Halftime Report | Magic Johnson's Commanders ownership feat and the fight to diversify the NFL
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Ever heard the phrase, “Close but no cigar”? Well, that sums up the NFL’s efforts to diversify front offices throughout the league. As a matter of fact, prior to last year, there were no Black owners at all. In a league that is over 50 percent Black, there was no Black representation whatsoever at the highest level. Enter the Denver Broncos. After over 30 years at the helm, majority owner Pat Bowlen officially relinquished control of the team due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease. The team was put on the market, and NFL owners voted unanimously to approve the record $4.65 billion sale to the Walton-Penner group. With Walmart heir Rob Walton holding a majority stake, the ownership group also provided the league with its first Black owners. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Formula One racing champion Sir Lewis Hamilton, and businesswoman Mellody Hobson all hold a minority stake. Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson joined prestigious company last week as it was announced that he is part of the ownership group acquiring the Washington Commanders.
While the Broncos price tag shattered the previous record of $2.2 billion paid by hedge fund manager David Tepper for the Carolina Panthers back in 2018, records are meant to be broken. The Commanders came with a $6.05 billion price tag. Johnson is no stranger to sports franchise ownership as he adds football to his extensive resume. The five-time NBA champion is also part-owner of Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers, WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, and Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Football Club. Still, this one was big.
“It’s the biggest thing I’ve done in my life,” he told NBC’s Craig Melvin on the “TODAY” show. “It’s a lifelong dream. And so, to know that I’m gonna be an NFL owner, in a great city, in a great market, Washington Commanders, with great partners, Josh Harris. It’s just when you think about having great partners who want to win, I want to win, so it’s going to be great. It’s going to be great for the Commanders fans, it’s gonna be great for the players as well, and for all the employees as well.”
After noting, “Everything is on the table,” including another team name change, Johnson and the new regime will have their work cut out for them. Headed by billionaire Harris, the ownership group will be tasked with rehabilitating the franchise inside out, on and off the field. Previous owner Dan Snyder was fined $60 million by the league following their investigation into his reported sexual harassment of a former employee and the withholding of revenue that should have been shared with other teams. Jay Gruden, Washington’s head coach from 2014-2019, alleged that Snyder was not only self-centered but that he also made football decisions – mainly draft picks – without doing the qualifying research. “I just think Dan made it too much about himself. As far as trying to put his stamp on the team by picking the players and coaches,” Jay said on “The Kevin Sheehan Show.” He continued, “He wasn’t experienced enough in the business to make those decisions. He didn’t put in the work.” Ironically enough, it was the leaked emails of Jay’s brother, Jon Gruden, that set the wheels in motion for Snyder’s ousting. Jon was forced to resign from his position as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders and the U.S. House of Representatives’ Oversight Committee’s report all but pointed the finger at Snyder as the culprit who leaked the emails.
Nevertheless, despite the shortcomings and drama surrounding the franchise, it is expected that Jason Wright, the first Black president of an NFL team, will remain in his role under the new ownership. Additionally, Ron Rivera is one of six minority head coaches going into the 2023 season. Since Wright’s hiring in 2020, there have been four more Black team presidents appointed. Eight of nine minority general managers are Black men. The owners meetings set a mandate that all clubs have a designated person in charge of diversity, equity, and inclusion. NFL executive Jonathan Beane told The Associated Press, “We have to have a single point of accountability at the clubs, where they are focused on driving it throughout their organization, in football operations and coaching, in business operations, engaging with ownership to make sure that this is a priority throughout the whole ecosystem of a club.” However, the intended trickle-down effect is a slow drip at this moment as there are still only three Black head coaches.
That is what is most visible to fans; however, pulling back the veil, you realize that it is far bigger than what meets the eye. Systemic barriers have led to a scarcity of melanin roaming the sidelines with clipboards and headpieces on Sundays. We can start with the fact that the road to head coach opportunities often goes through the offensive coordinator position; there simply aren’t many Black OCs. One of the biggest slights year in and year out is Eric Bieniemy, who has been continually overlooked despite going to the Super Bowl three times in the last four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, winning twice. Instead of being given a shot at a head coaching gig, he is being asked to prove himself – without Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce – as the offensive coordinator for, ironically, the Commanders. Over in Carolina, Tepper was asked to explain his decision to hire Frank Reich over interim head coach Steve Wilks despite the latter’s semblance of success while picking up the pieces left by a fired Matt Rhule. Down to his third-string quarterback and without key defensive starters, Wilks had the Panthers within a game of their first postseason appearance since 2017. However, Tepper cited the need for an offensive-minded head coach to complement recent league rule changes that benefit the offensive side of the ball. At the end of the hiring cycle, the Panthers stood as the only team in the NFL to have a Black offensive and defensive coordinator in Thomas Brown and Ejiro Evero, respectively.
This is not something that is lost on Beane. “I will acknowledge our representation of diverse head coaches, in particular Black head coaches, is certainly below our expectation and is not where anyone wants it to be or knows it needs to be,” he said while former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores’ discrimination lawsuit against the NFL moves forward.
Although there are still no Black primary owners in the league, Johnson’s celebrity and high visibility even as a minority stakeholder is significant. “Breaking these barriers and going through these doors is important for me,” he told Melvin during the “TODAY” show interview. One of the barriers to majority ownership is the NFL’s requirement for a primary owner to have a 30 percent stake in the team and use no more than $1 billion in debt against it. However, for the sake of diversifying, the league was pondering a one-time exception when it came to the Broncos sale. There is still a significant wealth gap when it comes to the billionaire level, but if there is a man for the job, it just may be Earvin “Magic” Johnson. In addition to his impressive investments in professional sports, the real-life “Wizard Kelly” has a diverse portfolio and the name and image visibility to pull it off. It took the NFL 100 years to present its first Black team president and 102 years for its first Black minority owners. That type of systemic discrimination will take more than a few years to undo and will require a bit of “Magic.”
Trending Stories
