What Would a General Manager of a Professional Sports Team in 2044 Need to Learn and Know?
Lately, professional sports teams have been hiring younger faculty members who take on crucial roles, such as being the general manager. However, a decade ago, many executives were older and more experienced men who had played the sport before. For example, in the movie Moneyball, Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland Athletics, fired his chief of scouting, 60-year-old Grady Fuson, who focused on an outdated approach to scouting players. Similarly, the sports world is constantly evolving and changing, sparking the discussion of what the general manager of 2044 would need to learn and know.
First, as professional sports teams increase their usage and investment in data analytics, understanding the field would be crucial to a future GM’s success. Data analytics involves computer science, creating easy-to-understand models by organizing “messy” data, which can be incomplete or insufficient. Computer Programs Python, SQL, and R are ubiquitous throughout professional sports teams, specifically MLB organizations. Therefore, the future GM should be fluent in one or all of these programs to understand data analytics and make data-driven decisions.
The logo for Python Programming Language is a popular tool for industry experts in data analytics. (Source: logos-world.net)
However, a future GM would still need to be savvy on the business side, ensuring the club maximizes customer satisfaction and profitability. Future GMs need to make genius acquisitions and trades to improve the team. A holistic understanding of business allows future GMs to conduct research and make informed decisions. Future GMs need to understand the world of sports business to propel the team’s financial success, helping them acquire better players and coaching them to strive towards a championship. Having excellent business skills helps GMs acclimate to the executive environment, helping them establish confidence to lead the franchise.
Finally, the next Billy Beane needs to have persuasive people skills. They should negotiate effectively with other GMs about trading for their players and convince players to sign with their team. GMs are the leaders and should have constructive communication skills and stone-cold patience to resolve conflicts. They also need efficient problem-solving skills that handle situations quickly and ensure that they put a competent roster on the field. GMs also require the ability to motivate their team members and collaborate successfully to generate innovative ideas. Moreover, the job of GM demands an open mind that considers all angles of an affair to make calm and objective decisions to help the team.
Images of Brad Pitt(Right), who plays Billy Beane in the 2011 film Moneyball, and Billy Beane(Left), who is the current General Manager of the Oakland Athletics MLB team. (Source: gettyimages.in)
Overall, the future GM of 2044 needs to understand data analytics and business while also having robust people skills to maintain a positive image of the organization. As professional sports start to utilize Artificial Intelligence to track key metrics, having a background in data analytics helps GMs implement quality control of the work done within the franchise. Having educated business skills and confident people skills allows GMs to make informed decisions and maintain stable financial well-being for the franchise. Ultimately, the GM of 2044 will need expertise in all three areas to succeed and lead their team to a championship.
