Trading Places: Sports Ownership Edition
With the Nationals firmly entrenched at the bottom of the Major Leagues and the Redskins getting ready to start the season with a new head coach, another new offensive system, and a smattering of injuries, it is tough to get excited about Washington area sports right now. Given that the Redskins are 70-79 since Dan Snyder purchased the team in 1999, and the Nationals are 150-204 since the Lerners took the helm, it is easy to blame the ownership for their teams' woes. That would be wrong; Dan Snyder and Ted Lerner are both excellent owners. The problem for Washington sports fans is that they own the wrong teams.
Let us say that Dan Synder was the owner of the Nationals. Given Dan's propensity to sign big name players for too much money, and just generally overpay for everything, can you imagine what he would do without a salary cap? A short list of free agents that Danny could have overpaid for are: Tim Wakefield, Roger Clemens, Gary Sheffield, Alfonso Soriano, Greg Maddux, Bobby Abreu, and Alex Rodriguez. A Snyder-led Nationals would definitely be near the top of the league in payroll, and probably have Barry Bonds wearing a curly W.
The current salary cap for the NFL is $116,729,000, and the Redskins are projected to exceed that by $3,239,580, giving them a total payroll of $119,968,580 (note: the Redskins are currently under the salary cap, but the number has shifted in the last few days. If the Redskins spend up to the Salary Cap they would have the 10th highest payroll in MLB). In Major League Baseball, that salary would put the Nationals as the 6th highest paid team. Since 2000, the teams with the six highest payrolls have a record of 4267-3509, or a .548 winning percentage. Also, those top six teams have made the playoffs 52 percent of the time, and have won half of the World Series Championships since 2000. Finally, in that time period (48 complete seasons), those teams have only had 7 losing seasons.
Unfettered, I am convinced that Snyder could give the Yankees a run. While crazy spending does not guarantee a championship, crazy spending would have probably scored more than 3 runs in the last 5 games.
So while the Nationals would clearly be better off with all of Dan Snyder's money, would the Redskins be better off with Ted Lerner at the helm? Given the relative parity in the NFL, and the short history the Lerners have as sports owners, this question is harder to answer.
Incredibly poor photoshopping job by Matt Bourque
The answer begins with this article by Jason LaCanfora after the disgrace that was the 2006 season. LaCanfora highlights problems with management, numerous changes in personnel and offensive and defensive systems, and building the team through free agency and trades. The one thing we know about the Lerners is that they trust their General Manager and stay out of the way. They also preach patience, building through the draft, and stability. They are certainly taking the long view with the Nationals.
Building through the draft, trusting management, and being fiscally responsible are not going to bring in the Lombardi trophy, but free agent signings and numerous changes in offensive and defensive philosophy certainly are not going to get you there. Take this quote from ESPN's Jon Clayton before the 2008 draft:
"Teams are built through the draft, so those with the best core players acquired through the draft are the teams usually at the top of the standings.Clayton then discusses the Patriots, Colts, Steelers and Chargers. These are teams that have been successful in the recent past, but more importantly, have sustained success throughout the years. The Patriots are an excellent example. Looking at the table of contents for the book Management Secrets of the New England Patriots, one sees titles like "Don't Sacrifice Tomorrow for Today," "Seek Advantages in Unsexy Areas," and "Let the Best Informed Person Decide."The key is continuity. In a league that averages seven head-coaching changes a year, the top franchises keep their head coaches and aren't going through the annual mess of changing coordinators and philosophies."
While it is arguably too early in the Lerners ownership to conclude that they have the traits of other successful NFL owners, they certainly seem to be exhibiting some of them. What is certain is that Dan Snyder possesses none of these qualities.
So Dan Snyder and Ted Lerner need to get together wherever insanely wealthy people get together and hand over the keys to each other's offices. Both teams, and Washington sports fans, would be better off.