I take Mark Hurst’s/Uncle Mark’s advice and read The Economist. A couple of weeks ago, there was an interesting piece in the Schumpeter called “The Catalan Kings.” The piece looks at one of the age old questions in sports AND in business: Is it better to buy talent or train your own talent?

The article answers this question through the lens of who many consider the best soccer team in the world right now – Barcelona.

Barca, as they are called, takes the “grow your own approach”. They have their own school/training facility: La Masia.

La Masia is unique among football schools. It is a boarding school that puts as much emphasis on character training as on footballing skills. The students are relentlessly instructed on the importance of team spirit, self-sacrifice and perseverance.

I cannot help but think how this could possibly benefit American sports clubs. Due to the Lockout happening with American Football, the 2-3 Rookie Symposium was cancelled. 2-3 days of what to expect now that you are in the professional ranks versus a boarding school.

The article references the Harvard study of Wall St. analysts that change firms and see an immediate decline in performance. I don’t know if that is a fair comparison. If you had asked me in the beginning of May, I would have agreed.

I am a fan of the Boston Red Sox. During the off season, they picked up Carl Crawford from the Tampa Bay Rays. Crawford’s career averages:

The Red Sox paid him a fortune to bring that to Boston. And he, until maybe the last week or so, really stunk it up. But now, we are seeing the Carl Crawford reflected in those stats.

I’m a little torn on the subject. I like the grow your own approach. But sometimes you need to bring some heavy hitters in to mix it up. You need new blood. You need an infusion of new ideas and abilities.

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“Be true to yourself. Make each day a masterpiece. Help others. Drink deeply from good books. Make friendship a fine art. Build a shelter against a rainy day.”

Link to NYT obituary.

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Ah….who is John Schuerholz you might be asking….fair enough. Schuerholz is the general manager of the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball. He has been the GM for 15 years and has enjoyed a dominating run. 1 World Series win, 4 World Series appearances (National League pennants), and 8 Eastern Division championships. That’s impressive.

I’ve fallen a bit behind in my blog reading and posting. “Some of the Top 10 Reasons Why John Schuerholz’ Team Keeps Kicking Axe” was posted in November in Management By Baseball.

I highly recommend this site to anyone that likes baseball, management and analytics. This article outlines Schuerholz’ success over the years and tries to provide some insight into why, in this era of business school GMs, he has been so successful.

Jeff Angus, gives us 4 reasons:

Schuerholz had a diverse set of experiences and jobs before he entered baseball – He had many different kinds of jobs which introduced him to different
types of co-workers, clients, customers and managers. He adapted to all of them. Often.

Schuerholz gathered knowledge of methods in all his work – He learned to adapt to many different types of situations. Learned.

I can promise you that if you had to choose between an MBA without this kind of job experience, or the opposite, an aspiring manager who wants to be successful with dynamic competition is significantly better off with the background Schuerholz has.

Schuerholz is not a Methods Bigot – Again…he adapts. He adapts his methodologies. He recognizes the value the new crop of young GMs bring to the game. (Let’s not forget that he himself might have been the prototype for this phenomena. He was pretty young himself.) He adjusts. He incorporates.

Schuerholz is not afraid of internal competition – He is not intimidated by talented people on his staff.

Great read about a great manager. Go check it out.

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I just finished reading America’s Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation by Michael MacCambridge. If you are a devout follower of professional football, this is a must read. For everyone else, I recognize that some
people will be turned off by the fact that this is a “sports” book or a “football” book. This book is SO much more, so much deeper and more complex than being a simple sports book yet it is written in such an accessible manner.

On the outside, this is a complete and concise history of pro football from the post World War II era and forward. The book really kicks off with the 1958 Colts vs. Giants Championship Game. This book is just so much more than a history of the game. The fates of both football and sports television are so closely tied. Without one we may
not have the other. The expansion and growth of the NFL is forever linked to the success of the TV medium.

From a business perspective, America’s Game offers guidance across a number of disciplines. The NFL and later the AFL, was made up of a bunch of “squabbling” entrepreneurs. All fighting to maintain their teams, their brands, their “territories” and their cut of the money. This book is a study in their entrepreneurship. It is also a
study in leadership as evidenced by the trials and tribulations of a young Pete Rozelle who was named commissioner at the tender age of 33.
It is a study in the leadership exhibited by Lamar Hunt who had to get over his personal rivalry with fellow Texan, Tex Schramm to secretly negotiate a truce between the two leagues and, ultimately, unite them. (While Al Davis waged open warfare against the NFL.)

The book chronicles the meticulous management of the NFL brand from marketing by blacking out all home games which increased demand and insured ticket sales did not lose against TV. With the creation of NFL Properties they took control of their merchandising. All the souveneirs became standardized. With NFL Films and the voice of John Facenda, they controlled their brand image and their advertising. Along with communications, etc.

This book is an economic study of a changing , post WWII America. It is at this point that the marketing and advertising geniuses of the universe were created. This is the time when they figured out that we would buy stuff that we didnt need. From bobbleheads to $300 game-worn jerseys.

MacCambridge also provides us with a study of race in America through the eyes of the NFL. It is a sociological/political study of the impact of race relations on sport. The NFL integrated well before Jackie Robinson crossed the line in baseball. It had problems are arguably still has problems with integration.

Lastly, this is a study of the men who have left a lasting imprint on the game. The men who sit in the Great Hall of Valhalla amongst their fellow gods. Men like Lombardi, Halas and Paul Brown. Men like Unitas. Players that will assume their rightful places like Namath who had the hubris to guarantee a win over the dominate NFL from his
upstart ALF team. Men like Jim Brown, possibly the greatest running back ever and Sam Huff who does not get the short end of the stick in this saga. Men like Al Davis who still fight for what their believe is right.

I cannot recommend this book enough. It is fascinating and deep on many, many levels.

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Quick article on New England Patriot’s coach, Bill Belichick from the latest issue of the Wharton Leadership Digest.
I call him a next-generation or new-model type of professional coach. He is not a “master motivator” like his mentor, Bill Parcells. He is a quiet professional. In this article he gives his five features of his coaching style. See the article for a more in-depth look:

• Develop a system
• Teach and adjust the system
• Instill discipline
• Recruit the best within the budget
• Support the team

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