It All Starts With the Organization

How can smaller markets in the sports world compare with the bigger markets, such as New York, Boston and Los Angeles?  Superstars in their respective sports love the bigger markets and fame they receive from being in that market.  Kobe in Los Angeles, Carmelo in New York and Lebron in Miami.  All of these superstars are in huge markets in the United States.  So how do smaller markets compete with these huge markets?

It all starts off with how the organization is ran and the stability within the organization.  Organizational stability is the main reason why smaller market teams are able to compete with larger markets.  If you look at the winners of 2011's major sports titles (St. Louis Cardinals in the MLB, Green Bay Packers in the NFL and Dallas Mavericks in the NBA), all are fairly small markets compared to the metropolis' of New York or Los Angeles, for example.  They won these titles with the stability of a established organization.

Winning organizations find a way to win, even without the big name superstars.  The organization's front office does a fantastic job in finding players at a reasonable price and drafting players that will fit their systems.  When players come into an established organization, they must buy into the attitudes/beliefs of the organization to achieve success.

Great management and great corporate environment matter more than the payroll or market size.  Small market teams need to stop complaining and start establishing an organization/front office that is stable and all have the same belief that organization's success.

In the end, market size is out of a team's control.  However, it is not critical to a team's success.  You need to find the right people to lead the team, which ultimately will bring championships to your city.

http://athletemarketingguy.com/2012/02/02/its-all-about-the-organization/