John Henry is his own worst enemy on both sides of the Atlantic. The enigmatic billionaire owns two storied franchises, and has led them to unprecedented successes. Yet, sizable swaths of Red Sox and Liverpool fans revile him.
His public relations calamities continually overshadow his successes.
Henry just experienced perhaps the most embarrassing stretch of his public life, with his soccer Super League exploding in two days. Liverpool fans greeted the announcement with outrage, participating in a raucous protest Monday night, despite rules prohibiting large gatherings due to COVID-19 safety measures.
On Wednesday, Henry, dressed in a checkered shirt and dark vest, issued an apology to the Liverpool faithful. “I’m sorry, and I alone am responsible for the unnecessary negativity brought forward over the past couple of days,” he said. “It’s something I won’t forget. And shows the power the fans have today and will rightly continue to have.”
Now, do you think he’ll get around to apologizing for trading Mookie Betts?
For those who don’t follow international soccer (including your humble blogger), the Super League story can seem convoluted. Basically, 12 of the biggest teams in European soccer, including Liverpool, announced plans for a breakaway league so they could maximize their revenues — leaving smaller clubs behind.
Henry was reportedly set to be vice-chairman of the league, directly implicating him in the ill-conceived plot.
When Fenway Sports Group purchased Liverpool in 2010, Henry promised to resurrect the historically moribund club. In many respects, he’s done exactly that. Last summer, Liverpool became only the seventh team in history to hold the European Cup, European Super Cup, World Club title and domestic league title simultaneously.
The club is now valued at $4.1 billion — an astronomical figure. But it hasn’t been a smooth ride. Along the way, there’s been plenty of ownership-induced turmoil.
The first big error came in 2012, when the team failed to land Clint Dempsey, one of the most well-known strikers in soccer. Henry wrote a letter affirming his commitment to the club, though he did leave out his childhood love of Stan Musial.
Liverpool fans missed out on some great tales.
Four years later, more than 10,000 supporters marched out of iconic Anfield Stadium in protest of planned ticket price increases. For good measure, they called ownership “greedy bastards.”
Henry quickly changed course and apologized for his planned price gouging. He pledged to “listen carefully” to Liverpool supporters.
Except that time he helped spearhead one of the most unpopular ideas in the history of pro sports.
In between, FSG also tried to trademark “Liverpool,” and furloughed staffers during the early stages of the pandemic.
When reading the reaction to Henry overseas, it’s amazing how many of the gripes mirror the complaints about him over here: distant, tone-deaf, aloof. The Athletic says Henry “shut himself away in Massachusetts and remained silent” as the Super League was “torn to shreds.” He hasn’t attended a Liverpool game since January 2020.
“Is it time for John Henry to emerge from the shadows?,” soccer writer Simon Hughes asked last October.
For somebody so analytical, it’s stunning that Henry doesn’t appear to see the value in transparency and visibility. It took Robert Kraft about one hour to clear up every outstanding question about the Patriots this month. Meanwhile, Henry hasn’t held an actual media availability in over a year.
When it comes to establishing public trust, relationships are more important than winning. Henry is the perfect example. Four World Series championships haven’t earned him goodwill in Boston.
And now one disastrous idea has seemingly unraveled what he’s built across the pond.