Of Course Women Belong in the Locker Room and in the Owner’s Suite
But this memoir leaves us wanting more from former Raiders CEO Amy Trask
You know progress has been made when a woman has been in the executive levels of pro sports long enough to write about her career-long experience. So I was really hoping that You Negotiate Like A Girl Reflections on a Career in the National Football League (Triumph Books, $25.95) by Amy Trask, with Mike Freeman, would be eye-opening or filled with memorable stories of her groundbreaking journey. Unfortunately, her memoir of her career as a Raiders executive who worked alongside legendary, controversial, mercurial owner Al Davis will probably disappoint most. It certainly disappointed me.
Given her unique position as a female executive with an NFL team, there’s something a bit dated about Trask’s approach. She follows the traditional school-girl approach of “put your head down, do your work, and respect your boss, whether you agree with him or not.”
Some of her advice is actually sound and I have no doubt she would make a good manager in any business. However, people looking for juicy locker room stories or genuine insights into the game or league policies won’t find it here.
Trask joined the team as an unpaid intern, after working briefly for a law firm. She, along with the players and the staff, didn’t know what role she was supposed to fill — but it didn’t matter because somehow the irascible Davis wanted her opinion, and grew to rely on her for three decades. She clearly relished her career with the Raiders and seemed to adore working with Davis, even when she didn’t agree with him.
But Trask endured the same sexist behavior and attitudes as many other women in sports: In meetings she was asked to serve coffee and occasionally was told not to use a staff bathroom at the stadium. The team was her family and as with any demanding career, she grew accustomed to last-minute crises, late hours, and missed family occasions. She relates these incidents very matter-of-factly and that’s really part of the book’s weakness. She chronicles her experiences in a very straightforward way, and she describes her ups and downs in the same steady tone. She also credits her very supportive husband, whom she refers to as “my husband” because he doesn’t want his name in print. She just leaves us wanting more.
A few anecdotes do offer us some insight into her character. She and Davis have a few major disagreements and don’t speak until Davis starts talking to her as if nothing ever happened. She once offered up her resignation, but Davis refused to take it. One of the duo’s more telling conversations occurs when Trask gives a gruesome description of how then-Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick allegedly abused dogs. Davis, an animal lover, tells her to stop talking. Trask explains, “I never shared with Al that prior to that conversation I had decided that if we did sign Michael Vick, I would resign … I could not remain with the organization were we to sign someone who committed such unspeakably cruel atrocities.”
Trask did work hard on issues like successfully fighting to get the blackout rule lifted (which limits the broadcasting of local games in a region unless there’s a sellout a number of hours ahead of game-time). She also tried to avoid litigation when possible, which wasn’t easy given Davis’ volatility. And she didn’t believe there should be a wall between football and business operations. Aware that great ideas can come from staff at all levels, Trask tried to balance out Davis, whose interaction often consisted of a string of expletives.
Trask is also honest about her difficulties dealing with the media. Though normally a confident speaker, she admits that she was nervous and handled the media poorly throughout her career. She was never comfortable with the casual banter with the press and knows that she offended some reporters. It took her years to understand that cultivating and developing relationships would have been helpful.
But overall, this is not a memoir that’s going to excite the imagination and serve as a rallying cry for other women who are fighting for those high-level front office jobs. Trask provides previous few insights into the workings of an NFL team. And given her insider status at a maverick team and her work with Davis, the league’s “bad boy,” readers deserved some real insight — and this memoir comes up short.
Ninety-year-old Marcia Firestone Ford is CEO of the Detroit Lions, Kathryn Smith is special- teams quality control coach at the Buffalo Bills and Charlotte Jones Anderson is executive vp and chief brand executive at the Dallas Cowboys…. if a woman is running for president, there should be more opportunities for other smart capable women in the world of football. What do you think?
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