The Word from Ohio
My inside-Ohio-contact sent me this the other day:
No one who lives in Youngstown should be trusted. The two guys
who were originally the owners of the Rockies franchise were also from
Youngstown, they owned Pharmor Drugstores, which turned into a big
fraud. One of them, and maybe both, went to the slammer.
Not to say I think everyone in Ohio shouldn't be trusted; just the
folks who own sports franchises and hack election results. Or that
anyone who ever went to the "slammer" doesn't know how to run an NFL
franchise (I think you know where I'm comin' from). Trust is the issue.
Can we trust this fat cat John York to build The Class Organization of
the NFL?
Teams, like armies, are built on trust. Trust that the guy behind you
has your back. Trust that your sacrifice will be honored. Trust that
your leadership isn't squandering the talent and hard work of the
entire organization and ruining your career in the process.
I doubt there is much trust in the 49er organization that the hard work
and sacrifice that comprise their careers, isn't being flushed down a
winless dark hole of failure. Sacrifice from millionaires? Cry me a
river and give me a break, you may be saying. Yea, that is what I'm
saying. Because if you are going to win, excel, and achieve in the NFL,
you gotta give your heart. That goes from water boys to quarterbacks --
everyone sweeps the floors in a winning franchise.
If I were investing my career in York's Niners, I'd have to ask myself,
"When is York going to cash in, tighten his belt and sink our ship?"
Because York has made it clear being an outstanding business is at
least as important as being a winning football team. How can you trust
a leader striving for profitability, when you are striving for
excellence, and in the NFL excellence is about winning?
November 13, 2004
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