The news that Donald Trump is interested in buying the Mets seemed to bring excitement to a great deal of the Mets fan base. This is probably because they see him as the no nonsense boss on his hit NBC reality show “The Apprentice.” Although Trump has been widely successful in business, he has a less than stellar resume when it comes to owning a sports franchise.
Back in the eighties there was an upstart football league called the United States Football League (USFL). They started play in 1983 and actually competed with the NFL for talent, with Herschel Walker as their most notable player. It became viable enough that players traded in the bright lights of the NFL for USFL dollars. It was, if you will, the football version of the American Basketball Association.
One of the owners in that league was none other than Donald Trump who headed the New Jersey Generals starting in the 1984 season. The original plan was for the league to complement the NFL and play in the spring. As the popularity of the league grew Trump saw an opportunity to compete with the NFL, potentially force a merger, and become an NFL owner. He led a charge to go from a spring schedule to a fall schedule and compete with the NFL. It was a disaster, leading to a lawsuit that ultimately led to the league folding in 1986.
Many believe Trump was using the Generals and the league as a way to advance his name. Director Mike Tollin produced a documentary for ESPN called “Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL?” In the end the film paints Trump as the egotistical villain that allowed his personal interests to kill a great idea.
The details of the USFL go far deeper than just Trump. Fielding a professional sports team is expensive, and going up against the NFL is akin to nuclear warfare where your opponent has limitless money for combat. I’m not sure the story could end any other way, after all, the ABA eventually merged with the NBA because they couldn’t compete.
The point is history doesn’t look fondly upon Donald Trump as a sports owner. Forgive my skepticism, but would Trump be saving the Mets or using them to increase his profile for a potential run at the White House? It was just this past weekend that Trump spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference about running for President. When speaking to Greta Van Susteren of FOX News on Monday he sounded every bit of a man ready to run for office. How does Mets ownership fit into that grand plan?
I haven’t even mentioned the fact that Donald Trump isn’t the easiest guy to work for. If you want proof into how he handles diverse opinion watch how he reacts to criticism from Charlie Steiner in the video below. Better yet, look at his interaction with Tollin in this Deadspin article. George Steinbrenner became a good owner when he set the tone of excellence, but allowed the baseball people to run the show. Will Trump be a post suspension George or the eighties version? Will he support a logical plan of building a team or want to wildly spend on mercenary free agents. There are a host of concerns I have with a potential Trump ownership.
I doubt Trump’s overture regarding the Mets is anything more than publicity. We know he has the money, but is he really serious? Running a baseball team is a bit more difficult than sitting in a boardroom and firing a washed up celebrity. The Mets are a public trust and can’t go belly up like some of his casinos. For all his success and money there is a lot of red flag with him coming on to run the New York Mets.
If the USFL is any indication of Donald Trump as a sports owner, the fans should be very concerned about the future of the franchise under a potential Trump ownership.
Tags: Donald Trump, New Jersey Generals, New York Mets, NFL, The Apprentice, United States Football League, USFL
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