In case you haven't gotten the memo, the National Basketball Association is in serious trouble. Aside from years of declining TV ratings and an utterly boring Finals match-up, last week a major scandal erupted as referee Tim Donaghy resigned amid serious point shaving allegations. Some predict that this breach in the legitimacy of the game could spread wider, and might further undermine fan interest.
Other sports haven't fared much better lately. Just as excitement gears up around the NFL at the start of training camp, superstar Michael Vick has been charged with running a dog fighting operation. Meanwhile, Major League Baseball is about to see a cherished record broken by Barry Bonds, an admitted steroid user and all-around jerk. Overall, it's a darker conversation at the sports bars and water coolers today.
But at least one leader sees some glimmer of improvement from this challenge. Controversial Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, published a blog entry titled "Calamity as a Catalyst". In this post, Cuban embraces the Challenge Dividend philosophy:
- "Shit happens. Bad Shit happens. When it does, there are two options. Cry over it and do nothing or recognize the problem and do the best you possibly can to not only fix it, but make the entire organization stronger."
- "As bad as the allegations facing the NBA today are, its also an opportunity to face every allegation that has ever been directed towards the NBA and its officials and pre empt them from ever occurring in the future."
- "There are any number of examples in the business world where calamity led to better management, better communications, greater transparency and even better products. As the proverb goes, Necessity is the Mother of Invention."
I love Cuban's point - let's stop finger pointing and take the opportunity at hand to improve our game. There's no guarantee that the NBA (or other sports) will turn its challenge into an improvement. It takes guts and leadership. With owners like Cuban around, they just might make it happen.
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