When my now-adult children Ben and Sam were young, they played both basketball and baseball throughout the years. In fact, husband Doug coached many of those teams along the way. What I witnessed, and what Doug encountered from the kids, was that most tried hard, and were good sports about both winning and losing, especially if coaches led by example. But good sportsmanship sometimes didn’t extend to the parents.
The stories we’ve all heard are true: Parents fighting, confronting coaches and yelling at umpires was not a once-in-a-season occurrence. Case in point: Sam, then in junior high, was on the basketball team sporting the white jerseys, playing against the blue, and Doug was coaching. High-school-aged Ben was sitting next to me in the stands, watching the game. Down the way on the bleachers was the mom of one of Sam’s teammates, yelling instructions, and not in a helpful way.
Finally, exasperated by the way Sam and his white-jersey-wearing teammates were playing, she yelled, “Hey white, how about just not sucking!?”
Ben looked at me, eyes wide, and said derisively, “Ohmygosh, and she’s a mom.” A good lesson for Ben: Unsportsmanlike conduct and just being an all-around jerk crosses gender.
I thought of that when I was reading FT Senior Editor Beth Ewen’s interview with Roger Dequina, an i9 Sports franchisee. The brand operates youth sports leagues on a local level.
Before he was with i9, he managed sports leagues and “most of my day was an altercation on a field because they were drinking. Or there’s an issue on a 10U diamond, an argument between a parent and a coach.”
One of the i9’s consistent themes is to focus on cooperation, rather than ultra-competitiveness, Beth writes. “Coming into i9 Sports ‘was just different. Kids were having fun,’” she reports Rojas saying.
The i9 Sports franchise feature is part of a larger editorial package we produce every March entitled the Zor Awards. Armed with financial metrics and other stats, interviews with experts and finally online voting, our editorial staff choose the top contender and two runners-up in 10 industry segments. i9 was the top pick in the “For the Kids” category, which features franchise brands that focus on youth. So, while teaching kids a positive attitude is part of the brand, our metrics say it is a winner for franchise buyers, too.
You’ll want to read the rest of the articles in our Zor Awards feature that cover everything from chiropractic services to hauling away junk. There is something for everyone.
Also in this issue, for those of you, like me, who need a primer on Web3, you’ll want to read Restaurant Editor Nick Upton’s write-up explaining it all. And if you don’t know what Web3 is, this article is especially for you. It seems that franchising is experimenting with blockchain, NFTs and Blingos. Should you be getting in on the action?
We have coverage of a new brand that helps us stave off Father Time and a martial arts concept whose investment by private equity should give it a boost.
And do you monetize your customer data? We have an article explaining how to do it. (Did you know the top 5 percent of customers will account for 30 percent of your sales?) Plus, columnist Alicia Miller writes that your best salespeople are your current franchisees who are expanding. Is your brand catching fire, or stalling out?
As always, we are bringing news, success stories and more to you this month—we’ve got it all. While there is no contest, there should be, because I’m proclaiming this issue a winner.
