million over five years. So one could make the case that his decision to play for the Cavaliers will cost him roughly $2 million a year based on the average annual contract value.

Of course, he will likely not miss out on a future big payday. He should still be playing well enough in two years to earn another large contract and the salary cap could rise enough to allow a significantly higher top value. But the sum for his Ohio jaunt will still cost him seven-figures. And I bet it will be worth every penny.

We all try to be at least productive enough to merit sufficient remuneration to meet our basic needs. We then hope to make enough extra to cover emergencies and trade with others for items they’ve produced that further our pursuit of happiness (it was July 4th a few days ago - that phrase was still fresh in my mind). It’s up to us to decide what gives us happiness. For some, a new boat does the trick. Others choose to travel (to Cleveland, even), or buy a slightly better brand of beer, or purchase life insurance to provide for their children and grandchildren.

As an incredibly productive entertainer and endorser, LeBron has got the basics and the boats and the beers (or even entire breweries) covered for several generations of Jameses. So he decided to try to buy some other things.

He elected to purchase more time with the extended family and friends who live near his hometown. His wife probably likes that aspect of the move, so he chose to buy the pleasure that making her happy gives him. He bought a far greater than zero chance of giving his hometown team its first championship. And he chose to rectify the most glaring public relations error he’s ever made by returning to a city where many felt abandoned by him four years ago.

The above items all seem like pretty valuable purchases to have one’s shopping cart. James said as much in the announcement he posted at Sports Illustrated’s website.⁽²⁾

I do not believe happiness derived from honestly acquired material goods in any way ranks below other sorts. What gives one pleasure is an individual decision. It works the other way, too. I have had more than one set of friends who gave up substantial wealth to move without jobs to their desired locations. They effectively used the money they would have made in their old cities to buy the joy associated with their chosen postal codes. Good for them.

It works the same way for LeBron James. He didn’t leave money on the table in Miami. He used it to buy a big trip to C-town - and a lot of happiness.

Rush Olson has spent two decades directing creative efforts for sports teams and broadcasters. He currently creates ad campaigns and related creative projects for sports entities through his company, Rush Olson Creative & Sports.

RushOlson.com

Linkedin.com/company/rush-olson-creative-&-sports

Facebook.com/RushOlsonCreativeandSports

Footnotes

⁽¹⁾ Jeff Zillgitt, “LeBron James only takes 2-year contract with Cavaliers,” USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/cavaliers/2014/07/12/lebron-james-contract-two-years-cleveland-cavs/12578491/ (accessed July 13, 2014)

⁽²⁾ LeBron James (as told to Lee Jenkins), “LeBron: I'm coming back to Cleveland,” Sports Illustrated. http://www.si.com/nba/2014/07/11/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers (accessed July 13, 2014)

Taking Advantage of What Klinsmann Got Right

Jurgen Klinsmann got a number of things right in 2014. He knew, barring a miracle (which Tim Howard tried mightily to effect), the United States would not win the World Cup.⁽¹⁾ Certainly it would have been best for the country's soccer future if he had misdiagnosed that one. But his accuracy in other areas bodes well for the game.

He knew fitness would play a vital role in his team's chances⁽²⁾ of emerging from a brutal group assignment and a demanding travel schedule. U.S. conditioning allowed them to secure more possession in the final fifteen minutes against Belgium than it seemed they had enjoyed for the entire game to that point. If the game were still going, Michael Bradley would no doubt still be running.

Along with Bradley's marathon⁽³⁾ (and he did run a Pheidippidean distance during the course of the tournament), we also saw some remarkable sprinting from some of the young players Klinsmann brought to Brazil. Did he err in leaving Landon Donovan home? We can't possibly evaluate the performance of a player who didn't play. We do know, however, that the coach correctly surmised that certain young players were, in fact, ready to contribute. The likes of DeAndre Yedlin and Julian Green proved they had talent and moxie. 

Effective play from young players on a big stage makes one hopeful for the immediate future. For the long-term, one can also draw hope from the combination of a pair of sources : red-white-and-blue face paint and the man who effectively ended the U.S. tournament.

American fans of all species supported the nation's World Cup squad

Commentators and journalists noted that the Stars and Stripes enjoyed the most prominent representation of any non-Brazilian squad.⁽⁴⁾ The supporters wore the colors and shouted the shouts. A record number of U.S. citizens cared about soccer. Some were even ok with calling it football. Klinsmann helped here, too, encouraging fans to make time for the games.⁽⁵⁾ The increased interest brings many long-term positives to the sport's outlook in this country, not least because of what we saw from Romelu Lukaku. 

The 21-year-old Lukaku played for Belgium. Big, fast, and agile, his physical superiority led directly to the two Belgian goals. The U.S. had no counterpart up front, especially with Jozy Altidore ailing. Will they in 2018 or 2022?

That's where the enthusiasm for the 2014 tournament comes in. Kids in Belgium grow up dreaming of being the guy who scores a game-winning goal in the World Cup. That aspiration helps draw the country's best athletes to play soccer.  Kids today in the U.S. grow up wanting to be Ray Lewis, Mike Trout, or LeBron James. If the current soccer fervor draws more Lukaku-caliber athletes to the sport, it will pay off in future competitions. 

The present-day LeBron James is a free agent, by the way, and he already owns part of Liverpool F.C.⁽⁵⁾ He'd be a lovely target in the box for some corner kicks.

Which Americans to include in future squads becomes a decision for Jurgen Klinsmann, of course. His successes with this year's team offer hope for the squads to come.

Rush Olson has spent two decades directing creative efforts for sports teams and broadcasters. He currently creates ad campaigns and related creative projects for sports entities through his company, Rush Olson Creative & Sports.

RushOlson.com

Linkedin.com/company/rush-olson-creative-&-sports

Facebook.com/RushOlsonCreativeandSports

Footnotes

⁽¹⁾ Sam Borden, “How Jurgen Klinsmann Plans to Make U.S. Soccer Better (and Less American),” New York Times Magazine. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/08/magazine/how-jurgen-klinsmann-plans-to-make-us-soccer-better-and-less-american.html?_r=1 (accessed July 2, 2014)

⁽²⁾ Leander Schaerlaeckens, “Klinsmann's health kick,” ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/story/_/id/7492608/jurgen-klinsmann-emphasis-fitness-training-lays-foundation-more-proactive-playing-style-leander-schaerlaeckens (accessed July 2, 2014)

⁽³⁾ Associated Press, “Michael Bradley covers most distance of any player in World Cup group play,” si.com Planet Futbol. http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2014/06/28/michael-bradley-usa-world-cup-jurgen-klinsmann (accessed July 2, 2014)

⁽⁴⁾ Jeff Fick, “U.S. Soccer Fans Biggest Buyers Of World Cup Tickets Outside Brazil,” Los Angeles Times.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jefffick/2014/06/16/u-s-soccer-fans-biggest-buyers-of-world-cup-tickets-outside-brazil/ (accessed July 2, 2014)

⁽⁵⁾ Reuters, “Take the day off, Klinsmann urges U.S. soccer fans,” Chicago Tribune. http://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/apr/07/lebron-james-liverpool (accessed July 2, 2014) 

⁽⁶⁾ Dominic Rushe and Andy Hunter, “Miami Heat's LeBron James secures minority share in Liverpool,” The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/apr/07/lebron-james-liverpool (accessed July 2, 2014)