That is the playing field that awaits Jason Wright and the Washington Football Team this season.
Wright, who was hired as the team's president this summer to help lead it out of multiple crises — becoming the first Black president of an NFL team in the process — told Cheddar in an interview on Tuesday that his first priority is to fix an office culture so that "all colleagues, especially women, feel comfortable bringing their full selves to work."
"That's not just a moral imperative," Wright said. "It's a business imperative."
"The data says if you have more than one woman engaged on a decision, the collective intelligence of that team is higher than it would be otherwise."
Wright's focus on data-based analysis should not come as a surprise. After he retired from the NFL in 2011, the former running back enrolled in the prestigious Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago, where he received his MBA. Wright then became a partner at the uber-selective management consulting firm McKinsey before taking the NFL gig. It's a pedigree that should help him as he deals with an entirely different crisis in the form of the coronavirus (at last, one not of the team's making).
"I think the NFL is doing everything it can" when it comes to preparing to start a season in the midst of a pandemic, Wright said. "And at the same time, I'm still very concerned."
Not for a lack of preparation or execution, but because of how "unpredictable" and "tricky at every turn" it has been to control the virus. Wright noted that the data is always shifting, and that will in turn force the NFL and the team front offices to have to adapt to a changing landscape — much in the way a quarterback sometimes has to change plays on the fly.
Because of the size of NFL rosters and the physical space required to play, Wright said a "bubble" format is just not possible. He's focusing on a "behavioral bubble" that stresses the importance of individual behavior to players and staff, and how "one weak link" can send a season off the rails. (see: Marlins, Miami; Cardinals, St. Louis).
And then there's the ongoing search for a new name and logo after the team jettisoned its 87-year-old mascot this summer, acknowledging its racist past in the midst of sweeping social and racial justice protests.
Asked by Cheddar if Wright could divulge any hints about the new name, he demurred.
Gabe Laques, MLB Editor & Reporter, USA Today Sports, joins Cheddar Bets to offer up his expert opinions on the start of baseball season.
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Baseball is as American as — Apple TV+. The National Pasttime has a new media partner this season, as the MLB will be streaming Friday night doubleheaders on the Apple streaming service. Noah Garden, the league's chief revenue officer, spoke to Cheddar News to break down the details of what's being offered in the new package and why Major League Baseball felt the need to make the move this year. "We've been in a situation where we've lost reach, even within the cable bundle. There are situations where people in the local market don't have access to watch their favorite team and their local team on top of that," he said. "You have cord cutters and even probably more importantly, cord nevers. So streaming offers of some ability to gain reach that we've lost over the the last couple of years, and Apple was really the perfect partner for us."
The 2022 Masters Tournament is slated to begin on Thursday, and one of golf's most iconic players is set to return to Augusta National, just 14 months after a devastating car accident. In a press conference, Tiger Woods told reporters that not only is he planning to play in the tournament, but that he also thinks he can win. Cam Rogers, national sports betting and golf analyst, and host of 'Lock It In'
for the Bleav Podcast Network, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Carsten Koerl, CEO of Sportradar, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains how his company is bolstering the platforms of sports betting and streaming networks, and discusses basketball legend and Sportradar investor Michael Jordan's role in helping the company grow.
Catching you up on what you need to know on April 4, 2022, with reports of Russian war crimes in Ukraine, a weekend shooting in Sacramento killing six and injuring 12, Mexico ending its gas subsidization for U.S. drivers, and the University of South Carolina winning the women's NCAA basketball championship, and more.
Between Bells EP Conor White recaps some of the biggest stories of the week, while Baker Machado and Hena Doba test their knowledge, and maybe learn a thing or two. It's This Week in Trivia!
David Salituro, MLB and PGA sportswriter for Fansided.com, joins Cheddar Bets to break down his favorite futures bets in the MLB and at The Masters.
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For the first time in the history of the storied men's college basketball rivalry between Duke University and the University of North Carolina, the two teams will be meeting directly in the NCAA tournament — and in the Final Four! Sean Green, the co-founder of the Sports Gambling Podcast Network, joined Cheddar to give his take on the possible final game of legendary Duke coach, Mike Krzyzewski. "Now, if you recall, UNC actually beat Duke in Coach K's final home regular-season game, so revenge is going to be on the mind of Duke in this Final Four game, and I think they have the best of UNC. I like them laying four points," Green said. He also picked Villanova with an upset win over Kansas.
