Are Teams Making Decisions Based on the Media and Fans?
Jerryd Bayless (photo. Brandon Sullivan)Somewhere along the way, Charles Barkley was deemed national spokesman for all things basketball, all things Black America, and apparently all things Auburn University. The latter two crossed paths on Monday, when Chuck’s thoughts on the hiring of his alma mater’s new football coach was one of the top stories on ESPN.com:
“I think race was the No. 1 factor,” said Barkley, who played basketball for three seasons at Auburn during the early 1980s. “You can say it’s not about race, but you can’t compare the two resumes and say [Chizik] deserved the job. Out of all the coaches they interviewed, Chizik probably had the worst resume.”
Gill, a former Nebraska quarterback, took over one of the country’s worst programs at Buffalo three years ago. He guided the Bulls to an 8-5 record and their first MAC championship this season, upsetting previously unbeaten Ball State 42-24 in the Dec. 5 conference championship game.
“I’m just very disappointed,” Barkley said. “I just thought Turner Gill would be the perfect choice for two reasons: He’s a terrific coach and we needed to make a splash. I thought we had to do something spectacular to bring attention to the program. Clearly, if we’d hired a Black coach, it would have created a buzz.”
I’m not disagreeing with Barkley. First of all, that there are only four Black head coaches out of 119 D-1 football programs isn’t just a happy coincidence. Second, I could see where the premature firings of Reggie Theus and Barkley’s friend and former teammate Mo Cheeks is probably weighing on his mind. And third, the overall reaction from Auburn fans and football insiders shows that crapping on the Gene Chizik hire is a phenomena that transcends race.
But Barkley brought up an interesting topic when he talked about creating “a buzz.” When firing/hiring a coach, making a high-profile draft choice or recruiting decision, signing a player or letting one walk, or even making lineup changes, do you think pro teams and college programs consider media and fan reaction as a factor?
In 2006 and again in ‘08, I was in the Madison Square Garden theater and saw Knicks fans get damn near violent when their team took Renaldo Balkman and Danilo Gallinari with respective first-round picks. Going into the ‘08 Draft, with the stank of the Isiah Thomas regime still fresh in the building, I said that even if management truly felt Gallinari was the best fit, they should seriously think about going with Plan B or C, i.e. Jerryd Bayless or Anthony Randolph, if for nothing else than to foster some much-needed goodwill with a wounded fan base and avoid being on the New York media skewer for 15 minutes.
Looking at the four NBA teams I’ve followed most closely in recent years — the Sonics, Pacers, Blazers and Spurs — all of them have made no secret of their desire to take “good character” guys over perhaps more talented players. In the NBA and NFL, you constantly see old coaches being recycled from one job to another (the Browns are said to be interested in Marty Schottenheimer for next season), which I would bet has something to do with GM’s not wanting to get killed by the media for making a “no-name” hire or for simply taking a chance on a young coach. In other cases, like popular backups being promoted to starting jobs, or enticing rookies getting PT maybe earlier than they should, it seems important decisions are sometimes made to cater to the whims of fans or media.
If you were running a team, would you ever make decisions based (even partially) on how the media and fans would react?
December 16th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Toan says:
you need BALLS as a GM to make decisions that are fans/media-unfriendly…i think there are few GMs like that and that is one of the reasons why so many teams make stupid moves when they draft or trade for a player…they draft some European player ’cause the media talks about him as “the new Dirk” or they trade for a “star” even if he is fat/old/lazy/head-case. A good GM should not consider the media and the fans…but the most definitely do
December 16th, 2008 at 10:22 am
calvin brodus says:
“Looking at the four NBA teams I’ve followed most closely in recent years — the Sonics, Pacers, Blazers and Spurs — all of them have made no secret of their desire to take ‘good character’ guys over perhaps more talented players.”
The Pacers have been have put character above talent over the past few years? Good God, I would hate to see the outcome if the went for talent over character.
December 16th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Craig says:
considering they been doing a lot of mid-draft picks…probably not much better then they are doing now
December 16th, 2008 at 10:36 am
TWolves Convert says:
I think it is a tough line to draw. In the end it is the fans that pay the bills for the team so you want to keep them happy. On the other hand, fans just really want a team to win so a player’s development should be more important than fans’ whimsical and sometimes knee jerk reactions. Anyways, you can always make everyone happy all the time.
December 16th, 2008 at 10:43 am
isotope says:
of course i would. Tickets need to be sold
December 16th, 2008 at 10:55 am
matthew says:
I would just say having good character guys goes beyond media and fan relations in a team sport. Guys who are selfish on the court, guys who skip practice, guys who get suspended or arrested and miss games, guys who throw towels in their teammates faces all contribute to losing in addition to poor ticket sales.
December 16th, 2008 at 11:11 am
Mamba says:
In a lot of ways you have to view it as a business, while looking at your fans as investors,
On one hand you want to make the best decisions for your team, yet you dont want to do something unpopular that will risk your fan support - winning and having good publicity will ultimately calm the fans down if they see what you have done as being unpopular, winning cures all,
Having said that I would not make a decision based upon what the fans and especially the media think - its amazing to me how much the media, especially local media and some of the national pundents really have absolutely no idea what they are talking about - a handful are just bitter washed up ex jock losers that want to bash someone and be negitive,
Look at it this way as well, if you make an unpopular and it doesnt work, you’ll be let go anyways, you have to take risks in big business and in Pro Sports, teams and managers that choose to tow the line with fans never get over the top
December 16th, 2008 at 11:23 am
karizmatic says:
Nah I don’t think I’d take fan opinion into consideration. I’d draft based on team needs and what I feel was the best talented player/coach…etc. If we win the you’re a genius to the fans anyway. I’d want to live and die by my own decisions not what fans are dictating.
December 16th, 2008 at 11:31 am
isotope says:
I had a discussion the other day about the Mario Williams/Reggie Bush/Vince Young NFL draft. And even with hindsight, we agreed that if we were the Texans GM, we still would have drafted Vince Young 1st.
December 16th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Heckler says:
hells no. i wouldnt base any decisions on media backlash.
you can’t think about tomorrows headlines today.
fans care….the media, we know, don’t care. they just trying to sell papers and nonesense like that.
if anything…i would do the exact opposite of the media norm. i would say i only hired a coach because he is black or fired a coach because he is black.
the sports media are stupid whores. they’d believe anything
December 16th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
GEE...He slapped that girl in the library! Hahaha! says:
I think you consider them, but your ultimate decision shouldn’t be primarily based on fans, critics or outsiders at all.
Again consider what they say, cause you always want to cover all bases. Still put that consideration in it’s appropriate place in the decision which probably should be somewhere around last.
Living here in
Auburn myself. Barkley was 110% correct, right and true in his statement and wonder. A lot of stuff poppin off with that University and their decisions that ain’t right. It goes further than football too. That is some reason as to why I live in the city and cant even stand the school or team.
December 16th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Celts Fan says:
The fans and media can’t fire you. You get the guy that you think is the best player. Unfortunately, sometimes people ignore blatant things for guys that the media put as #1 (anyone that watched college ball knew CP3 could be SPECIAL and Bogut could be above average, which is exactly how it’s turning out.) In the end, you pick who you think helps you win, cuz they all shut up when you’re getting Ws
December 16th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Celts Fan says:
@Isotope, that’s insanity. If you don’t want a top-flight DE, then Reggie’s at least putting up points. Vince is doing NOTHING.
December 16th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
GEE...He slapped that girl in the library! Hahaha! says:
Did race play a factor in the Auburn decision?
By Tony Barnhart | Tuesday, December 16, 2008, 08:39 AM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A few final thoughts/questions about Auburn’s hiring of Gene Chizik as its head football coach:
1. Did race play a factor in the decision? Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs talked about Chizik being the best “fit” for the program. Jacobs was clearly talking about the fact that Chizik had worked at Auburn before and understood the expectations and the unique culture of the place. But you can’t ignore the fact that to others the word “fit” has an entirely different meaning. It is code for doing the thing that is comfortable instead of doing the thing that is right.
Turner Gill of Buffalo, an African-American, had a great interview with Auburn officials. It is my understanding that President Jay Gouge really liked Gill and understood that it would be a significant hire in Auburn’s history. Gill’s wife is white.
There is no way to know what factor race played, if any, in this decision. You can’t look inside people’s hearts. I hope that it didn’t because Gill, aside from being a good coach, is a fine man.
But it can’t help Auburn when Charles Barkley, one of the most famous athletes in school history, trashes his alma mater on national television and claims that race was THE factor in the decision. Charles has been known to go over the top from time to time but if you’re an Auburn fan it would not be wise to simply dismiss what he said. Barkley’s words did some damage yesterday. And understand that in this part of the world recruiting is a contact sport. Fair or not, Barkley’s words will be used Auburn on the recruiting trail.
And also understand this. You can’t just dismiss the race issue out of hand and pretend it’s not there. Not when there are only four African-American head coaches out of 119 schools. Not when a man like Gill, who is infinitely qualified, gets passed over at Syracuse and Auburn because other coaches were a better “fit.” Not when a man like Charlie Strong, the Florida defensive coordinator, is still waiting for his opportunity with one of the most impressive resumes in the sport.
This is a serious issue for college football and those who don’t think it is a serious issue are simply putting their heads in the sand. It is not going away.
December 16th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
JCARR says:
No, in the end the fans should be happy with what the team offers them.
December 16th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Richard Wellner says:
Ungrateful Blacks whining again like babies. Figures.
December 16th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
GEE...He slapped that girl in the library! Hahaha! says:
504 Richard Wellner complaining again like someone uneducated. As usual.
December 16th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Austin Burton says:
Ungrateful for…?