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Re: Worst Professional Sports Owner?
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TMC
Oct 13, 2011, 3:21:20 AM10/13/11
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On Oct 8, 11:45 pm, TMC <tmc1...@gmail.com> wrote:
> http://newwrestlecrap.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=othersports&actio...
>
> I don't think anyone could possibly top Harold Ballard, owner of the
> Toronto Maple Leafs from 1972 until his death in 1990. This guy made
> Mr. Burns look like Mr. Rogers in terms of his attitude towards
> running the team and his treatment of humanity in general.
>
> He cancelled a pee-wee hockey tournament scheduled in Maple Leaf
> Gardens when he discovered his estranged daughter's son was involved.
> He rarely had the courage to fire people face-to-face. Instead, his
> usual tactic was to revoke the doomed employee's parking space without
> warning.
> He was convicted on 47 counts of fraud, theft and tax evasion totaling
> $205,000 in 1972. He stole the funds from the Gardens to pay for
> personal expenses like limos, motorcycles and home renovations. He
> served about one-third of a nine year sentence.
> He caused a stir on Canadian national radio by saying that women were
> best in "one position".
> When the NHL declared that player's names had to be put on the backs
> of the jerseys, Ballard refused to cooperate, fearing a loss of
> revenue in program sales. After the league threatened to fine him,
> Ballard responded by sewing the white letters on the white jerseys and
> the blue letters on the blue jerseys.
>
> His curmudgeonly attitude rubbed off on his team's performance on the
> ice.
>
> Six winning seasons in 18 years of turmoil
> No finishes above third place in any division
> No records over .500 between 1979-80 and 1991-92
> Eight records below .400 in that same time frame
> Winning only two playoff rounds in those 13 years
>
> Harold Ballard is pretty much the #1 reason why a storied sports
> franchise has become a constant punchline for jokes and why they have
> not qualified for the Stanley Cup finals, let along winning, since
> 1967.
>
> Right now, I'm going to say Mike Brown, owner of the Cincinnati
> Bengal. If nothing else for the dumbass way he is handling the Carson
> Palmer situation. "Oh we won't trade him, because it will set a bad
> example for other disgruntled players." So instead of trading a good
> starting QB to a team who would love for him to be their starter in
> order to improve the future of the team, he's going to let him sit at
> home and collect a nice paycheck for doing nothing.
>
> Read more:http://newwrestlecrap.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=othersports&actio...
>
> William V. Bidwill, Sr.
>
> /thread
>
> Donald Sterling
>
> (oh and I must also nominate Frank McCourt as well. So bad,
> dysfunctional, and first owner of a MLB franchise which filed
> bankruptcy, second American major sports franchise to do so. He tried
> to mortgage to oblivion a crown jewel baseball franchise for his own
> bullshit, MLB had to collectively remove him as owner. Nobody else
> mentioned so far on this list has pulled something THAT'S BAD. Yet.)
>
> Read more:http://newwrestlecrap.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=othersports&actio...
>
> I think I'm gonna go with Charles Comiskey on this one. Yes, the eight
> White Sox players should have virtually all the responsibility for
> throwing the 1919 World Series, but they never would have even
> considered it had Comiskey not been such a tyrant.
>
> Read more:http://newwrestlecrap.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=othersports&actio...
>
> Red Bull. Whether they own Football Clubs, or Formula One or NASCAR
> racing teams. Red Bull just bought underclass football clubs (Austria
> Salzburg or SSV Markranstädt (A suburb of Leipzig), and not only
> renamed them to Red Bull Salzburg or RB Leipzig (They couldn't use Red
> Bull in the official team name, so they just stuck with RB), but they
> also destroyed any tradition associated with the clubs, and turned
> them into commercial toilets that attract only the "hip" event crowd.
> While 99% of football clubs have a fan culture, Red Bull doesn't
> really have one (Expect for the obvious Red Bull fanboys, that is.).
>
> But compared to Harold Ballard, Red Bull doesn't really look too bad.
>
> Read more:http://newwrestlecrap.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=othersports&actio...
>
> "Dollar" Bill Wirtz ran the Blackhawks into the ground with his dirt
> cheap standards. At one point the AHL's Chicago Wolves were out
> drawing an original 6 team. It was only with his death and the take
> over of his son Rocky that the Hawks were able to rebuild and win
> another cup.
>
> Read more:http://newwrestlecrap.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=othersports&actio...
>
> Mike Brown is a really awful owner... But since he's already been
> piled on, allow me to pile on someone from my backyard.
>
> The Nutting Family. Ogden and Bob Nutting who have owned the Pirates
> since the early mid-90s (Don't let them fool you with the Kevin
> McClatchy thing). This is a team that constantly made decisions and
> found ways to cut corners... This is an owner who hired John Russell,
> who, I'm pretty sure he didn't even have a pulse.
>
> Read more:http://newwrestlecrap.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=othersports&actio...
>
> For me it's Clive Palmer, owner of A-League club Gold Coast United.
>
> Bragged that his team would be more popular than Rugby league team the
> Gold Coast Titans and go through their first season undefeated which
> made them few friends. - They ended up finishing 3rd in the regular
> season and got eliminated from the finals in the first week.
>
> had the highest ticket prices in the league and then capped attendance
> at 5k when fans shockingly didn't turn up making their average go even
> lower. - Last year they broke the record for the lowest attended game
> in league history.
>
> Did little to nothing in the way of advertising or community
> involvement to promote the team or grow the fanbase despite having the
> money to do so. - Word has it that the league's TV coverage partner
> and sponsor are furious with the team and have been pressuring the FFA
> to get rid of them.
>
> And lastly, constantly butted heads with the FFA and often threatend
> to take his ball and go home. he has softened in recent times but it
> may already be too late especially with rumours they're going to be
> relocated to West Sydney next season. if the original bid for a West
> Sydney franchise had not fallen through they would already be gone.
>
> Read more:http://newwrestlecrap.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=othersports&actio...
> http://newwrestlecrap.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=othersports&actio...
>
> I don't think anyone could possibly top Harold Ballard, owner of the
> Toronto Maple Leafs from 1972 until his death in 1990. This guy made
> Mr. Burns look like Mr. Rogers in terms of his attitude towards
> running the team and his treatment of humanity in general.
>
> He cancelled a pee-wee hockey tournament scheduled in Maple Leaf
> Gardens when he discovered his estranged daughter's son was involved.
> He rarely had the courage to fire people face-to-face. Instead, his
> usual tactic was to revoke the doomed employee's parking space without
> warning.
> He was convicted on 47 counts of fraud, theft and tax evasion totaling
> $205,000 in 1972. He stole the funds from the Gardens to pay for
> personal expenses like limos, motorcycles and home renovations. He
> served about one-third of a nine year sentence.
> He caused a stir on Canadian national radio by saying that women were
> best in "one position".
> When the NHL declared that player's names had to be put on the backs
> of the jerseys, Ballard refused to cooperate, fearing a loss of
> revenue in program sales. After the league threatened to fine him,
> Ballard responded by sewing the white letters on the white jerseys and
> the blue letters on the blue jerseys.
>
> His curmudgeonly attitude rubbed off on his team's performance on the
> ice.
>
> Six winning seasons in 18 years of turmoil
> No finishes above third place in any division
> No records over .500 between 1979-80 and 1991-92
> Eight records below .400 in that same time frame
> Winning only two playoff rounds in those 13 years
>
> Harold Ballard is pretty much the #1 reason why a storied sports
> franchise has become a constant punchline for jokes and why they have
> not qualified for the Stanley Cup finals, let along winning, since
> 1967.
>
> Right now, I'm going to say Mike Brown, owner of the Cincinnati
> Bengal. If nothing else for the dumbass way he is handling the Carson
> Palmer situation. "Oh we won't trade him, because it will set a bad
> example for other disgruntled players." So instead of trading a good
> starting QB to a team who would love for him to be their starter in
> order to improve the future of the team, he's going to let him sit at
> home and collect a nice paycheck for doing nothing.
>
> Read more:http://newwrestlecrap.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=othersports&actio...
>
> William V. Bidwill, Sr.
>
> /thread
>
> Donald Sterling
>
> (oh and I must also nominate Frank McCourt as well. So bad,
> dysfunctional, and first owner of a MLB franchise which filed
> bankruptcy, second American major sports franchise to do so. He tried
> to mortgage to oblivion a crown jewel baseball franchise for his own
> bullshit, MLB had to collectively remove him as owner. Nobody else
> mentioned so far on this list has pulled something THAT'S BAD. Yet.)
>
> Read more:http://newwrestlecrap.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=othersports&actio...
>
> I think I'm gonna go with Charles Comiskey on this one. Yes, the eight
> White Sox players should have virtually all the responsibility for
> throwing the 1919 World Series, but they never would have even
> considered it had Comiskey not been such a tyrant.
>
> Read more:http://newwrestlecrap.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=othersports&actio...
>
> Red Bull. Whether they own Football Clubs, or Formula One or NASCAR
> racing teams. Red Bull just bought underclass football clubs (Austria
> Salzburg or SSV Markranstädt (A suburb of Leipzig), and not only
> renamed them to Red Bull Salzburg or RB Leipzig (They couldn't use Red
> Bull in the official team name, so they just stuck with RB), but they
> also destroyed any tradition associated with the clubs, and turned
> them into commercial toilets that attract only the "hip" event crowd.
> While 99% of football clubs have a fan culture, Red Bull doesn't
> really have one (Expect for the obvious Red Bull fanboys, that is.).
>
> But compared to Harold Ballard, Red Bull doesn't really look too bad.
>
> Read more:http://newwrestlecrap.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=othersports&actio...
>
> "Dollar" Bill Wirtz ran the Blackhawks into the ground with his dirt
> cheap standards. At one point the AHL's Chicago Wolves were out
> drawing an original 6 team. It was only with his death and the take
> over of his son Rocky that the Hawks were able to rebuild and win
> another cup.
>
> Read more:http://newwrestlecrap.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=othersports&actio...
>
> Mike Brown is a really awful owner... But since he's already been
> piled on, allow me to pile on someone from my backyard.
>
> The Nutting Family. Ogden and Bob Nutting who have owned the Pirates
> since the early mid-90s (Don't let them fool you with the Kevin
> McClatchy thing). This is a team that constantly made decisions and
> found ways to cut corners... This is an owner who hired John Russell,
> who, I'm pretty sure he didn't even have a pulse.
>
> Read more:http://newwrestlecrap.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=othersports&actio...
>
> For me it's Clive Palmer, owner of A-League club Gold Coast United.
>
> Bragged that his team would be more popular than Rugby league team the
> Gold Coast Titans and go through their first season undefeated which
> made them few friends. - They ended up finishing 3rd in the regular
> season and got eliminated from the finals in the first week.
>
> had the highest ticket prices in the league and then capped attendance
> at 5k when fans shockingly didn't turn up making their average go even
> lower. - Last year they broke the record for the lowest attended game
> in league history.
>
> Did little to nothing in the way of advertising or community
> involvement to promote the team or grow the fanbase despite having the
> money to do so. - Word has it that the league's TV coverage partner
> and sponsor are furious with the team and have been pressuring the FFA
> to get rid of them.
>
> And lastly, constantly butted heads with the FFA and often threatend
> to take his ball and go home. he has softened in recent times but it
> may already be too late especially with rumours they're going to be
> relocated to West Sydney next season. if the original bid for a West
> Sydney franchise had not fallen through they would already be gone.
>
> Read more:http://newwrestlecrap.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=othersports&actio...
Sports franchises ruined by ownership?:
http://realwrestlecrap.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=offtopic&action=display&thread=387924&page=1
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