Tom Dundon, the new owner of the Portland Trail Blazers, has come under fire for some of the cost-cutting measures he has taken since acquiring the team. Dundon’s controversial decisions have included axing playoff t-shirts for fans, hesitancy to pay the going market rate for the services of a premier head coach, and laying off 70 team employees.
Still, in the face of all the backlash, Dundon is standing by his decisions.
“The fact that T-shirts and all these other things are what people tend to focus on probably means that we probably haven’t done a good job of explaining, or maybe I didn’t think we should have to, because I wouldn’t have thought people would move toward the wrong things,” he said of not providing fans with T-shirts, according to oregonlive.com.
He also touched on the layoffs, going with a take that many may perceive as harsh.
“People are happier when they’re busy and productive. That is the way I think things should be done. And more people just creates more problems, usually. I think Portland just had too many people.”
If Dundon’s changes lead to winning, Blazers fans will almost certainly forget what, as of now, has been widely received as gratuitous cost-cutting. However, if things don’t pan out, this could evolve into one of the most contentious owner-fanbase relationships in professional sports.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.