2005:
The year of the Black Sports Executive
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Gary N. Gray
African
American men are now getting an opportunity to lead their team, their
players, and lead their franchises to victory.
Last
week the Minnesota Vikings football team announced that an African
American would be buying the team for $625 million. Reggie Fowler, a
46-year-old low profile Arizona businessman will be the Vikings majority
owner next season. This event
will make him the first African American team owner in the (NFL) National
Football League. Fowler played for the Cincinnati Bengals and the
University of Wyoming--Laramie as a linebacker.
It will take seventy-five percent of NFL owners to approve
Fowler’s ownership at March ownership meeting in Hawaii.
Fowler wants to keep this team in the
Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. This application hinges on the
Vikings establishing and building a new stadium in the downtown area. The
residents want something similar to the old Metropolitan stadium of the
50’s and 60’s.
The
National Basketball Association will have the first African American
owner, Robert Johnson. As you will remember, billionaire Robert Johnson
sold BET Viacom in 2000. He will leave the Viacom this year to devote more
time to his basketball team, the Charlotte Bobcats. The 58-year-old
Johnson will be moving the new Bobcats into their million-dollar uptown
arena this fall. He has also arranged for the regional cable sports
network to be in the Charlotte metropolitan area. This will give Bobcat
fans the privilege of watching their new home team in North Carolina.
Isaiah
Thomas is now general manager of the New York Knickerbockers. He was
instrumental in changing the team’s makeup. They were transformed from
the slow Eastern Conference’s bump and grind in the lane play to the run
and gun fast pace Western Conference style of play. Most fans enjoy this
type of basketball.
Thomas
traded seven players during his first month on the job. He stated,
“Nobody here is a sacred cow. If they do not want to play my style of
basketball, then hit the door.” Mr. Thomas played the game his way and
has won NBA titles, therefore, enabling him to comprehend and perceive the
game in every department. He may well put the New York Knicks back into
the playoffs. The Knicks have not participated in the playoffs for seven
years, but this year the Knicks have been in first place (7-days) this
season. This is something new for New Yorkers and not seen since the
middle 1990’s. With Mr. Thomas at the helm the Knicks are in very good
hands. It is highly probable that Madison Square Garden will have a
basketball house party soon.
Major
League Baseball has joined the party also. They are now hiring minorities
for their front offices. This industry was the last major sport to hire
minorities in front office positions. Bill White (Philadelphia Phillies
and St. Louis Cardinals) was the president of the National League until
MLB merged the two leagues in 1992. Omar Minaya is the General Manager for
the Seattle Mariners. The Milwaukee Brewers hired Ulice Payne, who is the
team’s first Black President. Bob Watson (Houston Astros) is MLB vice
president in change of discipline on the field. This high-profile job was
previously held by Frank Robinson, (Baltimore
and Cincinnati). Robinson, is currently the manager of the Washington
Nationals, formerly known as the Montreal Expos.
Jimmie Lee Solomon (Chicago White Sox) is currently Vice President
of MLB operations. Solomon has been named the most influential African
American official in Major League Baseball. Robinson and Solomon are the
two best African American candidates for the commission’s job.
The last frontier in sports, which happens to be
the ownership of a Major League team, was achieved last year. Arturo
Moreno, bought the Los Angeles-California-Anaheim Angles at $182 million.
He is the first minority to own a major league baseball team. Moreno a 56
year old Mexican American, in Outdoor Systems Communications sold his
stock in the Infinity Broadcast Corporation so that he could buy the
California Angels. Moreno has a distinct advantage by virtue of being in a
largely Latino community. This allows him to tap into that large fan base.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have taken advantage of this for many years. In
1981 they had a star rookie pitcher named Fernando Venezuela. Fernando had
already established himself in the Mexican baseball league before coming
to Los Angeles.
Gary Norris Gray
