Mergers & Acquisitions caught up with the MLB Hall of Famer, and all-time leader in strikeouts and no-hitters, just before his panel at ACG Intergrowth on April 26
April 25, 2012
When it comes to the business of baseball, Texas Rangers owner Nolan Ryan says the same principles apply to private equity.
?I?d like to think that with baseball and the position I?m in now, we?re in the people business, and I have to believe that in order for them to be successful they have to do the same,? he says, referring to private equity players, in an interview.
Mergers & Acquisitions caught up with the Major League Baseball Hall of Famer, and all-time leader in strikeouts and no-hitters, just before his panel at the ACG Intergrowth event on April 26 in Dallas. ?
Ryan?who has played with the New York Mets , the California Angels and the Houston Astros?has had his fair share of high-profile moments throughout his career. Recall his time spent with the Rangers, between 1989 and 1993, before he retired as a player. The melee that ensued during an August 1993 game in which Ryan hit batter Robin Ventura of the Chicago White Sox with a pitch comes to mind. Ventura charged the mound, but ended up in a headlock under Ryan?s left arm and proceeded to get pummeled, in a scene that, for a brief moment, displayed Ryan's chops as more wrestler than pitcher.
That tenacity would stick with him over the years, all the way up to 2008, in which he would go on to become Rangers president, and eventually the MLB?s preferred bidder when the team filed Chapter 11.
In 2010, when the Rangers were in bankruptcy court, Ryan had the odds stacked against him when the combined muscle of Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA?s Dallas Mavericks, and Houston businessman Jim Crane entered the bidding process.
On the Rangers auction, Ryan says: ?It was one of the worst days of my life.?
When Cuban and Crane had joined forces with an immense amount of buying power and synergy plans for the Rangers ball club, that was enough to shake Ryan?s fan base, who feared that his role with the franchise was on the line.
Nevertheless, Ryan emerged the winner, showing once again that he is no stranger to competition?on the field or at the negotiation table. That?s something dealmakers are sure to identify with.
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M&A: What can Intergrowth attendees expect to hear from you on April 26?
Ryan: It?s going to be an interview situation with Chuck Morgan, who is head of our in-game entertainment?a conversational type of presentation, where we?ll just talk about the ball club, the business of baseball, the challenges that we have and how the game is obviously different within each geographical area. Between the challenges of the Metroplex, from dealing with the Cowboys across the street, to baseball in Texas, and stimulating fan interest, it?ll be a broad brush of what we deal with here in baseball.
M&A: You have a history of being brilliant on the mound, as the all-time leader in strike-outs and no hitters. In the business world, things hardly ever go perfect. In what ways do you think those hearing you speak at Intergrowth will identify with you?
Ryan: It?s hard for me to say what those folks can relate to what I do as a professional athlete and a pitcher versus what they do. But I?d like to think that with baseball and the position I?m in now, we?re in the people business. And I have to believe that in order for them to be successful they have to do that the same.
Our success rides on how many customers we attract and how many of them come back to our stadium. We have to believe in customer service, and we?re very strong in that area. We don?t want folks to feel that they?re not appreciated. We want to make sure they?re appreciated when spending time and money with us, and give them an experience that they look forward to coming back to.
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