Menu
Opinion

From venues to culture to dealing with death

Idon’t envy the judges who will determine Sports Facility of the Year over the next few years at our Sports Business Awards. The dynamic new buildings that will debut over the next two years are amazing. This year, we have facilities like Rogers Place in Edmonton, U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis and Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. In 2017, it’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium and SunTrust Park in Atlanta, and Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. I welcome any volunteers interested in being part of those deliberations!

Here are my takeaways from the AXS Sports Facilities and Franchises and Ticketing Symposium in Minneapolis.

 PURPLE CRAZE: U.S. Bank Stadium has an open, airy feeling inside the bowl that is aided by the clear walls and ceiling that open out to the city. While the concourses  can feel snug because of its tight footprint, I loved the open-air porches, plazas and entrances, as well as Club Purple, with purple couches offering a great view of the field. Overall, the building has a lot of character tied to the Vikings, the team’s history and the Nordic culture, including the Gjallarhorn overlooking one end zone. From members of the organization, you get a clear sense of relief and excitement on the potential and promise of the new building, which will move the Vikings from lower five in total league revenue to the top 10, a significant financial boost that can’t be overlooked.
 
 EYE-LEVEL SUITES: One continuing trend at the pro and college level are field-level suites. At U.S. Bank, there are 23 “turf suites” that have their patio  on the turf of the field.  Catering is baked into the suite prices, which start at $200,000.

Vikings CMO Steve LaCroix offered some good advice on the team’s approach in selling these — essentially, buyer beware. “The turf suites are a very interesting experience,” LaCroix said. “You do have a lot of blocked views because you are behind the bench. … But you get a lot of sights and sounds, and literally hear the action on the field and sidelines.”

He said that during the sales process the key was to be transparent about the product, which is new to the Minneapolis-St. Paul market. “We told them, ‘Your view isn’t going to be great, but you are going to be right on the field and seeing the players,’ he said. “We haven’t had any issues from fans who said this wasn’t what they expected.”

The loss of Jose Fernandez

   One couldn’t watch the events from South Florida last week and the tragic death of Jose Fernandez and not feel profound and utter sadness. My thoughts went out to team President David Samson and the organization, and I couldn’t help but think about his remark that there is no “playbook” when it came to a tragedy like the death of a player and teammate. Samson’s leadership during this awful process was admirable — in being visible, meeting with families, players and media — while having the look of a man dealing with great pain, sadness, anger and confusion, but displaying great empathy. Watching his news conference on the day of Fernandez’s death, I jotted down his quote that captured what the organization was going through: “When you talk about a tragedy like this, there are no words that come to mind. There’s no playbook. There are no words of consolation. There is prayer, there is thought toward his family … and you recognize how precious life is and how taking things for granted is a fool man’s game. … His story is representative of a story of hope, and of love, and of faith, and no one will ever let that story die.”

Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment assisted in the sales process, and CEO Jeff Knapple agreed. “We let people know what this product delivers and what it doesn’t deliver,” he said.

Knapple sees field-level suites increasing in popularity.  “It’s not my favorite view, but you are seeing it more and more,” he said. “It’s not just a trend, it’s a fact, it is happening and it will continue to happen.”
 
 DETROIT PRESENTATION ROCKED: The plans for Little Caesars Arena and the surrounding 50-block development in downtown Detroit made a dramatic impression on attendees for the aggressive vision in changing the face of a city. With a total investment estimated to reach $1.2 billion, this project has it all — blocks of walkable retail, residential and commercial enterprises, an outdoor piazza modeled after vistas in Europe, an “indoor” streetscape leading into the arena, and more. If Chris Ilitch, Tom Wilson and Olympia Entertainment can pull this off, it may be one of the most transformational projects in sports history.

“This project is going to be something that people are going to be writing a thesis on in college because it’s such a renaissance,” said Wilson, president and CEO of Olympia Entertainment. “Doing 50 blocks in a major American city is fairly audacious and bold, but because it’s been so bold, we have had interest from top designers from all over the world who want to be a part of this project. … Detroit is changing.”
 
 CULTURE CLUB: A good amount of talk at the conference was about creating a successful corporate culture — from the LA Galaxy playing employee soccer matches during the week to the Timberwolves/Lynx playing staff basketball games at Target Center. I was surprised to hear that Timberwolves/Lynx President Chris Wright conducts an interview with everyone who is in the final stages to join the organization, not just management level, but everyone in the roughly 140-person operation. He said the conversation is strictly about culture. “I don’t ask one skill-set question, that’s [done by] the hiring manager. I talk about our ‘why’ and our ‘purpose,’ which is to lead, inspire and unite, as well as our guiding principles. The challenge for new hires is, Do you understand that even before you come in for an interview?” It was the first time I had met the 67-year-old Brit, who has been with the organization for 25 years. It’s clear the Timberwolves’ 12-season run of not making the playoffs has been difficult on him, but Wright is a straight shooter who brings a thoughtful, strategic style to a conversation. … Scott O’Neil, CEO of the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center, has spent a lot of time on culture and gave a 45-minute discussion themed “people, development, recognition” with two members of the 76ers and Devils staff. “The more time you spend on your employees and your culture in terms of making it a great place to work, your business results will reflect that,” he said. Fueled by landing the top draft pick in Ben Simmons, the 76ers sit at No. 1 in the NBA in terms of new season-ticket sales and are among the top 10 in renewals. The team will enter this season with just over 10,000 full-season-ticket holders. “We have had the third-worst three-year period [in league history] on the court,” O’Neil said. “Yet our business continues to grow, and we’re seeing the fruits of our labor now.” A couple of points caught my attention. Onboarding — at the Devils, new sales staffers get “drafted” during an event akin to a draft night, with a press conference, live interview, draft cap and jersey. “The way they are onboarded after hiring is going to be key in how successful they are going to be,” said Shawn Doss, Devils vice president of ticket, premium sales and membership services. “We take big pride in how we onboard.” The 76ers have established a “culture committee,” on which a member from each department of the organization sits, so they can try to infuse culture enhancements throughout the organization.  Finally, I thought O’Neil’s comments about having managers switch roles with other staffers within the organization, from ushers to arena workers, was smart. “When you wear a fancy suit or a fancy tie, everyone will pay attention to you, and look you in the eye and want to talk with you,” he said. “But then you switch spots and be an usher for a game, or security for a game, and no one wants to talk to you, or look you in the eye or engage you. People can make you feel like you don’t matter. So, for our executive staff or managers to serve in that role for a night can be very humbling, and you learn what others’ experience is like and it helps us stress to them how we all work together and tell people how valuable they are to the success of the organization.”

Buongiorno Roma!
    I’ll be attending the first global conference on Faith and Sport at the Vatican this week. The three-day event seeks to offer a set of  values that articulate how faith and sport can serve the greater good and to develop partnerships to put the principles in action. The  themes of the conference focus on inspiration, inclusion and involvement. I look forward to sharing my experience with you.

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

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2016/10/03/Opinion/From-The-Executive-Editor.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Journal/Issues/2016/10/03/Opinion/From-The-Executive-Editor.aspx

CLOSE