Sheila Ford Hamp made a positive first impression when she was introduced TuesdayGETTY IMAGES
Sheila Ford Hamp "officially replaced her mother," Martha Firestone Ford, as Lions Owner & Chair, "fulfilling the organization's long-established but closely-guarded succession plan," according to Dave Birkett of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. Ford Hamp said of the transition, "The overarching thing is that we want to see major improvement. And at this point, I can't really say what those specific measures are going to be cause I don't know what the season's going to be like yet. But major improvement is the goal" (DETROIT NEWS, 6/24). Ford Hamp said that she will "be more hands-on as an owner than her parents, and more accessible to the media." She also said that she "wants to put her own undefined stamp on the organization." Ford Hamp: "I don't have a particular agenda in mind of changes. I just want to understand and know better and be able to make better informed decisions on my own if things need to be done or changed. But I don't have a hit list or anything right now. I want to be a learner" (DETROIT NEWS, 6/24).
UNDER PRESSURE: Ford Hamp said of her commonality with fans, "I'll hate to lose as much as they do." In Detroit, Jeff Seidel notes if there is "one constant criticism of the Ford family, it's that they don't care enough about building a winner, that owning the team is just a fun family activity, an excuse to jet around the country while raking in all kinds of cash." Seidel: "So let's hope Ford Hamp means it." But she "shouldn't get a honeymoon." Ford Hamp "has been working with her mother for six years as an understudy." This season is "on her as much as her mother." During the call with reporters yesterday, Ford Hamp "came across as funny, humble, likable and someone who has the sense to admit when she doesn't know everything" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 6/24). In Detroit, Bob Wojnowski writes the hope is Ford Hamp "evolves into a more forceful, demanding presence than her parents, less likely to lean on loyalty, more willing to make tough, bold calls." At least Ford Hamp is "intimately aware what hasn't worked," and when she figures out how to change it, one hopes she is "strong enough, and different enough, to somehow pull it off" (DETROIT NEWS, 6/24).
THE REVIEWS ARE IN: The FREE PRESS' Birkett writes Ford Hamp made a "positive impression" during yesterday's teleconference, "mixing in humor and honesty -- she acknowledged she'll be a bit of a work in progress as an owner -- while accentuating her desire to win" (DETROIT NEWS, 6/24).
