A Woman Scorned
Written by B-Dub, Monday October 26 2009
Call me a sexist pig if you want, but I don't think women belong in professional sports.
They can't compete on the same level with men. It seems that the reporters are hired more for their looks than any qualifications or knowledge. Yeah, I'm looking at you curvy sideline reporters, especially the ones that feel violated through a peephole then pose for Maxim. And they sure as hell don't belong in the front office of major sports franchises. Why do I bring all of this up now? No, it's not just to piss off all the women, who read my wonderful articles. It's because of Jaime McCourt.
So who is Jamie McCourt you ask? Jamie McCourt is the wife of Los Angeles Dodgers owner, Frank McCourt. Well, make that the soon-to-be ex-wife of Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt. The couple announced their separation on October 14th. Then on October 21st, the day the Dodgers were eliminated from the NLCS by the Philadelphia Phillies, Frank McCourt fired Jamie as the team's CEO.
Yes, I'm sure there was a little bit of spite in this move by Frank McCourt, but I'm sure it was just righting a wrong that he committed years ago. Love may be blind, but that doesn't have to mean that it's stupid as well. Jamie McCourt never should have been named the first female CEO of a Major League Baseball team in the first place. She can still say that she was the first, but she can no longer say current CEO.
I'm sure some of you feminists out there will say that she probably earned her way to the CEO position, but you would be wrong. Her only qualification for the job was being married to the owner of the team. Jamie, married to Frank McCourt since 1979, ascended rapidly through the team's hierarchy, becoming vice chairman in 2004 (two weeks after Frank - or Frank and Jamie, a detail that apparently will be determined by the courts - purchased the Dodgers from Fox), president in 2005 and CEO seven months ago. Yeah, she really worked her way up from the bottom there huh? She went from no experience whatsoever to CEO in five years and I'm supposed to believe that she was actually qualified for the job? Give me a break.
I don't know I find more appalling, the fact that she thought she was actually a legitimate CEO of a major sports franchise or that she thought that she was the co-owner of the team. Since confirming their separation, the couple's lawyers have argued publicly about whether Frank is the sole owner of the team or Jamie is a co-owner. Frank's lawyer, Marshall Grossman, has said that his client has documentation signed by both parties that support the contention that Frank is the sole owner. He better, or he is an idiot.
In the termination letter (I love it, he didn't even do it face-to-face?) Frank charged Jamie with "insubordination, non-responsiveness, failure to follow procedures, and inappropriate behavior with a direct subordinate." Sounds like Frank was trying to cover his ass for the lawsuit he knew was coming. And that "inappropriate behavior with a direct subordinate" line sounds suspiciously like something that might cause a marriage to break up. I don't want to start any rumors, but communications chief Charles Steinberg has been granted permission to seek employment elsewhere. That seems a bit strange in light of everything else that is going on don't you think?
Jamie McCourt's lawyer, Dennis Wasser has promised a lawsuit. "Jamie was disappointed and saddened by her termination", Wasser said, reading from a statement. "As co-owner of the Dodgers, she will address this and all other issues in the courtroom."
OK, dirtbag lawyer-speak aside, how can she claim to be the co-owner of the team if she was fired? The fact is she isn't a co-owner. Frank McCourt made his money in Boston as a Real Estate developer, specifically with parking lots. She also isn't the CEO anymore. Something tells me that the other members of the Dodgers organization won't miss her "leadership." And I also have a feeling she won't ever get another job in a MLB front office again. That would certainly prove my point beyond a shadow of a doubt wouldn't it?
The problem with all of this is how it will inevitably effect the team. Even though I'm sure Frank will be able to prove that Jamie isn't a co-owner of the Dodgers, she will still get half of everything he owns in the divorce settlement. And well, that means that she is going to either get half of the team or Frank is going to have to sell the team to pay her off. This is very bad news for the Dodgers.
The Dodgers have sixteen players eligible for free agency on their roster, which is the most on any team in baseball. Manny Ramirez can be one of those players if he doesn't exercise his $20 million option. Resigning all of those players would be a nearly impossible task for Dodgers GM Ned Colletti under normal circumstances, but things will be anything but normal with the divorce proceedings hanging over the organization's head.
Jamie's lawyers will file all sorts of legal briefs to line their pockets with more money and to prevent Frank from tying up too much of the couple's joint assets in player salaries. No matter what Colletti does, he will be severely hamstrung by the legal wranglings. All thanks to a woman who didn't earn her position with the team in any way other than saying "I Do." Pathetic.
I don't like the Dodgers because I think their fans are complete frauds, but this is going to be bad for baseball. Even I will admit that the Dodgers are one of the marquee franchises in MLB. Obviously being in Los Angeles has something to do with that, but the team has an aura. That aura will soon be taking a major hit when they are unable to keep the current team together. I hope they have nice showers in the clubhouse of Manny's next team.
The moral of this story is that women have no place in men's professional sports. It can only lead to bad things happening. Just ask Frank McCourt or any Dodgers fan.
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4 comments
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Hiring his daughter is nepotism too, but I'd hate to have to get as job by sleeping with Phil Jackson!
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Yes Heidi, you are right about the nepotism. I actually have no problem with a qualified woman holding a positiion like this in MLB. But the fact that there aren't any now that this gold digger was fired says a lot. Surprisingly I believe that Al Davis has the highest ranking woman in a professional sports front office working for him. Leave it to Al to buck the trend. Maybe this is an LA thing because doesn't Jerry Buss have his daughter working for him and sleeping with Phil Jackson? Is that nepotism too?
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What you are really talking about is nepotism. If woman are truly qualified, then what's the problem? It's the wives of these rich owners that need something to do, so they screw up a team.
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Wait. I finally figured out how I'll get my Philadelphia Eagles back. All we need is for owner Jeffrey Lurie's wife to divorce him. She actually calls herself the owner of the Eagles like the dumb broad in LA. Whatever, as long as it forces Lurie to sell my Eagles and we get an owner who will FIRE ANDY REID.