In late April, Deadspin.com – a website that describes itself as “sports news without access, favor, or discretion” – posted a story on ESPN sportswriter and television personality Jason Whitlock entitled, “How Jason Whitlock is Poisoning ESPN’s ‘Black Grantland.’” The subject referenced Whitlock’s latest venture, ‘The Undefeated,’ a website launching in the summer 2015. The site aspires to be about the intersection of race and sports which was tentatively titled “black Grantland” by Whitlock during a 2013 interview with Bill Simmons of Grantland – a sports and pop-culture blog owned by ESPN. However, since that interview, nearly a year and a half passed before The Undefeated landing page went live. Rumors about creative differences, issues acquiring talented staff and overall poor management by Whitlock circulated and were the focus of the Deadspin story.
The article immediately grabbed my attention due to Whitlock being a former columnist for my hometown newspaper – the Kansas City Star. In the 90’s his writing, along with columnist Joe Posnanski, was must read material for me. I vividly remember as a teenager rushing to get the paper in the mornings for the thoughts and opinions of both Whitlock and Posnanski as they related to the local Kansas City sports scene that I was so passionate about.
Though readers had polarizing views on his often controversial writing, I loved Whitlock’s style and the way he approached sports journalism. I found the humor, analogies and integration of pop culture sprinkled throughout his columns both entertaining and informative. I have often credited Whitlock for my desire to be a writer and when I had held positions as a sports and entertainment columnist for the Kansas State Collegian while an undergrad at K-State, Whitlock’s work often served as inspiration for my own.
With a goal to one day be in a management/supervisory position, I try to absorb as much as I can from personal/real life experiences to various articles and blogs, so that when attained, the ambition is successful. As I read the Deadspin story and saw the examples of Whitlock’s motivational tactics and issues, I couldn’t help but compare him to the various professional athletes who fail as head coaches and assess what he is doing wrong.
In many sports, the record of star players who go on to enjoy success as a skipper is few and far between. It’s a difficult task to consistently coax the best performance out of those you are responsible for leading. The same struggles often translate to other professions. Just because you are successful playing your respective sport, excel at sales, marketing or whatever line of work – it doesn’t mean the same success will be the result when in charge. This appears to be the case for Jason Whitlock and is hindering ‘The Undefeated.’
The Deadspin story states, “Whitlock is big on having detailed notes taken on phone calls and meetings; they are often routed to one of his private email accounts. But the portrait of Whitlock that emerges from these notes is not flattering. He comes across as a catastrophe as a manager—paranoid, demeaning, oblivious, vindictive, unbelievably self-regarding, and, in some cases, truly destructive.”
The previously mentioned quotes from Whitlock’s playbook – plans outlining the Undefeated website – such as ‘a leader recognizes leadership and follows,’ or ‘a great journalist is comfortable in situations where everyone else in uncomfortable’ are more than likely falling on deaf ears. I don’t doubt The Undefeated’s staff respects Whitlock the writer. However when there are several easily accessible examples showcasing poor treatment of employees, the staff sure as hell isn’t going to respect and go the extra mile for Whitlock the manager.
In a Forbes article on the ‘5 Must-Have Qualities of The Modern Manager,’ author, speaker and futurist Jacob Morgan states that, “as the world of work continues to change, so do the qualities and characteristics of the managers who are going to be leading our companies.” Morgan believes that, “when it comes to evolving the way we work, managers need to possess five qualities to help their organizations evolve and succeed in the future of work.”
Those five qualities are:
- Follow from the front
- Understand Technology
- Lead by example
- Embrace vulnerability
- Belief in sharing
Morgan articulated that in the past, managers said “jump” and the employees said, “how high?” Now, the managers are jumping with employees. From what I gathered in the Whitlock/Deadspin story, it doesn’t seem he is willing to do that. It’s Whitlock’s way or the highway and so far, the results haven’t been good. Unless there are significant changes to his managerial approach, changes that include working hard to ensure his employees succeed, it is unlikely The Undefeated website will in fact prevail.