Sports Can Be A Catalyst

The last two weeks sports has been in the news for all of the wrong reasons.  I have followed sports closely since I can remember.  Usually for fans sports are an escape for the cares of the world.  But when we turned on our televisions or went online it was full of disturbing stories.  From Ray Rice, NFL competence, Adrian Peterson, Danny Ferry, and other stories.  The beauty of social media is that it allows us to express our opinions on a variety of topics.

Some of are the opinion as to why should we care about sports so much.  I’ve stated many times before sports are a microcosm of society.  They expose the best and worse of our society and can be a catalyst for change on issues that are larger than the game.  That is what we witnessed the last two weeks.

Ray Rice’s video being released just gave us a visual of what we suspected took place between him and his then fiancé in the elevator.  San Francisco 49ers Ray McDonald and Carolina Panthers Greg Hardy have pending domestic violence cases.  The developments Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings discipline of his four year old is just another mess the NFL has on its hands.

What became a bigger story with Rice is how the Baltimore Ravens and NFL mishandled the situation and whether McDonald and Hardy should be playing without due process being completed.   Did the NFL see the Rice video or not, etc. etc.  As Bill Simmons Grantland stated, “Doesn’t this feels like Nixon all over again?” How can the same scandal blow up in someone’s face THREE DIFFERENT TIMES? It’s impossible!

A lot of good will come from the events of last week pertaining to Ray Rice.  The seriousness of domestic violence is being discussed.   Law enforcement is being forced to revisit how they handle domestic violence.  Society is doing a self-examination on how it has not been discussed enough. 

The NFL is heads and shoulders the most popular sports league.  Over 40% of their fans are women. 

Then handling of the situation reveals what tends to happen in big business when it is booming.  It is easy to get complacent about processes and competence.  A recent poll done by ESPN had over 50% of fans desiring for Commissioner Roger Goodell to resign or be fired.  The problem is the NFL owners are his bosses.  They are pleased with the job he is doing because he stays on the front line and takes all of the criticism that they do not have to deal with. 

Football fans have the right to complain about the competence of the person who oversees a multibillion industry they support.  Not only do fans come to the games, but we also support the sponsors that fund the NFL.  That is why they are willing to pay such a high price for advertisements in stadiums, events, and commercials.  Goodell’s salary has increased to $44 million/year.  With the responsibilities that come with being Commissioner competence should not be continuous question.

This is not new from how he handled the New England Patriots Spygate, New Orleans Saints Bountygate, fines, suspensions, and other issues.  Goodell has overseen the growth of the NFL, but I do not think much credit should be given to him for it.

It is like President Bill Clinton getting too much credit for the economy’s boom in the 1990’s.  Part of it was he was President at the right time…and he is brilliant.

Leadership Author and expert John Maxwell states, leadership is focused on developing the organization for future success. Leaders tend to focus on long-term growth, and they set challenging goals for themselves and for their businesses. Innovation is therefore key to leaders, who are always asking themselves "How can we make this business better?"

Another Maxwell position that applies to Goodell from his Five Levels of Leadership (People, Permission, Production, People Development, Pinnacle) is Position Leadership, the lowest level.  People follow because they have to.  That is where Goodell appears to fall.  He seems overwhelmed by the many facets that come with the job.  Communicating with fans, players, and media about the NFL and reasoning behind major decisions.  His former position as COO did not require the same responsibility.  With all the recent developments and controversies he has cancelled recent public appearances.

Then there was Danny Ferry’s comments regarding then free agent Luol Deng, "has a little African in him” that were on a conference call with the audio tape released this week.  Ferry claimed he was reading from a report.  Listening to the audio it did not appear he was reading.  Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo stated they belonged to him because they belonged to a culture within the Atlanta Hawks where one of his underlings didn't think twice about inputting them into the Hawks' database. That person didn't fear the general manager's response. The words belonged to Ferry because no one else studying and re-studying the Deng intelligence report – a player with whom they would offer a $10 million-a-year contract – thought it necessary to delete from the file.

The comments were unfortunate to say the least.  What good came out of it was a part owner of the franchise demanded that it would be investigated.  Whether their motivation was because the Donald Sterling fiasco was still fresh or knowing that it was wrong, they knew that an insulting reference should not be tolerated.  Ferry has taken an indefinite leave of absence.

So what did I take from the last couple of weeks?  Sports can start the process on social change.  Competence can be compromised for profits and greed.    I agree with what Mark Cuban stated in March in reference to the NFL, "Just watch.  Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. When you try to take it too far, people turn the other way. I'm just telling you, when you've got a good thing and you get greedy, it always, always, always, always, always turns on you. That's rule No. 1 of business."

The recent events will not hurt NFL profits in the short term because fans are suckers for Sundays.  We just want to watch the games and it is an escape from our troubles and even those within the NFL.   I was reminded that the tolerances for insensitive remarks towards individuals are no longer being tolerated in a corporate setting.  Sponsors do not want to be associated with those thoughts and the public is responding swiftly.  Sports cannot solve the world’s problems.  We have issues with ISIS, Ferguson still looming, crime, and continuous discrimination on all levels.  But we can thank sports for being the catalyst to many of the issues in the past, present, and future.

Football was the same sport that was a catalyst for history with Doug Williams winning a Super Bowl to help change the perception of black men being able to lead a diverse group. From being the lowest paid starting quarterback in Tampa Bay earlier in his career and less than a dozen backups to Super Bowl MVP.

The Jackie Robinson Little League United States Champions inspired conversations on race, but also illustrated how when a community is invested into what can be accomplished.  The team is a beneficiary of Major League Baseball’s RBI program, reviving baseball in inner cities.   More than baseball needs reviving in many cities.  This program is an example of when resources are invested into communities what children can accomplish.  The same can be said for education and job training.

Sports, with their impact and influence, have always had a place in society. There can be many instrumental development objectives and lessons realized through sports. Their value is sometimes underestimated, but as anyone knows who has ever been to any sporting event, it can literally reshape the foundation of a community.