If Edward Rogers referred to Masai Ujiri as 'arrogant,' he gave the game away
CBC
This is a column by Morgan Campbell, who writes opinion for CBC Sports. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.
Six years ago I tried to initiate a move between departments at the Toronto Star, from business, where newsroom leadership sent me in 2011, back to sports, where I had spent most of my time and energy.
The sports editor was on board, and so, it seemed, were senior managers. But before we could make the trade, another decision-maker summoned me to his office to say he was blocking the move for two reasons. First, he said, companies don't let employees dictate their jobs. Didn't matter that I hadn't forced anyone to accept my proposal. I simply proposed it.
Beyond that, he said, I hadn't proven I deserved to move from a role I tolerated to one I would enjoy.
"Maybe," he said. "You're just not that good."
"Maybe," I said. "But have you ever read my work?"
"No."
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Of course he hadn't. If he knew my work he wouldn't have questioned its quality. When he asked, half-rhetorically, what I would offer the sports department, I ran it down to him.
Breaking news, game stories, and features with equal skill. I spoke near-fluent Spanish, the only bilingual journalist on the baseball beat the two years I covered it. I created the sports business beat at the Star, was comfortable on camera, and also the creative force behind Sportonomics, the video series syndicated in more markets than I could count. I also mentioned the National Newspaper Award. For sports writing. Just in case he still questioned my credentials.
His response was crisp, unambiguous, and ironic.
"You're quite full of yourself," he said.
I don't recount that story to win sympathy, or to dunk on my haters. I share it because I can imagine what Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri must have felt during the corporate drama the Star reported Monday. Imagine being the architect of the most successful run in franchise history, negotiating a new contract last summer, only to learn Edward Rogers, then-chair of Rogers Communications' board, actively tried to prevent Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment from re-signing you.
Imagine overseeing the club's only NBA title, and most importantly for people at Edward Rogers' level, a four-fold increase in franchise value, only to have Rogers dismiss you, according to the Star story, as "arrogant" and undeserving.
