Let me make it clear that I’m thinking out loud here. But we turn the page on another year, I’m wondering more and more about the transition of ownership – and, therefore power – that might be the most underplayed story in all of Boston sports.
And you know why? Because, for the most part, it’s not sexy or salacious – at least not yet. But it is very, very real. And one can’t help but wonder how it is – and has been – affecting the decision-making at the highest levels of all four major Boston franchises, all of whom are going through varying degrees of transition, in the arena of play or, more importantly, off it.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always regarded transition as something of a four-letter word, at least with regard to the world of pro sports. For example: the Bruins are transitioning from an era built around Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to … what, exactly? The Celtics are transitioning from the ownership of the Grousbeck family to … whom? The Patriots are not just transitioning from Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, but also, perhaps, from Robert Kraft. And the Red Sox, while now seemingly building around a new core of young players, also rest on the brink of changes that could dramatically impact their organizational decision-making.
Look, here’s the point: we all age. And inevitably, that means someone else has to sit in the big chair. And given the simple truth that no two people are alike, well, the most influential voices atop all four Boston teams are either on the verge of changing or have changed (at least to some degree) already. Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs is 84. Patriots owner Robert Kraft is 83. Red Sox principal owner John Henry is 75. And Celtics owner Irv Grousbeck, who is 90, already has his team up for sale, much to the chagrin of his son, Wyc Grousbeck, who has been the public face of team ownership.
If you’re on the younger side of the Boston sports fandom, you may not particularly care about all of this – and that’s not a criticism – but you will. You’re just not there yet because you have most of your life in front of you. You’re really just getting started. But then, that’s exactly the point we’re trying to emphasize: you don’t think the same way nearer the end of your time than you do nearer the beginning.
And if that is true for all of us, why wouldn’t it be true for the people who sit atop the four sports franchises that have been as significant a part of Boston’s identity as the Prudential and Hancock buildings, the Citgo sign and the Custom House?
Things here aren’t about to change.
They already have been changing
And maybe we just haven’t been paying enough attention.
The Bruins
BOSTON, MA – JUNE 18: (L-R) Zdeno Chara, Jeremy Jacobs, and Cam Neely, of the Boston Bruins react to cheers during the Stanley Cup victory parade on June 18, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
From the outside, at least, the Bruins feel like the most stable ownership group among The Big Four at the moment, which is hardly to suggest the others are unstable. It just means the Bruins might be the most known commodity. Jeremy Jacobs, now 84, anointed son Charlie Jacobs as CEO of Delaware North and its properties back in 2015. Just a few months later, Peter Chiarelli was fired as the Bruins general manager and replaced by current executive Don Sweeney, who inaugural draft in 2015 still hangs over his head nearly 10 years later. Since Charlie Jacobs ascended, the Bruins have had three coaching changes, though that hasn’t necessarily been a departure from the way the Bruins have historically handled the position.
Now, however, the Bruins seem to be a critical in their organizational history, facing perhaps the first real crisis of the Charlie Jacobs Era. While the team has played better of late, the Bruins still have been outscored this season – they are a minus-18 in goal differential for the year, seventh-worst in the league – and have played, at best, uninspiring hockey. During his ownership, Jeremy Jacobs sometimes seemed to loom over the Bruins like a guillotine, but the team was almost always competitive. Is Jeremy still consulting on decisions? If not, will Charlie still rule with the same philosophy? And what is the trickle-down effect for a Bruins organization that is seemingly devoid of young talent and has gaping holes to fill since the departures of, in particular, Bergeron and Krejci in the middle of the lineup?
The Celtics
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 21: Owner Wyc Grousbeck of the Boston Celtics reacts as he holds the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy during the 2024 Boston Celtics championship parade following their 2024 NBA Finals win on June 21, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
Pretty simple one here: the Celtics are up for sale. They are the reigning champions. The roster and nucleus of the team remains intact, built around two superstars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, both of who are just entering the prime years of their careers. Nonetheless, with the landscape of the NBA rapidly changing amid new rules designed to curb excessive spending and create greater parity, owner Irv Grousbeck, 90, is now in the process of selling the franchise. This news came as shock in the wake of the Celtics’ 18th championship late last spring, leaving face-of-ownership Wyc Grousbeck as a seeming lame-duck spectator at courtside.
Make no mistake, the Celtics on the court are in excellent position to repeat. But the offseason could be tumultuous. Who will the new owners be and how much will they be willing to spend? And would any ownership group be willing to pay the approximate $500 million it would take to keep the same roster intact for 2025-26? Who be will be at the head of the next ownership group? What are his or her next financial and competitive philosophies? And are we looking at what fans perceive as a family ownership group – like the Jacobs and Grousbecks – or more of a conglomerate, like the Fenway Sports Group that owns the Red Sox along with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Liverpool FC, Roush Racing and the PGA Tour?
The Patriots
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – FEBRUARY 05: Patriots ownder Robert Kraft celebrates on Cambridge street during the New England Patriots Victory Parade on February 05, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
I’ll admit it: we’ve been talking a lot about the Patriots lately – for obvious reasons – and the dynamic involving the Krafts (along with some of the Red Sox’ behavior in recent years) is what triggered some of these thoughts. In the last year, Robert Kraft fired Bill Belichick and replaced him with Jerod Mayo, the latter of whom was contractually promised the job of head coach a year before Belichick was fired despite the fact that he had no experience as a full-time coordinator, let alone as a head coach. Kraft’s affinity for Mayo has felt personal in nature, the owner going so far as to relate the Mayo hiring to selections of his wives.
As we know, Jonathan Kraft was not present at the announcement of Mayo’s hiring, the Patriots indication that Jonathan Kraft was tied up in other family business. What are we to make of that? Was Jonathan on board with the decision? And if not, would he be more inclined to move on from Mayo? As for Robert, now 83, was hiring Mayo one of the final ways he wanted to exert his influence? Obviously, there’s a ton to digest here – and this isn’t really a question of whether Jonathan will do what Robert would have done. It’s a question of whether each has a hand on the wheel, which makes steering much more complicated.
As we all know, only one can personal can drive at any given time.
The Red Sox
BOSTON, MA – NOVEMBER 02: Boston Red Sox owner John Henry holds up the World Series trophy during the World Series victory parade on November 2, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
Just my two cents here, but the Red Sox and Patriots have almost had parallel existences in the last 25 years, at least in some ways. They started winning championships within a few years of each. They kept winning through 2018. The Patriots had Tom Brady and the Red Sox had David Ortiz. The teams competed with one another for media attention and market share. And while the Red Sox have certainly had a more tumultuous existence, both clubs have been rebuilding – to varying degrees of success – for roughly the last five years.
So what exactly, has been going on with the Red Sox? Good question. Henry is now 75 and, in the last few years, the Red Sox have gone from having one of the 3-5 highest player payrolls in the game to roughly 12-14, depending on how the total is measured. Henry has been steadfastly committed to a rebuild, perhaps to a fault. But why? Are the Sox now locked into a cycle of 3-5 good years followed by 3-5 bad ones depending on the strength of their farm system? Does Henry view this as perhaps his final chance to put his full, clear fingerprints on the franchise? Is the Fenway Sports Group now so big that ownership regards the Red Sox as nothing more than an asset in their portfolio?
Years ago, Henry indicated that his wife, Linda, had any interest in being involved with the Red Sox when it came time for him to pass on the franchise. Is that still true?
What is his thinking now?
One final thing: almost a year ago, Theo Epstein joined the Fenway Sports Group as a part-owner. Why? Now just days from his 51st birthday, Epstein is basically the same age that a then-52-year-old Robert Kraft was when he became the owner of the Patriots. The Fenway Sports Group is not a family business. Epstein won’t be the principal owner of the Red Sox, but he could replace Henry the definitive voice on Red Sox matters in the future. (Current Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow worked for Epstein in Chicago.) Henry and Epstein always shared a connection, one that ultimately endured the friction that splintered Epstein and Larry Lucchino – and later Henry and Lucchino – over a period of decades.
On the field, the Red Sox – like the Patriots – have struggled to find their footing in recent years.
On the inside – perhaps as no surprise – maybe the same stumbling has been taking place out of public view.
