Cleaning out my notebook after a very newsworthy month to start the year.
SURPRISE MOVE: Big Ten Conference Commissioner Tony Petitti has many college stakeholders surprised (translation: not happy) over having investment bank Evercore field offers from private equity firms earlier this month. For months, Petitti had said publicly — and consistently — that he was against private equity investment, and there was nothing PE firms and their potential partners could do to improve the state of college sports that the Big Ten couldn’t do on its own. Maybe he’s just doing his due diligence. But I’m told those who have spent a lot of time with Petitti and the Big Ten about the future of college sports were less than pleased.
NBA IN THE NEWS: An NBA-backed European league will get a lot of attention during NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco. This is moving much quicker than many people thought and speaks to the strength of the NBA brand around the world. There’s capital to invest, stakeholders believe talent is there and the NBA brings a sophisticated operator mentality and ability to run the league. The biggest hurdle remains viable venues around the world. … A number of NBA team people pointed to how Miami Heat President Pat Riley handled the Jimmy Butler issue. Butler got his trade, but it was a clear move by Riley in trying to reclaim leverage in the player/team relationship.
MANNING FAMILY SHINES: Finally, a fun night in New Orleans where I again experienced the impact of the Manning family. During Super Bowl Week, the family was named the inaugural recipients of the Louisiana Legacy Award, presented by the Children’s Hospital New Orleans, a night that culminated in the hospital being renamed the Manning Family Children’s Hospital. This honor came after a fireside chat with Archie, Olivia and Eli Manning, led by older brother Cooper. Cooper is deft and funny, and Eli has amazing storytelling skills. But the night belonged to Archie and Olivia, who shared stories of their 54 years in New Orleans.
Archie showed the family bond when he talked of Sunday “board meetings” at home, where they would discuss current events, sports and family issues, while Cooper called them “bored” meetings. Olivia told stories of taking two sons, Cooper and Peyton, to the Superdome while pregnant with Eli during the Saints’ 1-15 season in 1980. She recalled fans booing her husband after his second interception, and her sons asking firmly, “Mom, can we boo too?” Later, they asked, “Mom, can we put garbage bags over our heads?” Understandably annoyed, she said, “I never took them back to another game, and I didn’t go back to a game that season!” The audience roared with delight. I met Archie and Olivia more than 15 years ago and was immediately struck by their down-to-earth nature and kindness. Their children follow in their footsteps. I again saw the foundation of what makes the family special and the strong bonds they have with that community and region. The Manning family does it right.
FEEDBACK: I received more response than usual on my last column on the challenging plight of today’s college athletic directors. I believe that speaks to the interest around the role and understanding of the seismic challenges they are facing. Here’s a sampling that touched on the themes of the feedback:
“Very true/real article. The industry is in jeopardy of losing talent at the senior levels if things can’t settle out. The other issue of the fringe element taking over and whipsawing ADs and commissioners into decisions/actions they don’t want is impacting the industry at all levels and necessitates a deep dive into how to root it out before it’s too late.”
“Sure, there are a lot of ADs feeling that way. But I will say there’s also a sense that some ADs are out of their lane in terms of navigating financial, legal, and organizational decisions. Some have little background in these areas and it’s creating paralysis in decision-making.”
“I get it. But the lawsuits come from the schools, the tampering comes from the schools, and the abundance of money and the third-party agents come from collectives that are empowered by the schools.”
“All these problems will continue if the ADs and the schools view these upcoming changes as just a new set of rules to be manipulated or ignored or fought over in court. It’s on them.”
“My career goal, until about one year ago, was to pivot into collegiate athletic administration, but that goal has since changed due to the current environment.”
Abraham Madkour can be reached at amadkour@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
