This article originally appeared in On Leadership at The
Washington Post. For the original piece click here.
Since the phenomenon of Moneyball, a baseball story of a few number crunchers on small-market teams using statistical analyses to effectively compete with large-market teams, there has been an influx of self-proclaimed geeks — advanced statisticians, engineers, economists, and MBAs with a focus on analytics — who have weaved their way into the very fabric of professional sport organizations.
Perhaps that is why comedian Drew Carey, known for “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and the current host of game show “The Price Is Right,” initially seemed so out of place at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference where he appeared on a conference panel with executives from the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, Houston Rockets and Houston Astros. But Carey also happens to be part owner of Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders Football Club, a 2009 expansion team. And he stole the show.
Not for his one-liners, but for his innovative ideas. After he completed his conference duties, Carey sat down to talk with us about how the Sounders were able to quickly establish a loyal fan base, set MLS records for attendance, and make the playoffs in each of their first three years of existence.
The rest of this article can be found here.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
In the sentence “a leader sees a path forward and continues to work and persist until others see that path just as clearly.” I agree with that writer because I think that it is a leader’s goal to get the view across to the followers. I think that if a leader can make the ultimate goal and the path to said goal clear to the followers then they are an effective leader.
ReplyDeleteWho would have thought that Drew Carey could have so much influence on a professional sports team? Having a background in hosting television shows I can see how he was able to land the host job of "The Price is Right" and bring new ideas to the show opening it up for change. However, being able to become part owner of the Seattle Sounders Football team and implementing a rule where the fans can vote out the GM, a popular rule in Spain but unheard of in the US, shows that Drew Carey is a not only a comedian but a smart and charismatic leader. This puts pressure on the GM to lead their team to success and allows the fans to feel as if they have a say in the betterment of their team.
ReplyDeleteWho would have thought that Drew Carey would become part time owner of the Seattle Sounders a professional Football club? Having a background as a television host, I can see how he was able to land the host job of "The Price is Right" and open the show up to change. However, being able to implement the rule that fans vote for their teams GMs, a popular rule in Spain but unheard of in the US, shows that Carey is a smart and innovative leader.
ReplyDeleteWow, this really opened my eyes to Drew Carey and to how things probably could be ran differently in a lot of places. There are quite a few fans that would be interested in reading this for multiple pro sports teams that do poorly consistently. The idea of having a fan vote to oust the current GM/Owner is an awesome idea. It gives you a chance to start fresh if things aren't going the way the fans think it should. However, one must be careful. Fans must be thoroughly informed and know what they're doing lest they oust a good GM prematurely or after one or two bad seasons.
ReplyDeleteDrew Carey does show some great innovative ideas here but one thing that scares me about this idea is that it only takes 25% of fans to call for a vote in an off election year. In Gladiator the one line always stands out to me is "the mob is fickle". One off year or a building year and the fans can turn on a GM before he has had ample time to grow. Though it is good to let the fans know they have a say, but sometimes a leader's vision takes some time to pan out. The followers do not always see that vision and this can cause problems and problems in the followers causes dissent.
ReplyDeleteInteresting - so a fan base could potentially cause short term thinking with the GM? If that's the case, what would the GM need to do to counter that impulse? In other words, how could he or she insure that the fan base tolerated a few down seasons?
ReplyDeleteJoe-
DeleteI think what would have to happen is maybe a one or two year interim period in which the new GM has time to settle in. Maybe a vote could still be taken but average it with the next years vote or maybe after two consecutive years of being voted out, then the new GM would have to leave.
Drew Carey surprised me very much by his innovative ideas. It just comes to show that ideas can come from anywhere and anyone. Though you must be careful before dealing with radical ideas dealing with sports and sports franchises. From my perspective there seems to be a certain formula that works to build and run a sports franchise. Even though there has been a few other ideas that have had some success. Moneyball was mentioned in the article, but has moneyball brought a championship to Oakland?
ReplyDeleteThat's a tired analysis - the insinuation is that because Oakland hasn't won a championship professional sport teams should stick to status quo and, further, the only innovations that should be tried are the ones that lead to championships. Seems like a bit of a cop out...
ReplyDeleteIt is enlightening to read about a person who has stepped out of his comfort level and into such an innovative role for the MLS. Drew Carey is know for his role in the television industry more than Sports, but still he has made changes that could possible bring soccer closer to the dominant American Sports. Fans are the people that keeps Professional Sports alive, and bringing in new ideas from an area like Spain is brilliant. Spain has been a major force in European soccer for a long time, why not learn off one of the best. Carey's innovations with the Seattle Sounders are bold and send a message.“A great leader's courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position,” John Maxwell. Although Drew Carey may not have had a major position within the MLS, his passion to see soccer grow helped him to make his vision happen.
ReplyDeleteA GM can counter fans impulses by hard work and an unwilling desire to win. If the team were to suffer a down season or two, it is the GM's responsibility to take blame for his actions and persuade the fan base that his vision will have a positive outcome on future seasons. Making trades, free agent moves,firing coaches, doing anything that he can to better the team and allow his fans to see that he wants to win and will win is vital in saving his job as GM.
ReplyDeleteMathew makes a tremendous point and one that I was thinking about as well. Drew Carey stepping out of his comfort level of being on television and being a comedian to become an innovator in Major League Soccer. I believe someone with fresh ideas like Drew Carey is exactly what Major League Soccer needs. It will help generate new fans and exposure all over the country, not just in Seattle. His ability to reach out to the fans and to gain new fans wins me over. It sometimes seems that GM's in other sports forget about the fan and they are too worried about following the status quo. I believe Drew Carey may be on to big things in the MLS, and I am anxious to watch what happens.
ReplyDeleteI find it very interesting that Drew Carey would have such an influence on professional sports teams. I look at him and all I can think about is "Who's Line is it Anyway". I also did not know he owned an MLS team. He apparently knows what he is doing and the MLS could use an iconic owner like him.
ReplyDeleteI think that everyone knows Drew Carey as a comedian, so when he is involved in something like sports, people may not take him seriously. For someone to have such a huge influence in the comedy and community and then be able to suggest great ideas in the sports industry, is an example of a well-rounded individual, and a great leader. People should follow in his footsteps and branch out to be involved in aspects outside of their expertise.
ReplyDeleteIt is important to note, however interesting or idyllic it sounds in theory to be able to control who owns your team that the majority of fans are not die hards and do not know the intricacies of ownership and for this reason may be more quick to jump the gun on firing a GM because the team missed playoffs. That said being a Pittsburgh sports fan, I would surely like to get rid of the Pirates owners who have repeatedly shown that they care more about fattening their own pockets than giving Pittsburgh a winning baseball team.
ReplyDeleteStories such as this one are very interesting to myself due to a couple of things. One, The fact that Drew Carey, who no one would expect to do something such as this, is so involved and is bringing a new flavor to soccer is quite impressive. I feel that when actors or athletes branch out into other fields of life, it may not always work out the way they would like it to. You see NBA athletes try to be rappers or movie stars and well you do not have to be a rocket scientist to note it always isn't the greatest of ideas. I enjoy a good story, and this is one of them. Good for Drew Carey and I hope he succeeds for years to come.
ReplyDelete