Oh, this has been a long time coming. I know that’s what I had written in the first entry of the first podcast episode, but it feels equally important here, too.
The Oakland Athletics mean a great deal to me in a host of ways, so it’s a big deal to have the opportunity to get on the horn with Larry Kamer, a former professor of mine at the University of San Francisco to discuss issues regarding leadership, and offer perspective of how leaders would navigate these situations while analyzing A’s front office leadership’s behaviors.
To A’s fans, it is baffling that team owner John Fisher’s actions over the years have run counter productive to fielding a competitive on-field team and financially successful organization off the field. Yet, the fact remains that the Oakland A’s are poised to depart Oakland at the conclusion of the 2024 season.
Specializing in crisis communication, Larry’s analysis is both filled with nuance and cynicism, and I appreciate every bit of it. Still though, he did drop some gems regarding Fisher:
"I'd be hard pressed to find anybody who continually screws things up the way he does, and just doesn't seem to care--just doesn't seem to have empathy for the fans, or a sorry bone in his body for what they're doing."
While this first of two A’s focused episodes centers on corporate leadership and public affairs from the team and brand standpoint, part two will focus on the team’s most impacted stakeholders: the East Bay communities, but most of all—Oakland A’s fans. Look out for a talk I had with Bryan Johansen, co-founder of the Last Dive Bar, in the coming days.
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