What Makes a Good Owner

As a sports fan, there is one singular characteristic I want from the owner of my favorite sports franchise: the relentless pursuit of a championship.

That's it.

All week long, as the sale of the Chicago Cubs becomes closer to a reality, the buzz around the Windy City has been whether apparent buyer Tom Ricketts will be a good owner for the team. Most fans want him to lower ticket prices, upgrade Wrigley Field, or add a Cubs regional sports network. They're glad he's a diehard fan who grew up around the ballpark and met his wife in the bleachers. That's all fine and dandy.

I don't care about any of that stuff. All I want is for him to put them in the best position to win.

It doesn't matter to me how much of a diehard he is. It doesn't matter to me if he met his wife in the bleachers, the nosebleeds, or behind a pole. And while it would be nice, it doesn't matter to me if he lowers ticket prices or upgrades Wrigley Field, so long as the primary objective is getting the Cubs to win.

The best owners in sports are the ones that consistently surround themselves with good people to ensure the constant success of the team. They don't have to be rowdy off-beat types like Mark Cuban, and definitely shouldn't be old and cheap like the late Carl Pohlad. They don't have to be polarizing figures like George Steinbrenner. But they should be constantly evaluating their product, and should be keenly aware that no matter what the most profitable scenario for any sports team is whether they're succeeding on the field.

Cubs bashers will point to the fact that they've stunk for years and continue to sell out the ballpark. That's true. But when they've won, albeit just division titles or a playoff series, the profits are through the roof. Ricketts has inherited a team capable of doing big things. It is his job to surround himself with the right people and provide the resources to take them to the next level.

If that means they have to add Jake Peavy's hefty salary via a trade? Fine. If it means another move? Fine. But all he needs to assure me as a fan is that he's committed to them competing for the Fall Classic every year.

Look at the the best run franchises in sports: the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Cowboys, the Lakers and the Red Wings. The common characteristic for those teams is that they consistently pour money back into the on the field, court, or ice product to continue to reap the benefits of success. They'll gamble on a particular player if it means he could be the difference come the post season. If other teams stopped crying poor and took financial risks like these teams do, maybe they would be competing on these teams' level more consistently.

That said, some people will say it's not always about how much money you spend. "Look at the Yankees since 2000," they'll say. "They increase pay roll year after year but haven't won." Obviously there's a balance that must occur between overspending on players and investing in the draft and your farm system. That's true across all sports. But the common demoninator remains that the most successful teams, more often than not, spend what it takes to win.

I hope Tom Ricketts will do the same. And that's all I hope he does.