Liverpool searched for over 10 months to find its new CEO but in the end, the team went with a local fan to replace Ian Ayre.
Longtime video game executive Peter Moore will be the new CEO of his favorite hometown team Liverpool. Before becoming COO and President of EA Sports, Moore held executive positions at Sega and Microsoft and have been in the video game business since the 90’s.
Moore replaces Ayre, who is heading to Germany and run 1860 Munich in the German second division.
This move is interesting on many fronts. Moore is an experienced chief executive who has been a huge part of competitive gaming as well as the FIFA video game series but this would be his debut in the sports industry.
But that isn’t really shocking anymore. Many sports teams look outside the sports industry for their executives. Depending on what they are doing, that very much makes sense. What’s more interesting is that Liverpool hired such a diehard fan like Peter Moore.
To some, it’s great that the CEO is a fan of the team they are running. It’ll show fans the perception that they are going to take the results personally and that they would be willing to do anything to make their team better. On the other hand, it could invite the possibility that they would use their heart more than their head and make a bad business decision that winds up hurting the team in the long run.
Just like whether or not to hire a CEO with sports experience, hiring a diehard fan depends on how the team views the situation. Personally, I feel its important to have a fan be in charge. It’ll bring on a sense of pride that they are running the team they rooted for their entire life and give an added sense of motivation to do a great job. It’s not the most important part when searching for a CEO because you would of course want someone who’s the best fit for the job. But if they are a fan, it’s a bonus.
For Peter Moore, he clearly has the experience to be able to run Liverpool and not let it affect him that he is a fan. But Moore is taking over a team who is behind some of the other teams in England in terms of money, players and success. Liverpool wants to be a top team, can Peter Moore get them there?
[ESPN FC/Photo: EA]
