Sunday Forum: Listening Is Not complicated

Good Sunday morning. A few things to think about as you start your week.

• Arthur Blank: “Understanding what fans are asking for, not debating with them, not finding 50 million reasons to tell them no, but finding easy ways to say yes to them.”
• Seen and heard from the Business of Soccer conference
• Takeaways from the week and more photos
• Sunday Forum: From Julius Erving To Ellie Brown: The Powerful Lessons From “Soul Power”

It’s hard not to feel better when you’re around Arthur Blank. He’s kind, humble, compassionate, thoughtful, curious — all just for starters. The love and admiration for Blank was evident this week in Atlanta, as he and his accomplished team hosted SBJ’s Business of Soccer conference at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. One leader after another cited Blank’s mentorship, guidance, counsel and support, and Blank was seen frequently with his son, Josh, sitting by his side, in session after session, listening to panels and discussions. Before my sit-down with him this week, I went back to re-read Ben Fischer’s profile of Blank when we presented him with SBJ’s Lifetime Achievement Award. This passage struck me:

[Blank’s] core values — Put People First, Listen and Respond, Include Everyone, Innovate Continuously, Lead by Example and Give Back to Others — are more than just corporate speak. They come from the earliest business philosophies of a man who learned long ago that the best way to get results is to hear what your customers are saying.

“Listening to who you’re serving and not debating it, not arguing with them, not trying to be smarter than them,” says Blank. “Accept their brilliance and accept their wisdom and just try to understand it and respond to it. It’s not complicated. It’s an easy thing to do, but most people in business don’t do it because they hear what the customer wants … and they say, ‘Well, they said that, but that’s really not what they mean.’”

On Thursday, I asked Blank about that, and was glad he reiterated his philosophy to the audience:

“The yellow brick road for us was just listening and responding. So, understanding what fans are asking for, not debating with them, not finding 50 million reasons to tell them no, but finding easy ways to say yes to them.”

A few takeaways from three days in Atlanta:

• Downtown Atlanta is changing dramatically and quickly, and one of the most important and impressive real estate projects in the world is Centennial Yards, the $5 billion mixed-use development fitting in beside State Farm Arena and Mercedes-Benz Stadium. My colleague and I were led on a tour by Centennial Yards President Brian McGowan, where workers filled the job site. Hotel Phoenix is already open, and Cosm is scheduled for early June before the World Cup. Asked what is keeping him up at night, McGowan said quickly, “Security.” Big picture, you see retail, restaurant and full digital offerings, and you can envision this being a vibrant, family-friendly experience between two high-volume venues. You really have to see it.

• Don’t sleep on what the Atlanta Braves are doing in developing their own media network, BravesVision. While other teams are seeking more security from a leaguewide media offering, Braves Chair Terry McGuirk and President and CEO Derek Schiller see a different solution for serving their broad (and rare) six-state region of fans. This is a big, bold bet — from production to advertising and marketing, and especially distribution. They are building out a full media group, which is not an easy task. Most impressively, by the team’s Opening Day on Friday, Schiller and Co. had reached distribution deals with most of the major providers in the Atlanta market, and we know how bruising and difficult these deals are. As of now, this is a one-team network, but could morph into more in the future. A team launching its own network is a rare, ambitious effort going against the media trends.

• NYCFC President and CEO Brad Sims has been around the business for a long time. He’s a smart executive who is realistic and doesn’t take himself too seriously. He’s eager for his team to move into Etihad Park in ‘27, the soccer-specific facility right next to Citi Field. He spoke bullishly about the revenue bump the team will experience, estimating that premium revenue will increase 20x, sponsorship 3x and general seating 2x from its current financial setup playing at Yankee Stadium; that proves again the revenue boost from any new building, and the emphasis on premium. The final steel beam for the stadium was put in place during a ceremony this week.

• I loved hearing the stories of Clark Hunt, who spoke on Wednesday. He shared the advice his father, Lamar Hunt, gave him time and again: Focus on the fans. When asked to describe his father, he said, “Visionary. Leader. Humble.” On my reading list is Michael McCambridge’s “Lamar Hunt: A Life In Sports.”

• Every leader at the Business of Soccer took extra time to praise Commissioner Don Garber, who will be stepping down from his role in the next few years. He was lauded by Concacaf President Victor Montagliani, U.S. Soccer’s Cindy Parlow Cone, Clark Hunt, Sir Mohamed Mansour and many others. Blank closed his session by saying, “We’ve had some great commissioners in the National Football League. None have lasted as long as Commissioner Garber has and had the impact on the sport the way Don has. … Don has been an outstanding spokesperson and leader and manager of all of what’s taken place in the world of soccer. We would not be involved with soccer if he wasn’t involved. …. Don, to me, has been the godfather of soccer to me personally … and certainly one of the great commissioners in the history, in my opinion, of any American sport. Beyond that, he’s like a brother to me.”

• Finally, audience members were all talking about one of the most powerful stories they heard over the two days, and that was the life of Sir Mohamed Mansour, owner of MLS’ San Diego FC and chair of the Mansour Group. From growing up in Egypt, experiencing incredible personal health obstacles, going to college in the U.S. at the age of 15, battling cancer, his family losing its wealth in Egypt, to becoming a billionaire and knighted — it’s one of the most inspiring stories of resilience you will ever hear. I will have more in the weeks ahead.

→ The job I’m asked about the most is the Detroit Lions’ search for a new CEO, and since there are only 32 of these NFL jobs available, they are always intriguing. The Lions’ brand is very strong regionally — and you’d be surprised by how strong nationally — and the city is clearly undergoing a renaissance. The questions I’m asked most: How ambitious are plans by Sheila Ford Hamp and the Ford family for future growth, and what is the appetite for investing in new forms of sports and entertainment offerings? In addition, there are questions about Ford Field, a county-owned, team-operated venue that was built in 2002, but there are currently no plans for a new stadium. Russell Reynolds Associates is handling the search.

→ Two recent deals that got my attention: Ford landing auto rights for Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball and Little League Baseball, returning to major sports sponsorship since its NFL deal ended in 2022; and Coca-Cola’s return to the NBA with its Sprite brand.

Sprite’s return has a number of storylines. The year Sports Business Daily started, 1994, Coca-Cola marketers Sergio Zyman and Steve Koonin decided to move its NBA sponsorship from Coca-Cola to Sprite. Coke had been the lead brand since 1986, but this move came as Zyman and Koonin wanted to shift Sprite from being a lemon/lime soft drink and reposition it to connect with youth culture — hence the “Obey Your Thirst” campaign. On the flip side, the NBA was seeking more global reach, and Coke had distribution and inventory to help get the NBA exposure globally, launching “Obey Your Thirst” in eventually 100 countries, signing Grant Hill and Dirk Nowitzki (internationally) as the first spokespeople used extensively in retail promotions. I still recall how effective that campaign was, and now Sprite returns to the NBA as the third-largest carbonated soft drink brand in the U.S. by volume, with roughly 9% of market share, after Coca-Cola and Dr Pepper.

→ It’s not directly related to sports, but AEG landed a coup this week in securing a deal to move the Oscars from the Dolby Theater to L.A. Live, beginning in 2029 under a new 10-year deal. This is another high-profile critical anchor that AEG can position at L.A. Live and gives the Oscars a much bigger footprint on this downtown L.A. campus. This deal has been a focus of AEG CRO Todd Goldstein for years.

→ Alex Martins first started working for the Orlando Magic in 1989 in the PR department and later served as CEO for 14 years. Yes, he has seen it all at that organization, and the Magic have clearly become part of his identity. This week, he saw his name forever established in the team’s history, as Chair Dan DeVos presented Martins a plaque, inducting him into the Magic’s hall of fame, located at the Kia Center. Martins was visibly emotional and said he struggled to keep his emotions in check while receiving the honor, which came before family and friends. It’s an honor very well deserved for someone who has done so much for the Orlando community. Read the Orlando Sentinel’s Mike Bianchi’s take on Martins’ honor and see highlights.

→ A lot of feedback on recent columns. First, on the team vs. league debate:

ONE READER: “I wish you talked to me. The problem is now, both the teams and leagues are fighting for the same thing — revenue. Are we cannibalizing each other or is the league cannibalizing the teams? Look at NBA media deal, they dipped into team broadcast inventory to get to that big number. Big picture, yes, it makes sense but the fact remains they are doing that with media and sponsorships, selling categories that used to be team rights. So if it’s a pie, we are fighting over who gets how many slices to the pie. So the pie has to get bigger and that’s been challenging.”

ANOTHER READER: “Have spent time on both sides … I believe I was the only person in the league office who had come from a team. Right or wrong, I always pushed the point internally that the league can’t lose sight of the local revenue pressures every club faces. In one meeting I led, I shared that roughly 95% of a team’s revenue is generated locally —not to diminish the league’s role, but to reinforce how critical the local business really is to the health of the whole system.”

• Then, on the World Baseball Classic:

ONE READER: “You asked: Why does it seem foreign players cared more about winning than US players? Start with the national anthems. Foreign players often were shown singing the words to their anthems, while US players were not. That led to criticism that I considered unwarranted. US players hear the anthem pre-game 162 times a year in front of a US crowd, and most don’t sing along. For players, a WBC game is just another time they hear the anthem in front of a US crowd.

The US is the only team that plays every WBC game on home soil. If we were ever to play a true road game in another country, as our competition had to do every time, perhaps the foreign environment would be more likely to encourage players to display patriotism.

Post game is different from pre-game. If they had beaten Venezuela for the title, I bet you would have seen US players singing when our anthem was played at the victory ceremony. Just my two cents.”

ANOTHER READER: “I have worked this event. I went out of my way to ask each Player if they’d prefer a World Series title or WBC title…ALL of them said WBC!”

ANOTHER READER: “While this may be a sensationalized statement, I think this WBC could change the way MLB is played for a generation. The passion, swagger, excitement and (honestly) fun that the players were having permeated into the stands and I think we’ll see more of this earlier in MLB’s season this year. Hopefully, this has obvious cascading effects on turnstile attendance, viewership, participation and more. At Dealmakers in November, a panelist was discussing the globalization of sport and predicted that this years WBC would be bigger and more consequential than anyone expected. I brushed it off and was wrong to do so! It does feel like there’s some momentum to move the tourney into the season, but logistical challenges could prevail.

Either way, what a win for baseball. Between WBC, tons of momentum in the Padres process (and valuations more palatable than competitive leagues), and newfound young star power, I’m bullish on the game’s future.”

→ If you missed Morning Buzzcast, check out this week’s episodes here.

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→ We are less than four weeks away from the CAA World Congress of Sports at LA Live. It’s going to be a great event that you won’t want to miss. Let me know if you have any questions.

Now, check out our Early Access stories from the weekly print edition coming out tomorrow, and then on to this week’s Forum, which highlights the impactful lessons from Prime Video’s “Soul Power” documentary on the American Basketball Association.

My uncle turned me on to Dr. J. It was the early 1970s, and Dr. Jim Ralph was the sports team doctor at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. When my family would visit, or when he’d bring his four sons to see us in Manchester, Vermont, he spoke about this young man he got to know and clearly adored, Julius Erving. By then, Erving was playing for the New York Nets in the ABA, but that league was hardly seen in small-town Vermont. Uncle Jim would talk frequently and fondly of this young man who played at UMass from 1969-71, and raved about Erving’s polite manner, grace and, of course, his ability. “Abraham, you have to see him play. He will change the game, and I’ve never met a better young man.”

During one visit, Uncle Jim came bearing the greatest gift: a signed photo, now famous, of Erving in scrubs, operating on a red, white and blue ABA ball in a hospital surrounded by nurses. Of course, I thought it was signed just for me, but I still have it, framed and hanging in my home office. I became a lifelong admirer of the Doctor and thought of those days when watching the fantastic documentary on Prime, “Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association,” which is a great reminder of Erving’s comportment and impact.

Erving has had his personal ups and downs, as we all have had. But this documentary showed us again how gracefully and respectfully he conducted himself while showcasing his incredible talent that was such a joy to watch. He had such style — every scene shows Erving donning the latest fashion. There was the hair, as Erving sported such a new-look Afro that it led to young fans following his style. The show also drills into how Erving identified with all fans and transcended race. He believed his commercial relationships helped. “My Converse deal, my Spalding deal. Those were door-openers,” he said, “where there were white parents saying to their kids, ‘I want you to be like Julius Erving.’” Scott Tarter, the documentary’s associate producer and longtime ABA historian, nailed it when he said, “Erving was an ad agency’s dream, because he checked off all the boxes that makes a suburban white family comfortable. He is attractive. He’s regal. He has a great presence. He is well spoken. He doesn’t say anything controversial, and he’s a great basketball player.” This doc fully captures the powerful, pioneering brand of Dr. J, which too often today gets forgotten in basketball history.

The other captivating angle of “Soul Power” is that of the late Ellie Brown becoming the first woman to run a pro team as Kentucky Colonels owner. Her husband, John Y. Brown, was set to sell the ABA team, only to be convinced by his crying son how much it meant to the community. John Y. Brown, who built Kentucky Fried Chicken into a fast-food giant, was a successful political leader who didn’t have the time to run the team, so he turned to Ellie, who battled intense sexism and skepticism to lead the Colonels to great success. The first day she went to her office, the general manager resigned. She recalled in the show, “He built what is a lot of the organization. He just said, ‘I don’t want to work for a woman.’ So, when he left, the coach said, ‘Well, I’m just leaving too …’ And that’s just the way it was, 1973.”

Brown, then 33 years old, was asked at her initial press conference what she knew about basketball. Her reply: “I know as much about basketball as my husband knew about fried chicken when he bought Kentucky Fried Chicken.” She chafed at the treatment. “It was discouraging because they weren’t taking me seriously. But I had the confidence that I could do what I had planned.” She appointed the first all-female board of directors in pro sports history, “women who knew their way around the community.” They promoted the team and went to local businesses for support. Once Brown got the community involved in the team, she tripled season-ticket sales and the Colonels played to a full house. One of their star players, Dan Issel, said at the time, “I was a little bit skeptical about this at the beginning, but I’m not now. I don’t know six more harder-working ladies.”

She hired the legendary Hubie Brown, and the team won the title in 1975. “We did what we set out to do: Sell out the house and win a championship,” she said proudly. A great scene shows Ellie, who died in 2024, going through a scrapbook of clippings from the 1970s with her son. She points to a front-page clip of the local paper and notes the headline: “‘The Lady Is For Real.’ I liked that.”

There were so many more takeaways from “Soul Power.” Anyone interested in the development of a sports league, or in taking risks, ideating in sports and how sports and society were changed by this league must watch this series. There are so many lessons that can even apply today.

Abraham Madkour can be reached at amadkour@sportsbusinessjournal.com.