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Piers Morgan: You Can't Have It Both Ways
by John Jazwiec

I turns out that Piers Morgan and my family have something in common. We are die hard Arsenal fans.

Abbey arsenal

But that's where the similarities end.

Arsenal lost to Tottenham 1-2 Sunday. Arsenal and Tottenham are North London rivals. Games between rivals are referred to as a Darby in England.

But it came as a shock to me that Piers Morgan - the British CNN host who replaced Larry King - was a commentor on Fox Sports Net. And he called for Arsenal's coach and general manager - Arsene Wenger's - head. 

Arsene Wenger has led Arsenal since 1996. Besides winning 11 trophies, Wenger has run the only profitable football club in England and Europe. He consistently has lead Arsenal to finish in the top four of the English Premier League (EPL), which allows the team to play in the lucrative European Championship League.

How successful has Wenger been for Arsenal's shareholders? Enough that the club Sunday rejected a 1.5 billion pound offer for the club. 

Piers Morgan is supposed to be a well-rounded journalist. But how does someone who cross examines guests; fail to understand the economics of a business?

Wenger is able to be the only profitable team in England and Europe because he runs his organization like Billy Beane of the Oakland A's. He finds very young players around the world and coaches them up. When the players get too old and expensive he trades them to a money-losing team for a cash profit. 

Championships are important. And certainly Arsenal has not won the EPL since 2004 (the only team in 115 years to not lose a game). But football is a business. By finishing consistently in the top 4 teams of the EPL, and qualifying for the Champions League, he maximizes the team's revenues, minimizes the team's costs and makes a profit.

Is my family the only Arsenal fans in the U.S.? Hardly. Arsenal has the largest base of fans who watch the game as a club in America. That's what is called a brand. And brands that are profitable make shareholder money.

So Piers Morgan. Stick to your day job. Being Larry King's replacement. Only sounding smart, because American's think a British accent, is a sign of intelligence. 

Any American Arsenal fan - who heard your comments on Sunday - knows you are just faking that you know anything. We may like a British team; but we don't have to like a Brit, who makes his money in the U.S., and disses our team. All for the wrong reasons.



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From athletic scholar and satirist to computer programmer to CEO success, John Jazwiec brings a unique and often eccentric perspective to business and supply chain challenges. Exploring how they can be solved through the leadership and communication insights found in untraditional sources. This CEO blog demonstrates how business insights from books on history to the music of Linkin Park can help challenge and redefine “successful leadership.” Read Jazwiec’s Profile >>

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