Leiweke out to eradicate MLSE's culture of losing - Toronto Sun

[Cashcleaner]

I didn't see this posted on the daily news thread for Tuesday and figured people should really check it out if they haven't already.

There are quite a few quotes that stick out in my mind - especially regarding the state of MLSE's management team before Leiweke agreed to take the position as President and CEO. It's a really good read; I totally recommend anyone to take a look at it.

“...The thing that amazed me the most is that we clearly didn’t have a mission statement,” Leiweke said, “one that everyone was on the same page with, that everyone believed in. I heard an awful lot of chatter about why we did not win. I could not believe the amount of excuses I heard right off the bat.”

Do tell, Mr. L.
“The weather, immigration, taxes, the media, the pressure, the fans, the history, MLSE’s business side, the greed ... I heard them all. And there’s no ESPN. That one was my favourite, from about half a dozen people. I’m saying, ‘really?’

Also, a few good remarks about FC specifically, as well.

“...Sometimes, losing becomes a culture, an excuse. It almost grows into being acceptable. People have a fear about how you get out of it. The longer you learn to accept it, the harder it is to ultimately change it. It becomes a way of life. Like the old Seinfeld episode where the guy with the body odour got into the car and they never got rid of the odour. We were that car. We couldn’t get rid of it, so we had to say ‘buy a new car’. Well, in TFC, we bought a Porsche, with Michael Bradley and Jermain Defoe. Now they believe around here that you can do anything you choose to do. But you have to be prepared to put your neck out there and take some risk.”

At this point, Leiweke rose from his seat and beckoned a Sun scribe to his monitor with a picture of new TFC midfielder Bradley. It was from the game where Bradley’s head was split open in an airborne collision.

“How many staples did they put in his head? 13?,” Leiweke asks, getting more animated. “They sewed his head back together and he never missed a minute. He literally yelled at our trainer ‘Band-aid it, I’m going back in’. This is who we are at MLSE now, Michael Bradley."

http://www.torontosun.com/2014/03/24...ture-of-losing

[Shakes McQueen]

Uplifting article as a fan, but aside from spending $100 million on a couple of soccer players, and hiring Masai Ujiri, he hasn't done much yet.

As always, I love TL's messaging. He's a big thinker, which is definitely new for MLSE. He also isn't afraid to stick his neck out, and push for/say things that could easily come back to haunt him later. TFC in particular, are fortunate to have an MLSE CEO who is so focused on them, considering how little they bring in compared to the Leafs and Raptors. He calls out a bunch of excuses that we've all heard people actually make before, and it's great that he dismisses them all without caveat.

All of that said, I've kind of had enough of these articles that feel like thin self-aggrandizing for Leiweke. You're saying good things, but until things have actually changed, I can only take so much of it. TFC seems to genuinely be on their way to a real "culture change" (he says after two games), but the Raptors sort of stumbled into a successful season, and the Leafs are marginally above-average... and may well miss the playoffs this year.

I much prefer TL to Anselmi or Peddie, but enough with the Brian Burkean pontificating about your philosophy and goals. Nose to the grindstone, please.

- Scott

[ensco]

It is hard to keep up with Leiweke. Man he cannot stop talking about how great he is.

This is a leadership style that will wear out the people who work for him, and the people he reports to.

He is reminding me a lot of Chuck Magwood. More and more.

[Red CB Toronto]

It is hard to keep up with Leiweke. Man he cannot stop talking about how great he is.

This is a leadership style that will wear out the people who work for him, and the people he reports to.

He is reminding me a lot of Chuck Magwood. More and more.

Chuck was a character all to himself, what a free wheeling big talker he was. In the end the scope Sky Dome project seemed to get bigger by the day and ended up with massive overruns with the taxpayers holding the bucket.

[billyfly]

We are never happy.

Certainly I will never be until the Leafs win a Cup.

[Shakes McQueen]

It is hard to keep up with Leiweke. Man he cannot stop talking about how great he is.

This is a leadership style that will wear out the people who work for him, and the people he reports to.

He is reminding me a lot of Chuck Magwood. More and more.

I agree that this will eventually wear people out, but I bet the people who work at MLSE are eating it up right now.

- Scott

[ensco]

I agree that this will eventually wear people out, but I bet the people who work at MLSE are eating it up right now.

- Scott

Agree. Sort of. It's exciting what he's doing, but he seems unable to stop calling everyone who was there before him a putz. He's talking about Peddie/Anselmi, but they hired everyone, so it has to make you wonder...

Ensco's rule of honeymoon period for sports execs: it's 24 months, less one month for each self-aggrandizing exclusive profile given to a reporter. ---> so I have Leiweke currently on 18 months, ie Jan 2015

[Waggy]

Agree. Sort of. It's exciting what he's doing, but he seems unable to stop calling everyone who was there before him a putz. He's talking about Peddie/Anselmi, but they hired everyone, so it has to make you wonder...

Ensco's rule of honeymoon period for sports execs: it's 24 months, less one month for each self-aggrandizing exclusive profile given to a reporter. ---> so I have Leiweke currently on 18 months, ie Jan 2015

To be fair, for most of their histories the people running TFC, the Raptors and the Leafs were putz'.

[Richard]

This is the same guy who gave Noni's a 5 year deal..... but nevertheless MLSE so desperately needed his attitude.

[Toronto Funk]

Despite all of the noise he brings, don't forget where we were a short while back. Change is strange, but results are all that count. We've started 2-0 not 0 and what felt like 50, the Raps in the playoffs, the Leafs are still in with a sniff.

Just a few years backs, instead of Defoe and Bradley coming in - weren't we getting excited about the possibility getting Dichov and playing coaches in a game?

Who can forget our old fearless leader with a sprinkle of Mojo and Mariner?!

[ag futbol]

To be fair, for most of their histories the people running TFC, the Raptors and the Leafs were putz'.

Agreed. The fact Richard Peddie had the idea someone would want to read about his chronicles still shocks me.

[ryan]

I'm not going to condemn TL if Toronto franchises aren't raising banners out the wazoo by tomorrow.

He's just the boss, he doesn't score the goals or wins the games. He puts the teams in a position to do so, that's his job and he's doing it well enough so far. Something the previous regime certainly couldn't do, or really seem to care to do IMO.

[Phil]

Agreed. The fact Richard Peddie had the idea someone would want to read about his chronicles still shocks me.

That book gives me nightmares. Great he documented what he did, but to see the motivation disclosed like that really does expose some pretty horrid things.

[OgtheDim]

I don't know about others, but I haven't seen anywhere near the normal amount of Blue Jay talk that I saw 2 years ago (last year was an aberration in volume).

That would be a win for MLSE over the Jays.

[tfcleeds]

I don't know about others, but I haven't seen anywhere near the normal amount of Blue Jay talk that I saw 2 years ago (last year was an aberration in volume). That would be a win for MLSE over the Jays.

Crapping the bed last year has certainly tempered enthusiasm somewhat. I think performance of other Toronto teams (Leafs freefall notwithstanding) also probably has something to do with it. Last couple of years, people were just chomping at the bit for baseball to start because there was nothing else to look forward to.

[OfficeGuy]

I'm growing rather fond of the excitement Tim & Tim bring to the games - I see them engaging and listening to supporters at Raptor Games as well as TFC

Tim L spoke to many fans at the TFC Game and let a woman into the Director's Lounge after her husband spoke with him and mentioned she was cold
-he had Heaters turned on in the area as well

Also, nice to see some of the Raptor Players at BMO - the culture of MLSE as an institution is a grand vision - that is refreshing esp with playoffs expected for most if not ALL our teams

[Pookie]

I don't know about others, but I haven't seen anywhere near the normal amount of Blue Jay talk that I saw 2 years ago (last year was an aberration in volume).

That would be a win for MLSE over the Jays.

I personally think that Rogers learned a lesson. After the big spend, they re-ran the World Series runs of the 90s in the preseason. Hype was at an all time high, everyone was talking World Series in 2013.

Then the season wore on. The team didn't perform, key injuries happened and those optimistic feelings, fueled by expectations of glory days to come were quickly sent in the opposite direction.

Setting realistic expectations, be it in life or in business, is really the key. It's ok to dream big. But to promise big and not deliver can get set folks up for disappointment and mistrust. Especially true when there are variables you can't control (ie. injuries, performance of other teams, etc)

TL could be cautioned to heed the story of the 2013 Jays.

[JonO]

I personally think that Rogers learned a lesson. After the big spend, they re-ran the World Series runs of the 90s in the preseason. Hype was at an all time high, everyone was talking World Series in 2013.

While it was a big spend for the Blue Jays, just to put some perspective on matters, their team salary was still about half that of the Yankees and they were 10th overall in terms of spending.

[ManUtd4ever]

Leiweke has been careful to measure his words regarding the expectations of TFC. He made a point of reiterating that the club hasn't accomplished anything yet following the off season splurge. The only proclamation he has made is that TFC will make the playoffs, and with our roster, I don't think he's going out on a limb by making such an assertion.

[Cashcleaner]

Despite all of the noise he brings, don't forget where we were a short while back. Change is strange, but results are all that count. We've started 2-0 not 0 and what felt like 50, the Raps in the playoffs, the Leafs are still in with a sniff.

Just a few years backs, instead of Defoe and Bradley coming in - weren't we getting excited about the possibility getting Dichov and playing coaches in a game?

Who can forget our old fearless leader with a sprinkle of Mojo and Mariner?!

I'm actually okay with Leiweke's self-aggrandizement because unlike his predecessors, he actually backs it up with substance. Like you said, the Raptors are playoffs-bound after a 6-year drought. TFC has fielded it's most complete roster to date and fan confidence is as high as it was in our first two seasons. Admittedly, the Leafs are struggling now with a 7-game losing streak, but that team was always going to be a long-term project for new the President anyway.

As a guy who really just follows the soccer and basketball clubs under the MLSE umbrella, I think Tim has earned the right to be a little vocal about the changes he's made. Which is something the guy he replaced never even came close to earning.

[Pookie]

Timing is everything. This comes out with the Leafs now in a 7 game losing streak.

If the team loses its way out of the playoffs this bravado is going to ring hollow for hundreds of thousands.

[Pookie]

^ correction to my previous post, the Leafs have now lost 8 in a row in this culture changed environment.

[james]

Leafs are pretty much done, 8 losses in a row. And TFC just got blown out 3-0 vs Salt Lake, losing culture might still be sticking around for a while yet.

[Cashcleaner]

^ The Leafs losing streak are indicative of that team's lack of staying power toward the season's end. TFC's ass-kicking was probably an aberration. I think if we played the same match mid-season or so but under the same conditions, it probably would have been a much different result. I don't buy into the belief that RSL is as deadly as they were last year. I don't think they made enough changes to keep up with the rest of the league. They're still very sharp, of course. They made that clear last night.

[Abou Sky]

I don't agree CC, I think that their LB was the only new addition to the team last night. That is a good thing.

That said, I would pretty much follow Leiweke off a cliff because seriously, if he can't turn around MLSE, nobody can and it should just be dismantled and sold separately.

[greatwhitenorf]

Tim Leiweke arrived here and deserved to be treated with open minds from most fans. However, if you're a Tottenham Hotspur supporter - and I am - you have a different perspective of Leiweke's motives and methods.

If you follow English football, you know how densely populated London is with 14 professional clubs within greater London and many more just around it, like Watford on the northern verges. Here's quick link to a map: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_in_London

Well established rules exist regarding how clubs may move within their own territory but may not move into another club's area without proper permission. And, no, I'm not going to hammer gypsy Arsenal for moving across the River Thames.

You can look up online what all the details were with the bidding process, but when the London Olympics were over, there was a need to do something productive and revenue generating with the stadium site which, in the fine English tradition, was already a financial fiasco.

West Ham bid to take the stadium as it was (new, expensive retractable stands are now going in) but Spurs, with Leiweke playing a big role, proposed to move there and build a brand new, football-only stadium. The stands from the Olympic stadium would be moved to the old historic home of British athletics, Crystal Palace, in south London, where a 40,000 capacity stadium would be built along with a training and administration centre for UK Athletics.

But the unthinkable had been put forward by Spurs. Move out of their traditional home site to an area that is now considered home turf to both West Ham and, even moreso, Leyton Orient(currently in good shape for promotion to the Championship League). The fallout from this bid was heavy on both sides of the fence. Many Spurs fans were appalled that the club could countenance a move away from their historic home. West Ham and Orient fans were equalled dismayed at the prospect of a Premier League heavyweight moving onto their manor. The consequences for a financially struggling West Ham were extremely negative as far as their future prospects went. Spurs management saw protests from their own anxious fans precede many home games during the bidding process. They didn't want to abandon their historic home turf.

Happily, the deal didn't go down. West Ham won the bid(a filthily corrupt process that went to court and was resolved with punitive terms) and Spurs have received zoning approval to build a new stadium to rival Arsenal's 60,000 seater, with the possibility of housing a new NFL franchise (yeah, MLSE are helping in marketing endeavours with that one).

The upshot of all this foofarraw is that Leiweke - as an Anschutz Entertainment Group(AEG) executive - was at the forefront of a bid that created all manner of disharmony and unrest for several years while this deal got sorted out. Despite the possibility of ripping out an historic club from an equally historic home and causing no end of problems for two clubs long-established in the area they aimed to move into, this deal was pushed forward and ardently pursued. I've never heard or read Leiweke express any sincere concerns or feelings about this unsettling process. It may well have been a carefully executed bargaining manoeuver to help Spurs get the best possibility from their local borough council and the city of London, but no one from AEG was back-pedalling on it at any time. It was go-go-go the entire time it was up for grabs.

It was a rather soulless act, when it was all said and done. The fabric of the game and it's long-established history and local rivalries, were subject to dog's abuse and AEG and Leiweke were right in the midst of it.

So when I see him dicking around with a good thing here in Toronto that has the potential to be a great thing, I get my quills up. I don't hate the Argos for one second. I loved them as a boy. I'm indifferent to them nowadays. But TFC and the game of soccer in general have a good thing going at BMO Field. And here's this guy again looking to pick at the seams of what we have woven as the fabric of the Toronto sports scene and pit two sets of fans from two great clubs against one another, so that, when it all comes down to the nutty crunchy, MLSE can stage outdoor Leafs hockey games to assuage their corporate ego.

It has the potential to wreck things, badly, for both clubs. But mostly TFC.

[Alonso]

Tim Leiweke arrived here and deserved to be treated with open minds from most fans. However, if you're a Tottenham Hotspur supporter - and I am - you have a different perspective of Leiweke's motives and methods.

If you follow English football, you know how densely populated London is with 14 professional clubs within greater London and many more just around it, like Watford on the northern verges. Here's quick link to a map: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_in_London

Well established rules exist regarding how clubs may move within their own territory but may not move into another club's area without proper permission. And, no, I'm not going to hammer gypsy Arsenal for moving across the River Thames.

You can look up online what all the details were with the bidding process, but when the London Olympics were over, there was a need to do something productive and revenue generating with the stadium site. West Ham bid to take the stadium as it was (new retractable stands are now going in) but Spurs, with Leiweke playing a big role, proposed to move there and build a brand new, football only stadium. The stands from the Olympic stadium would be moved to the old historic home of British athletics, Crystal Palace, in south London, where a 40,000 capacity stadium would be built along with a training and administration centre for UK Athletics.

But the unthinkable had been put forward by Spurs. Move out of their traditional home site to an area that is now considered home turf to both West Ham and, even moreso, Leyton Orient(currently in good shape for promotion to the Championship League). The fallout from this bid was heavy on both sides of the fence. Many Spurs fans were appalled that the club could contenance a move away from their historic home. West Ham and Orient fans were equalled dismayed at the prospect of a Premier League heavyweight moving onto their manor. The consequences for a financially struggling West Ham were extremely negative as far as their future prospects went. Spurs management saw protests from their own anxious fans proceed many home games during the bidding process. They didn't want to abandon their historic home turf.

Happily, the deal didn't go down. West Ham won the bid(a filthily corrupt process that went to court and was resolved with punitive terms) and Spurs have received zoning approval to build a new stadium to rival Arsenal's 60,000 seater, with the possibility of housing a new NFL franchise (yeah, MLSE are helping in marketing endeavours).

The upshot of all this foofarraw is that Leiweke - as an Anschutz Entertainment Group(AEG) executive - was at the forefront of a bid that created all manner of disharmony and unrest for several years while this deal got sorted out. Despite the possibility of ripping out an historic club from an equally historic home and causing no end of problems for two clubs long-established in the area they aimed to move into, this deal was pushed forward and ardently pursued. I've never heard or read Leiweke express any sincere concerns or feelings about this unsettling process. It may well have been a carefully executed bargaining manoeuver to help Spurs get the best possibility from their local borough council and the city of London, but no one from AEG was back-pedalling on it at any time. It was go-go-go the entire time it was up for grabs.

It was a rather soulless act, when it was all said and done. The fabric of the game and it's long-established history and local rivalries, were subject to dog's abuse and AEG and Leiweke were right in the midst of it.

So when I see him dicking around with a good thing here in Toronto that has the potential to be a great thing, I get my quills up. I don't hate the Argos for one second. I loved them as a boy. I'm indifferent to them nowadays. But TFC and the game of soccer in general have a good thing going at BMO Field. And here's this guy again looking to pick at the seams of what we have woven as the fabric of the Toronto sports scene and pit two sets of fans from two great clubs against one another, so that, when it all comes down to the nutty crunchy, MLSE can stage outdoor Leafs hockey games to assuage their corporate ego.

It has the potential to wreck things, badly, for both clubs. But mostly TFC.

Thanks for this.

A lot of food for thought here.

[ensco]

^Yeah, Leiweke has a history of leaving people feeling very cold in the wake of these things

http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/e...70202/32338775

[greatwhitenorf]

^Yeah, Leiweke has a history of leaving people feeling very cold in the wake of these things

http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/e...70202/32338775

Yeah, it's not like it's the end of the world that KC got the Sprint Center. But they didn't get what was promised. Spurs fans were taken for an unwanted rollercoaster ride that set off a civil war amongst the club's most ardent supporters.

Tim Leiweke. Should we be spelling it Tim Lie-weke?

It's not like I wish ill for this guy and what he offers up in his ideas. It's just that we have every reason to be skeptical until we see him bring home the bacon for TFC, because it all looks like TFC and it's fans, plus soccer in general are being taken for granted in this whole process. At no point in this proposed stadium share process do we get the sense that the quality of the soccer product - by far the core ingredient - is being given prime consideration.

And that is something that just runs 180 degrees counter to what we're seeing industry-wide in stadium development nowadays.

I wish I could fully share another story about how voracious the Maple Leafs appetite is for these outdoor events. I heard a great story about what lengths the Leafs went to to try and secure partial copyright, and hence, marketing rights, to a Maple Leafs logo they don't own, but wanted rights to so they could use it at the outdoor game in Ann Arbor, Mich., earlier this season. The holder turned them down for a very healthy five figure sum.

[TFC07]

Tim Leiweke arrived here and deserved to be treated with open minds from most fans. However, if you're a Tottenham Hotspur supporter - and I am - you have a different perspective of Leiweke's motives and methods.

If you follow English football, you know how densely populated London is with 14 professional clubs within greater London and many more just around it, like Watford on the northern verges. Here's quick link to a map: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_in_London

Well established rules exist regarding how clubs may move within their own territory but may not move into another club's area without proper permission. And, no, I'm not going to hammer gypsy Arsenal for moving across the River Thames.

You can look up online what all the details were with the bidding process, but when the London Olympics were over, there was a need to do something productive and revenue generating with the stadium site which, in the fine English tradition, was already a financial fiasco.

West Ham bid to take the stadium as it was (new, expensive retractable stands are now going in) but Spurs, with Leiweke playing a big role, proposed to move there and build a brand new, football-only stadium. The stands from the Olympic stadium would be moved to the old historic home of British athletics, Crystal Palace, in south London, where a 40,000 capacity stadium would be built along with a training and administration centre for UK Athletics.

But the unthinkable had been put forward by Spurs. Move out of their traditional home site to an area that is now considered home turf to both West Ham and, even moreso, Leyton Orient(currently in good shape for promotion to the Championship League). The fallout from this bid was heavy on both sides of the fence. Many Spurs fans were appalled that the club could countenance a move away from their historic home. West Ham and Orient fans were equalled dismayed at the prospect of a Premier League heavyweight moving onto their manor. The consequences for a financially struggling West Ham were extremely negative as far as their future prospects went. Spurs management saw protests from their own anxious fans precede many home games during the bidding process. They didn't want to abandon their historic home turf.

Happily, the deal didn't go down. West Ham won the bid(a filthily corrupt process that went to court and was resolved with punitive terms) and Spurs have received zoning approval to build a new stadium to rival Arsenal's 60,000 seater, with the possibility of housing a new NFL franchise (yeah, MLSE are helping in marketing endeavours with that one).

The upshot of all this foofarraw is that Leiweke - as an Anschutz Entertainment Group(AEG) executive - was at the forefront of a bid that created all manner of disharmony and unrest for several years while this deal got sorted out. Despite the possibility of ripping out an historic club from an equally historic home and causing no end of problems for two clubs long-established in the area they aimed to move into, this deal was pushed forward and ardently pursued. I've never heard or read Leiweke express any sincere concerns or feelings about this unsettling process. It may well have been a carefully executed bargaining manoeuver to help Spurs get the best possibility from their local borough council and the city of London, but no one from AEG was back-pedalling on it at any time. It was go-go-go the entire time it was up for grabs.

It was a rather soulless act, when it was all said and done. The fabric of the game and it's long-established history and local rivalries, were subject to dog's abuse and AEG and Leiweke were right in the midst of it.

So when I see him dicking around with a good thing here in Toronto that has the potential to be a great thing, I get my quills up. I don't hate the Argos for one second. I loved them as a boy. I'm indifferent to them nowadays. But TFC and the game of soccer in general have a good thing going at BMO Field. And here's this guy again looking to pick at the seams of what we have woven as the fabric of the Toronto sports scene and pit two sets of fans from two great clubs against one another, so that, when it all comes down to the nutty crunchy, MLSE can stage outdoor Leafs hockey games to assuage their corporate ego.

It has the potential to wreck things, badly, for both clubs. But mostly TFC.

This is why we need to stand up and make our voices clear. If TL and MLSE give us assurance (which they haven't so far) that we wouldn't get screwed, then I will live with that for now. But if soccer experience suffer after renovation then I will personally not renew my season tickets and ditch TFC and everything related to MLSE for good (I already started by not supporting their hockey team).