In a New York Timesarticle this past weekend, Phoenix Suns President Rick Welts came out and will live as an openly gay man.
It’s no secret that mens’ sports is not the most accepting environment in the world.
Despite the fact that a good team is filled with different skill sets and personality profiles, sexual orientation has long been taboo.
But professional sports is about two things: 1) winning and 2) business.
And Welts has a long career of being successful in both aspects.
As the President and CEO of the Suns, he has overseen one of the most exciting brands of basketball in decades. He has been part of the league for over 30 years in various capacities.
If there is any justice in the world, the league will collectively shrug their shoulders and get back to basketball.
I applaud Welts for deciding to live his life in the open, and I know I’m writing about it, but this should be a NON-STORY in the NBA.
The sex life of a team executive, unless it’s something illegal, is of no matter to the league, advertisers, players or fans. If he breaks a law, we should care. But if he is gay, it should not be a big deal. Let the man live his life in peace.
I sincerely hope that this is a good thing for Welts, the Suns and the NBA. His admission took the type of guts, and hopefully he can soon feel complete.
I also hope for the day where nobody would need to “come out” because it won’t really matter. Even in sports.
The Washington Wizards are playing historically bad on the road this season. They have started 0-20, which is, suffice it to say, a brand new level of low.
Obviously, this would be a trying situation for any player, let alone the #1 pick in the draft.
Rookie point guard John Wall, still not old enough to drink, has been given major leadership responsibility in his first year in the NBA. Besides playing a position that demands poise, composure, lightning-fast reflexes and instant decision-making, he has been named a team captain.
Upon watching film of game-action, he noticed that he has no poker face when times are tough. He was slouching, frowning and generally negative.
As reported by Michael Lee of the Washington Post, Wall asked head coach Flip Saunders to fine him $50 every time he catches the young superstar appearing negative on-court.
While the Wizards can’t seem to find a win away from Washington, they have found themselves a true leader and marketable star.
Here is someone that could quite easily fall into the all-too-familiar mold of spoiled young athlete. But he obviously is not, and appears to be setting himself up for a stand-up career.
There are three things he did here that show true leadership:
1) Invest Time in Homework – He was spending time pouring over hours and hours of tape on himself and the team, looking for anything that could help snap the losing streak. If the Wizards were going to lose, it would not be because John Wall wasn’t prepared.
2) Honest Self-Analysis – How difficult is it to truly look at yourself and break down your flaws? It’s more than being open to criticism…it’s pro-actively identifying your weaknesses and then doing something about it.
3) Demanding Accountability – Upon seeing his bad habit of negative posture and demeanor, he empowered his coach to fine him for every instance. $50 may not seem like a lot to a professional athlete, but, in all seriousness, it’s the thought that counts here.
Don’t those traits Wall exhibited sound like an awfully good 1-2-3 for corporate leadership?
For a 20-year old millionaire, he seems to be setting a good example we all can learn from.
And while the team may be struggling right now, John Wall can lead this team for a (brighter) decade to come.
Basketball fans in the Baltimore/Washington area over 25 years old grew up with the Bullets.
And what a team! From Wes Unseld to Gus Johnson to Earl Monroe, the Bullets of the late 1960s and into the early 1980s were a terrific bunch.
But then they lost their way, bringing in historically tall players (like Manute Bol) and historically tiny players (like Mugsey Bogues). They brought in historically mediocre players (like, well, pull out a roster from the late 1980s and into the 1990s and you’ll see what I mean).
Regardless of their struggles on the court, the team kept their loyal following, helped, in part, by a then-revolutionary marketing tactic: if nobody would pay to see YOUR team, promote the VISITING team! Magic, Bird and Jordan were very, very good to the Bullets, financially, at least.
Recently-passed owner Abe Pollin, a beloved figure in DC sports and business, saw the crime rate rising in the early 1990s. And he saw his team, with “Bullets” on their uniforms. Realizing he could be part of the cure, instead of part of the disease (apologies to Coldplay), Pollin ran a contest to change the team’s name, hence, your Washington Wizards!
Tech guru and Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis (right) purchased the team following Pollin’s death and set about on a BRILLIANT campaign to provide 101 visible changes to the team and arena. Let me repeat – this is BRILLIANT!
However, there is one thing that irks me. #31 on the list is a return from Wizards to Bullets. The proposal is under consideration right now.
It was less than a year ago that Gilbert Arenas – the team’s star player – was involved in a firearm-toting altercation with a TEAMMATE (discussed here). We know the players know all about Bullets…
I did love me some Bullets. And I own an OLD SCHOOL orange Bullets jersey. But Pollin was right – the team name needed to change, especially in a city with a less-than-stellar crime rate.
And while I have a mega-soft spot for nostalgia, this potential return just doesn’t sit right with me. Abandoning the Bullets moniker was about being a positive influence – showing that a name is just a name, and when that name is wrong, it’s OK to change it.
Having worked in DC sports PR and marketing for seven years, I have nothing but admiration for Mr. Leonsis. I think he is a visionary in many fields. He’s revitalized the Capitals, which has helped buoy the Eastern Conference of the NHL as the league rebuilds after a work stoppage. His philanthropic work is honest and robust. His open-line communication with fans is not lip-service; he directly connects with his audience – something all owners would be well-served to do.
But, if the Wizards once again become the Bullets, it would be, and I mean this sincerely, a massive misfire.
What do you think about the potential change to Bullets?
When you think of the “good guys” in sports history, names like Peyton Manning, Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken, Jr., Wayne Gretzky, Barry Sanders, Ken Griffey, Jr., Larry Bird, Derek Jeter, Joe Montana and more pop up. These are the players that, no matter how much you loathed their teams, you still respected them as individuals.
And then there are the “bad guys.” People like Ben Roethlisberger, Kobe Bryant, Alex Ovechkin (as much as it pains me to say!), Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Ty Cobb may have a rabid local fan base, but their national images dovetailed during their careers for their playing style, off-field activities and general demeanor.
And there is one man currently in limbo between those two places: LeBron James.
Good: He is the most excellent basketball player in the world today.
Bad: He abandoned his hometown team to “take [his] talents to South Beach.” (His words, not mine). Oh yeah. He did it on a live special on ESPN.
Good: He has been a team leader since Day One, leading by example and words.
Bad: As good as he’s been, he has never won a championship.
So, where does that leave his public image? I’m caught in the middle. And I think he is, too. He’s definitely at a crossroads and the next 12 months will go a long way in defining his permanent-ish image.
Stay with me on this one. It combines sports and professional wrestling. But it makes sense.
Listen to this while reading. It helps set the tone.
The year was 1996. For over a decade and a half, Hulk Hogan was the hero of the then-World Wrestling
Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment). He preached the “demandments” of training hard, saying your prayers and taking your vitamins. Kids loved him and parents saw him as a good role model.
He was the ultimate “good guy.” He toured the world, put on great shows and had a relatively squeaky-clean image (for this conversation, we’re talking about the Hulk Hogan CHARACTER, not the guy who testified in a steroids trial, ok?).
After leaving the WWF, he joined rival organization WCW. While there, he continued his benevolent ways, defeating bad guys of all shapes and sizes (and even a Horseman or three!).
In May 1996, former WWF performer Scott Hall appeared on WCW’s “Nitro” TV show to say that “we” are taking over. Hall was best known as “Razor Ramon,” a vaguely-Scareface-ish character who slipped back and forth occasionally from “good guy” to “bad guy.”
A short time later, Kevin Nash (known as “Diesel” in the WWF) joined Hall to wreak havoc in the about-to-start war against the rest of WCW.
The promised a third member of their group would emerge on national Pay-Per-View – at the 1996 Bash At The Beach. WCW stalwarts Sting, Lex Luger and Randy “Macho Man” Savage came to the ring for the match. Only Hall and Nash appeared from their side, but didn’t appear too worried. Luger was strangely injured and taken to the back early in the contest, leaving it two-on-two. And then this happened:
Hogan joined Hall and Nash to form the New World Order (NWO) with the stated goal of taking over WCW. The implication was that WWF owner Vince McMahon had sent them to destroy his competition, but a few lawsuits later, that undertone was removed. The NWO terrorized WCW for years to come.
Let’s replay that story, but with LeBron James in 2010:
Awesome, beloved good guy James, playing for his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, is living a dream. He takes on the Lakers, Celtics and Magic 81 times a year and is the undisputed face of the team and perhaps the second-most-marketable basketball star ever, behind Michael Jordan. As a free agent, he can choose what team he wants to play f or. Will he stay with his hometown team and lead them to championship glory?
While James was making up his mind, Dwyane Wade (Scott Hall) announced he was staying with the Miami Heat and wanted to attract other top stars to come with him to take over the league.
A day or two later, big man Chris Bosh (Kevin Nash) joined Wade in Miami, giving the Heat two of today’s top superstars.
On the nationally-televised ESPN show “The Decision,” James had the opportunity to come in and save the day for his hometown. He could spurn every offer and remain the ultimate “good guy,” the face of his franchise and most beloved player in the league.
James, however, pulled a Hogan. He ripped the hearts of out his loyal fans and joined Wade and Bosh in Miami.
Is he now a villain? Or is he a hero for turning down more money for the best chance of winning?
Time will answer those questions.
But, without a doubt, Wade, Bosh and James are now the New World Order of the NBA.
