John Henry's elusiveness is killing the Red Sox
John Henry was never a glad-hander like Robert Kraft or even Wyc Grousbeck. But the Red Sox principal owner used to be more available than this. Up until three years ago, Henry would participate in an annual Spring Training sit-down chat with other members of ownership, covering all of the biggest issues surrounding the team at the start of a new season.
Now, Henry is seldom seen outside of his box at Fenway Park. He hasn’t conducted an in-person interview with any member of the Boston sports media since early 2020, leaving a vacuum of accountability at the top of the organization. This week, he participated in two brief email interviews, and that’s probably all fans will hear from him for the rest of the calendar year.
What happened?
The line of demarcation traces back to February 2020. For the 18th straight year, Henry and chairman Tom Werner held court with the media just after the first full-squad workout of Spring Training, and the primary topic was Mookie Betts. The Red Sox dealt Betts that offseason to the Dodgers, and fans were rightfully outraged.
Henry read a prepared statement for nearly seven minutes at the start of the session, and it didn’t go well. He harkened back to his days as a Cardinals fan growing up, and said he would’ve been heartbroken if the team had traded Stan Musial.
Unsurprisingly, Henry’s trip down memory lane didn’t assuage the backlash. Instead, it supercharged it.
About one month later, MLB shut down Spring Training due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the Red Sox played an abbreviated season at an empty Fenway Park. The following year, media access was severely limited due to Covid. Out of an abundance of caution — remember that annoying phrase? — the Red Sox didn’t hold their annual owners’ sit-down.
The missed streak continues.
Henry was always viewed as an outsider in a parochial town. He has a measured way of speaking, and often comes across as emotionally detached. In his email exchange with long-time Sox reporter Sean McAdam, he cited Pedro Martinez, Johnny Damon and Jacoby Ellsbury as examples of superstar players who left via free agency, in an attempt to suggest that Xander Bogaerts signing elsewhere was nothing new.
Henry also made some strange claims. He seemingly suggested he wasn’t booed at the Winter Classic, and wondered why nobody reported the standing ovation that ownership received at the end of Winter Weekend, where they were booed again.
The Red Sox’ recent on-field futility — two last-place finishes in three years — is the biggest reason for the animosity fans feel around the team. But Henry’s absentee media approach isn’t helping matters.
“I don't think he's doing himself or his organization much good in the way of PR by handling it this way,” McAdam said on my Sports Media Mayhem podcast. “I certainly am not suggesting this ownership group has been without fault. But they have four championships in 21 or so years. And yet, if you were to take somebody from outer space and drop them into Boston, and have them listen to the fan engagement toward the organization, you would think they have finished under .500 for 10 of the last 12 years.”
Henry used to talk about how enjoyable it was to own the Red Sox. Back in 2008, he told the Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy he couldn’t “imagine anything more fun,” and boasted that “everybody in the community loves the Red Sox.”
Well, it doesn’t seem like Henry is having much fun anymore. The community is responding in kind.
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All-Star Game ratings are never going to get better
Tanking All-Star ratings: Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game was the lowest-rated ever, averaging a mere 2.2 rating and 4.59 million viewers. Those sorry numbers have prompted an array of headlines about how the All-Star Game can be tweaked going forward. Maybe it should be a skills competition, or some other type of showcase?
But the fact is, any attempts to make an All-Star Game relevant in 2023 are futile. Ratings for All-Star Games are falling across the board, just like most live TV events. They’re just not special anymore.
It’s an old story, but fans can now see star players on a near-nightly basis, with games being broadcast all week on ESPN and TNT. The proliferation of social media also means star players are more visible than ever.
Fans don’t want to dedicate three hours to a glorified practice featuring players who they see all the time. It’s as simple as that.
Brady is giving up on podcasts: Tom Brady’s media company, Religion of Sports, laid off several podcast employees last month, reports the New York Times. It’s a sign of the times.
There is an over saturation of podcasts available, and now, the industry is contracting. It’s another sign that Brady’s superstardom can’t reverse market trends.
Religion of Sports had revenues of $35 million last year and has raised $16 million of its $50 million fundraising goal, according to Front Office Sports.
Barkey’s CNN grift: Charles Barkley says he’s considered a CNN show … but he doesn’t sound very excited.
In an interview with the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand, Barkley confirmed that CNN is thinking about pairing him with respected news anchor Gayle King. He told Marchand he’s only considering the opportunity because of his “respect for Gayle.”
Later, Barkley said he wants to help Warner Brothers Discovery, the parent company of TNT, TBS and CNN, because it is “obviously a s— show right now.”
That doesn’t sound like somebody who would be motivated to put on an entertaining cable news show, right? CNN may want Barkley’s star power. But it will mean little if he’s not motivated.
What a grift.