Management all too often calls the shots in pro sports

Monday, July 27, 1998

Management all too often calls the shots in pro sports

COLUMN: 49ers, Bulls must face repercussions

of front office goings-on

The people who believe that players make or break a team will
soon find out (if they haven’t already) that management and
ownership of a professional sports franchise is even more
essential. Last week marked two major events in the breakdown of
team managerial relationships that may play a role both on the
field as well as off.

On Wednesday, San Francisco 49er team president Carmen Policy
said farewell to the team he established as perhaps the most
successful NFL franchise in modern history. "The Master of the
Cap," as he was so commonly called, found every loophole imaginable
to form a team that won the division title seven times, made the
NFC playoffs eight times, and won two Super Bowl championships
under his direction as the head of the 49er front office since
1989.

Policy’s importance to the franchise has been displayed and will
be missed, no matter how good of an executive the 49ers bring in to
take his place. He was in charge of negotiations that signed
legendary coach Bill Walsh aboard the 49ers in 1979.

On the other hand, Policy made the final decision to leave
Ronnie Lott and Roger Craig as unprotected Plan B free agents, who
eventually signed on with the Los Angeles Raiders, whom you all
remember decided to pack up and return to Oakland later. He then
put together the trade of Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana to
the Kansas City Chiefs.

Although these aforementioned decisions can be questioned, the
transition the organization made from being the "Team of the 1980s"
to the following decade was smooth, as San Francisco never lost a
beat under Policy’s watch.

Policy’s crowning achievement was 1994. With new salary cap
rules and other league mandates, he was able to sign an entire
defense of perennial Pro Bowl players, such as Deion Sanders,
Richard Dent, Ken Norton Jr., Rickey Jackson and Gary Plummer. The
result was the 49ers’ fifth Super Bowl title, and Policy being
named Executive of the Year.

But, as time went on, Policy engaged himself more and more in
the daily operations of the team, and eventual dealings that aimed
to make himself owner of the team. This theorized takeover of the
team was to be made from his practical twin brother Eddie DeBartolo
Jr., who was and still is under investigation by the State of
Louisiana for an under-the-table purchase of a license for a
riverboat casino.

Well, the friendship of this lethal tandem ended, and only
DeBartolo remains, with his sister in control of the team while he
deals with the federal inquiry. Two men with the ability to lead an
entire professional sports franchise to football immortality have
now gone their separate ways. The Cleveland Browns should not be
considered an expansion team with Policy calling the shots for
them, should they acquire his services.

Secondly, on Thursday, the Chicago Bulls, the NBA’s "Team of the
1990s" and a team etched in basketball’s state of immortality, are
trying to decide if rebuilding should occur, or should the 1998 NBA
Champions have an opportunity to defend their title. With Phil
Jackson publicly stating he does not wish to coach this year, the
Bulls face a problem.

Michael Jordan has said he won’t play for anyone but Jackson,
who is the only man who could control Dennis Rodman’s on and off
court antics. And Scottie Pippen hates Chicago management, most
especially Jerry Reinsdorf and Jerry Krause.

With the Bulls’ hiring of Tim Floyd, formerly of Iowa State,
made public at a news conference on Thursday on a "interim" basis,
Chicago has placed their bet. Now it’s Jordan’s decision whether to
call or continue to bluff, as many people think.

Sure, Jordan could retire and not play for "a college coach"
that he has said for months he won’t play for. But remember, he has
retired before because he had supposedly proven all he could to the
game of basketball. Sure, golf sounds good to him now, but he’s no
Mark O’Meara, and never will be.

With the labor dispute between the owners and the players’ union
still in full swing, the Bulls hired Floyd as director of
basketball operations. The question is whether Jordan will
cooperate to defend his title.

He still has much to prove. He is not the leading scorer in NBA
history. He has not won as many rings as Boston Celtic great Bill
Russell. Retiring would inspire a "Yeah, right," from fans and
critics alike.

But, what if this time, he wasn’t bluffing? All because of
management disagreements, the world will be robbed of the greatest
basketball player to ever play the game.

So, it’s not just the players that affect the games we love, but
the owners and managers as well. And as money becomes more of a
factor in professional sports, relationships will die as if they
meant nothing, and the game, whether it be football, basketball,
baseball or whatever else, will deteriorate as we enter the 21st
century.

Cadman is an assistant sports editor for the 1998-1999 school
year. He is insulted at not being offered the Chicago head coaching
job and still says he would rather take 20 units before taking the
Clippers’ head coaching duties. You can e-mail responses and
comments to [email protected].

Ahrin Cadman