Colts Owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon has faced criticism for patrolling her team’s sidelines with a headset and clipboard to monitor internal communications.
On Monday, Irsay-Gordon told Front Office Sports’ Bridget Condon that her sole reason for being on the sidelines is to learn.
“I like to say on a good day I have like a fifth grade reading level understanding of the game and just the basic concepts of what we’re trying to do, depending on the week and depending on our opponent and depending on the situation,” Irsay-Gordon told Condon.
“But I think, then, it just helps to understand and to ask questions because I think one of the things, in my opinion, like being a good leader is about listening, really to understand. And I think that’s what the best teams do.”
Among Irsay-Gordon’s most vocal critics is podcaster Bill Simmons, who thinks she would have faced far greater criticism if she were a man.
“I’m not going to tiptoe around this anymore, right? And I know it’s been a topic the last couple of weeks. I think the owner on the sidelines taking notes is fucking nuts. I think it’s nuts. … I think it’s bonkers. I can’t believe she does this.
“And I can’t believe people in her life haven’t talked her out of it. … If a male owner were doing this, we would be ridiculing this guy ’til the cows came home. … We would think it was so fucking funny if some, you know, rich guy male owner was on the sideline with a notebook, like, hovering over and giving advice to the coach. … Even Jerry Jones wouldn’t do that.”
He has a point.
Jones, frequently blasted by fans and media and tagged with the loathsome title of “meddling owner” by many, has never donned a headset and stood over his coaches’ shoulder. Sure, he’s stood on the sidelines. But not much in recent years, and even when he did, it was typically only in the waning moments of games, and never to take notes.
Irsay-Gordon’s goal of studying the game and gaining knowledge is commendable. There’s certainly no issue with that, and more owners probably should endeavor to know more about the X’s and O’s.
The question is, how do you do that best?
Does Irsay-Gordon have to be on the sideline to learn about football? Or to learn about her coaches?
At least half of NFL coaching staffs spend the game in the booth, far away from their players. Vic Fangio, one of the best defensive minds in the game’s history, runs his defenses from the booth. Is he not in control of the game?
Irsay-Gordon could don a headset and hear everything she would hear on the sidelines from the comfort of the coach’s box upstairs. It would also be far less disruptive to question the coach or their assistants upstairs in the booth than on the sidelines.
Much of the debate on social media centers on the fact that Irsay-Gordon is the team owner, so she has the right to be on the sidelines.
Well, sure. But just because she can be on the sidelines doesn’t mean she should.
No one wants their boss standing over their shoulder while they work, and football coaches are no different, no matter what they say publicly.
Good leaders want to understand their business and its practices; she has that covered. But good leaders also let their subordinates do their work unencumbered by their shadowy presence; she needs to work on that.