THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 1, 1996 TAG: 9606010001
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A11 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: OPINION
SOURCE: Patrick K. Lackey
LENGTH: 60 lines
``For Team Owners, More Is Never Enough!'' blared a Wall Street Journal headline last May 7.
The story, from Miami, describes demands on taxpayers by owners of the National Hockey League's Florida Panthers and the National Basketball Association's Miami Heat. The owners want more. Also, more. Then still more.
To put it politely, a goodly number of team owners were improperly reared. They are disloyal, unhelpful, unfriendly, discourteous, unkind, disobedient, etc. They prove the saying, ``Anyone can be rich.''
New York City groans under the weight of Yankees-owner George Steinbrenner's ego. Cincinnati blushes from the ignorant indiscretions of Reds owner Marge Schott, publicist for the late Adolf Hitler. Dallas endures fast-living Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, no role model for children.
Now Hampton Roads may be in line for its own NBA team and owner. Certainly NBA Commissioner David J. Stern has been encouraging.
Having an NBA team here would be good for tourism, regionalism and probably two or three other isms. Before we proceed further, however, we should consider the kind of team owner we want, in case we have a choice. To most people, Steinbrenner, Schott and Jones are the most-famous people in their cities. What kind of owner do we want Hampton Roads to be known for?
To be on the safe side, the owner should be mute. Too many owners incessantly whine that they are being mistreated by their communities. They complain that the arenas provided for them are too small or have too-few luxury boxes or are simply outdated. Treated like kings and queens, they begin to make pronouncements on matters about which they know nothing - such as Hitler's better qualities. If no mute owner is available, we must seek out a painfully shy one, someone who hides from TV cameras and will never become bigger than the region.
The owner should have been sentenced to 45 years of house arrest and be required to wear one of those electronic anklets that beeps if he attempts to sneak away. The owner's crime doesn't matter, so long as it didn't involve children. The idea is that an owner restricted to his home cannot visit every new arena built and then demand one just as nice. Also, an owner under house arrest might keep his team here long enough for fans to learn the players' names.
The owner should have pockets as deep as the Grand Canyon. In an age when bench warmers earn $2 million a year and stars command $20 million, an owner is needed who can stroke huge checks without bursting into tears or doubling ticket prices. An owner who looks at the price column on menus will never buy us a winning team.
The owner should know nothing about the sport his team plays and, more important, should know he knows nothing. The owner should hire smart professionals to run the team and should not fire them the first time the team loses three games in a row. The idea should be to build the team slowly and well - for the long haul.
There are team owners, like the Portland Trail Blazers' Paul Allen, whose names never appear in gossip columns next to Madonna's. They have never done anything shockingly stupid or crude, and they are faithful to their communities. We want one of them. MEMO: Mr. Lackey is an editorial writer for The Virginian-Pilot. by CNB