Public Scrunity Often Cited As The Biggest Adjustment For New Sports Team Owners

Despite massive financial and operational success in many other industries, one thing that new team owners say they were entirely unprepared for is the public scrutiny that comes with owning a team. "The hardest thing about being a sports owner is dealing with the media every day," Warriors co-Owner Joe Lacob said at the IMG World Congress of Sports. "That's just something you can't possibly have exposure with in your other businesses." Even with rigorous media training and on-staff communications execs, the adjustment to the constant sports-related scrutiny requires constant effort. "There really is nothing else that can prepare you for that scrutiny," said NBA Kings Managing Partner Vivek Ranadive. "In other businesses, we have customers. But in sports, we have fans, and fans that sometimes paint their faces, and obviously have that huge level of passion. That's what makes it different.”