Ed Snider: Asleep at the Wheel
Today, I’d like to discuss a man whose name should make Philadelphia sports fan’s cringe. A man who has been apart of the fabric of the sports culture here for over thirty five years. A man who is currently in charge of two of the worst sports franchises in professional sports; Ed Snider.
Ed Snider is the Chairman of the Comcast-Spectacor, which oversees the operations of the Philadelphia Flyers and 76ers, among other things. The man deserves respect for the three championships between the two franchises during his tenure. With his input in the Comcast Sportsnet network, along with his influence in building the Wachovia Center, he has changed the way we watch professional basketball and hockey. He is a pioneer, and he has earned his place in Philadelphia sports folklore. Unfortunately, it’s starting to become painfully obvious the man no longer has his finger on the pulse of his two franchises.
Take a look at the Flyers. After the lockout, everyone knew the “new NHL” would not resemble the old one. In all fairness to those involved, I don’t think anyone could claim they knew exactly to what degree the new rules would alter game play and coaching styles. The Flyers did fine last season- 101 points, second in the Eastern division. The wheels started falling off this team about halfway through last season, though. In the off-season, it was abundantly clear that this team needed defense, yet Ed Snider decided not to open up his wallet. His worst offense was not recognizing Bobby Clarke’s lack of involvement in the franchise he was supposed to be the General Manager of. When Clarke resigned, he admitted to not having a passion for the job, and delegating his responsibilities to other people. Ed Snider should have not let it get to that point. One of his duties as chairman should be knowing what his GM is doing and thinking. Now, the fans have to painfully watch one of the worst seasons in Flyers history.
Now, let’s take a look at the 76ers. Or, let’s not. Who cares?!? That is the problem. Nobody in Philadelphia cares about the 76ers anymore. When the Allen Iverson trade hoopla began a month ago, it was the first team in three or four years anyone was excited or discussed this team. As of right now, the 76ers are 29th out of 30 teams in attendance (only the Memphis Grizzlies are worse), with roughly 15,000 fans showing up per night. Five years ago, they were 4th, with 19,700 fans showing up per game. In five years, the 76ers organization has lost 4,700 people per game. That is an astronomical figure. It doesn’t help he allows perennial “worst GM of the year” candidate Billy King to make horrible move after horrible move. Billy King is the antithesis of Bobby Clarke. I honestly believe Billy tries hard and is committed…he simply doesn’t have enough skill to be an NBA level GM.
While a General Manager runs a franchise, the Chairman oversees it. Ed Snider has let a GM with no passion left run the show for too long, and one who simply is out of his league continue to run another. It’s not fun right now to go to a game at the Wachovia Center…and the blame falls squarely on Ed Snider’s shoulders.
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Posted on January 10, 2007 by Marc | Filed Under Philadelphia
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