Parting Words…

Today’s sportsmen and women like entertainers do not always have the opportunity to sign off their careers in the way they would like. Maybe that is a downsides of the careers they choose. Maybe when it comes to sports stars this is because today they are seen more as entertainers today?

If a sports career were a Hollywood movie we would have our heroes signing off by scoring the winning, goal, runs, or try in the dying minutes of a world Cup, Olympic Games or win the league in an important final game. However, we all know that life is far removed from a Hollywood movie.

If one player is to be a hero in their last game it most likely means that one of the opposition will be finishing their career on the losing side. Frequently they leave the scene of that final game without being noticed as to the victor goes the spoils.

Of course those players that chose when their career will end are very fortunate. They get to leave the game under their terms and often with a fanfare. For a far larger percentage of top flight athletes that decision is out of their control. An injury may bring an abrupt end to what was a promising career, or one that was only just starting. A change of coach can see a player out of favour and the opportunities that once were there, simply evaporate. Then there are those who are dropped never to be selected again, or their contract comes to an end and is not renewed.

For these athletes the end is often abrupt and painful. Some never even get to announce their retirement, others will leave it a few years to make that announcement. It takes that long for the realisation to sink in that the end has come. Many will believe they can come back, but eventually they realise that they have reached the end.

For most athletes the best they can hope for in terms of signing off is a quote in a press release from the coach or often not even the coach, but someone else involved in the club or the program thanking them for their services. A career wrapped up in one often fatuous line.

Suddenly all that dedication, sweat and commitment means very little. The performances have been forgotten as the focus turns towards the new players, the replacements. As one old pro once said, the hardest realisation to come to terms with is how quickly you are forgotten once you become a ‘past’ player.

To many people who follow sport globally Australia can at times be a baffling place, but a trend here is beginning to emerge elsewhere. For here, in many sports, we see the Chairperson of the board constantly making statements to the press about their sport. This is like having a dog and barking yourself!

The whole idea of a board is to ensure Governance. To set the pathway for the organisation and to have the expertise at Board level to lend advice and oversee the key areas of the sport. Do sporting boards adhere to that model? Do they have board members with that relevant expertise?

As the Chair of one Board said recently, finding the right calibre of Board member today is not as easy as it was in the past. One of the reasons they explained was the modern-day trend that Boards must be made up of equal numbers of male and female representatives. They stated that no longer is it about finding the right person to fit the key role on that board irrespective of their sex, someone who has the relevant experience, it has now become more important to have equal numbers of both sexes than the required skills.

If you are hiring the wrong people at Board level, what chance have you of finding the right CEO or other senior management? This was highlighted four years ago in Who’s Hiring? Yet the same problem exists and the same mistakes are being made.

The CEO is supposed to be the administrative focal point of the sport, the club or the competition. They are the ones that should be heard. Most fans do not care who the Chairman is as long as the sport or the club is being run properly. Of course where the lines have become blurred in recent times is when the Chairman of the Board is the owner of the club and has invested heavily. Many of these owner/Chairmen want to be seen and heard, that is essentially why they have invested in the club in the first place, to boost their own profile or that of their business. Yet the sad truth is fans in the main are not interested, as long as the club continues and is competitive.

The CEO, like a player lives or dies by their performance. If they fail to perform their contract invariably is not renewed; however in the world of sport they tend to move onto another sport and the cycle continues.

Yet unlike the player who is dropped or forced to retire the outgoing CEO no matter how diabolical a job they have done is nearly always given a glowing Press Release thanking them for the wonderful work that they have done and highlighting any positive that they can possibly find. The reason being the Board cannot possibly admit they appointed the wrong person. (A Management Criterium) Frequently these statements have fans and those closest to the running of the sport or club reaching for a bucket. Of course on some occasions the plaudits are deserved, but unfortunately for those who deserve them, the compliments have lost their meaning as such words are used for one and all.

While a CEO may warrant some form of public reference to help them obtain the next position, now we are starting to see the Chairperson and board members being given a similar send-off. These are supposed to be faceless people who give up their time for the good of the sport or the club. Every now and again there will be a longstanding board member who has helped steer a club or a sport through a difficult time, and when they step aside it is understandable that their commitment and efforts are acknowledged. But is this necessary for many Chairpersons who have only served one term in office? The acknowledgment should be in the Board minutes.

It would appear that the priorities in sport have been turned upside down. The players are the ones that everyone wants to watch. The players and the game are the focal point. Without them there is nothing. Yet when it is time for them to finish up, few receive more than a trite tribute, while the administrators receive a glowing endorsement no matter what job they have done, and they are given the limelight. Which makes one wonder why are these people there? Are they really there for the good of the sport or the team, or are they there for their own ego?

It is a sad fact that many are there purely to advance their own careers. That is all well and good but just like players let them be judged on their performance alone and the outcomes in the areas they were overseeing.

Hopefully this modern trend is just that, a trend. That we will cease having to endure statements of spin to cover up the failings of those appointed and entrusted to lead a club or a sport. It would be far more pleasing to see the players themselves given a deserving farewell, one that may give them a leg up as they transition from the sporting world into the real working world.