AtlPackFan
10-26-2007, 03:28 PM
Politics and the Packers presidency
By Don Walker
Friday, Oct 26 2007, 02:28 PM
As my colleague Bob McGinn reported last Sunday in the Journal Sentinel, there are a number of qualified candidates to replace Bob Harlan as CEO of the Green Bay Packers.
The search committee that is charged with finding Harlan's replacement has been working for months, and in secrecy. Interviews have been conducted in New York, Chicago, Milwaukee and Green Bay.
So far, there are approximately 12 candidates left in the running, out of a pool of 50. And not every candidate has been publicly identified.
With such a plum position up for grabs, it's only natural there is a lot of behind-the-scenes politicking going on. People who are in the know are calling other people and asking who the frontrunners are and who isn't.
To that end, we bring to your attention a column written this week by CBS broadcaster Lesley Visser. Visser's column takes note of the uniqueness of the Green Bay Packers, calling it a sacred franchise.
In her column, Visser interviewed Milwaukee businessman Joe Sweeney, who is a candidate for the position. Visser notes that Sweeney's Packer ties "run deep," and that he has extensive experience in the sports world.
Visser does not endorse Sweeney for the job, but clearly she gives him a forum to articulate his views of what kind of chops the next Packers CEO must have.
Left unsaid in the column is the fact that Visser once had a business relationship with Sweeney, a claim Visser denied through a CBS Sports spokeswoman. CBS spokeswoman LeslieAnne Wade said Sweeney never represented Visser, adding that the two have been friends for several years.
But if you go to the Web site of the Sports Marketing & Management Group, a company founded by Sweeney, you will find the company lists Visser as a business client.
Except for Visser, Sweeney has not spoken to any other media. The same is true of the other candidates. But Visser may have given Sweeney an advantage, at least in the public eye
By Don Walker
Friday, Oct 26 2007, 02:28 PM
As my colleague Bob McGinn reported last Sunday in the Journal Sentinel, there are a number of qualified candidates to replace Bob Harlan as CEO of the Green Bay Packers.
The search committee that is charged with finding Harlan's replacement has been working for months, and in secrecy. Interviews have been conducted in New York, Chicago, Milwaukee and Green Bay.
So far, there are approximately 12 candidates left in the running, out of a pool of 50. And not every candidate has been publicly identified.
With such a plum position up for grabs, it's only natural there is a lot of behind-the-scenes politicking going on. People who are in the know are calling other people and asking who the frontrunners are and who isn't.
To that end, we bring to your attention a column written this week by CBS broadcaster Lesley Visser. Visser's column takes note of the uniqueness of the Green Bay Packers, calling it a sacred franchise.
In her column, Visser interviewed Milwaukee businessman Joe Sweeney, who is a candidate for the position. Visser notes that Sweeney's Packer ties "run deep," and that he has extensive experience in the sports world.
Visser does not endorse Sweeney for the job, but clearly she gives him a forum to articulate his views of what kind of chops the next Packers CEO must have.
Left unsaid in the column is the fact that Visser once had a business relationship with Sweeney, a claim Visser denied through a CBS Sports spokeswoman. CBS spokeswoman LeslieAnne Wade said Sweeney never represented Visser, adding that the two have been friends for several years.
But if you go to the Web site of the Sports Marketing & Management Group, a company founded by Sweeney, you will find the company lists Visser as a business client.
Except for Visser, Sweeney has not spoken to any other media. The same is true of the other candidates. But Visser may have given Sweeney an advantage, at least in the public eye