To conduct their promised organization-wide audit, the Seattle Kraken have hired “A front-office whisperer.” That’s how Sportsology was characterized in a 2023 Yahoo Sports profile.
“The company has become a go-to search firm for owners across all five major American men’s sports. Much of its work is deep dives into franchises, their long-term missions and their day-to-day operations.”
Writer Henry Bushnell further described Sportsology as “a new-age corporate buzzword-spewing consultant.” OMG, can the firm ever spew those buzzwords! As if their homepage was an open fire hydrant:
- “fueling transformative growth”
- “optimizing organizational structures”
- “enhancing operational execution”
- “driving successful outcomes”
- “maximizing value”
- “deep thirst for knowledge”
- “deliver innovative solutions”
- “sharing pain points”
- “tailored strategies”
- “push boundaries”
- “encourage bold thinking”
- “questioning assumptions”
- “drive transformative outcomes”
- “leverage performance analytics”
No wonder Bushnell concluded, “Some franchises swear by the company and its work. Others, though, feel that the highfalutin jargon masks a lack of substance.”
Kraken Attempting To Recapture Pursuit Of Greatness
Somewhat more encouraging is an analysis posted on the Sportsology website titled, “The curse of the .500 team.” Hmmm, that resembles a local NHL team with a mythical sea creature mascot. “Gone is the pursuit of greatness and culture, replaced by a short-term ‘win now’ mindset.”
The Kraken have resembled those remarks. Like, in the ultimately fruitless hope of sneaking into this year’s playoffs, keeping all their aging, soon-to-be-free agents at the trade deadline. Or Seattle signing Chandler Stephenson to a seven-year, $44 million free agent contract in 2024.
Author Joel Cohen recommends a disappointingly-generic three-pronged solution:
1. Create a compelling vision
2. Build people, processes and franchise personality to support this vision
3. Execute with conviction, but stay nimble
Dirty Birds Enlisted Firm To Clean Up Their Act
To get a general sense of what the Kraken can expect from their audit, let’s examine another pro team that just completed the process.
One who swears by Sportsology is Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank. The NFL team in recent years has fallen, and couldn’t seem to get back up on its own. Much like the Kraken, Blank hired Sportology to thoroughly review his franchise.
“They interviewed close to 30 people, all one-on-one interviews,” Blank shared with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “They pointed out certain areas. Building a roster, the quality of the analytics. They felt communication and accountability could be tightened up.”
Sportsology’s report to Kraken ownership could read very similar to what the Falcons received.
“We have to have a consistent vision that everybody in the organization understands,” Blank said. “A coaching staff that understands that clearly. A GM who understands clearly. How you build players, bring them into the roster that match that system and that philosophy, and hold people accountable for their results and their decision-making and their performance.”
To boil it down, teams must fuel optimizing execution through a thirst for tailored pain points to leverage boundary assumptions. Or something like that.
I’m calling it now: if these two franchises successfully apply Sportsology’s blueprint, the Kraken will face the Falcons in this season’s inter-sport Super Stanley Cup Bowl.
Earlier Kraken:
— Kraken Who Hope To Be 2026 World Beaters
