The consolidation of the Bullets and Capitals operations
under the Washington Sports umbrella last July has created sharp
and personal "conflicts" at the operation's Landover, MD,
offices, writes Ken Denlinger in this morning's WASHINGTON POST.
The merger has been going on for more than a year, according to
Denlinger, as Abe Pollin, the owner of both teams, began the
consolidation of his sports properties, including USAir Arena,
with the creation of Capital Sports Regional Marketing (CSRM).
Washington Sports is the byproduct of this consolidation. Pollin
chose Bullets President Susan O'Malley and former Bullets coach
Wes Unseld to run CSRM and Washington Sports. Denlinger reports
that "the friction from both ventures has been considerable,
mostly because Bullets-connected officials" will head "the most
important struts of the Washington Sports umbrella." The three
VPs in the new operation (sales, communications and community
relations) are all former Bullets employees, leaving many on the
Capitals side to view the merger as a "hostile takeover."
FROM COMPETITION COMES COHESION? Denlinger notes the
Capitals' and Bullets' sales staffs have been "highly
competitive" for several years. Denlinger: "Ironically, the
person now in charge of making peace and leading a unified
effort" is O'Malley, who "fueled much of the rivalry."
O'Malley's claim of selling out 30 of the Bullets' 41 home games
last season "infuriates" Capitals' officials. Denlinger reports
that privately, "some Capitals officials said there was no way
the games were full-price sellouts, that there had to be heavy
discounts on lots of tickets." Denlinger quotes an unnamed Caps
official: "The Bullets plan their sellouts in August." O'Malley
acknowledges that the years of competition between the two staffs
will be "hard to overcome." O'Malley admits the Bullets don't
sell all their tickets at full price, but claims the team doesn't
"publicly discount," and she believes they are not "devaluing"
the product. O'Malley: "Sponsors pay a premium to have tickets
associated with their products. Buy a certain amount of their
products and get a free Bullets ticket."
SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED: After the merger, several Capitals'
officials lost jobs, including VP/Communications Ed Quinlan and
P.A. announcer Marv Brooks, who had been with the team 19 years.
Brooks: "I wish it could have been handled with a bit more class.
... this youngster called and said: 'It's time we made a change
and parted ways.' I asked if this meant I was fired and he said
'Yeah.'" In addition, many "were uncomfortable with Pollin
choosing to break the news" through a memo addressed "To All
Capitals Staff." O'Malley admits she is "aggressive," but
describes her style as "passionate": "If I hire the best people
and they do the best job, it's going to work out" (WASHINGTON
POST, 9/14).
