Thursday, March 7, 2013

Future of International Baseball

Opening Day is just around the corner and with the World Baseball Classic happening right now I've had international baseball on my mind. With the recent news of Hugo Chavez's passing, an underlying conversation began about the what this could mean for the future of Major League Baseball in Venezuela. While it is somewhat known that Hugo Chavez himself was a fan of baseball and deeply involved with the Venezuelan national team, he was less supportive of MLB teams setting up baseball academies in his country. Dave Zirin pointed out in his recent article (http://www.thenation.com/blog/173233/why-major-league-baseball-owners-will-cheer-death-hugo-chavez#) that Chavez intended to change the system of these baseball academies to provide more support for these baseball prospects. This support would include player benefits and education. Will Major League Baseball be able to better establish itself in Venezuela without someone advocating for reform? Chavez not only wanted these academies to provide more support and training for the prospects but also wanted a percentage of any signing bonus to go to the Venezuelan government. Whether healthy or not, there has been a much more transparent and involved relationship between MLB and the Dominican Republic, where 28 of 30 MLB teams have academies, according to mlb.com's "Dominican Beisbol" section.

The concern is that these baseball prospects pour themselves into the sport and dedicate themselves to it but have no backup plan or protection if they get injured or do not make it to the MLB, which is more common than not. How can the MLB continue to develop prospects overseas without exploiting them or their countries? It needs to be a complete training, not just baseball. This is an interesting article about providing more education for prospects in the Dominican Republic: "Turning athletes into student-athletes" http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070918&content_id=2215711&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb. What was the flaw with a program like this that it was not satisfactory for Hugo Chavez? It might be time for some evaluation and reform of the international player development process. There have obviously been many baseball success stories over the years but we need to establish a strong system going forward, not only for the future of baseball but also international relations. A common respect must be the foundation for these international player development endeavors. MLB and the United States should place an honorable legacy over finding the next superstar in the Latin American and Asian countries where they continue to seek future ballplayers.

It is a testament to Major League Baseball that "America's Pastime" has become an international game (with room to grow). But with this growth comes added responsibility and it's crucial that they continue to move in the right direction and provide the tools to help these international prospects succeed, whether that success is in baseball or not. The MLB has made itself so appealing to thousands of young athletes worldwide that many of them have given up the life they know to pursue their dream of playing professional baseball on American soil. Their families are counting on them to make it and change all of their lives for the better. But what happens if the dream turns into a nightmare? There has to be sustained training and preparation for life beyond baseball for these young, hopeful talents. It will strengthen the country as a whole and will come full circle to benefit the baseball academies and development down the road. 

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

New teams in Seattle

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2012/02/22/kings-hornets-coyotes-proving.html

I just read the article above in the Puget Sound Business Journal (@PSBJ) about the current NHL/NBA possibilities for Seattle. Unfortunately, after a wave of optimism surrounding the idea that potentially the Sacramento Kings or the New Orleans Hornets of the NBA would relocate to Seattle in addition to the Phoenix Coyotes of the NHL, there has now been a negative turn.

Seattle still yearns for an NBA team but were these teams the best solution? As much as the city longs for the reincarnation of the beloved Sonics franchise, do we want to be the city that takes another town's team away? Ideally, an NBA expansion would be the best manner to acquire a team but how likely is that?

Over the past weekend the Sacramento Kings were able to nearly finalize an agreement with the city and the owners to keep the team in Sacramento. The difference between this situation and the Sonics' situation several years ago was the level of commitment from the owners as well as the city's mayor. Both sides were dedicated to making the situation work.

Seattle fans might have to wait a little bit longer to see NBA games in the Emerald City again. NBA Commissioner David Stern has mentioned that he is not looking to expand the league anytime soon, unless it's international. The most promising solution would be to complete all of the legwork and infrastructure to make Seattle the ideal next candidate in case of a team relocation. By constructing a new arena and building up the surrounding neighborhood with adequate transportation and attractions, Seattle can establish itself as a frontrunner among the cities looking to land a team by being a step ahead and a step better than the others. The community should not lose focus or stray from the plan to finance and build a new arena just because there are no teams available immediately. A long term mentality will bring a basketball team back to the city.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Financial woes for athletes: How the leagues can help

I just read an interesting article from Forbes (http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesmarshallcrotty/2012/02/21/allen-iverson-earned-over-200-million-in-his-nba-career-hes-now-broke-say-what/) about Allen Iverson's financial downfall and current debt troubles despite earning over $200 million during his NBA career. It is embarrassing how little guidance many of these athletes receive (or accept, for that matter) as they begin to earn huge amounts of money. 


"an NBA that cared more about its personnel and brand would have required that Iverson, as well as all players, pass a yearly financial planning and retirement course before they were allowed on the hardwood (including how to read a financial statement, why to run from promises of a “guaranteed” return, and how a rock-solid prenup, living will and family planning can prevent you from getting soaked by a gold-digging ex)."

These professional sports leagues need to address this issue not only for the well-being of their players but for a stronger economic future for this country. According to RAM Financial Group (http://www.ramfg.com/RAM-Financial-Group-Solutions-Professional-Athletes-Athletes-Services) the average NBA career is 4.8 years, average NFL is 3.5 years, average MLB is 5.6 years and average NHL is 5.5 years. It would be in the best interest of these leagues to require the players to get educated on financial management. Simple savings and investment plans could change everything for these athletes as well as their families and communities. 

Many athletes don't realize how their maintained financial success could benefit others. Take, for example, the players that start nonprofit foundations or other programs. These endeavors not only benefit the community by fostering positive growth but they also create jobs. While the athlete is still relevant he or she must create value that extends beyond the court or field, enabling them to still be a relevant figure when their playing days are over. Athletes have access to so many people and opportunities while they are playing that they often do not take advantage of and once they are no longer affiliated with a team or league they lose these connections. Both the leagues and the athletes should be keen on trying to eliminate these financial failures because it will benefit both and create a standard for future athletes. 

There is such a focus on the immediate future and the present success that athletes do not think about any long term goals or the possibility that even if they avoid any serious injuries in their playing careers they may not be a professional athlete beyond their mid-thirties and those are the extremely fortunate athletes. Even if these athletes played four years in college of their sport, based on the averages, these athletes on average will be out of their respective leagues by the age of 27, 26 or even 25. As a country, community and industry we need to care more about the sustained success of these young athletes who, with the right guidance, could use their opportunities and status to do so much more than just wow us on a playing field. 

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Getting started

Everyone says "do what you love." I have loved sports my entire life but I fell in love with Sports Business when I was 13 years old. I first discovered that this was a potential career path while job-shadowing at the Seattle Mariners for a week followed by a similar set-up at the Seattle SuperSonics (R.I.P.) for the second week.

In high school I began researching Sports Management programs at various universities and found myself at The George Washington University in the Fall of 2007 ready to launch my formal Sports Business education in the GWSB.

My mission now is to create my own spot within the industry based on my experiences and observations over the years. On this blog I'll share ideas, articles and experiences from the process.