T’Wolves & Lynx CEO ETHAN CASSON likes what he is seeing across the Minnesota sports scene, with the Vikings contending to play in a home Super Bowl and his own team firmly entrenched in the NBA Western Conference playoff race. Casson, who cold called his way into the sports industry back in ’98, rejoined the T’Wolves in July ’16 after six years with the 49ers. Now in his second full season at the helm, he’s looking to return the franchise back to the postseason for the first time since ’03-04. The journey continues Friday night against the Celtics on ESPN.
PLAYOFF MENTALITY: We’re preparing for our second biggest homestand of the season. Starting Saturday night against the Pelicans we’ll have five games in nine days. It’s critical we’re working hour-by-hour to deliver an incredible fan experience and when you’ve got that many games in a short period of time you want to make sure you’re firing on all cylinders. With Super Bowl LII only a few weeks away, Minnesota really has become the center of the sports world with so much excitement and enthusiasm in our market. We’re looking to make the playoffs for the first time in 13 seasons, currently the second-longest playoff drought among the major sports. This is a really important year both for our franchise and our fans. If all things go the way they’re shaping up to go, hopefully that drought ends here this spring.
TAKING THE PULSE: Fridays I meet with my direct reports. I like to go into each weekend with a good sense of what the coming weeks look like. Whether it’s a discussion on key events, game schedule, our sales forecast, how we’re tracking with goals and objectives, and I also use it to get a barometer on our staff. Friday late morning I’ll meet with our business intelligence team. We’re in the process of researching and determining what our pricing will be for the upcoming season. I also have a CEO roundtable, something I started about a year ago where I take different groups of individuals from different departments together for an open discussion. It gives me a chance to listen to ideas, issues and hot topics. It’s a good way to provide transparency from the executive level. People have a voice, and there’s no agenda. Friday night we’ve got the road game for the Celtics. I’ll stay back home for this one and as part of my routine I’ll watch the first half in the gym working out and then I transition into my living room. That usually entails quite a bit of pacing as my poor wife rolls her eyes.
COUTDOWN TO TIPOFF: Saturday we turn the page and get ready for another game day. I like to work out in the mornings, it’s a good way to start the weekend off. I’ll follow that up with my first of several visits to Starbucks. It just so happens we have one in our built-in practice facility, a dangerous convenience. I’ll get to the arena about 4-5 hours before tip, and for me, I really like to layout a detailed picture of what my game night looks like. Oftentimes I’m hosting clients in our courtside club and we’ll have a few folks in Saturday night for future business opportunities. Then I’ve got a pregame talk with a few select season-ticket holders to hear how their experience is going. About 90 minutes before doors open I always walk the building with my executive team to make sure we’re ‘show ready.’
OFF THE COURT: My wife LISA and I like to get out and try different restaurants across Minneapolis when we can. There’s a place that we gravitate towards in our neighborhood called Spoon & Stable, where the chef has become a really good friend of ours. Great food, great ambiance and great wine. If time allows for it, we also like to sneak away to a movie during awards season. Then in the offseason we like to get back to Napa Valley where we got married. The Bay Area is a place we really like to get away to for a couple days. Our time out there when I was with the 49ers was such a great part of our lives both personally and professionally.
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