Arizona sports have had a really rough go of it recently, and a significant amount of the blame is often tossed at ownership (and for good reason). The Suns’ disappointment compared to expectations can easily be pinned on Mat Ishbia’s flashy offseason moves that seemed to be more style than substance. The Bidwell family has long been in the crosshairs for perennially disappointing within their division. And as for the Coyotes…? We don’t even need to rehash that mess.
But then there are the Diamondbacks; staring up at the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League’s Western division, having to deal with massive inequities when it comes to payroll in a league that has no salary cap, they still managed to usurp the Dodgers in a magical run to the World Series in 2023. Even with a massive financial disadvantage, they exceeded expectations.
Ownership plays a massive role in a team’s success and failure, and Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendricks deserves a significant amount of credit. A recent interview allows him to pontificate on his leadership and his now advancing age, and one item sticks out: his degree of involvement in operations.
Team owners are often very successful people outside of their ownership; after all, major league sports teams aren’t exactly cheap, and typically only available to purchase by wealthy business owners (unless they’re inherited through a familial lineage). And many people who are expert at some things in business often believe that that translates into other aspects of a different business, that because they were great at making and selling widgets that that makes them uniquely qualified to build a roster for a sports team.
Dallas Cowboys fans know this intimately. They follow one of the most financially successful sports teams in history, but one that is known for constantly underperforming. They haven’t even appeared in the NFL Championship game since 1996, and owner Jerry Jones frequently gets the blame. He is widely known as someone who heavily meddles in player decisions, and management knows that their jobs are potentially on the line if they strongly disagree.
Notable in the interview was how a member of Diamondbacks membership said that he had previously been “aggressive”. While not expounded on, it could easily be interpreted as someone who was perhaps too involved in personnel decisions. Perhaps it’s a factor of advancing age; at 81 years old, it’s reasonable to want more free time to enjoy your golden years, and by nature you will be less impulsive and more reflective, both of which are traits that will likely lead to being less heavy-handed.
Great leadership necessitates hiring good people, giving them the resources to do their job properly, and maybe most importantly, getting out of their way and allowing them to do their job. It’s ok to have strong opinions and offer up your insight, but trust is also key. Kendricks is a great study in how this approach can lead to winning results, and as a result the Diamondbacks are the only real hope for major sports success in Arizona.