CAMBRIDGE - Following his keynote speech, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck fielded a question from Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson. The query concerned the relationship between owners and players. Shortly thereafter, Grousbeck invited Watson to the front of the lecture hall, looking for some help answering a few remaining questions from an audience of graduate students, professional team executives, and people involved in sports business. And that was just the beginning of the MIT Sports Business Conference yesterday at the Stata Center.
"It's a forum to begin conversations about the future of sports with an analytical slant," said conference co-chair and Patriots head of business development Jessica Gelman. "Our goal is to bring together one of the foremost academic institutions with sports industry leaders, and bridge the gap between leagues, teams, media, and other sports business professionals."
In a rare gathering of top-level executives from the 2007 championship teams, a panel entitled "Defending the Title" featured San Antonio Spurs general manager R.C. Buford, Anaheim Ducks executive vice president and GM Brian Burke, Red Sox assistant GM Jed Hoyer, and Indianapolis Colts president Bill Polian. Peter Gammons was moderator. The panel addressed such questions as "How important is it for marquee players to be marquee people?" and "How important is depth to team success?"
"In our game, the one guy that can dominate a game is the starting pitcher," said Hoyer. "Other than that, David Ortiz, as great as he's been, you can't put the bat in his hand when you need to. Depth has always been important for that reason. As far as defending a title, playing an extra month is significant. Certainly in 2005 our pitching staff was decimated. Trying to plan for the year after you win that championship is something you have to do."
All four panelists discussed the importance of idea- and process-sharing between different sports and the particular pressures of the markets in which they play, especially the challenge of blocking out the public when it comes time for crucial decisions.
"We try very hard, particularly in the draft process, to block out all the noise," said Polian. "We try hard to communicate the ideals and ideas [of our team-building philosophy within the franchise]."
Added Hoyer, "If the public perception of what we do seeps in at all, it's going to affect our process. Making good decisions requires clear thought."
In the final featured panel, ESPN analyst and former Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, Red Sox senior baseball operations adviser Bill James, ESPN senior vice president and executive editor John Walsh, and Game Plan LLC founder and president Randy Vataha pitched ideas for improving Major League Baseball, the NBA, NFL, and NHL. Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey moderated.
Among the more intriguing ideas were widening the NBA rim to increase scoring, using a seven-point system for NBA standings as opposed to the more traditional win-loss records, and bringing relegation, as practiced in the English premier soccer league, to America.
rising
falling 