John Henry, understated and soft-spoken by nature, made much of his initial fortune as a commodities trader applying automated mathematical formulas to money management. Now he’s making big waves in the emotionally charged sports industry through a series of out-of-the-box maneuvers.
Henry would be the first to admit that he started from a very good base. He achieved folk hero status in New England thanks to the Boston Red Sox’s 2004 World Series win, and is well-aided by the capable skills of partner Tom Werner, team President Larry Lucchino, a large group of executives under them, and the inherent passion of the Red Sox fan faithful.
But Henry, without any heavy doses of bravado and boasting, still turned a once relatively ordinary ownership group into a deeply integrated sports colossus.
The big addition to Henry’s New England Sports Ventures last year was the purchase of 50 percent of Roush Racing and subsequent renaming to Roush Fenway Racing. The purchase, pegged in excess of $60 million and made through NESV sports marketing concern Fenway Sports Group, immediately rippled through the motorsports world. Within weeks the deal manifested itself through marketing endeavors and driver appearances at Fenway Park designed to create a deep link between Red Sox fans and the NASCAR team.
“John Henry and FSG understand what it takes,” said Jack Roush, founder of the NASCAR team. “Anybody that has watched the Red Sox has been impressed with their tenacity and their ability to prevail after all the frustration.”
WHAT PEOPLE
ARE SAYING:
“A quiet man by nature should not be mistaken for someone who is not interested. He has both hands on the controls of his club and has considerable influence in the Major League Baseball fraternity. John is a great ally to have on any issue and is an equally convincing competitor if you are on the other side of an important issue.”
PAUL GODFREY
President, CEO, Toronto Blue Jays
The long-rumored deal took more than three years to put together as Roush and Henry developed their professional and personal bonds. But once struck, the partnership quickly paid big dividends. Forbes last year named Roush Fenway Racing as NASCAR’s most valuable team with an estimated worth of $316 million.
The racing entry, however, was far from Henry’s sole notable accomplishment in 2007. The one-time Florida Marlins owner also helped transform FSG into a national power through additional alignments with the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball tour and purchase of the Class A Salem Avalanche. He oversaw another year of renovations at Fenway Park, guided the Red Sox to another World Series title, and saw the New England Sports Network continue to push the envelope both on TV and the Internet.
Henry also has played the role of international diplomat, furthering not only the Red Sox’s reach to the Far East through a series of partnerships with the likes of Japanese club Chiba Lotte and team appearances in Japan, but also overseeing Roush Fenway striking a sponsorship deal with Nintendo.
As usual, Henry is quick to deflect attention away from himself, even amid the mounting accomplishments.
“It’s easy to come up with ideas, which is a lot of what I do,” Henry said. “But guys like Larry, Tom, [chief operating officer] Mike [Dee], [senior vice president] Sam Kennedy — they’re doing so much to make all this what it is.”
Bashful, however, is not the same as meek. After New York Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner recently called Red Sox Nation “a bunch of [expletive],” Henry quickly offered his executive rival an honorary membership in the well-known fan club. Steinbrenner, of course, declined, but quickly followed that Henry was “a great guy.”
Similarly, Henry has forcefully pushed behind closed doors for corrections to baseball’s revenue-sharing system and for more local exploitation of baseball digital rights administered by MLB Advanced Media.
Turned the racing world on its ear with the purchase of half of Roush Racing.
